Bill Ballard Fine Art Photography

The Time Has Come to Say Goodbye...

2011-01-02T09:05:00.003-05:00

...to Blogger.

After working with the new blog on the WordPress site,I've decided my time with here with Blogger is finished. The WordPress interface has taken some getting used to, but all in all, I'm liking it much better.

Accordingly, this will be my final post on this blog.

The biggest difference for readers is how WordPress blogs are 'followed'. Basically, a subscription to the WordPress blog will be necessary. It's quite simple, and is more or less the same as 'following' is here. Simply click on the 'Subscribe' button, follow one or two verification steps, and you're in.

Thanks again to everyone for all of your support during my time on Blogger!

Please change your bookmarks to: http://billballardphotography.wordpress.com/

I look forward to seeing you there!

Turn the Page...

2010-12-31T14:08:00.000-05:00

After reviewing my blog posts for 2010, I was almost at the point of thinking I could simply cut and paste my blog entry from the end of 2009. After all, little has changed.

I still don’t make resolutions. As I wrote in my last 2009 entry:

I forge ahead in life, trying to recall lessons learned before making the same mistake again. Or, I apply knowledge gained during the passing year to make things better in the coming year. Harnessing the processes of wanting to do better, be smarter, wiser, and to do one’s best in everything one does is, at least for me, the best way to go. I see it as more natural, more instinctive.

And so it goes for 2011.

I would have to say that I did experience some worthy achievements in 2010, at least where photography is concerned. I began using all natural light and relatively unstructured environments (at least when compared with the often sterile setting of the studio) for my sessions. In the process, I believe I did some of the best work I’ve done in a decade or more. I resolutely ended my relationship with film, insofar as to accept that my days of working with it and in the darkroom were at an end. Some may not understand how or why I would count that as a worthy achievement. Trust me it is.

Thus, I look forward to 2011 and to the new hope for creative inspiration that it brings. I hope you’ll stay with me, and tell your friends. The more, the merrier.

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And so comes the time where I extend a personal “thank-you” to those that follow and read this blog. Your interest and support of my work is appreciated more than you’ll ever know. If you’re a reader, please become a follower so I know you’re here. If you don’t want to be a ‘formal-follower’, please drop me a line to say hi.

For a variety of reasons, I’m looking at moving this blog to WordPress. Chief among them are the fact I’ve always been bothered by the Content Advisory page Blogger/Google require for any blog containing nudity, regardless of intent. So, after talking some with my web persona and reviewing other WordPress blogs, I’ve decided to give it a go. In fact, today’s entry will be published at the WordPress blog in duplicate. The WordPress URL is:

http://www.billballardphotography.wordpress.com

I’m still working through the administrative processes and such with the site. So far though, I like it. Take a look and tell me what you think. If it looks good enough, and the responses are positive enough, then I will begin 2011 entries on the WordPress blog. Regardless, I'm planning to leave this blog here, as it is.

Here’s to a happy and prosperous 2010!

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Here is one from the last West Hall Street session of 2010.

'Tis the Season...

2010-12-24T10:58:00.000-05:00

I wanted to write a quick and simple note to say ‘thank you’ for supporting and following my work through the few words and images I’m able to share on this blog. Your interest is appreciated more than you know.

The last entry indicated I would be absent from here until early next year. Once again, as they always seem to do, things have changed. An unexpected opportunity has arisen and I intend to use it to my best advantage. I’ll be back on my photographic feet soon. As always, please stay tuned.

I wanted to include an appropriate image for the season, but I don’t really have any pictures I can associate with Christmas or the holidays in general. Instead, I picked one that stands uniquely apart from the remainder of my work.

For me, it’s a simple and quiet image. And although it’s not very ‘Christmassy’, I hope you enjoy it as well.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone.

I’ll see you all soon.

What? Time For a Break? Again?

2010-11-28T13:17:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. I’ve done this before.

But this time is different. This break is not out of frustration (actually it is – sort of) or because I feel blocked or stale in the work. Hardly. I’ve reached the point where there are literally not enough hours in the day. If I don’t make choices now, they will very likely be made and forced upon me. So, I’m choosing to try this again in order to head off the less desirable choices at the pass.

I’m not planning any further updates here until the early portion of 2011. My website rebuild has also been placed on hold as I’ve had no time to do image edits for the galleries.

So what’s happening? If you really want to know, read on; if not, check back in February of 2011. I’ll be somewhat caught up by then.

This decision is not pegged to one single event, but to a tangled web of stuff. Being self-employed is the biggest part of it and basically, this is a decision of economics and balance. Ask any artist and you’ll know the markets ain’t what they used to be. The risk of speculating new work in the present market conditions is too much for me to even consider. In fact, if I treated photography as a pure business enterprise I would’ve shut it down years ago. While the circumstances I now find myself in are not born of frustration, they are certainly a cause of frustration – and stress.

It goes without saying that for me, photography is much, much more than a pure business venture. It also goes without saying the economy can’t be ignored. After years of putting my art ahead of so much else, I can see the rendering is coming due and that’s a problem. To continue to keep photography at the top of my ‘to do’ list simply isn’t viable or realistic.

Today’s image is one from this past summer; two wonderful, beautiful ladies looking out into the world, hopeful. I will be back, with new and good work, but it’s not gonna be for a while. Check in from time to time, but don’t expect new stuff to appear. Above all else, don’t stand waiting around. I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do as well.

In the meantime, please feel free to drop me a line and stay in touch. I wish each and everyone out there a happy and safe holiday season – and let’s all hope for a more prosperous and balanced year in 2011.

Sustainability...

2010-11-21T12:26:00.000-05:00

Once again, I’ve not much new to report. Lisa is still quite run-down. She finished her antibiotics this morning but really isn’t feeling any better. As for me, I’m definitely better than she is, but still feeling the effects of this crap. This stuff, whatever it is or was, has been no fun.

For better or worse, the day job has had me on the road much of the past week. Sometimes, it seems as if one must decide to ‘no longer be sick’ and typically, I feel better when I get active and on with things. The side effect of course, is fatigue. Still, I believe this is why I may be doing a little better. Yesterday, still miserable with congestion and cough, Lisa accused me of feeling better on purpose.

My hopes of moving ahead quickly with image edits and post work aren’t being realized, though I am making some progress here and there. I’m meeting with the web designer later today to see what progress she’s made, but it admittedly won’t be much as I’ve not been able to get material to her.

Thanksgiving will not be a big holiday this year for us. I’m hopeful to take advantage of the break it will bring and get some things done with photography. Until then, here are two more from this past summer’s sessions.

To all of my friends and family, Happy Thanksgiving.

Two Flu into the Cukoo's Nest...

2010-11-13T17:09:00.000-05:00

If this entry’s title isn’t clear, suffice to say it’s been yet another trying week. Both Lisa and I have been fighting the flu.

Actually, the fight was short-lived. Taking hold over the weekend, the flu had us both beaten down by mid-week. Now, after several doses of antibiotics and various legally prescribed narcotics to block the endless coughing and permit snatches of sleep to occur, we seem to be gaining the upper hand. Or at least I do. Lisa’s still having a rough go of it.

Needless to say, not much has happened since my reappearance here last week. I’m hopeful the coming days will be better, as I’m weary of the sofa and television, paperback novels, and canned soups. The bright spot is I’ve managed to scheme and plan. Time will tell where that may take me.

In the meantime, here’s a smidge more of this past summer’s work.

Seven Weeks…

2010-11-06T10:33:00.000-04:00

It’s been that long since I posted anything here…pictures or words.

That’s far too long to be gone. My apologies to all.

While I can’t say I accomplished much during that time, I can say they weren’t seven weeks filled with idle nothingness. I’ve actually been quite busy; however, it’s been ‘day job’ busy and not ‘photographic’ busy. I did manage to get a couple of new sessions shot and on the books, both with new models. And I’ve worked on my website updates too.

I've also begun the restorative dental work to repair the cracked molar I mentioned in the last entry. I won't even go into how much fun that is. I'm grateful to have a dentist that not only has an excellent chair-side manor, but an appreciation for my work. Two of my prints hang in his home.

Mostly, its mountains of post work I need to do, to put the finishing touches on this past summer’s work, and to get images in my gallery and on my website. Rest assured, more new work will be forthcoming. In the meantime, here are three new ones; two from recent October sessions with two new models and one bodyscape from an August session with models Michelle and Sarah.

Enjoy and keep in touch.

All Work....and A Lot of Pain.

2010-09-19T16:12:00.001-04:00

Work, work, and more work. For the self-employed artist, it’s the blessed curse.

The safe guess here is that I’m still quite busy. I have managed to begin funneling image edits to my web designer so she can begin the refurbishing of my website. I have managed to get one more session shot; a marathon one with a wonderful and energetic model which yielded some magnificent images.

I’ve also managed to endure some impressive pain when a molar on my lower right side fractured as I ate a piece of peppermint candy. Excruciating pain, then a nearly completely numbed head made for an interesting middle of the week. My crown awaits.

What I’ve not managed to do is keep this blog as current as I would have liked. However, the lack of updates here has meant I’ve been able to get other equally if not more important tasks started, delegated, or completed. But I digress.

Three weeks is too long to go without something, and for that I apologize.

Here’s one from my recent session at West Hall Street, one I’ve decided to leave in color.

The Portrait

2010-08-29T19:41:00.001-04:00

In his daybooks, Edward Weston wrote with some degree of fondness of the times when people would come to his studio and browse his collection of ‘heads’. What he was referring to of course, were portraits. It seems remarkable now, but in the early days of photography, photographers often sold their portraits of people as works of art.

While I don’t consider myself to be a portrait photographer, I do enjoy creating them given the opportunity – and figure sessions provide ample opportunities to capture wonderful and intimate portraits. I thought I’d share some of my recent favorites.

More New Work From West Hall...

2010-08-23T19:16:00.007-04:00

Recently, I’ve written about how I felt this blog had become somewhat less about photography and more about writing. I resolved to make the change to shorter, more concise entries, and to include more than one image. After all, this is a blog about photography. I’m happy to see I’m doing just that.

Still, some things should be said; minor details and samplings of life, opinion, and thought. Unfortunately, it’s not much different than it has been: my day job continues to dominate my time; I’m very much behind in my post production work; and I shot another very successful session at the West Hall Street location with models Sarah and Michelle after quite a busy week on the road. It was the first time either had modeled with another model and the results, after a cursory scan, look promising.

With this week’s entry, I’m introducing a new series of images. Interestingly enough, these look very much like they were shot in a studio setting. They weren't. This is more of that amazing and versatile West Hall window light. I’ve not thought of a name for these yet; for now they’re simply ‘untitled.’

Enjoy.

The Late Summer Doldrums...

2010-08-14T12:31:00.000-04:00

Again, not too much to report. Life moves on, and the day job is keeping me hopping. The editing is lagging and I’m trimming the shoot schedule somewhat. This isn’t as bad as it sounds; working capital and cash flow are powerfully seductive things to the self employed.

Still, I feel a bit stuck; akin to a boat hove to and adrift in the doldrums, heat, humidity, and thunderstorms all around. Summer in Savannah.

More from the West Hall Street location.

In the Summertime...

2010-08-11T20:43:00.000-04:00

Once again, I’ve not too much to report photographically. Edits and post work continue on the early summer’s work, and more sessions are in the planning stages for later this month and early September.

I can report that I appear to have developed a successful, workable, and practical image organization system. As with most things, time will tell. So far though, so good.

This past Sunday I did a short session in my home with Michelle R. My approach to the session was one of trial and error, and the results are directly in line with that mindset. We toyed with the idea of some outdoor shots; however, it was burning hot. With the air temperature in the high 90's and humidity in the 60 or 70 percentile, the heat index factor - think of it as sort of a 'reverse wind-chill' - was near 112 degrees. No thanks.

We did create a small number of usable images; unfortunately that was the exception and not the rule. I’ll post one or two with a future entry.

Here are more from that fabulous space on West Hall Street.

More From "The Sessions on West Hall"

2010-08-01T23:24:00.002-04:00

Editing and new session planning continues as time and life permits. I’m still very excited about this new work and am very eager to get it out where it can be seen

For some time now, I’ve wanted to get the work onto the walls of art galleries outside of Savannah. I believe one way of doing that is to enter my work into juried competitions. It’s not something I’ve done too often; I think in the past 12 years I’ve entered two. However, after a recent telephone conversation with friend Dave Rudin, it occurred to me it may be the best way to start the process.

Until now, this is not something with which I’ve had much interest. I don’t know exactly what’s out there in the way of juried exhibition opportunities, or how to find them. If anyone can share or recommend resources for calls for entries, it would be much appreciated.

I do maintain portfolios on various photography and art oriented sites, such as Community Zoe, Photo.Net, and the well known Model Mayhem. While these are good places for other artists and photographers to see my work and offer the occasional comment, I don’t think they’re sites gallery directors frequent when looking for new artists to show. Serious market research would seem to be in my future.

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My image organizational system isn’t performing as I’d hoped; time for a bit more investigation into the subject. My image workflow, meaning the steps I take in getting from the RAW digital file or negative scan to the final image isn’t the issue. Organizing my images, and keeping them organized, is. What worked with film isn’t translating so well to digital.

With that in mind, I’m going to slow the editing down a bit and concentrate on getting a very solid file organization system in place.

Stay tuned.

Introducing "The Sessions on West Hall"

2010-07-29T17:49:00.001-04:00

Here’s a small sampling of the new work I’ve shot over the past six weeks. As the title suggests, these images will be part of a collection I’m calling “The Sessions on West Hall”.

The collection will show the figure in more of an environmental perspective than my past work has. In truth, I’ve been working in this direction since last year without being fully aware of it. Even more remarkable is the shooting location is so versatile that much of the work shot there will fall under already existing projects and genres I’ve been shooting for years. The only real difference between the new and old work is the light source; nothing but old Sol himself.

Actually, there is another difference: these sessions drug me out of my 2010 winter and spring funk, and into the light again. I’ve approached the work with a renewed sense of direction, vigor, and purpose. I’ve enjoyed shooting this work in ways I haven’t for a long time. Simply put, I’m happy.

As always, I’m curious to hear from you. Speak up and let me know what you think.

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Over the past couple of weeks, I've spent lots of time editing images from the recent sessions. I’ve also been busy planning more sessions at other locations around Savannah, including my own home.

I’ve used my home as a working studio before, but never with window light. The living room of the house is large enough to do portrait and bodyscape work with studio lights, but as is the norm in such a space, the low ceiling is problematic. The saving grace is the large picture window that spans 4/5 of the room. A few weeks back, a friend came over and we tested the window light in various locations throughout the house. The results are promising. Even though the living room window faces west, the two thickly leaved and gigantic magnolia tress in our front yard shade the window nicely. The end result is window light that I think will work very well on the nude form.

Our front door and hallway also provide a softly diffused light that should be excellent for portrait and upper torso work. At a minimum, it’s worth a try.

Check back often and please stay in touch. There are more beautiful and wonderful things to come.

Patience, Patience, Patience

2010-07-16T18:31:00.002-04:00

Angulaire

Unfortunately, I don’t have too much to report, photographically speaking. Nor do I have any new images to show. Here’s one with Anna from my 2008 project titled Contre La Lumiere.

I’ve been working on improving my digital workflow. Mostly, I’ve been trying to smooth out some kinks associated with how I store and handle image files which are in process or are finished and ready for output. Lucky for me, something that appears to be workable has emerged.

On paper, it looks quite cumbersome. But when applied, I think it will work; after all, it’s little more than one or two slight modifications to what I was already doing when I shot a mix of film and digital. Considering the thousands of images I’ve shot in my recent sessions, I’ll have ample opportunity to put it to the test.

However, the real post production work will have to wait until early next week. My wife is returning home tomorrow from an extended trip abroad and our goddaughter is arriving for a few days visit. For those reasons, it’s unlikely I’ll have another update here for at least a week.

In the film processing area at the darkroom where I used to do my work, there was a sign over the sink. It read "Patience, Patience, Patience".

That's what I ask of you now. Know that good and beautiful things are on the horizon.

And the Angels Did Sing...

2010-07-13T09:42:00.005-04:00

The space I’ve been shooting in the past few weeks is, as I’ve written in recent entries, simply gorgeous. And the beauty is not just about the space itself, but the light within it.

This past weekend, I shot there with three models; two during a marathon Saturday session and one during an intensive Sunday afternoon session, with Sunday marking the fourth time working the space. On Saturday, the models worked jointly and separately and at some point in the day, a miracle occurred. The heavens opened and the angels sang.

Perhaps it’s inaccurate to say this burst of creativity only took hold this weekend. Certainly, it was there when I first saw the space, roughly three or four months ago, and it was there during my work with Michelle and Megan. The level of creative energy has been a constant, but this weekend was the first time I was hotly aware of it.

Sunday evening, as I did an initial edit of the day’s images, I began to understand that I’ve created and shot a new and entirely different body of work without any planning or forethought. That makes me one very overwhelmed but very happy photographer. My cumulative efforts in this space have yielded what I feel is my best work in a decade or more. If you’ve read this blog, you know that’s not something I could say if it wasn’t from the heart.

Today’s images are of me working in that beautiful space with Michelle. Friend and photographer Justin Taylor assisted in all of the sessions at this location and shot these at my request. I should mention that the space is also Justin’s home, and had it not been for his and his roommate Eric’s unyielding generosity, none of this new work would have happened.

Wonderful things will follow.

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Web Site vs. Blog…

With the realizations mentioned above comes the realization I’ve more or less ignored my website.

The site has been static since early 2009. I had almost settled on letting the site go and allowing this blog to be my primary web presence. However, with representation through Horizon Gallery beginning earlier this year, and the newly created work, I’ve decided it’s time to revamp the site and to find a way to integrate it with this blog.

I’m a bit uncertain as to how to approach the blog side of things. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to add a link button to the blog on the website home page. If anyone can suggest other ways to merge the two, I’m listening.

Timing on these changes is up in the air as well. I have a huge amount of post work to do. I’m not quite certain yet as to how or when all this will all play out.

I’ll keep you posted.

Happy, Followed by Sad...

2010-07-08T19:43:00.005-04:00

Two with Megan.

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Yesterday afternoon, I had quite a pleasant surprise when I received a phone call from New York photographer and blogger Dave Rudin. Dave operates the Figures of Grace blog. He is also one my favorite contemporary photographers working with the nude.

Dave and I have exchanged comments on various topics through our blogs and to connect a voice with the words on the screen was good. We both approach photography from the perspective of the traditionalist, though it must be said Dave is adhering much closer to those roots than my present circumstances allow for me to do. We spent nearly an hour talking everything from galleries to darkrooms. I was reluctant to end the conversation to fulfill a dinner obligation with friends. It was good to hear from him.

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The Door Closes a Bit Further…

…for me on film.

In my backyard is a detached storage shed where my larder of film and printing papers were stored in an old upright refrigerator/freezer. During the prior week, while I was out of town on non-photographic business, severe thunderstorms struck the Savannah area, a common occurrence in summer. I’m told power was out for several hours. When I returned home, I stuck my head in the shed and flipped on the light. It worked. Power was restored and my house was cool. It didn’t seem so bad. What I didn’t see was that the breaker to the outlet into which the refrigerator was plugged had tripped.

Fast forward ahead several days; I’m walking by the shed into the back yard when I notice a bad odor coming from the structure. I went in, opened the refrigerator, and recoiled.

In addition to film and paper, food was in the freezer portion of the now warm and stinking appliance. The photo materials in the freezer were saturated with detritus from thawed and rotting food. The materials in the refrigerator portion faired much better, only experiencing warmness.

There was no saving the freezer; rolls and boxes of film along with enveloped packages of paper were destroyed. The experience of cleaning up the mess and throwing it all away was, to say the least unpleasant. Yet as often happens in times of suffering, knowledge was revealed.

I’ve written often of my struggles moving between the film and digital worlds. As I toiled through the foulness in the Savannah summer heat, I began to understand the final reality that my time with film; a time when complete sessions were recorded on film and worked by hand, was over. The financial reality is I can’t afford to set up, run, and maintain a darkroom. Even if I could, the fact remains that other aspects of life simply won’t permit me the time it takes to do it and do it properly.

A long time has passed since I knew I would have to make the transition to digital imaging. The alternative was to end my photography, and obviously, I chose to transition and continue. Still, I held on to all of this stuff for over six years in the hopes I was wrong.

So here I was, sweating and unpleasantly odorous, two trash bags stuffed with sour smelling film and worse smelling pot roast, chicken, and fish, looking at hundreds of undamaged rolls of film and boxes of paper and wondering what in hell to do.

I decided to pass them along to another Savannah photographer and friend who also works with the figure, and shoots only film and can maintain a working darkroom. At least I know everything will go to good use and not wind up in a landfill. But I’m not giving it all away, at least not the film. I’m keeping a handful of each variety.

You know. Just in case.

Quietly Busy Times, Plus a Change of Heart....

2010-07-06T17:31:00.004-04:00

Two more from Michelle’s recent window light session.

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There’s not really much to report.

The delivery deadline for the American Cancer Society’s local chapter annual art auction, to which I’ve agreed to donate a piece, is looming. I’ve not quite decided which image to send; there are a couple I have in mind, but I’m reserving judgment until the upcoming weekend’s three scheduled sessions are in the books.

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Ah, Model Mayhem

I’ve decided to re-do my Model Mayhem profile and portfolio. After my rant here a few months back, I rewrote a good bit of it to reflect my then sullen mood. It was cumbersome, complicated, and quite frankly, off-putting; I suppose something not very different from me at the time. The ‘Profile’ portion revisions are done and the result is a much lighter, friendlier version. Take a read if you like and let me know your thoughts. The actual portfolio updates should happen in a week or two.

Discovering My Independence....

2010-07-04T20:59:00.008-04:00

Here's hoping everyone has a safe and happy July 4th...

Megan in Studio, 2010

Michelle in Sun, 2010

Creative projects are in full swing, and time for editing and post work suddenly seems in short supply. I’m also reviewing old film prints, particularly the frames and mats they occupy. These newer works will need homes. Evictions may be forthcoming.

I’m continuing to experiment with soft and no focus work and as a part of that, I’m incorporating the infamous LensBaby into the mix; more of those works will follow in forthcoming posts. Until then, here are two from an older session with Megan and a more recent window light session with Michelle.

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Nostalgia can grip me from time to time. For those that know me well, this may not be such a surprise, but an experience early last week was. I’ve written often of my struggle with the transition from film to digital. I’m making progress. Last Tuesday was confirmation of that.

I was in Atlanta and went to visit the old photography school and darkroom where I did the bulk of my work during the early portion of the last decade. Change has swept the place; the darkroom, studio, and upper floor classrooms are gone. All that remains are the lower level classrooms and a small gallery space. This was not new; the darkroom and studio spaces closed over five years ago.

What was new was the emotion I felt as I drove in. I took a route I’d not taken in years, and as I drove down the busy streets I found myself missing the long printing sessions with old friends; the midnight munchies with my lab partners, all of us stuffing our faces with smoked salmon burritos, gyros, cheese steak sandwiches, and of course beer. Well, beer for them. I gave up drink long ago.

What I came to realize is that with the transition to digital photography, photography itself has become a very solitary pursuit. And while I still sometimes think I would kill for a whiff of fixer or to feel my fingers slick with developer, I understood with startling clarity what I really miss is the friendships that were made and nurtured in the darkroom.

So the door closes a bit further for me on film, and opens a bit wider for new methods of achieving the same goal. And yes, I’ve made new friends, very good friends, via digital.

Perhaps it's not as different as I thought.

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Earlier today, I took a stroll through the local Barnes & Noble Booksellers. I hadn’t been in the store for a few weeks and it was clear there had been a significant reorganization of the store floorplan. In fact, much of it was still in progress.

The shock for me was that the photography books – the anthologies, the portfolio collections, the essays, the biographies – were no longer in the “Art” section. They were in the “Digital Photography” section.

Now “Digital Photography” has long been shelved separately from “Photography.” However, I will readily confess it came as something of a surprise to see the portfolio collections of Imogen Cunningham and Henri Cartier-Bresson shelved alongside works such as “The Photoshop Darkroom”, or “No Plastic Sleeves.” Reality was impressed further upon me when I saw Ansel Adam’s immortal work “The Camera” alongside “Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers.”

Make no mistake; this change pushes my experiences last Tuesday while driving in Atlanta a little further home. And, like much of the digitizing of photography, I understand that retail sales ideals and strategies drove the changes. My head isn't buried that deeply in the sand. But was it really necessary to separate photography from art?

Blurring the Lines...

2010-06-21T20:55:00.003-04:00

Two more from the recent session with Michelle.

I wanted to experiment with creating mysterious and graphical shapes of the body using very soft or nonexistent focus. I like the results and plan to incorporate more of this technique into upcoming sessions. Stay tuned.

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My follower count continues to hover at thirteen. I’m not by nature a superstitious person, but I readily admit I’ll feel better with an increase of follower roster numbers. Feel free to spread the word about this blog to anyone you think may find my work of interest. For those of you that lurk, and I suspect there are at least a few, please make yourselves known. After all, photography is about communication.

2010-06-20T22:15:00.002-04:00

I had said I wasn’t planning to shoot over the summer of 2010 unless I was struck with staggering inspiration. Well struck I was, literally, by some of the most stunning natural light I’ve seen in recent memory.

These are four brand new images from a session with Michelle R, shot in another old Savannah home, with some of that stunning natural light. Enjoy.

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I’ve decided on something of a different approach to this blog.

When I first started the blog in June, 2009, I wrote that this would be a journal to show not only my figure photography but my documentary, travel, and other work genres as well. I also identified it as a place to discuss art and photography and expressed the hope that it would encourage and foster such actual discussions among artists, models, collectors, and so on.

Of course, showing my photography was the easy part. Has it fostered any discussions among artists? I don’t know. Or more accurately; not that I’ve heard.

Having said that, I always wanted the blog to be centered on and about photography; particularly artistic photography of the nude human form. To my own credit, I achieved exactly that; however, during my short lived but rejuvenating break I came to realize that I was writing more and posting fewer and fewer photographs. Certainly I was writing about photographic topics, and rarely strayed from that. But with the numbers of images being posted dwindling to one per post, and on more than a few occasions, none per post, I felt the blog was heading astray.

With this entry, expect the face of the blog to change somewhat. I’m still going to write about things I believe are of interest to the artistic and photographic communities. Treatises on the difficulties of finding models, the travails of my studio sessions, or the state of the art collector markets will only occasionally find their way inside. And when they do, I’ll keep them concise and to the point. I’ll try my best, anyway.

Well that didn't last long...

2010-05-29T15:07:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I know. Just call me Brett Farve.

I've no image to put with today's post; sorry for that. However, the real purpose of this little note is to say that the break I mentioned in my prior post is now suspended. indefinitely. Inspiration, I'm pleased to say, has struck!

In short, I am seeing once again.

Stay tuned for details...

Until Further Notice...

2010-05-08T14:45:00.006-04:00

Deaf Man

It’s sounding more and more like the refrain of a bad song; nonetheless, my time has not been my own of late.

To say the past few weeks have been stressful would be an understatement. I won’t bore you with the sordid details, but a minor medical scare, the loss of a long lived and much loved pet, and the strains of being a self employed person married to a self employed person are taking their toll, which amounts to much more than their due share.

Couple that with the simple fact I’m not very happy with recent work. I’m making decent images; even a few good ones here and there, but overall it could be better. I had been hopeful a shift in direction, a move out of studio to shoot with natural, available light would bring about a surge of inspiration. It hasn’t. The honest truth is I can sense the tingle fading.

I think any artist, regardless of the medium in which they work, will say art and all it involves is no different than life itself. For the artist, art is cyclical. It’s like riding a roller coaster, or a being a surfer catching a wave. Inspiration rises and falls, projects begin and end, and some things simply get stuck and go nowhere. The ideas and creativity spin in space, and it’s easy to feel as if all is aimless and without direction or purpose. And like the rider on a roller coaster or a surfer looking for a wave, it’s impossible to not question the structure of your support; what’s really holding this speeding car on the rails or waiting to swallow you in one watery, salty gulp. Thought processes like these make one, for lack of a better word, think.

I’ve decided I’m going to stop, at least for a while. I’ll get off the roller coaster and sit on the beach. For a change, I’m going to spend my summer watching others.

Of course, this decision directly affects what I do here, perhaps for the entire summer. Unless I’m struck with staggering inspiration, which is of course one hopeful outcome of this little vacation, there will be no new updates until the fall.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I’ll see you soon.

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And Since You Asked...

Nude With Flower, Cropped Version

Some of you suggested this crop for the image posted with the previous entry. You can see that entry here. The image is from a studio session with Megan.

I have to say I like it, as it shifts the focal point of the flowers away from center frame. However, I’m fond of the other too. I feel they both work well.

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And Since I Asked...

When I wrote the post prior to this one, I suggested an adjustment to my follower base as I was at 13 followers.

Well, someone responded. They left.

I’m now at 12 followers. Not exactly what I had in mind, but at least I’m off of 13. Of course, there can be a thousand reasons of why one follower dropped away. I'm not taking it personally.

I expect this blog will benefit from something of a rest as well. Still, even though the blog is going to be in hibernation for some time, please feel free to tell others about it.

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Deaf Man pose, from an '08 session with beautiful Anna.

A Continuance...

2010-04-23T07:49:00.006-04:00

Nude With Flower

Not too much has changed since my last post.

The day-job workload is slacking and I’m getting better at managing the hours of my days, or so it would seem. I’m finding stretches of time in which to do some editing on past sessions. I’ve come to realize there are bad habits I could cut out of my day in favor of doing things more productive, which I’ll touch on a bit later; certainly, this has been a big help. Regardless, I’m still far behind from where I’d hoped to be by this time of 2010, particularly where photography is concerned.

There’s a bit more to discuss, but I’ll save that for my next post.

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Events at Horizon

The opening parties at Horizon Gallery went very well, and were wildly successful for a few of the 37 artists represented. No photography sold. Still, the gallery and work was seen by many. Gallery director Luc Ebner holds high-hopes for the gallerie's expansion into other markets. As always, I remain optimistic.

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And On That Note...

Please feel free to spread the word about this blog and my photography. If you’re a reader, but not a formal “follower”, please become one so I know you’re here. I love meeting people at my show openings and it’s always nice to know who the audience is. Having said that, I will confess to ulterior motives here: I’m not superstitious; however, it would be nice to see the follower count rise above 13…

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Another from my session with Megan.

A Coping Mechanism...

2010-04-01T20:28:00.005-04:00

Life remains and moves fast.

The day job is keeping me busy, and the need to earn cash and then immediately redistribute it is overwhelming. There has been little time for other pursuits, photography among them. I’m two sessions behind in editing, and I’m shuffling my planned shooting schedule around, pushing dates back on the calendar closer and closer to spring and the start of ‘tan-line’ season. Not that I’m complaining; far from it. I’m grateful to be busy; and as strange as it sounds, grateful to have an income to redistribute.

My primary concern is I’m not devoting the time to my photography work that it both demands and deserves; this is especially true for the figurative work . I’ll get there; I’ll get the edits done and images in gallery inventories for sale, and images on this blog for all to see. Still, it bugs me. I feel almost guilty.

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Come One, Come All....

...and tell a friend or two. Horizon Gallery, my current sole representation, is having an artist’s reception on Friday, April 16th from 5pm-8pm and on Sunday, an open house, from 3pm-7pm. All are invited; feel free to spread the word. The gallery is located at 206 East Bay Street, Savannah, Ga.

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One from Megan’s first studio session.

Timing is Everything...

2010-03-07T08:21:00.007-05:00

If “timing is everything” then so far this year I’ve been blessed. I ended my partnership with Savannah’s The Gallery earlier in the year, with the anticipation of pushing my work into other markets more receptive to the nude figure. I sold my share of the partnership to another photographer and at the close of business January 31st, removed the last of my unsold inventory from the building.

This past Tuesday, I received a call from a friend asking if I knew what had happened with The Gallery. When I told her I wasn’t aware of anything happening, she said during the latter part of the preceding week, there had been a fire in the building. Now, the space was completely empty.

Huh?!?

I called one of the current owning partners, painter Bobby Bagley to find out what in hell had happened.

The Gallery is located in an old Savannah building built sometime in the late 1800's, and occupies the ground floor and basement of the structure. On the second and third floors are apartments which rent mostly to college students. Bobby explained that in the early evening hours on a Thursday of the preceding week, a tenant in one of the apartments was smoking a cigarette and left the room to take a shower. The cigarette was not fully extinguished and somehow found its way onto combustible material, and the fire erupted. The fire supposedly did a number on the apartment where it started, and the automatic sprinkler system in the building activated. Fortunately, no one was injured or worse.

According to Bobby and much to my amazement, little work in The Gallery was damaged. The floors, walls, and ceilings however, are another matter. I’ve since spoken with another of the owning partners and she confirmed the water damage is significant. The space is now completely empty and undergoing repairs.

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The past two and a half weeks have been quite busy. In addition to some minor continuances of the hard drive crash, the necessities of the day job have kept me hopping. The foreseeable future offers little relief, and time for camera and subject will be sparse. If it sounds like I’m complaining, well, I suppose in a way I am. But make no mistake, I’m grateful to be busy and have paying work to do.

I’m hopeful to get some edits done from my two weeks ago shoot with Megan K once an early business trip, which begins tomorrow, is concluded.

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One from an early natural light session with Anna S.

Tripping the Light Confusion...

2010-02-22T06:52:00.000-05:00

Saturday’s session with new model Megan K was the first time I’d been in studio in several months and I must admit; I was surprised at how rusty I was. Nonetheless, it was a good session and several good images will come from it. I’ve managed a cursory first edit, but with the work-week starting, the day job is rearing its ugly yet reasonably well-paying head. Please be patient for a few days.

In the post preceding this one, I mentioned that when working in studio I feel I have more control over the environment. Perhaps I jinxed myself by writing about it beforehand, but rusty or not, this shoot started with more confusion than anything else. It wasn’t an issue of the environment not being under control, but one of me not being in control of the environment. In reality, the difficulties were minor and easily resolved; for example, there was the overhead and somewhat hard to access monolight that wouldn’t power-up, which turned out to be unplugged. Most frustrating though, was in the first few images light was coming in from an unknown source and knocking down shadows on the model. It wasn’t an overpowering light; in fact, I would have been hard-pressed to create a more precise fill.

My assistant and I tried all sorts of remedies to no avail; among them turning off all lights in the building, even those in rooms isolated and away from the shooting space. I began to question the accuracy of my light meter and camera settings. Finally, my assistant realized a monolight head tucked away in a corner behind my shooting position had been left on, but with the modeling light turned off. It was close enough and in proper orientation to slave off of my main light, and fired each time I pressed the shutter.

Once these little things were behind us, we pressed ahead and did good work.

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A Systems Crash Update…

Things seem to be going well. No new quirks have surfaced and I’m getting caught up. I’ve switched from IE to Mozilla’s FireFox, which I like tremendously, though it’s taking a bit of getting used to.

My office and ‘darkroom’ upgrade will happen this fall. Generally, my idea is to use an inexpensive laptop or ‘Netbook’ style system for the day job stuff and assemble the best, most powerful desktop system for my photographic work. I was hopeful to switch to a Mac; however, many of the day job clients require me to use proprietary software, which is of course, Windows based. For that reason, I’m afraid I’m stuck with Windows. The upside is Windows 7 seems to be a stable platform. Still, it’s a new platform. That’s the main reason I’m delaying until late fall to make a move.

My research for the upgrade will begin soon. I’ll write about it aplenty, I’m sure.

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Here’s another from Michelle R’s shoot for The Bolton Street Sessions, silvery and soft.

More or Less...

2010-02-17T19:20:00.003-05:00

Recovering from the crash has been more problematic than I’d bargained for. Fortunately, I’m back at 100%, more or less, and everything seems to be working. More or less.

Since the system was wiped and reloaded, I’m dealing with odd little quirks that I’d never experienced prior to the crash. For example, the speaker adjustment controls work, but I get no display of the volume slider; the Microsoft Word cut & paste commands don’t work consistently; and I lost every single address in my Outlook email address book.

Having said that, at least I’m able to do my job(s). Now the real fun begins. From three solid days of downtime, I know I’ll be in catch-up mode for a week or more. The office and photography system upgrade I’ve written about so much is indeed in my future and should happen this fall. Accordingly, I’ll try to limit my laments against technology, but I make no promises.

I’ve also come to the conclusion that my computer didn’t show me the “Blue-Screen-of-Death” as such, but gave me the “Blue-Screen-Finger” instead.

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As you may guess, not much has been happening in terms of photography. I have a studio shoot scheduled for this coming Saturday with a lovely, brand new model and I’m looking forward to it immensely. It seems that most of my thinking about photography has invariably led to me thinking of the crash and my stored data, and I suppose that’s not a bad thing. But after dealing with all of last week’s events, getting back in studio with my cameras and a fresh new body with which to work is just the break I need.

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Here’s something different with Anna, shot in the fall of ’08.

Back From the Brink

2010-02-13T09:46:00.004-05:00

I've made it back, and amazingly, all seems to be intact. I owe a grateful 'thank you' to the geeks at Tweaks by Geeks for their efforts.

Here's the entry I wrote on the night of the crash.

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Last Sunday's session with mom to be Corinne B. went well. In a few weeks, Temperance Imogen Olivia B. will join the rest of us on Planet Earth.

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Fellow blogger and photographer Dave Rudin has been writing of his recent experiences with technology, most of them bad. I can relate; last summer, one of our television sets was taken out by lightning. Shortly afterward, my Windows XP system crashed, and crashed hard.

The television was toast. It would turn on, but not turn off unless the plug was pulled, but it continued to work for a day or two. Then, it began to smoke and buzz as soon as it was plugged in. In contrast, I was able to recover just about everything from the computer crash in mostly good working order, with the exception of two embedded applications: Adobe Bridge and Apple Quicktime. I also lost the drivers for the CD/DVD drive, but was able to download them and get the drive working again. My biggest loss, however, was Adobe Bridge.

Many people have told me they don't like Bridge. Coming from a film background, I work in PhotoShop as I did in the darkroom, with one image at a time. For me, Bridge was the digital equivalent of a light table, where I sorted and culled my negatives. For three days following the crash, I was on the phone with Adobe and Microsoft tech support trying to sort out the problem. There was even a three way conference call between us, at one point. After a cumulative 14 hours on the phone, the final assessment by both techs was to either wipe the hard drive, do a System Restore, or replace the computer. After all, the launch of Windows 7 had just been announced. I didn't like the idea of completely wiping the drive and am planning to upgrade this year anyway, so I opted for the System Restore.

In the absence of Bridge I began using the Windows Picture Viewer to sort my images, but found it extremely limiting. I couldn't see RAW files at all, only JPEG's, and the abilities to label and tag images were non-existent Since my anticipated system upgrade isn't financially viable for the foreseeable future, I began searching for a basic third-party image browser that was "Bridge-like."

I liked what ACDsee and other similar programs offered, but in order to do what I wanted to do with them, particularly where RAW files were concerned, I'd have to purchase one of the "Pro" versions.The costs were more than I was willing to pay. Eventually, after multiple postings on several photography forums and boards, I settled on the 'FastStone Image Viewer' free shareware through C-Net.

Much to my surprise, I'm quite happy with it. It's not exactly 'Bridge Like' but it's close enough so that the learning curve hasn't been an issue. If you're looking for something similar; a basic yet reasonably efficient image browser, I highly recommend it. Did I mention it's free? (You can make a donation to the developers through C-Net if you wish.)

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Over the last few days, and for a few to come, I'm dealing with shoot planning and all it entails; the coordination of studio schedules and/or locations, assistants, models, etc. As mentioned in the previous post, I'll have a couple of weeks break from being behind the camera, as the next session is set for February 20.

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Here are another two of Michelle R. from The Bolton Street Sessions.

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A Post Crash Note:

Adobe Bridge and Quicktime are working once again! Even so, if I was asked to recommend an after market image browser, I'd still go with the FastStone Image Viewer.

I have to say, in the interest of full disclosure, that opting for a System Restore after the first crash was a mistake. Wipe the drive; it's the only way to be sure.

Still Waiting...

2010-02-12T08:32:00.000-05:00

Today should be the day I have the computer back, hopefully with a squeeky clean hard drive and fresh Windows XP up and running. I talked to the shop late yesterday afternoon and they were continuing to back-up data from the hard drive onto one of their servers, so all seemed to be going according to plan.

I'm hoping to pick it up before noon today, and then spend the afternoon reloading stuff. I'm optimistic, but openly confess to sitting here with my fingers crossed.

More to follow - please stay tuned!

Crash Update...

2010-02-11T10:08:00.002-05:00

Well, some good news for a change.

The BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) I was experiencing is due to a broken chain of code in Windows. The tech explained that trying to repair the code is typically unsuccesful. His suggestion was to wipe the hard drive and reload. As I'm relying on his expertise, and understood very little of what he told me when he called to explain the problem, I'm inclined to agree.

He assured me that wiping the disc would solve the issue and that my data would be backed up and transferred, all done hopefully sometime today. Then, it's up to me to reload software/programs such as PhotoShop, Quickbooks, AVG, etc.

The last suggestion he made was for me to re-format my back-up drive, as I've likely been backing up corrupted data unknowingly, but I'm not too sure how comfortable I am in doing this. I'm especially uncomfortable continuing to use a drive that may have had corrupted data stored on it. For peace of mind's sake, a new external hard drive for system back-up may be in my future.

If all goes well, I'll have my pre-crash entry posted, along with more images from Bolton Street by tomorrow.

Stay tumed!

Crash and Burn...

2010-02-10T08:34:00.008-05:00

I suppose the irony can't be ignored.

Last night, I worked some of the images from Michelle R's Bolton Street Sessions shoot, then drafted a blog entry, which I intended to get posted this morning after one more proof read and edit. The subject of the entry was the pains and agonies associated with modern technology. Fellow photographer Dave Rudin's blog, Figures of Grace, has been a tale of technological woe recently, and it was his own clashes with technology that started me thinking on this topic. Even more bizarre, at least from the perspective of timing, Dave began 'following' this blog yesterday. I'm happy to see him here as I've been a fan of his work for a long time.

We've all dealt with computer headaches, and I experienced a severe crash last year. Sometime last night, it happened again. I woke this morning to a computer in blue-screen-shock and it has, thus far, resisted all attempts at restoration. I've spirited my wife's laptop to a local Starbucks, where I now sit nursing a tall, sugar laden coffee. It's been a stressful morning. I suppose I should be grateful I swore off all drink some 15 years ago.

I've written before about my previous crash from which I emerged mostly whole, with almost no gaps in data and only two software apps not functioning. In another touch of irony, a good deal of the post drafted last night dealt with me finidng a suitable replacement for Adobe Bridge, one of the applications lost in the first crash. For some reason, this crash has me worried; I don't know why, but it seems much worse this time.

I'll find out just how bad it is later today. While I'm sure it's a wierd coincidence, one of the cooling fans has started to make a dreadful sound. The computer actually sounds like it's experiencing pain. Ill take the groaning machine to 'Tweaks by Geeks', (I love that name!), a shop of honest to goodness geeks that have worked miracles in the past. Stay tuned.

Needless to say, there are no pictures with today's entry.

The Bolton Street Sessions

2010-02-07T08:43:00.002-05:00

The Bolton Street Sessions, as I’ve started to call them, are moving along well. I hope to do at least two or three more shoots in the place before it’s possibly rented. I think I’m safe as it rents primarily to college students, so with it being mid-quarter, I’m not too worried. However, due to scheduling conflicts, I’m not going to have access there until the end of February, so for the next one or two Savannah sessions, I’ll be shooting elsewhere.

Of course, studio work remains a viable option. I work with new models frequently, and often, these are people modeling for the very first time. I’m starting to think the studio works best in these situations. Working on location, I have less control over the environment, the small surprises experienced during the last Bolton Street Session serving as a gentle reminder. I have two, possibly three brand new models I’m planning to shoot during the coming three weeks and new models seem to feel better and more at ease in the studio environment, or at least that’s my impression. So, it’s back to the studio for a bit.

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On something of a non-photography note, my wife and I had dinner Friday night with friends at ‘Squat N’ Gobble’, a small roadside eatery in Bluffton, South Carolina, just a few miles north from Savannah. Jay Leno gave it the “Absolute Worst Name for a Restaurant” award; but forget the name. The food was quite good. There’s something magical about Eggs Benedict – good Eggs Benedict at that - and pan fried potatoes for dinner.

Lisa and I are now in Atlanta; having arrived yesterday afternoon. During the trip up, we stopped at my hometown of Griffin, Georgia and had a wonderful lunch with lifelong friends Karen and Kevin H., in town over the weekend to celebrate Kevin’s parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. Karen and Kevin live in the wine country of California, where Kevin’s hobby and passion is making wine. He’s pretty good at it too, and his wines have won numerous awards over the years. To Lisa’s great delight, he presented us with a bottle of one of his lovely reds. Karen also showed me a handful of photographs from our high-school years. They were great fun to see; and looking at them, I couldn’t help but feel that we were quite an impressive bunch some 30 years ago. Ah, for the days of youth!

I’m shooting a maternity session later this morning with a model I’ve worked with in years past, and after the shoot today, it’s a late lunch with long time friends Alecs and Tim K. Monday, it’s the road trip home to Savannah. Good friends all, people we love dearly; it was and will be wonderful to see them all.

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Here are two of Michelle R. from The Bolton Street Sessions.

Another From Bolton Street on the Books

2010-02-03T08:18:00.018-05:00

Spectral Dancer

The day was chilly and rainy; a moody Savannah Saturday, over cast and gray. Days such as these seem to the rule for working at the old house on Bolton Street. The temperature wasn’t nearly as cold as it had been during the first session there three weeks ago; a good thing of course, but doubly so as this time power to the house had been shut off. Still, even though it was a good twenty degrees warmer inside than it had been when I shot there earlier, it was a cold space in which to work.

In spite of the conditions, good work was done. My assistant Ellisia was over her flu and back to her old self, and with Michelle R. modeling, the shoot went beautifully. We were able to utilize more of the rooms in the place and I feel we created some stellar works as we took advantage of light throughout the house instead of restricting ourselves to one barely heated room.

In addition to the power being turned off, we faced other unforeseen challenges; these included the discovery of another door in the house that would not open without great difficulty once closed, (the door to the room we worked in during the first session had the same problem), and the unexpected appearance of an elderly man on the front porch. It turned out he was there to look at one of the upper floor apartments, and the leasing agent had not informed Ellisia. Fortunately, these slow downs occurred at the start of the session and we were able to continue without further interruption.

Since June, Michelle R. and I have worked together on a fairly regular basis; so often that after the first three or so sessions, I began forgetting to take a model release for her to sign. This session was no different. When I told her that I’d forgotten the model release yet again, she laughed, and as always happens, I promised to have it for her at the image review. It’s happened so frequently now that neither of us seriously worries about it, my forgetfulness having become something of an inside joke. On the other hand, I do I wonder that if I were to remember it, if I would jinx the good work we usually do.

I had also asked Ellisia to bring her camera and do some ‘behind the scenes’ work during the session. These images will be mostly for my website, but I’ll post a few here once she surrenders them. Also, be on the lookout, hopefully soon, for the addition of natural light galleries at my website, as well an addition of images to some of the other galleries.

As to the question of color or black and white? No decison really, save that color is always as an option.

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Finding Models, Part Tres

(In an earlier post, I discussed the processes and resources I typically use for finding models. You can read it here .)

For the past seven years I’ve maintained a presence on several of the model/photographer portfolio websites such as One Model Place, NetModel, MuseCube, and Model Mayhem. Of these, I’ve stayed longest with Model Mayhem, known throughout the internet modeling community as “MM”, joining in December, 2005. Interestingly enough, I still find most of my models through word of mouth, references from other models and artists with whom I’ve worked, or my own local casting calls.

These thoughts resurfaced after a brief comment exchange over the weekend with prolific blogger Stephen H. when he posted a description of his encounter with an inexperienced MM model. I was somewhat surprised by the negativity of my comments towards MM, and this stuck with me. So I’ve decided to revisit the subject of finding models and work via the internet.

It must be understood, and perhaps even goes without saying, what dealing with the internet in this capacity means. Entire subcultures have risen up around websites like MM, complete with a unique language, cliques, and flourishing cults of personality. I’m surprised at how much they remind me of my time as a cog in the corporate machine, a whole other chapter of my professional life. Equally important to understand is these sites are available to anyone that wants to ‘be’ a model or ‘be’ a photographer. There appears to be little control exercised over who can and can’t join despite what the various site rules may say.

The one thing these websites seem to lack is consistent professionalism. MM labels itself as a place “Where Professional Models Meet Model Photographers”; other sites have similar tag lines. Yet site forums, which are said to be moderated, are filled with topics such as “Should I get a boob job? Yes or No?” or “I’ll pick your hot or not images.” While they may be genuinely serious in their purpose, threads such as these do little to promote a professional image of the site or its members.

Of course, many intelligent and well reasoned threads can be found in MM forums. “How can I achieve this type of lighting in studio?” or “Any tips for query letters to gallery directors?” are a few I recall. Threads such as these can have long and interesting, even useful lives. But all too frequently, they turn into virtual shouting matches and rapidly degenerate into little more than witless insults passing between forum ‘regulars.’ Worse, they’re often ignored.

Then there are the new models, (I’m sure this applies to photographers as well), that hold amazingly unrealistic expectations for the work they’ll be hired to do, or the rates that they’ll be paid. A ‘model’ that had only four images in her portfolio, one of which appeared to be a high-school senior portrait, and the rest, self-shot cell phone images, once contacted me with an offer to model, and quoted a rate of $150/hr for nude figure modeling with a two hour minimum required.

I had to smile. I routinely work from a pool of local, very talented, and very experienced art models. These are models that understand what it means when I say “let’s work from contrapposto.” These are models that have been doing the work for five or more years, often multiple times per week, and not only for photographers, but painters, sculptors, and designers. Their rates average half of the rate quoted by the MM ‘model’, and occasionally less. Of course, I politely declined that model's offer.

I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it. I've tried to understand, honestly, I really have.

To say my time spent on MM and other similar sites has been a lost cause would be an understatement. Still, and I suppose it’s because I know so many people that use MM and similar sites with success, I feel compelled to explain my intent in writing this.

My intent is not to bash or unjustly criticize MM or any of the other photographer/artist/model websites out there. Not by any stretch. What I want to do is relate the sum of my experiences and frustrations while being a part of these website communities as a working professional, and MM happens to be where I’ve spent the most time. Granted, participation declined as frustration rose. That said, I fully acknowledge these sites have been wonderful resources for many photographers, models, and other artists, and will undoubtedly continue to do so. I’m glad they’re working for someone. I can only say they didn’t work for me.

In spite of all this, my MM profile will stay put for the time being; after all, it costs nothing other than the time I choose to put into it. But my days of reaching out to the model/photographer web populace are finished. You’ll find me there only if you look.

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With today’s post is another image from the first Bolton Street session. A bit ghostly; but somewhat fitting for the weather and mood.

The less I Have, The More I Gain...or Something Like That

2010-01-26T07:43:00.004-05:00

Not too much of note lately.

I’ve another session set for this coming Saturday in the old Victorian home on Bolton Street, this time with model Michelle R. After a week of slightly above average temps and somewhat drier weather, the present forecast promises yet another chilly and overcast day; a perfect recipe for beautiful light and a cold model.

I’m still debating my ‘question of color.’ We’ll see what this next session brings. In the meantime, here’s another from my first session at that cold, old house.

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In a recent post, I wrote about the brick shed in my backyard where the freezer containing my film stash is tucked away. As part of my goal to shoot more film in 2010, I’ve been taking an inventory of film on hand and it’s positively overwhelming. I’ve counted 74 rolls of 35mm Agfa APX 25; hundreds of rolls of Agfa APX 100 and 400, both 35 and 120; and dozens of rolls of Ilford HP5, FP4 and XP2, mostly in 120. There are 10 rolls of 35mm Kodak HIE.

There are also several dozen rolls of Fujichrome film, 35 and 120, including Velvia and Provia. I have a few rolls of C41 process film from Fuji and Kodak, most of which are now discontinued.

I’ll shoot through the B+W stuff, as well as the majority of the C41, scan the negs, and print. I’m not sure what to do about the E6 film, aside from trying to sell them all. There are no labs that can do E6 processing close to me, and I really don’t want to get into the hassle of long distance film developing.

Anyone want to buy some Fujichrome film? Cheap? Really cheap?

"...what happened was..." Also, It's a Question of Color

2010-01-21T06:59:00.013-05:00

Having said that, I’m pleased to report last Saturday’s shoot was a success; in spite of last minute location changes, cooler than expected temperatures, a sick assistant, and rain, all went well.

However, the day didn’t begin with such an optimistic tone. Ellisia, my assistant and a local leasing agent, phoned to say she was running a bit late, and from the sound of her voice, I knew her flu had returned. The persistent hacking cough confirmed it. The model and I arrived at our shooting location, and stood waiting under the shelter of the old Victorian era porch in the cold and damp. Ellisia was bringing the keys.

The location is an old, three story home, converted to apartments, and rented mostly to local college students. We had been slated to use the topmost floor, but it had been occupied the day before, so we were now to use the second or first floor. I expressed an option for the second floor, and off we went. After fumbling for several minutes at the second floor apartment door, it became clear the key for that apartment was not among the dozens in Ellisia’s hands. Ellisia felt compelled to explain, and in her raspy voice said “what happened was something went wrong with the gas meter in the lower apartment, so the renters were moved to the third floor. But it’s safe for us to use.”

So, we stomped back down the narrow staircase to the first floor apartment and found our way inside. It was musty and cold, but workable, with no odor of gas. A fabulous diffused light poured through big floor to ceiling windows and the curved walls provided excellent opportunities to experiment with perspective and depth. We came prepared with space heaters and to the great relief of the model, power was available. We closed off the room, set the heaters to maximum, and off we went, sending poor Ellisia home after an hour or so.

Savannah was just beginning to emerge from an unprecedented period of prolonged and exceptionally cold weather and the old house had absorbed much of it. The temps were forecast to be in the middle 60’s, and I suppose they were, but the damp and cold was penetrating. After three or so hours, the room where we worked had warmed nicely, compared to the outside hallway and the remainder of the apartment. But as the model will tell you, warmth is relative. This was our first time shooting together, and she was uncomfortably cold during the session, spending as much time as possible swaddling her body in a thick and fuzzy blanket whenever there was the slightest hint of the shooting pace slowing. Still she worked through it, taking direction well and tolerating my slowdowns, creating some lovely images along the way.

In addition to the digital work, I had hoped to shoot 35 and 120 film. It was not to be, eventually being too cold for both me and the model. Heavier rain began to fall and the skies darkened, turning the soft diffusion of light to a flat steely gray. We fled the old house and enjoyed a hot meal at a nearby restaurant.

Photographer acquaintance and fellow blogger Dave L will read this and chuckle, I’m sure. He’s written extensively of late about photographing the nude in snow. Dave, I can only say that cold, like warmth, is a relative term.

Regardless, please enjoy these images from that cold and rainy Savannah Saturday.

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Since moving out of the studio and beginning natural light projects, I’ve noticed something quite curious: I’m doing much more with color.

Phrasing that so concisely is something of an understatement. Those that know my work and those with whom I’ve worked over the years will understand why this is remarkable. By my own estimate, I haven’t shot a roll of color film in at least 10 years. Until the first of the natural light sessions with Anna in late 2008, and then with Kathy and Michelle last summer, I never did any figurative work in color. I always shot black and white film, or if shooting digitally, I went to grayscale. Each and every shot and light set-up was pre-visualized using the tried and true Zone System way of old.

If you look back in this blog, you’ll note the presence of color nudes from the beginning; in fact, I wrote about the beginnings of my work with nudes and color near the start. Throughout my posts, I’ve presented figures in color alongside others in black and white.

The trend is now becoming clear. In studio, it’s black and white. Editing color digital RAW files from a studio session, I always convert to grayscale. In studio, I see, shoot, and think in terms of monochrome.

Natural light is bringing out something different, however. Colors and textures abound in quantity from location to location, and the quality of light varies tremendously. In studio, light is a constant and unvarying medium, and my models always worked on a solid white or black background. Could it be the use of natural light and shooting locales outside of a studio set are awakening some latent surges of creativity?

I want to explore this further. Obviously, the images posted above are in grayscale, and while they work well as grayscale, I personally like them better as color. One thing I don't like to see is photographers presenting the same image in color and black and white, or the same image layered with a variety of PhotoShop filters. Aside from examples such as these, you won't see that with my exhibited work.

I prefer to see images that are one or the other; photographs that were planned and executed with final presentation as a part of the process.

With that in mind, here’s a side by side image comparison (as 'side-by-side' as the Blogger software will allow!) of two other images from last Saturday’s session. The only difference between the two is the grayscale conversion. I’m interested to hear what you think. Please drop me a line and let me know.

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January 31, 2010, will be my final day as a partner in Savannah’s The Gallery. Another photographer, a good one too, will step in and fill my walls on February 1, 2010. His name is Dusty Vollmer. I think his work is spectacular and I’m sure he will be well received. If you’re in or near Savannah, please stop by The Gallery at 20 Jefferson Street to see. I wish Dusty every success that I’ve enjoyed there, and more.

Progress!

2010-01-14T08:54:00.007-05:00

Shooting is set to resume this Saturday, with only minor changes. The plan had been to use an empty beach cottage on nearby Tybee Island. But when I went to look at the place on Tuesday, my heart sank. What had been a rustic, beat-up old cottage was now freshly painted, carpeted, and ready to lease. Great for the leasing company; bad for the artist.

Fortunately, an alternate location has been offered in Savannah’s Victorian district and the shoot is set. It’s the empty upper floors of a Victorian styled home, with huge windows and vaulted ceilings, probably built during the very early 1920’s. It should be fantastic. The frigid and chilly weather is leaving us, with high temperatures forecast in mid 60’s for today and into the weekend. Saturday’s forecast calls for rain; nonetheless, the temps should be tolerable and the overcast should make for beautiful and soft window light. No worries for the model; space heaters are on the ready.

I’m really looking forward to the session; it will be my first with this particular model and I’m planning a mix of digital and film, including some pinhole work if time permits. This is exactly the direction I’ve wanted to take my work, so I’m pretty jazzed. Stay tuned for the results.

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The news out of Haiti is horrendous. In my ‘day job’ I’ve been directly involved with every major hurricane since Hugo, including those that have affected our neighbors in the Caribbean and Latin America. Life in a Third-World nation is difficult enough for the average person; after a natural disaster, regardless of the magnitude, it can be horrific.

Personally, I’ve experienced similar loss. During the early 1990’s, my wife and I lived in south Dade County, Florida, in a southern suburb of Miami. On August 24, 1992, we became instantly homeless along with thousands of others, when our home was destroyed by hurricane Andrew. We were left with only what we were wearing, and the few things we had taken with us when we decided to evacuate. At least we had warning. It’s an experience I’ll carry with me all of my days. Living through the event and surviving the disaster is but one phase of the recovery. The people of Port Au Prince and all of Haiti will be facing very difficult and trying days for years to come.

The best way to help those affected is by making financial contributions to nationally and internationally recognized aid organizations, such as the American or International Red Cross. That everyone should be aware of scams goes without saying. Clothing drives, food donations, etc., while well intentioned, have little effect. I’ve seen piles of donated clothes and food rotting in the weather after hurricanes. So let’s break out our pocketbooks and wallets and do what we can.

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Today's image is one more from my session with Kathy and Michelle this past summer.

Hurry Up...and Wait!

2010-01-11T08:57:00.003-05:00

For most of us here in the States, 2010 started off with a shiver. While the Deep South didn’t get the paralyzing snows and winds that smacked the central Atlantic and northern states, we did get prolonged, debilitating cold. The average daily high temperature in Savannah this time of year hovers in the upper 50’s; our warmest temperature of the last 10 days has been 41 degrees, with most not getting out of the mid-30’s. Friends, that’s cold for us.

Even though we’re in the southern states, we do get our share of sub-freezing temps in the winter. We also get our share of blustery days with biting wind chills. But those days typically number two or three in a season and are short lived, most often lasting no longer than 48 hours or so, and are always associated with passing winter weather systems. This particular frigid weather pattern has been quite unusual. 2010 has also started out as a record breaker.

Of course, this was an opportunity local media couldn’t ignore. On this past Friday, the local weather forecast gave a 30% chance of snow flurries mixed with rain. Most of this was forecast to occur before sunrise, and the overnight low temperature was forecast to be 33 degrees. On Wednesday, the local school board declared that schools would be closed. On Thursday, I received no less than three automated recorded phone calls from local government offices assuring me that “the weather system was being closely monitored, and to please stay tuned to local television and radio for emergency weather updates and other important information.”

In the end, the weather never happened. It was a complete non-event; just a cold sprinkle of rain that lasted perhaps an hour or two. And that warmest temperature mentioned above? It was the overnight temperature from Thursday into Friday.

There can be no argument the weather’s disrupted a lot the past week or two. It’s certainly screwed my shooting schedule. I’ve always worked on the principle that I would never ask a model to do something I wouldn’t do myself. Well, I wouldn’t disrobe in 15 degree wind chills, or model nude inside an abandoned and unheated structure during such cold, and whether anyone would want me to do so is beside the point. So, I’ve rescheduled and reshuffled session dates and times, the first of which is set to take place on Saturday, January 16th, in an empty beach cottage. Unheated, of course.

Today’s image sums up my feelings on the situation. It’s Anna, bored, probably waiting for me to make up my mind on some minor detail.

Hurry up and wait.

Binge and Purge

2010-01-07T09:06:00.001-05:00

I’m a gadget-geek. That’s not something I readily admit, but when it comes to photography, there’s no denying it. I’m not as bad as some I know, but I’m bad enough to get myself into a bit of trouble every now and then. With the New Year comes time to do a bit of housecleaning.

In the past, selling old and unused equipment hasn’t an easy thing for me to do. It’s not as if I have an overabundance of things, but I do have enough that storage of it all is becoming an issue. The desire to purge started when a friend called and asked if I wanted to sell one of my old cameras, an original Canon Digital Rebel. I hadn’t used this camera in so long, I wasn’t even sure where it was. I found it and putting it with all the stuff I had that belonged with it, called her back and made the deal.

I’ve since taken a long and hard look at what I need and don’t need to keep moving forward. The most obvious in the “don’t need” category are my studio lights and accessories and a literal library of digital photography books, most of which are actually how-to types tied to long obsolete versions of PhotoShop.

The books will likely be donated to a local photography club or sent to Good Will or some other drop-off type charity. Another option is the local chapter of the American Humane Society where they actually have an impressive used book store.

Selling old cameras, especially an old digital, proved to be quite painless. The studio lights will be easy enough to let go of too. Readers may recall I attempted to use the lower level of The Gallery, where I’m an owning partner, as a studio in order to save the costs of renting a formal studio. A good idea, but I ran into complications. (You can read about that experience here if interested.) This grand idea of using The Gallery basement as a studio came about as a way to reduce my shooting costs by not having to rent a studio since I had my own lights. However, I’m soon to be an ex-partner of The Gallery, so I’ll no longer have access to the space. This means I’m back to renting my friend’s local studio for indoor work, and since it’s a fully equipped and stocked facility, I won’t need lights. Thus, the lights and their accessories are now for sale. I’m planning more natural light work anyway; therefore my original goal of lowering studio renting costs should happen. It’s the perfect solution, right? Let’s hope so.

Purging and de-cluttering are good for the soul when done properly. I’m convinced of it. For a number of years, I lived my life by that rule. When I met my wife, everything I owned fit in my car. While those days are long gone, simplifying one’s life, perhaps a bit painful at first, almost always creates good results in the long term. But the things I won’t sell are my film cameras and my good glass. I’ve made that mistake once before.

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In my backyard is a small storage shed. Inside, among the various unused yard tools, long forgotten bicycles and camping equipment, there’s a refrigerator and freezer full of black and white and color film and black and white photographic printing paper. When we bought the house in 2004, I had hoped to convert the shed to a working darkroom. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Confounding local building codes, my own ethics, and a hard to ignore shortage of funds ended the project before it began.

In another attempt to reclaim useable space, I’ve decided to shoot more film in 2010, the goal being to clear out at as much of the refrigerator and freezer as possible. This meant spending most of New Year’s Day mixing chemistry and getting set for the coming onslaught of rolling film onto reels and timing inversions of development tanks.

Actually, I’m looking forward to it. As many of you know I’m a film shooter at heart. I had considered selling most of the color film, but I think I’ll shoot it too. Since there’s not a darkroom available in which to print, I’ll have to scan and work the negatives digitally anyway, so why not? The printing papers can sit idle a bit longer. Besides, getting to play with all the developing stuff and chemicals really appeals to my inner ‘photo-geek’.

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Here are two more nudes, lit naturally, from summer and fall sessions in 2009.

“Rover, Wanderer, Nomad, Vagabond, Call Me What You Will…”

2010-01-04T11:20:00.006-05:00

When I started this blog in June 2009, some of the very first topics I wrote about dealt with artists, fear, and change. I’m afraid to say not too much is different. However, with the arrival of 2010, which brings not only a new year but also a new decade, hope rises anew.

Truth is I’ve not felt much of a stabilizing influence in my work since 2004. 2004 was an eventful year for me; a year rife with change. It was the year of my first solo show in a “real” gallery and it was also the year I did some of my finest work. It was the year Agfa stopped producing film and Kodak ceased production of all black and white printing papers; papers I learned to print with some 30 years prior while in middle school. And as 2004 became 2005, the darkroom where I did my work was shut for good.

It seemed that just as I was getting rooted, just as I was finding and “developing” my style, the rug was pulled from beneath me. The proverbial “last straw” was my relocation from a city that is a major photography market to a city that has turned out to be a very minor one – or perhaps it’s better to say, one with a significantly different view of what photography is.

Emotionally, I found myself in a place that took me by surprise. After the close of the darkroom in early 2005 I seriously considered putting an end to all of my photography. The transition to digital imaging was, and still is, a struggle. My roots are in film; film is where I’m most comfortable. However, the final image is the desired result, and the path one takes to get to it, little more than a means to an end.

So, while digital processes may not my preferred path to the final image, they are certainly the prevalent way. I decided in the end the argument with myself of continuing or not continuing to do my work was as silly as trying to swim against the tide. In reality, what I resented about the transition to digital was that my hand had been forced by the shareholders and executives of huge and not so huge corporations. Having been self-employed for the majority of my working life, I understand economic decisions. They’re not always easy, and they’re hardly ever liked by all involved.

With new opportunities for shooting, new ideas and concepts to explore, and new models to work with, 2010 represents a hope renewed. You can look for much new work that will meet face to face with fear and change. I promise, it’s gonna be good!

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This week, I plan to deliver matted prints for sale to Horizon Gallery. I had hoped to avoid being in the print business, but after six weeks of exhibiting framed work in the space, it’s quite clear prints are needed. So, I’ve selected seven images, some of which are represented by work on the walls, to be in my print bin.

While I was represented by The Gallery, I sold many matted and loose prints in various sizes. I’ve decided the prints that will be in Horizon as unframed work are going to be one size: 11X14, matted to 16X20. This one size, one price method will hopefully result in less work for me to do, and less material for me to inventory and still appeal to the fine-art print buyer. I’ll add more images of new work as I shoot through the year.

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Today’s images are from sessions shot in October 2008 and July 2009.

A New Decade…A New Beginning…

2010-01-01T09:09:00.002-05:00

Indeed, let’s hope it will be that and more. Welcome to 2010!

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Beware: photo-geek moment ahead!

Take a look at my new toy. Or, should I say “my new to me” toy.

It’s a Kodak Vigilant Jr. Six 20 folding camera, produced between 1940 and 1948 and was made to use Kodak’s 620 film exclusively. I’d heard of 620 film, but not ever having dealt with one of these “folders” before, had never used it, so I headed straight for Google. My research taught me 620 film is exactly the same as 120 film. The marketing geniuses at Kodak made the spool carriages in the body slightly smaller so that standard 120 spools wouldn’t fit, thus forcing owners of these cameras to purchase and use only Kodak ‘620’ film. The difference between the 620 and120 labels is the ends of the 620 spools are a slightly smaller diameter than their 120 counterparts. Pretty shady (or crafty) planning on the part of big yellow, depending upon where you sit on the Kodak fence.

The DAK shutter is factory fixed at approximately 1/100, (on other versions of the camera, the shutter speed could be set to either 1/25 or 1/50), and has options for Bulb and timed exposures. The aperture range runs f12.5 to f32. It produces a standard 6X9cm (2.5X4.25in) negative. There is an optical finder fitted at the shutter.

This camera was given to me as a Christmas gift; quite a pleasant surprise considering the source: my mother-in-law. To understand why this was such a surprise, you must understand my mother-in-law sees all other adults, particularly those in her immediate family as children. No matter the age; no matter the relationship; no matter that I’ve been married to her daughter for nearly a quarter of a century; in her mind we’re all children, little more than perpetual 10 year old toddlers. Christmas gifts from her to me are usually socks or some other mundane and random item of clothing. Finding the little folder in the box was great fun.

Then came the next surprise – inside the camera, tightly rolled and sealed with the “Exposed” label, was a spool of Kodak Verichrome 620 film. She told me the camera was given to her in 1950 by her grandfather for a 12th birthday gift, and by her best guess, the film had been exposed around the same time. I’ll develop it sometime in the next few weeks and see what, if anything is there.

I’m still trying to decide if I want to use the camera. I’m really tempted to; I’m certain it would be great fun to shoot with it. But before I try to do anything, the little folder will need a good and thorough cleaning, lubing, and adjusting; the good ol’ “CLA overhaul.” I’ve got a bit more research to do before I invest the money in the old gal, or just add it to my shelf collection of antique image making devices. The one good thing about finding the film inside is that I have a pair of 620 spools to use in the camera, spools which I understand to be very hard to come by. Of course, this is only good if I choose to use the camera, and spool bulk 120 film by hand.

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Finally, after a couple of years lurking as a guest, I’ve ponied up and joined APUG – The Analog Photography Users Group. It’s an unrivaled resource for the film-based world and a very friendly community of knowledgeable, helpful, and generally good folks. Check them out; click on the link above or to the left, under ‘Photography Links.”

The End is Near...

2009-12-29T07:05:00.016-05:00

So says the echoing voice of the doomsday prophet. Indeed, 2009 will end and 2010 begin. Like many, I’m compelled to make resolutions for the new year; declarations of intent to improve my life, make more money, help others, lose weight, stop swearing (at least publicly) and so on. The majority of resolutions are often so wildly unrealistic, that they will almost always fail. Even my one and only resolution made each and every year, which is my resolution to stop making resolutions, hasn’t panned out so well.

I’ve essentially given up on resolutions. I don’t make them. Instead, I forge ahead in life, trying to recall lessons learned before making the same mistakes again. Or, I apply knowledge gained during the passing year to make things better in the coming year. If nothing else, I try not to repeat the same actions while expecting different results; I've been told that's one way to define 'insanity'. Harnessing the processes of wanting to do better, of being smarter, wiser, and doing one’s best in everything one does is, at least for me, the best way to go. It's natural and instinctive.

Certainly, all of ‘wanting to do better’ applies to photography and art. I’m planning much more natural light imagery in 2010 and will be working diligently to find more receptive markets for the work. I also promise to be more attentive to this blog and to my cameras, as well as so many other aspects of my life.

Yeah. I know. I just can’t help myself it seems.

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As 2009 draws to a close, so does my partnership with Savannah’s The Gallery. My resignation as a partner was presented to the other partners in mid-December and I believe a new partner is ready to step in and fill the walls I once occupied with their own work.

I've been a partner in The Gallery since 2006. Frankly, the departure feels a little strange. I practically had to convince myself I wasn’t ending photography; that I wasn’t ending my work as an artist. As with most things, anticipation proved much worse than action, and after making the decision and announcement the proverbial weight was lifted away. It was a personal acknowledgement the time has come to move forward with my work, making introductions into new markets and taking advantage of new opportunities. While I will miss many things about The Gallery, particularly the other artists, some of whom have become close friends, I know this was the right thing to do on so many different levels.

For now, my exclusive representation in Savannah is with Horizon Gallery, located at 206 East Bay Street, Savannah, Georgia, 31401.

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A quick note on my recent show COURSE; you may recall that while the show was a bomb financially, I felt the PR was some of the best I’ve gotten. A direct result of that good PR has been an invitation to participate in the American Cancer Society Art Auction with a commissioned piece, to be held in September, 2010. More to follow on this.

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I want to extend a personal “thank-you” to those that follow and read this blog. Your interest and support of my work is appreciated more than you’ll ever know. If you’re a reader, please become a follower so I'll know you’re here. If you don’t want to be a ‘formal-follower’, please take a moment to drop me a line and say hello. Your comments, thoughts, and well reasoned critiques and opinions are always welcomed.

Some of you will notice the blog's color change. I've always read that white text on black is hard on the eyes, and to a point, I suppose that's true; how often do we see newspapers printed that way? Regardless, I felt the blog was a bit lack-luster and dull as it was. So I epxeriemented with various tones and colors and found that I like the white on black look. Let me know what you think. If the chorus is loud enough, I'll change it back.

Because of a hurting back and general holiday hoopla, I didn’t get the chance to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season, or to keep this blog current. My wish for everyone is that the holidays have been fun, safe, and filled with joy for all.

Here’s to a happy and prosperous 2010!

An 11th Hour Save

2009-12-03T10:08:00.009-05:00

My exhibition COURSE: Selected Photographs of the Nude Female Figure, 2002-2009, has run its course. The show came off the gallery walls yesterday afternoon.

It was beginning to look as if this show was going to be a record breaker, and not in a good way. Without question, the artist's reception had the lowest turnout I’ve ever experienced at an opening. Worse, it seemed that none of the work was going to sell, and that struck me as quite remarkable. In the ten years I’ve been showing my work in galleries, I’ve always sold at least one piece from an exhibition. But in the end, the very end, something did sell, and it sold late yesterday morning.

Under the terms of my show contract, I was to be present during the removal of unsold works. The contract specified the take down to start no later than 9:30 am on Wednesday, December 2. However, late on Tuesday afternoon, the gallery director called me. She had fallen and broken her wrist sometime during the prior week, and because of scheduling issues with the artist following my show, I was not to be at the gallery for my take-down until mid-afternoon on December 2.

In a remarkable, if not odd sort of way, things came together in my favor at the last minute. Had the gallery director not broken her wrist; had the artist following me been able to adhere to a delivery deadline, I very well may have had my record breaking show.

Body at Rest, Study #2, 2006

“Body at Rest, Study #2, 2006” was the piece sold. It was one of the show images in my post of October 19, 2009, when I announced COURSE. It also happened to be one of five that I and the gallery director had pegged as a sure seller. Still, we were both keenly aware that any sell would be a tough sell, given the current economic climate. I suppose there’s validation in the sale from that point of view as well, but one thing’s for certain. Five, seven, or ten years ago, I would not have considered one print sold to be representative of a successful exhibition.

Having said that, I also want to say I consider COURSE to be an overall success. Certainly, this was not a successful show on every level. However, it is the show in which the work received a good amount of favorable press from unexpected sources and it is the show in which I established the most beneficial contacts in the art markets. Success isn’t always represented by dollars.

Here’s one other thing I find interesting; the greater portion of my nude work sold in Savannah has not remained in Savannah. It’s always left for New York, Chicago, or London to name a few locales. I can only think of two exceptions, and now I have a third, as this particular sale was to a local collector. I suppose that represents a something of stronger foothold in the local market.

The work from COURSE will be delivered to Horizon Gallery Friday, December 4, for long term display.

To all that did see the show, and to all that helped spread the word, you have my sincere and heartfelt gratitude. Thank you.

And Now for Something Completely Different...

2009-11-26T08:51:00.002-05:00

Aboard BULLDOG

For me, these are very different.

I made these images while aboard two of Crescent Towing’s tractor tugs working on the Savannah River. The tugs, “SAVANNAH” and “BULLDOG”, assist the cargo ships calling at the port with maneuvering, docking, and undocking in the narrow and swift flowing tidal river. The skill of the crews and the tugs themselves made a lasting impression.

Bound for Sea

The Working River

It has been many, many years since I have done night photography on any level. The port of Savannah at night is a spectacular sight. Of course, the work was riddled with challenges; shutter speeds were low and apertures wide, and my shooting platform, the tugs themselves, were constantly in motion. Nonetheless, I got several shots I like. I’m looking forward to getting back aboard the tugs again, this time for some daylight work.

The M/V Charleston Express

This experience has definitely pushed me closer to the goal of getting away from controlled shooting environments and I have to say I enjoyed myself immensely. You can’t get much more uncontrolled than shooting subjects at night without a tripod, and from a moving object, especially when the subjects themselves are frequently in motion.

View From the Wheelhouse of SAVANNAH During Undocking Operations

I can’t wait to do it again.

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Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers. Enjoy!

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You'll recall from the last post, in which I wrote about my time aboard "SAVANNAH" and "BULLDOG", that I lost my glasses overboard before we even left for the frst job. I've spent most of life around boats, so losing my glasses to the river was embarrassing - and, as it turns out, expensive.

I managed to get them replaced quickly, a good thing, as I had more difficulty without them than I cared to admit. So on this American holiday of Thanksgiving, I'll add the staff of Boland Eye Center along with LensCrafters and their 50% off clearance sale to my list of appreciation.

Well there's your problem...

2009-11-21T12:45:00.006-05:00

Last night, I rode aboard one of Crescent Towing's harbor tugs, the “SAVANNAH”, and photographed the tug and crew at work on the Savannah River as they assisted with the undocking, docking, and escorting of container ships and tankers. It was a good, fun and somewhat chilly experience and I made some pretty good images. At least I think I did,

Before we were ever underway, I lost my eyeglasses overboard. Now I’m experienced at being aboard boats of all types; I’ve worked in the marine industry for over twenty years and I’ve owned my own boats for longer. I know how to move around on and conduct myself aboard boats. But in a moment of haste to get my camera strap over my neck, the strap caught the side of my glasses and flipped them off of my head into the murky and fast moving Savannah River. Gone.

So, while I believe I got some good shots last night, I can’t be sure just yet. They do look interesting. I’ll keep you posted. I should have replacement glasses by Monday afternoon.

I want to extend thanks to Crescent Towing and the captain and crew of "SAVANNAH" for allowing me to be aboard as they worked through the night. Special thanks go to Justin Taylor, Crescent Towing deckhand and aspiring photographer, (and a damn fine one too!), for making the tug boat opportunity possible.

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COURSE continues to hang, and will be on the walls at Gallery Espresso through December 2. If you’re in or near Savannah, please drop by the gallery to see the work.

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Here’s an old image of model Kirsten, shot in Savannah in early 2006, the beginnings of my work with nudes and natural light.

The Artist's Reception...

2009-11-13T21:32:00.002-05:00

COURSE has officially opened – albeit quietly.

The remains of hurricane Ida lingered and fussed, and did not move through quickly as forecasters had promised. The weather was simply gross, with heavy rains during the morning hours and by showtime the skies were dark and misty. The evening was blustery, with chilly temperatures. However, the most significant impact on attendance was due to the fact so many of Savannah’s art scene events also took place on the same night. The volume of buyers and lookers seemed to be quite diminished compared to past gallery events. Many of those that did show moved through quickly.

I don’t want to imply the reception wasn’t well attended. There was significant interest expressed in several of the prints by prospective buyers, and some prominent Savannah artists came, for which I’m most grateful. Also, and I just found this out today, the local National Public Radio affiliate had been announcing the opening as a part of their events calendar and a Savannah newspaper columnist praised the work in his most recent column. With the exhibit hanging through December 2, it would seem time is still on my side.

On the lighter side of things, I neglected to check the charge on the little P&S camera’s battery that I brought to the opening. My lovely wife was in charge of taking pictures, and after only six shots, the batteries were drained. She didn’t know the spare battery was in the camera pouch, and I didn’t know she had brought the pouch along with the camera.

The show is at Gallery Espresso, 234 Bull Street (corner of Bull and Perry, on Chippewa Square) and will hang through December 2.

Veteran's Day, 2009

2009-11-11T16:10:00.005-05:00

Bridge, 2003

Apse, 2005

The opening reception for my photography exhibit titled COURSE will be at Savannah’s Gallery Espresso tomorrow evening, from 6-9pm. All are welcome to attend; the more, the merrier!

Everything is settling into place. I spoke with the gallery director this morning and confirmed the wine is chilling, the cups are plentiful, and tables are made ready for the food spread. The work still looks fabulous on the walls.

If the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida will clear the area as forecast, we’ll have a beautiful fall evening filled with art and friends.

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Happy Veteran’s Day to those that serve our country. Sincere heartfelt thanks are extended to the men and women who, along with their families and loved ones, have sacrificed their lives and endured suffering for the greater good of all.

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Today’s images are from the film and darkroom days, and are also a part of the COURSE exhibit.

2009-11-08T17:23:00.003-05:00

Work is now hanging in Horizon Gallery. For the initial delivery, I had chosen five pieces, but gallery director Luc Ebner protested five wasn’t enough, so I eventually delivered 13. Nine of those thirteen are now on the walls and I have to say myself, they look pretty good.

The space is still undergoing quite a lot of renovation and I’m holding off on posting pictures here until things are closer to being completed. Luc’s plan, he told me yesterday, is to eventually have my work on three walls between the main floor gallery and the upstairs gallery. I’m still very excited by the opportunity to exhibit at Horizon.

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No new news on COURSE; the show continues to get a good bit of attention from visitors to the gallery space, but no pieces have sold as of yet. My artist’s reception is this Thursday, November 12, from 6-9pm. The gallery is Gallery Espresso, at 234 Bull Street, Savannah, GA. Come one come all, and bring guests!

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Today’s images are from The Revelations Project and were created in 2006 at studios in Atlanta and Savannah.

2009-11-05T12:19:00.005-05:00

COURSE is getting a lot of attention and has been well received thus far; if you’re in the Savannah area please stop by Gallery Espresso for a look. The address is 234 Bull Street, on Savannah’s gorgeous Chippewa Square. The opening reception is Thursday, November 12, 6-9pm. Any and all are invited.

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I’ll be delivering art work to Horizon Gallery tomorrow. Luc continues to work hard to transform the space from the souvenir shop that it had become to a true fine art gallery. I’ve chosen five framed works with which to enter the space. We’ll see where it goes from there.

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I’ve started a FaceBook fan page, as a quick glance to the right will tell you. If you’re on FaceBook and like my work, then please become a fan. I’m not able to post a full range of images under the FaceBook TOS, but it is another way to keep up with show and gallery information, and general information.

"COURSE: Selected Photographs of the Nude Female Figure, 2002 through 2009" is Open!

2009-11-02T23:03:00.001-05:00

COURSE: Selected Photographs of the Nude Female Figure, 2002 through 2009, is on the gallery walls and officially open.

The show was hung this morning and if the interest shown during the hanging is of any measure, indications are it will be well received in general. Here are some images of the space.

I apologize for the poor picture quality. Yes, I am a photographer, but I got lazy and took my little P&S camera with me to get these images.

They look much better in reality, I promise. If you're in or near Savannah, go and see the show. All are invited to the reception.

The show details are:

COURSE: Selected Photographs of the Nude Female Figure, 2002-2009
November 2 – December 2

Opening Reception Thursday, November 12, 6-9pm

Gallery Espresso
234 Bull Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912.233.5348

A Light at the End of the Tunnel - and a Small Touch of Halloween Irony

2009-10-31T12:15:00.012-04:00

COURSE, my retrospective show which opens at Savannah’s Gallery Espresso on Monday, November 2, is ready. Well, more or less.

The price list has been completed and delivered to the gallery director and the framing will be finished today. The title cards will be printed tomorrow, and the framed work wrapped, padded, and boxed. At 9am on Monday, the delivery will be made; then comes the arranging and placement of the work followed by the actual hanging. One tunnel down; another looming.

As soon as that’s complete, I’ve got to begin readying work to go into Horizon Gallery. I also have to go to Atlanta, to speak with a couple of galleries there and take care of other, more mundane business matters. I was hoping to overnight; visit some friends and my mother, and perhaps do a bit of shooting. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

It’s safe to say I have a stretch of busy days ahead.

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Today’s image is titled “Triangles” and is from a 2006 studio session in Atlanta with model Andrea F.

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Happy All Hallows Eve to all, in the true spirit of the ancient pagan holiday from which it originated, Samhain.

I have to confess to wearing a small inward smile when I think how several Christian churches and organizations often present the "Fall Festival" as an alternative to trick-or-treating and the wearing of costmes, etc. on Halloween. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but it's my underdstanding that a big portion of Samhain was originally rooted in celebrations of the fall harvests.

It seems to me these "Fall Festivals" push the Halloween holiday much closer to it's pagan roots than the wearing of Wal-Mart costumes and children's extortion of candy from the neighbors ever could.

New Representation?

2009-10-27T20:33:00.016-04:00

An exciting thing happened today. Out of the blue, as I’m driving around Savannah in a pouring rain checking placement of my show postcards, I received a call from Horizon Gallery director Luc Ebner.

He explains that he and his business partner, Michele Snell, now own Horizon and that they’re revamping the space completely. He added he’s been following my nude figure work for a while and feels it to be very good work, and that was why he was calling. “I’m a former photographer myself,” he said in his distinctly French accent. “I worked in fashion and architecture, and had two studios; one in Edinburgh and one in Paris. I’m very serious when I say your figurative work impresses me.” I paused, listening to rain drum on the car’s roof. “Thank you very much for the compliment,” I say, still not sure where this was going.

Then he says he wants to meet with me, as soon as possible. “What for?” I ask, thinking this must have some connection to my exhibition opening next week. The thought I could place some show cards in Horizon Gallery flashed across my mind. “I want to discuss your interest in showing your nude work at Horizon and in being represented by Horizon” he replied.

Represented by Horizon? I nearly hit a tree. Collision avoided, and with nothing of significance planned for the afternoon, I agreed to see him at 3:30.

At this point, it’s important to share my very brief personal history with Horizon Gallery. I’m honestly not sure how long the gallery has been around, but two or three of my partners in The Gallery are also represented in Horizon. A few months back, out of curiosity and while looking for other exhibition opportunities, I stopped in for a look around. It wasn’t what I expected, at least not as an art gallery. Instead, it seemed more of a shop that had some pieces of very well made art surrounded by lots of key chains, bird-girl replicas, handbags and other touristy sorts of things. For a moment, I thought I had gone through a wrong door.

After five minutes in the place, I was certain my work would never fit. It seemed less of a gallery and more of a – well – shop. In fairness, it must be said that Savannah is a city driven by a tourist economy; shops, including many galleries, stock what sells.

So Horizon Gallery had new owners. I still didn't understand why were they calling me.

Luc greeted me warmly when I arrived and immediately shared his vision for transforming Horizon into a true fine art gallery. I sincerely hope he and Michelle succeed. Already, the change that has taken place during the few weeks Luc has been in charge was impressive. Virtually all of the touristy stuff is gone. The space is better arranged and organized. He is building the list of represented artists from those he has chosen to approach; from those whose work he holds in high regard and would buy himself. He says this is why he contacted me.

Flattery works. But more than that, are the facts his marketing plan seems sound and his vision for the gallery is inspirational. And while he’s clearly very passionate about art and the gallery, he remains realistic. This gives me faith in what I heard him say today.

While I’m genuinely optimistic and very much excited to have a new place to show the work, and much comforted by Luc’s sense of purpose, I’m still a bit reserved with the whole thing. The one thing I’m bothered by is the lack of a web presence for the gallery. We didn’t have a chance to discuss this directly this afternoon, but my impression is that something that will be done about it in the very near future. I certainly hope so. Regardless, Luc has me. My work should be on the walls within a couple of weeks.

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COURSE is coming together, with the final pieces to frame now in the works. The print to replace the one I scratched has been made, so hopefully, all will be completed by the weekend. The pieces are scheduled to start going on the walls by 9am, Monday November 2.

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For your viewing interest, an abstraction is included with today’s post.

Show Shakes and Thoughts on the Importance of the Signature

2009-10-25T17:08:00.007-04:00

The show preparation continues; today I signed, dated and titled all of the prints and in a few days, the frames will be finished, backed and wired for hanging. My delivery deadline to the gallery is looming. I should make it with time to spare. Of course, I damaged a print when it slipped from my hands and onto the floor, so there’s at least one that has to be re-done.

Signing the work was going along well, damaged print aside, until the framer commented “oh. You sign yours on the back? Most of the other photographers I work with sign on the front somewhere. Interesting.” I stopped and looked down at the print. Where should the photographer sign a photograph?

That’s a hotly debated question. Do a Google or Yahoo! search on the topic and you’ll see what I mean. What can be said is that every artist I know actively signs their work or somehow makes their mark on the finished piece in a way that is permanent. In fact, most art is not regarded as being complete by collectors until the artist’s mark is on it.

Many photographers will sign the mat. I will admit to doing this in the past, but in truth, I always thought this practice was a bit foolish. For one thing, I have nothing to do with the creation or production of the mat; for another, mats are often changed and discarded. It’s not something I do now. Others will sign their prints in one of the lower corners, requiring the print to “float” if matted, if the signature is to be seen. I like the look of prints matted this way, but many photographic papers will not accept pencil or ink, particularly those papers used in traditional darkroom processes. Some inks will bleed through the paper. Then, there’s the question of archival stability with many inks.

I now sign, date, and title my prints on the back of the photograph, in the upper left corner, in pencil. Why? I read somewhere that’s what Ansel Adams did. Or maybe it was Edward or Brett Weston; or Imogen Cunningham. To be honest, I don’t remember who it was, aside from being someone who’s work I admire and respect. If any of you may know, please let me know. Regardless, this is a method that works, not just for me, but for those that buy and collect my prints. Consistency is the most important thing but if a customer wants it done otherwise, I’m happy to accommodate them. Some have had me sign the back of the frame.

A few of the older framed pieces that are to be shown still have slight repairs made to them; mostly, to the frames themselves. Fortunately, none have been badly damaged. The repairs have been mostly to the dust jackets and frame corners, with one or two of the prints requiring a slight reposition.

The largest task that remains to be done is pricing, and that’s the most difficult part for me. I don’t kid myself into believing my work is worth gazillions of dollars, but I know its worth more than free. In past shows, I’ve used a pricing formula used by the restaurant service industry (I know!) that has given me what I feel are fair numbers. Once I calculate the price of a piece, I determine in my own mind if I would buy it for said price. That’s most often the most reliable determining factor. I suppose I should be grateful that I have expensive tastes.

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The image that accompanies this post is one shot during the fall of ’08 in the foyer of a friend’s house. The model is Anna S. and no, the image is not part of my November exhibition. It’s one I think is beautiful; one that I like.

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Whether this is a matter of import to anyone other than me, I don’t know, but I’ve managed to re-link the images from the preceding post that weren’t opening. They open now, in a new window, but they don’t expand. At least something instead of nothing is happening. Blogger has provided an updated editor, which is supposed to improve image handling, so I’m trying it with this post.

COURSE: Selected Photographs of the Nude Female Figure, 2002-2009

2009-10-19T20:36:00.012-04:00

And so it is; the title of my exhibition which will hang in Savannah’s Gallery Espresso for the month of November. I’ll close this post with the show specifics; here are some preview images.

Reclining Nude, Study #2, 2009

Body at Rest, Study #2, 2006

This was the show that almost wasn’t, for a variety of reasons. Mostly, it was due to the uncertainty of the economy and the question of whether or not I can afford to present the show remains unanswered. It’s something I’m compelled to do however; not only because I have a contractual agreement to show the work, but because I want to and need to.

COURSE is a retrospective of the work I’ve done with the nude figure. In reality, the retrospective could continue over a decade or more as I tend to be a chronic planner, but I didn’t direct my lens towards a nude body until the fall of 2002. That was when friend and fellow photographer Lisa H. offered herself as my first model; a guinea pig of sorts. All of this came about at the urging of another photographer friend who, after hearing of my interest in the fine art nude print, relentlessly pushed me to try it myself. In many ways, I’m a self-starter, but when it comes to my art, I’m often not. I owe a debt of gratitude to both of these ladies, a sincere thank you from the bottom of my heart.

One thing that has bothered me since I decided to do this show is the term “retrospective.” Isn’t seven years somewhat early to celebrate a ‘retrospective’? Certainly, in the usual order of things, 10 years would be a more recognized milestone. Also to be considered is the fact I’ve been a photographer for 20+ years; even longer if one counts of my time with camera and film as a youth and my school days working in the school darkroom on yearbook and newspaper assignments.

However, of all the work I’ve done, I feel my work with the nude has been my best. It’s what I’m most proud of, what I love to show and talk about. For me, and for where I am with the work, seven years is a good place to stop for a moment, look back, and see where I’ve been. It’s the best way to see where I’m going and perhaps most important, to understand where it is I’ve been.

The show will consist of 15 images, mostly those recorded on film and printed in my darkroom between 2002 and 2004, with a smattering done in 2007 and 2008. Out of the 15, five will be images which were shot and produced digitally from start to finish. This transition from film to digital, which I’ve written about before, has certainly been a major part of this journey. But more so is the transition in how I’ve come to understand photography; come to understand how I see, and what I’ve learned along the way.

Retrospective also takes courage, whether looking inside yourself or showing work from the early days. In making my selections for the exhibit, it became painfully clear my understanding of contrast and tonal range was not as comprehensive as I thought.

If you’re in the area, I hope you can make it to the see the work. Please drop me a line and let me know you’ll be there.

COURSE: Selected Photographs of the Nude Female Figure, 2002-2009
November 2 – December 2

Opening Reception Thursday, November 12, 6-9pm

Gallery Espresso
234 Bull Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912.233.5348

Thank you all for your interest in my work. Stay in touch.

Vision Quest

2009-10-08T20:21:00.016-04:00

The images that accompany this post are from a natural light session with model Michelle R. They were made in her apartment on a warm and sunny fall afternoon here in Savannah. I’m opening today’s post this way, hoping such an announcement will be seen as more than the thinly veiled plea for forgiveness, the petition for leniency that it is; all for me allowing so much time to pass between now and my last entry.

An embarrassment for sure; I’ve let more than a month slip by without a single word written, and even fewer images made or worked, as if my very worst intentions for myself and my work were coming to light. Yes, no doubt an embarrassment, but much more worrying, is it a sign of apathy?

I’ll readily admit my head has been in a strange place the past few weeks with regard to photography and art. Little in my gallery has been selling; paper and essential material costs continue to rise; my desire to create new work is somewhat diminished. I know I’m not alone in these matters. I’m one of several owning partners in The Gallery, and the only photographer. No single artist’s work, painter and sculptor alike, is selling well. Certainly, some are doing better than others, but none are doing as well as they did a year or more ago, including me.

My gallery partners complain about lack of motivation, griping their studios are over crowded, jammed almost with inventory. Work once referred to as ‘art’ is now viewed as product to be moved. I have a show opening in November at a local space in Savannah, (more on this in my next post), that I had originally conceived as a retrospective of my work with the nude; a planned 50/50 mix of old and new pieces. Now, it’s likely to be more of a 70/30 ratio, weighted heavily towards the old inventories.

What does all of this mean anyway? The unwillingness to proceed; the lack of feelings of urgency to move forward with the work; these are not good things. For the artist, I believe it’s about fear, something I wrote about in the beginnings of this blog. Speaking very personally, when I’m stuck, going in circles so to speak, it’s almost always due to fear. This time is different though, as fear isn’t the ringleader of this particular circus.

Fear is most certainly involved, but the primary obstacle I’m facing isn’t fear, but doubt – or perhaps more correctly, self-doubt. Self-doubt has caused me to question myself, my passions, and my intent. In short, I’ve been feeling depressed about the collective body of my work and in what direction it may or may not be going. Worse is I’m questioning whether the work has direction at all.

I don’t want to give the impression that I’m the type to sit and dwell on my problems. I’m not. (Alright, sometimes I am.) I don’t like to feel like this, and I want to deal with these feelings; so to do that, and do it effectively, I have to know where these emotions come from; why they’ve shown up. Knowing that, I can send them packing, hopefully to a point well beyond where they began. I don’t banish them; these feelings are important. I believe they’re required for balance; a ying and yang ideal. I do however severely restrict their access to me, and to the work. Or I try to anyway.

For the unprepared, looking deep within the self can be hazardous. What you find isn’t always what you’re looking for. The soul searcher must be ready to greet and embrace the unexpected. Sort of a ‘feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway’ thing.

I quickly found myself getting reacquainted with two old friends: fear, whom I’ve already mentioned, and change, whom I’m sure you’ll remember from some earlier writings.

But fear of what? And what sort of change? Well, those are fairly easy to identify and understand. I’ve been working to move from years of studio shooting, particularly with nudes, into more natural environments, especially environments where the light sources are continuous and natural. After shooting almost nothing but studio work for nearly a decade, it’s easy to see why the fear and change issues crop up. What’s puzzling is the lack of motivation.

I recently wrote of my desire to find markets for the work outside of Savannah; not additional gallery representation, but opportunities for exhibitions and shows. This is for the work as a whole, a collection, but it’s something I think the figurative work would benefit from the most. Putting all the work into wider circulation certainly isn’t a bad thing. To do this however, requires access to resources, namely money and time, two things I am currently lacking an abundance of.

Then clarity began to take hold. Looking further within, I realized I’d not shot any new images since mid-summer. More accurately, I’d not shot any work that was for me, for no other purpose than art; no reason other than to create. Of course I’d photographed during this time; documentary and forensic work for my day job, and trade obligations for a couple of models; but nothing from the heart. Mostly, I shot because I had to – and not enough because I wanted too. Figure sessions shot in August and September were done solely to fill gaps for the November show. An impromptu figure session with model Michelle R., where today’s images were born, was shot at the end of a portfolio development session; completely spontaneous and unplanned. That was my sole break in the trend, the only time I shot to create since sessions in July.

That realization was also the first moment of clarity; the first “ah-ha!”

The second moment of clarity came when I understood that I wasn’t shooting completely from the heart. Instead, I was dwelling on the marketplace, concentrating on what type of image would sell to what type of buyer. This is one primary reason I had been a lousy commercial photographer. The times I shot weddings were a disaster; commercial shoots for print adverts or catalogs were assignments which filled me with dread. Portrait sittings were the worst. Clients would see my work somewhere; either at a show or in my gallery, or they'd hear of it by word of mouth. They would look at my website (which at the time, did include a headshot portfolio, designed to draw fashion clients) and decide they wanted to hire me to photograph them or their families. Almost without fail, these people would then want to duplicate what could be done by a large commercial portrait mill, images typical of what's published in church directories or corporate annual reports. When I would explain that was not my style, not what they saw in my portfolio, it was never pretty. My success as a commercial portrait photographer was short lived.

However, in the rare times I could convince a client to let me have my way with them – a tough process, especially when they’re paying - the results were almost always beautiful, emotive, and stunning. In most other situations, images that I shot for me, shot to satisfy my own vision, were always the ones that sold and sold well.

The third moment of clarity came when I acknowledged my vision – or the lack thereof. I began to understand that intertwined with all of this was the sense that my vision had been lost; well, maybe not ‘lost’ per se, but most definitely altered; even a bit distorted. Either way, this was something I’d only just become aware of. Regardless of how my vision had evolved, it wasn’t what it had been. Over the years, I’ve grown and matured with my photography. Vision and purpose were left behind, neglected. I’ve come to understand that vision must be nurtured, must be encouraged. If it isn’t it simply won’t survive.
I titled today's post "Vision Quest." For many indigenous peoples, particularly those of North America, the quest for purpose and guidance, the seeking of a vision, is both a sacred and personal obligation. The artist’s vision is no different, simultaneously being a very intimate and very public thing. To bring nourishment to mine, I’m revisiting art, looking beyond what I see in order to see why I see. For me it’s not just about photography; it’s about the work of my colleagues in Savannah, the work of painters and sculptors, the work of those I admire and appreciate. Reading is also a therapy of sorts; I’m just starting a book titled “Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision” by David duChemin. Another book I thoroughly enjoy, one I find greatly stimulates imagination and vision, is “Invisible Cities” by Italian author Italo Calvino. A friend of mine, a talented photographer and designer who introduced me to the work of Calvino, once told me she keeps a very worn and thoroughly read copy of “Invisible Cities” on her nightstand.

I’m starting to feel a bit better now.

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Typically, I’m not a newspaper reader, online editions included. I listen to NPR, catch the local news from time to time, or check in to the NPR website, Google News or something similar online. Once in a while though, some kind and considerate soul, in this case my wife, will point out something in print that I should see.

In the Tuesday, October 6, 2009 edition of the Wall Street Journal, in the Leisure & Arts section, was an article on photographer Robert Bergman. Never heard of him? Neither had I. Now, after reading the article, and doing a bit of searching online, I desperately want to get to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York to see his work.

Mr. Bergman, who calls himself ‘The Man Who Waited’, is living the story of the photographer as artist in modern America. He has become known for his simple and stark portraits of everyday folk. It was at the age of 63, having photographed for all of his adult life, that he made his first print sale to Agnes Gund, one of the country’s prominent collectors of photography and president emerita of MoMA. Now 65, selections of his work will be shown October 11, 2009 through January 14, 2010 at P.S.1 Gallery, a division of MoMA, and then at Yessi Milo in November, another New York City gallery.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. will also host the exhibit from October 11, 2009 through January 10, 2010. Mr. Bergman has published a book of his images, “A Kind of Rapture” which has been notably received by the art world. I'm going to try and find a copy for myself.

More From My Session With Kathy and Michelle...

2009-08-29T18:06:00.019-04:00

There’s been a fair amount of interest in my photo shoot with Kathy Thomas and Michelle Phillips from late July. I had briefly written about the session in the post of August 11th and put an image up from the work with last week’s entry.

The shoot was done in Kathy’s home on a very warm and sunny afternoon. Kathy lives in an older Savannah home in an older Savannah neighborhood; a home with no central air conditioning. Even with fans on and windows open, even with the nice breeze we had, it was a hot space in which to work. The shoot plan called for using only available window light, which we had plenty of, and it was light of nice quality – when it was consistent. The skies were just cloudy enough to cause real headaches. As clouds passed in front of the sun, the light would change from fully illuminating sun to partial overcast in milliseconds. So while the quality of light was good, metering the light was a constant and challenging endeavor. Even shooting on the aperture priority setting was difficult as the corresponding shutter speeds were all over the place. Another challenge was the space itself. Because Kathy's home is situated on a crowded residential street, and this was a nude session, there were restrictions on which rooms we could and couldn’t use.

My original intent with the shoot concept was to produce a series of B&W images; however, as I wrote in the August 11th entry, the images revealed themselves to work better as works of color. To the purist, this could make the shoot concept and execution a failure, but I don’t see it that way. Looking at the image files that evening, it became quickly apparent the session worked better in color. There was no question about it.

I don’t want to give the impression the shoot wasn’t a success or that it was difficult work. It was a success, and it was also a lot of hard work, more than any of us bargained for. The heat and constant moving around of furniture and equipment added to the load. Nonetheless, our hard work paid off as several good and interesting images were made. Here are a few more of them.

Producing and showing color images has, in years past, been a rare thing for me.

I’d say that 85% of the work I’ve produced in the last 10 years has been monochromatic – black and white. There’s no denying it; I’m an old school shooter. I only emerged from the darkroom sometime in 2004. I’ve been writing about how I’m seeking change; questing for new territories to explore with my cameras. Seeing images in color, particularly images of figurative work, and creating those images is new and exciting adventure.

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You’ve probably noticed I don’t stray too much from the topics of art and photography. I may move about quite a bit within those topics, but pretty much, that’s the direction in which I want this blog to go and I try to stay on subjects connected to art and photography. Many of the photography and art oriented blogs, as well as some others that I actively lurk and follow, are also forums for their writer’s political views, etc. That’s fine, but it’s not my style.

Still, with passing of Senator Kennedy this past week, one can’t help but reflect on who we are and how we got here, as a people as a nation. I’m not going to say anything of real substance here, so don’t get your hopes up. I will say my mood of late has been one of deep self-reflection and pondering, on many different levels; a bit of soul-searching if you will. We’ll see where it takes me, and if it’s something I think may interest my readers, perhaps I’ll write about it here.

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Lastly, while I don't receive too many comments, the few that I do seem to take their time in showing up. If there's a delay in getting your comments read and published, my apologies. It is something beyond my control and I'm working to figure it out.

I'm also at a loss as to why some images link and others don't. Again, I ask for your patience please. I'm working on it.

Space-cially Challenged...

2009-08-18T20:47:00.011-04:00

Studio space – a good working space, available at a reasonable price – is somewhat hard to come by in Savannah. There is a rental studio in the area, but nothing compares to having one’s own space. Don’t get me wrong; the rental studio is a nice one; fully furnished, well equipped, fairly priced, and owned and operated by a knowledgeable husband and wife team that happen to be friends of mine. I’ve done good work there in recent years.

In an earlier post, I wrote about how I wanted to take my work out of the studio; to play with natural light and natural environments, or shoot in other indoor environments besides a dedicated studio. Go “off set” in other words. This color image of Kathy and Michelle was shot in Kathy’s home using only window light. I recently shot portraits of a friend’s daughter and her friend in natural light, indoors and out. I’ve always believed window light is the best light for any indoor work. Images created in this light are almost always beautiful. I'm making some progress in that direction.

Still, from time to time, I need a formal studio. While I love to give my friends business when I can, the cost of renting a studio adds up, especially when preparing for a show. The economy being what it is, I needed to find a way to cut – or at least minimize – my production costs. I thought I had hit upon the perfect answer.

As many of you know, I’m an owning partner in a local art gallery, a little place called The Gallery. Our space features a marvelous main floor with beautiful tall windows and very inviting lighting. It’s absolutely gorgeous in daylight and at night. We also have a unique lower level gallery, where mostly large and original pieces of work hang. So I thought: why not use the lower level gallery as a shooting space, after hours, when the business is closed? It can’t be seen from the street level, and the floor space is plenty big.

Perfect – right?

Not exactly. I knew the space would have challenges, but it turned out to be more than I had bargained for. The ceiling was the issue, and while the height of it was a problem, the ceiling color revealed itself to be the bigger problem. The entire ceiling – every square inch of it - is white. Not just white, it is a very bright white.
In other words, the ceiling is a very efficient, not to mention gigantic, reflector. No matter what I did, no matter what ingenious ideas me or my assistants came up with to block or redirect the light from the flash heads, the ceiling scattered light far and wide. Since the vast majority of my work done in studio is done on dark or black backgrounds, this is a disaster of moderate proportions for the way I shoot. As evidenced by this image of model Sarah H., it works beautifully as a high-key location. However, I’m not a high-key kind of guy. Well, not much of one, anyway.

The only workable solution was to drape the ceiling in a dark, light absorbing fabric. This proved to be more difficult than it sounds. There are no real attachment points in place and I promised my partners I wouldn’t modify the spaces. Second, having to drape the ceiling each time before a session adds to the costs of the session, if not in dollars, in time spent. Once again, things were becoming too complicated – and complicated is not in keeping with my efforts to simplify and streamline my shooting work flow.

So, I’ll continue scouting new locations; I’ll keep hunting for beautiful, natural light to use as often as possible. Fortunately, my planning is taking me in this direction anyway. And when I need a good, workable studio to use, I know where to find it.

Same as it ever was…

2009-08-11T18:40:00.006-04:00

Or so it seems; I’ve been afflicted with a bad case of not-enough-hours-in-the-day syndrome. Basically, I’ve been busy.

The busy has been good though, as a large portion of it came from spending significant time in a villa on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina with life-long friends. We’re scattered far and wide over the country now and it had been 30 years since I had last laid eyes on some of them. Those few days spent together were quite wonderful. Work of course, has made up the rest of being busy.

While on Hilton Head, I had the pleasure of photographing one of my friend’s daughters and her friend that joined the family for the trip. These young ladies are both dancers of ballet; they’re both 13; and they’re both tall, graceful and drop dead gorgeous. My make-up artist and stylist came to the villa and together, we spent an afternoon with these talented girls shooting fashion and artistic portraits, as well as some ballet on the beach. I’ll not likely post any of the images here. The two primary reasons for doing this session were for the girls to have fun, and for them to create something unique as a gift for themselves and their families. It was a great time and quite exhausting for all involved. I honestly don’t recall the last time I intentionally spent an afternoon with two 13 year olds. I'd guess it was when I was 13.

Now it’s back to the work at hand. I’ve got two figure sessions scheduled for this week; one is for the evening on the 12th and the other, the evening of the 13th. Both are models I’ve photographed before. After looking through my available inventory of images, I decided to go ahead with these two sessions and cross my fingers they will complete what I need for my November show and opening. Time is quickly running out.

I’m also behind in my film developing, with several rolls from a recent outing with the Holga, plus commissions to develop for friends. I’ll also be getting out and shooting more documentary and editorial work for my general gallery inventories and I’ve got a figure session planned for an outdoor location once the heat and bugs become more manageable. Lastly, and perhaps most critically with a show deadline hanging over me, I’ve got a printing dilemma to resolve. There'll be more on that in future posts, I'm sure.

The figure session shot week before last with Michelle Phillips and Kathy Thomas at Kathy’s home went well. In my initial edits of the images, it’s becoming apparent that this project may work better as color than monotone, something that has surprised me. The lighting was a challenge as the sun darted in and out of the clouds, sometimes with exceptional speed, and because of the location, we were restricted in our usage of certain rooms. Plus, the colors of the rooms are quite neutral and with the mix of soft and hard light, the contrast is all over the place. There are good images in the mix, but another session is in order.

The images accompanying this post are from a July figure session; I couldn’t stand the thought of posting without including at least some photography. I’ll have new images to show when the two upcoming sessions are completed and I promise the next update will include some of the new work.

Hello, it's me...

2009-07-26T14:35:00.010-04:00

It’s been my hope to update this blog at least once per week. Too much time has slipped by since my last entry, and as I write this, I’m keenly aware more than 20 days have passed. I’m obviously late. To my one or two faithful followers, I apologize.

The amount of photography work not done in recent months has been disappointing, but things are improving. A week ago Saturday, I shot a fantastic figure session with a lovely model and made an abundance of beautiful images. The following Sunday, I did a photo-walkabout-tour at The Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge with photographers and friends Kathy Thomas and Michelle Phillips. These ladies have worked with me in the past as models and assistants, and this next week I’ll be shooting a figure session with them together as models. I believe this will become the start of a new project, and I’m expecting more good work to come from it.

A camera in hand is therapy, at least for me, and it’s been a while since I’ve been able to spend a weekend with my cameras. It was nice.

The recent Saturday figure session has been through a series of tough edits. This shoot was all about me making amends, mostly to myself, for a difficult session from the first week of June with the same model. (If you’re interested, you can read about that session here.) The problems I experienced were all of my own making and while it was difficult to deal with them at the time, I’ve done quite well in stepping back toward the light if I do say so myself. The new figure work has brought me to my good place, a place where I haven’t been for longer than I was aware. I hope you enjoy these images from that session.

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On that same Saturday evening, I stood at the magazine stand in my local Barnes & Noble Book Sellers skimming the latest edition of PDN. I’m not a typical PDN reader but one headline on the cover caught my eye. The article was about how online galleries and blogs of various sorts are changing the way artists are showing their work to traditional galleries, curators, and prospective collectors.

I definitely have a presence online. Along with this blog, I operate two websites which feature my photography. (My website links are posted to the right, under “Bill on the Web.”) Occasionally, I post work on Photo.net, Community Zoe, and Toycamera.com, and I maintain portfolios on three of the photographer/model networking sites. Exactly how much I’m benefiting from it all, I can’t say.

The question of how to best market myself has been buzzing around my brain lately. Mostly, it’s a question of how to introduce my work, particularly the figure work, to audiences outside of Savannah. The closest and most obvious “big” market is Atlanta and I did have a foot in the door there a few years ago. My first show was there; my first fine art photograph to be published was published there; and my first images to sell were sold there. Thinking of landed, brick and mortar galleries and not the internet, Atlanta seems a logical first step.

But are stand alone galleries in Atlanta – or anywhere for that matter - still viable? I think so, but either way I’m coming to realize it’s going to be a start over. I still have friends and acquaintances in Atlanta, but many have moved on. Galleries I used to frequent and have shown in are closed or under new direction.

Getting my work in front of more people more quickly is the main reason I started this blog. The PDN article highlighted several photographers whose careers ‘took off’ after their images were posted on one or two well read blogs. My work has been picked up by at least one blog that I’m aware of, so I’m still docked at the gate; still boarding passengers so to speak. But at least the passengers are boarding.

I’ll confess I didn’t read the PDN article from start to finish; but I did do more than just skim. I found myself wondering, is it true? Instead of sitting down with gallery directors and exhibit curators with my book of images, am I now expected send images to some blogger as email attachments and hope they’re posted and then found by these virtual gallery directors and exhibit curators? Do I produce my book on CD and send it out blind? Is that really how it’s being done?

It was then I realized I’ve not sat in a gallery office and showed my book in at least four years; that my most recent show was planned and executed almost entirely by an exchange of emails between me and the gallery manager. Oh my.

I’ve been caught. The market changed and I wasn’t paying attention. It’s time to catch up.

Something beautiful...

2009-07-07T18:35:00.002-04:00

Given the chance, I would rather spend time with one or two friends, or time alone, than go to a party; I love music and prefer it recorded to live; I don’t like turkey and dressing for holiday meals; instead a beautifully grilled medium-rare steak with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli is far better; and I don’t like fireworks. Things launched into the air like missiles, that quickly explode over my head into a shower of burning debris, albeit colorful burning debris, simply don’t enthrall me.

This year’s Independence Day celebration has fit my mold quite nicely. My wife and I spent the weekend with friends in Florida. It’s been lots of time spent on a remarkably not too crowded beach (where my feet were sunburned); lots of talk and chat amongst friends; and good home cooked meals and drink. Best of all, they didn’t make me go to the local fireworks display.

Still, this is a blog about photography. Although there are no pictures of fireworks, no panoramic vistas of what must be one of the last peaceful beaches in Florida, I'll at least share one image of something beautiful.

More Thoughts on Models…and the Muse

2009-06-30T17:30:00.015-04:00

After I finished my entry for yesterday’s post, I felt unsettled, as if something had been left unsaid. These weren't feelings of forgetfulness; these feelings nagged me to process and reconsider my words. I know now what was bothering me; what was not discussed: the question of anonymity.

Photographer Helmut Newton once said “an anonymous nude is a dishonest nude.” I’m not certain what he meant, or the context in which it was said, but his words have stuck with me. Perhaps this is because much of my work keeps the model anonymous. Often this is by design, as models sometimes ask to remain unidentifiable. Most times, it just works out that way. When I visualize my images, they often don’t include the model’s face. It’s how I see. It’s how I work.

And Mr. Newton, I don’t see my work as ‘dishonest.’

But to the question of anonymity, and Mr. Newton’s statement: why does anonymity bother some people – and why do some insist upon it? In my entry yesterday, I wrote briefly about the dominant views of nudity in our culture and society. In my opinion, the desire for anonymity is rooted in these cultural beliefs.

In the context of these ideals, anonymity allows all participants in the art to be active, to let go, to be immersed in the artist’s vision. Anonymity is a safe haven. No one will know we find pleasing lines, textures, and shapes in the bodies of others, that we can see beauty in the bodies shared by those of our own sex, even ourselves. We can remain a face in the crowd. Anonymity protects us from us.

Of course, there's a real world side to anonymity and figure modeling. It’s sad and it’s silly, but it’s true. Anonymity allows the school teacher, the lawyer, the police officer, to express their creative side, to share their beauty with the audience of the art and at the same time, keep their jobs.

How does the muse feel about anonymity? I don’t know. We don’t talk about it.

It doesn’t enter the discussion unless the model asks for it, and I often prefer they didn’t. Keeping a model anonymous is sometimes difficult for me as it changes how I think; how I see and visualize. Instead of simply seeing, I have to think about not seeing. If I ask you to not think of apples, what do you immediately think of? If it isn’t mentioned, if I allow the shoot to flow as it will, if I shoot as I see, then the nature of the work will take over and anonymity will happen. Most of the time. And if it doesn't? There’s always post production.

Don't believe I've never asked the muse to share her thoughts on anonymity. I approach; she keeps her distance. Always present, always hidden in shadow. Now that I think of it, I’ve never seen her face. I've only glimpsed her body. To me, she’s remained anonymous. For everyone that sees my work, she stands to face them.

"I never saw an ugly thing in my life; light, shadow, and perspective will always make it beautiful." - John Constable, painter.

2009-06-29T16:01:00.022-04:00

There are two questions I’m asked most often about my work and both pertain to models.

The most common question people have is how or where I find models. They also want to know why I don’t have any images of male models included in my body of work. The latter is the easiest to answer, so I’ll start there.

The market for male figurative art, particularly photographic male figurative art, is so small it’s virtually non-existent. That’s particularly true for the area of the world where I live and work. I have photographed male models in years past and used to show their images in my portfolios, but I’ve never sold an image of a male nude. So, I don’t invest the time and cost in the production of work that will be difficult, if not impossible, to market. Simple economics.

This is interesting to me, as the vast majority of figurative art produced by the Greek and Roman cultures were of the male form. The male body was seen as the epitome of perfection; whereas the female figure was seen as incomplete and often described as “profane.” At some point, the cultural and world views changed and now the female form dominates figurative work the world over. To this day, male figurative art is more successful as statuary or drawings and paintings than photography.

So: where do I find models for my work? Most often, I ask people I know or those I meet to pose. There are also resources on the web, networking sites that specifically provide a way for models and artists to connect with one another. Model Mayhem, Model Coast, Model Brigade, and One Model Place are some of the more popular ones. I maintain portfolios on Model Mayhem and Model Brigade but haven’t had any real success with them as resources for models. I tend to do better when I look within my own community.

Finding models is challenging for any artist. The search for the model-muse eludes us all. One great thing about figurative modeling is it’s not restricted to certain body ideals, such as those sought for fashion or runway modeling. Anybody, everyone, can be a figure model. Granted, specific projects may call for a certain body type, skin color, age range, or some other criteria. But generally speaking, figure modeling is something anyone comfortable in their own skin, comfortable with who they are, can do. 18 or older, of course.

In a recent conversation with a photographer friend, he shared that he’s had good results finding models using Craig’s List. I was apprehensive about this approach at first; I had tried advertising for models without success in the past. I decided to try it again. This time I was able to make some promising connections. The image above is of a woman that responded to my Craig’s List advert. It's from a recent studio session, and coincidentally, it was her first experience as a model.

Asking friends and acquaintances to pose has worked quite well. But it's not surprising that nearly every day, I see women that would be wonderful figure models. Often, what I see as interesting about them are the very things they see as “unattractive” or “ugly” about themselves. Our cultural ideas of beauty are often based on unobtainable goals. Sadly, we live in a culture where merely being nude is considered taboo; being nude in a public place, or outside of one’s home, even on one’s own property, can be judged as a criminal act. These can be difficult barriers to deal with; but one thing I never do is to try to persuade or “talk” someone into modeling. I’ll give them a business card with my website address and contact number on it, briefly explain what I do, and let them know my work can be seen in a local gallery. It’s their decision to contact me or not. Fortunately, they often do.

I feel I do my best work with new or inexperienced models and I’ve wondered why this is. I've come to the conclusion it's because they have few bad habits to undo and no preconceived ideas of what the art should be. I’m also fortunate to live in a city where a prominent art school is located and where much of the community is receptive to art and the processes of art. Often, models I’ve worked with in the past will refer an interested model to me. My karma must be better than I know.

Models are critical to artists and artists are critical to models. The figure photographer cannot work without the figure model; the figure model’s work cannot exist with the figure photographer. On some level, model and artist are partners intertwined, bound together by the work at hand, giving and receiving in constant, intimate exchange, creating something that is simultaneously wonderful and beautiful.

"Are you laughing? This is art! There's no laughing in art!"

2009-06-25T08:05:00.004-04:00

I was recently reminded of a conversation with a friend from Atlanta. She worked with me as a studio assistant and later as a model during the early years of my work with the nude. After our third or fourth session together, I asked how she was doing, if she was comfortable working with nude people.

She laughed. “I’m fine” she said. “But you need to lighten up.”

I’ve never had much of a poker face so my surprise didn’t go unnoticed. “These women shouldn’t feel like they’re in a doctor’s office" she said. "If I was going to model, I’d want to know I was going to have fun, that it wouldn’t be so…clinical. This is art, not illustration for some anatomy textbook. Lighten up. Have a sense of humor about it.” She shut off one of the monolight heads; I just stared at the wall. She turned to face me. “Art should be fun.”

Art? Fun? Really?

Certainly, the definition of what art ‘is’ means many different things to many different people. For some, the definition of art is the same definition Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart placed upon obscenity in a 1964 ruling, “I know it when I see it." Put simply, art can be difficult to define. But fun? Perhaps. I like to imagine that’s why Leonardo da Vinci shared the soft smile of Lisa del Gheradini – the Mona Lisa - with the world.

I’ve thought of my friend’s comments often and have decided that yes, art should be fun, as should the process of art. The quote from Edward Weston, with which I opened this blog, would seem to minimize any aspect of fun and art; but having read his daybooks, I do believe that Mr. Weston was an artist that had a lot of fun with his medium. There are few things in this world that genuinely fill me with joy, and creating my photographs – my art – is one of them. And when I think about it, there have been many humorous moments in my studio sessions with models, nude and clothed, and even out of studio, working with no models.

So yes, art can be funny and art can be fun. Here's a couple of pictures to prove it.

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The faithful among you who are following this blog through its infancy will notice I’ve changed the background color to white. Originally, the background was black and the text white. This made the images look fabulous, but it was, admittedly, hard on the eyes when it came to reading. Your criticisms have been heard.

So, while this is a blog with photography at its heart, where the images should always look fabulous, it’s also a blog that’s now easier to read. Continue, please.

Film!

2009-06-23T12:40:00.006-04:00

Ah film.

For me, film means photography. Film is photography.

Despite the way that sounds, my intent is not to begin a “film vs. digital” debate; what I am trying to say is film is how I learned to work with light and shadow; film is how I learned about exposure, about seeing, about composition; film was the base upon which everything I know about photographic theory was built. There is now a generation of working photographers that have never used film. It is slipping away from school curriculums and truthfully, I’m having a tough time wrapping my mind around that.

If you’ve read any of this blog, and I sure hope that someone is, you know that I work in both mediums in my photography, though I wouldn’t say I do so interchangeably. When I shoot, no matter film or digital, I shoot as if I’m shooting film and I’m the first to admit doing so has caused problems. Just read my blog entry from June 21st.

Regardless, I honestly believe that because I learned photography in an analog world and continued to work with film long after the digital influx, I tend to be more careful when I work. However, as I began to integrate digital photography into my projects, I lowered my guard and grew more ambitious without regard for the art. It has now bitten me in the butt. Again, read yesterday’s entry.

I will point out the problems I experienced during the studio session have nothing to do with whether I was shooting film or digital. I happened to be shooting more digital than film, but in the same circumstances I would have experienced the same issues shooting more film and less digital. The medium is irrelevant.

Needless to say, after looking at dozens of underexposed RAW image files on my first edit, I was eager to develop the rolls of film I shot during those sessions. I’ve always been confident in my lighting abilities, and having sorted out the majority of equipment issues, confidence had once again taken hold - or at least had its foot in the door.

It’s important to understand some of this film was shot with a Holga toy camera. The Holga is an all plastic camera made in China and can be bought for around $35. Commercial photographers hate them; fine art photographers love them. They’re renowned for unpredictability with exposures, soft focus, and light leaks. Knowing this, I’m always braced for what the Holga may or may not give. While it frequently gives nothing, the images it can give are often breathtaking. I’m a huge fan. These two black and white images were made with a Holga.

Still, as much as I love the plastic-fantastic, I’m not brave enough to commit huge portions of studio sessions to it. I also shot with my Yashica MAT 124G twin lens reflex camera, a 35 year old camera I know to be rock solid.

When time came to process the film, I declared the guest bathroom off limits and set up the chemistry, drying racks, etc. I began rolling the film onto the developing reels in a small portable changing bag or “dark bag.” I’m particular about film processing and I usually only do two rolls per tank to maintain consistency. The first reel rolled without a hitch, but the second was difficult.

The actual development steps went smoothly. It was when I pulled the reels from the tank after the final fresh water rinse that I discovered the problem. The first reel I had rolled was well developed with good negative images, but the second reel was not. The crease in the film was still there and caused the film to stick to itself. Only half of the roll was properly developed. Believing the mistake was mine, I continued to develop, but on the next set of rolls, I lost an entire due to what I now knew was a bad reel.

In spite of all of this, and in spite of the fact I’d not had these problems if I had shot digitally, (I could’ve had a different set of problems altogether), I still love film. I love the way it feels, I love the way it sounds in camera, and I love the process of working with it. I even like the smell of the chemistry. (Some of it.) I purchased a new reel and things are fine. The later sets of negatives look good.

Working with film does present its own set of challenges when it comes to printing an actual photograph. While I can easily develop any black and white negative film at home, printing is another matter altogether. A complete working darkroom is needed to make photographs from negatives. The only other solution is a scanner, and a high quality one at that, if you want to print anything larger than 8X10 or so. Presently, I don’t have access to a darkroom where I can print, so my negatives are scanned and printed digitally. (I’m hopeful this will soon change; see my entry for June 17 where I talk at length about PURE.)

There are considerations with film development for scanning where management of negative contrast and density is concerned. The general rule I’ve heard is negatives that will be scanned should be developed with lower overall contrast – less density. I honestly don’t recall where or by whom I was told this. Speaking for myself, I was taught under the adage of “expose for the shadows; develop for the highlights” and it serves me well. I’ve no reason to deviate. So far, I’ve been able to manage my negatives in PhotoShop and print accordingly.

At the darkroom where I did my work in Atlanta, there was an underlying fear that film would quietly slip away; that it would be there one day and gone the next. The use of film has certainly diminished; and the darkroom, much to my dismay, closed its doors 4 years ago.

But film is hardly gone. In celebration of that fact, all of the images with today’s post were recorded on film - with no manipulation in PhotoShop other than cropping, spotting, and a few tonal adjustments - film stuff.

New Studio Work; Plus an Exhibition Celebrating the Johnny Mercer Centennial

2009-06-21T12:22:00.004-04:00

Here are two test images from a recent studio set with new models; models both new to modeling and new to my work. It was my hope these sessions would finish my shoot schedule for an upcoming gallery exhibition set for November of this year. Well, the sessions did bring things to a close, but not quite as I expected. It was also these sessions that started my thoughts on how I and other artists face fear and change, inspiring two of this week’s entries in the blog.

The sessions were done with each model independently over one eight hour day; shooting one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. In spite of my feelings, I pushed ahead with projects I knew should end, and in hindsight, this was a good thing. It served to clear my head, pushing the veil aside, allowing me to see that I was no longer adhering to my philosophies of simplicity and of sticking with the basics. But, as is often the case with things that “clear my head”, the process was not without a few painful moments. I was at least aware of my emotions, so I began each session with a very simple set: a plain paper background, single monolight and white umbrella. It was an honest start.

Still, I was frustrated and stressed during the sessions, and worried my feelings and unsettled energies were transferring to the models. The models did wonderfully and were, as it turns out, fine. (One did tell me she sensed some interruptions in my “flow” at times.) The real problems, as they usually are, were with my own attitude and stubbornness.

However, my troubles were not limited to my state of mind, as I somehow managed to change the shutter speed setting on one of my cameras. I had accidentally turned a control dial, something I didn’t catch for several minutes of shooting. Combined with other technical issues, this resulted in the underexposure of many images, some significantly.

All of these were easily avoided mistakes; mistakes that would have been realized much sooner had my mind not been blocked with frustration. It’s worth noting that had these been film sessions, I would have certainly been up the proverbial creek without a paddle, perhaps even a boat. I did shoot a few rolls of film with each model and have had an entirely different set of issues with that. I’ll save that tale for the next post.

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The centennial birthday of singer, songwriter, and arranger Johnny Mercer takes place this year. Savannah is his hometown, and it’s a big event. At Savannah's The Gallery, where I am an owning partner, we are hosting a show in honor of Mercer and his music. Each artist/partner of The Gallery chose a song title from one of the hundreds written by Mercer and created a work around it.

My piece is a black and white photograph of the Savannah Gryphon, a terracotta fountain statue of the mythical winged lion. The statue was given to the city of Savannah as a gift in 1889, but from whom or in honor of what, I’m not certain. Unfortunately, in September of 2008, it was destroyed when a car driven by a drunk driver went out of control and crashed into it, shattering it into thousands of pieces. A full restoration is now underway.

"Frasier, the Sensuous Lion", by Bill Ballard

Mercer penned a song titled “Frasier, the Sensuous Lion” and I decided my image of the statue fit perfectly with the title. I put the image in the show, dedicating it to the memory of both Mercer and the gryphon. A percentage of the sale price goes to the Johnny Mercer Statuary fund that is placing a bronze of Mercer in the newly restored Ellis Square in Savannah’s City Market district.

The show will be on the walls until the end of June. I’m pleased to say "Frasier" has sold.

The irony of the situation is that I had decided not to put a piece in the show as I didn’t feel I had anything that fit well with Mercer’s work. But after being barraged by emails and phone calls from my gallery partners, I was persuaded to conceive “Frasier.” And so it goes.

The Strength of Our Fathers: A 2008 Exhibition Celebrating African American Fatherhood

2009-06-18T19:03:00.001-04:00

Sometime during the fall of 2007, Jerome Meadows, a sculptor living and working in Savannah, noticed something as he drove through the east side neighborhood where his studio is located. He saw a father holding his small child.

A relatively unremarkable sight for many, the scene stirred him deeply. For some time, Jerome had felt disheartened by the stereotype many see black fathers labeled with by American society and media; that stereotype being they are often absent, uncaring, and disinterested in the lives of their children. Jerome knew there were loving and caring black men that are responsible to their families and society in every corner of the world. He wanted to get that message out; he wanted to bust the stereotype.

He envisioned an exhibit of photography; portraits of black men and their children that were emotive and powerful. He wanted the photographs to be recorded on film and printed using traditional processes in the small darkroom that was a part of his studio. The images would be exhibited in Indigo Sky Gallery, a gallery located adjacent to his studio.

Jerome approached one of the members of PURE to discuss the project and asked her to be the sole photographer for the selected fathers and children. (Please see yesterday's post to learn about PURE.) However, as the project grew and evolved, it became clear that photographing 18 fathers, their children and potentially their grandchildren in the time allotted was a daunting task for one person. Eventually, the corps of photographers swelled to five volunteers and shooting began.

Seemingly endless meetings for image editing and print selection followed and the show eventually came together, debuting at Indigo Sky Gallery in April of 2008. It was shown again for a special Father’s Day celebration at a local church, also in 2008.

For my part in the project, I was asked to coordinate with three of the other photographers and spend a Saturday shooting in an impromptu set built in the truck sized doorway of Jerome’s sculpture studio. The images were produced against a simple white seamless background in natural light. The “studio” was in constant shade throughout the day and the light meter never wavered. It was wonderful. We couldn’t have asked for better shooting conditions.

In the end, much of the project could not be produced using Jerome’s darkroom. I shot all of my images on film in an attempt to remain true to the concept, but was forced by time and other considerations to produce the prints digitally as were the other photographers. It’s no matter; good work was created and I’m not complaining.

The show was well received and the opening reception was standing room only. One fascinating aspect of the show was that each father and child completed a questionnaire about the importance of each in the others lives. Their responses were incorporated into the photograph titles.

Many of the photographers, me among them, turned the tables on the fathers by handing their children – often very small children – our cameras and asking them to photograph their dads and siblings. The pictures taken by them were wonderfully touching and were shown on their own wall in the gallery.

Although the processes of the project were often trying (if you’ve ever attempted to get six artists, plus a panel of gallery directors to agree on anything, you can understand) it was in the end, a beautiful and successful show.

The participating photographers were Bill Ballard, Asa Chibas, Annie Y. Patrick, Jessica Stelling, and Natalie von Lowenfeldt.

These four images represent my contribution to “The Strength of Our Fathers.” I hope you enjoy them.

PURE - Photographers Using Real Elements - A Group of Savannah Photographers Dedicated to the Art of Traditional Process Photography

2009-06-17T17:57:00.001-04:00

"Fort Pulaski" by Kathleen Thomas

Photographers Using Real Elements, (PURE) is a non-profit organization based in Savannah, Georgia, working to preserve traditional film-based photographic processes. The goal of PURE is to establish a community oriented darkroom for those interested in working with film and chemistry. Additionally, PURE plans to develop educational programs to introduce the art of traditional process photography to those that have only experienced the medium through digital processes.

Wait - people still use film? Isn’t film…well…dead? Extinct? Kaput?

No. Well not yet, anyway.

Certainly, some aspects of film based image making have faded into obscurity. Kodak ceased production of all black & white photographic paper in 2004; AGFA completely abandoned all things photographic soon after; and many ancillary products like spotting dyes and washing agents are no more. The relatively few materials still in production are becoming more expensive and more difficult to find.

Community darkrooms were a common thing in most cities as recently as the early part of this century. Atlanta, Georgia had three of them at one time. Now, I only know of half a dozen still in operation across the whole of the United States, something to me that is very sad. PURE was founded in early 2007 by fellow photographers Kathleen Thomas and Michelle Phillips; I became involved soon thereafter.

"Witness" by Bill Ballard

So, the question begs: why a darkroom in the digital age?
The answer’s quite simple, actually: its how some photographers prefer to do their work. My background in photography is based on film and chemistry; light and paper. Even though I began shooting digitally over four years ago (much later than many, I might add) I am still far more comfortable doing my work in a darkroom. Another reason is that I enjoy the process. For years, I wore a near permanent ‘darkroom squint.’ In the time I’ve shown and exhibited my work, I’ve never had anyone look at one of my photographs and say “wow, you did that on a computer?”

Before I go further, perhaps I should clarify what PURE is not. PURE is not to purport film to be better than digital, nor was it created to foster the film vs. digital debate. As I said earlier, PURE exists to create an environment that will allow those wanting to do their work in the ‘analog’ world of photography, and those wanting to learn, the ability to do so – and that’s pretty much it.

From my perspective, there’s little difference in the methods of the medium. I use them almost equally. Both use a light tight structure and light refracting glass to focus reflected light through an opening in the lens onto a light sensitive surface. The result from either is a visible image of reflected light. A photograph.

The difference between the mediums is more with the photographer and the path he or she wishes to take to the visible image than the mediums themselves.

I can go to two cabinet makers and order new wooden cabinets. One will use pre-cut and machine formed materials, assemble them with pneumatic tools, and deliver them to my home by truck. The other will use only hand sawn woods, a hand saw to cut the wood to shape, a hammer and nails to assemble the cabinets, and a horse drawn wagon to deliver them.

Either way, I have high quality cabinets made from wood in my home. Are there differences? Yes, certainly. Are they noticeable? If both are done with due consideration given to materials used and the methods of assembly, not likely. At least not to an untrained eye.

Is there a difference in cost? Absolutely.

It’s much the same with film or digital based photography. I can use film based chemical processes or electronic digital process. Either way, I have a photograph. But one costs more to produce than another. And it’s fair to say at this point that while good digital color printing has been around for a while, such wasn’t always the case with black and white digitally produced prints. However, the gap is closing now, and it’s closing fast.

Darkroom equipment was very cheap to acquire in the early days of the rush from film to digital. Entire working darkrooms, often with professional equipment, could be bought for pennies on the dollar. Now, with equipment in good working order becoming more difficult to come by, the costs of building and operating a darkroom are increasing. The costs of chemistry, film, paper, and other essentials are also on the rise. Film cameras, however, are continuing to drop in cost. Many camera stores no longer stock them.

Untitled, by Michelle Phillips

Digital photography has presented peculiar considerations that film photography did not, particularly where equipment upgrades are concerned. With film, I always adopted the philosophy of using the least expensive body with the best lenses that I could afford. An upgrade was almost always to a lens and not the body, unless a wider shutter speed range or film speed range was needed.

Having the best glass to transmit the light was the goal and good glass is still vital to digital imaging. However, digital camera sensor resolutions continue to grow. Working professionals, particularly those in the commercial world, almost always have to upgrade when a higher resolution and faster digital body is introduced in order to stay competitive. In turn, higher resolution sensors create larger files sizes, so memory cards must also be upgraded. Computers used for image processing and storage often require an upgrade so that processing times and storage capacities stay reasonable. An upgrade to a printer capable of faithfully reproducing the higher resolution files will certainly follow.

A darkroom rarely required such extensive upgrades simply because a new body was introduced to the photographers gear inventory. The exception was if a larger film format camera was added, such as a 4X5 or 8X10 view camera. In that case, an appropriate enlarger and negative carriers may be needed. Otherwise film camera upgrades were generally an upgrade to the light tight structure only.

I work with both mediums and still use film fairly often, processing it in my guest bathroom at home. Until PURE achieves the goal of a working darkroom, I will continue to scan the negatives and print them digitally.

PURE will hopefully gain ground soon. It has been a slow and often frustrating process this far. Educating a community of artists and associated professionals to embrace a need they don’t readily perceive has been a challenge to say the least. Still PURE has hosted a successful gallery exhibition in the fall of 2007 and future shows are in the works. I’ll post show events here as they are planned.

I know of a few photographers, some very talented, that chose to end their career rather than shoot digitally. One continued to print his negatives until his supply of papers and chemicals was exhausted, then declared his work to be at an end. At a minimum, this is unfortunate, even short-sighted and selfish. The world is being denied very beautiful work.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

2009-06-14T17:21:00.001-04:00

It was not my intention, when I sat to write today’s entry, to continue or even mention my discussion of fear and the artist. What I wanted to write about was change. However,
I soon found that trying to ignore or discount the relationship of fear and change would be damn near impossible.

People are creatures of habit. We drive the same roads to work and home from work; we follow the same morning routine every day; we shop in the same stores, etc. Resistance to change is an issue for all of us, but especially so for artists. See the image above? Showing a nude in color is a huge change for me. Some would even say it's out of character.

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Right?

For the artist’s work to grow and evolve, for artists to meet the demands placed upon themselves by their own creativity, change must occur. If change is not present, the work becomes stale, old; perhaps even boring. Artists have been known to quit rather than change. Such an attitude borders on dogmatism, and in extreme situations, fanaticism. Often, all that is required to alleviate the pressure, and the fear, is a healthy dose of change.

But for many, the mere concept of change is scary and breeds fear. People stay in bad jobs and bad relationships because they fear change. Artists produce bad work because they fear change. Fear of change fosters fear of failure, and ultimately for the artist, fear of rejection.

For me the opposite holds true. I embrace change, often times too quickly and to my own detriment. My mother often told me I always wanted to be where I wasn't. "You're always on the way to somewhere else. Try to be where you are for a while" she would say. All too soon, I throw out the old before I should; I grab hold of the new before I’m fully aware of what I’m doing. Certainly, this has brought a good share of suffering and heartache my way. It has also taken me on many new and exciting adventures.

The image here is a classic result of how I embrace and deal with change. It is from my project called ETHOS, a project born out of both fear and change. I was feeling my work with the nude figure had become old and repetitive, stagnant and boring. The change I initiated was significant; a fantastic departure from mostly black backgrounds and sharp, contoured monochrome abstracts and full figure portraits. It swept me up fully. ETHOS was born from the desire of change, pushed by the fear of …truthfully I’m not sure what I was afraid of. A more honest answer is that I was bored and growing lazy.

I debuted the project in a solo gallery show with 15 framed pieces. Three of them sold on opening night. Two more sold a month after the show was finished. The gallery directors and I were pleased. I was booked for a second show more or less on the spot. Not bad.

ETHOS was a success.

But ETHOS turned the tables on me. I continued to shoot images for the project and there were problems. ETHOS required a complicated set with a minimum of three assistants. The lighting grew more complex with each set as I continued to experiment until I was using a combination of four monolight heads, each placed with great care and precision. The fabric scrims had to be steamed and stretched. Directing the model, when neither of us could see one another was a whole other challenge. It was complicated, difficult, and often frustrating.

Producing work I was happy with looking at myself, much less showing in a gallery exhibition, became increasingly difficult the longer the project endured. ETHOS had quickly gone from being something new and exciting to being a chore.

I found myself longing for simple sets and light arrangements; longing for those images that were minimalist to the core. ETHOS was a classic example of my rush to change things too fast, too quickly, without fully examining the need for change.

I have now ended ETHOS. My experience of the project taught me many things as an artist. It was a good lesson in how to know when the time is right for change, to know when to look more closely at what is happening already, and to look for ways to keep the flow going as it is. In my case, the change to ETHOS worked well; certainly it was better than had I seized with fear and did nothing, or simply quit.

So it’s back to simple studio arrangements and simple sets; back to the production of images that are quietly beautiful. To my eye, those are always the best.

Yet change continues and I welcome it. I've started projects that will take my cameras and models out of the studio and into natural light environments. It's new and exciting; even exhilarating. And it's laced with simplicity.

“...just like a curse, just like a stray, you feed it once and now it stays…” - From the song “Until it Sleeps”, Metallica

2009-06-11T19:20:00.000-04:00

Fear has been on my mind lately, born from an afternoon conversation with a fellow photographer, artist, and friend. I'm not talking about the type of fear that causes panic or literal fright, but the type of fear that grips and holds; the type of fear that can force one to change his or her life. I'm speaking of the kind of fear that, in it's most basic form, makes the artist ashamed or afraid to be the person they really are; fear that will make them deny the work they were meant to create.

Although I've always had an interest in photography, I only began to take my photography seriously within the last 15 years - and it has been one hell of a ride. My fears have manifested themselves in many different voices with many different faces. My work continues to grow and evolve, and the consequences of past choices are more clear now than ever. Fear, in it's own weird way, had become a refuge of sorts. If I didn't create the work, it couldn't be rejected. It's an oddly safe place to be, until you can't stand it anymore. The desire to create, the desire to do your work, will always exert itself.

Art is very personal. Art, by it's nature, takes courage. The artists I know all have a commitment to their work on every possible level. They suffer for it; they pour themselves into it, body, mind and soul, regardless of what it is, regardless of where it goes, regardless of the chances for success. In the book ‘Art & Fear’, authors David Bayles & Ted Orland say that because of this fear, the artist sometimes throws the work into a great, black void, giving the artist the first right of rejection. It’s true; I’ve often done it myself. It eases the pain of rejection. We strike first because for many of us, when our work is rejected, we are rejected.

Yet, the fear will linger, always whispering, and sometimes shouting - that ‘feed it once’ thing, you see.

Fear will never leave us, artist or not. Fear is part of being human. Fear is not to be defeated either. Fear just ‘is.’ It’s different for each of us. What matters is how we as artists deal with it. Mountains are rarely conquered by a single climber, and it is a round trip journey – once on the summit, you still have to survive the trip down.

The pursuit of their work is often a lonely and misunderstood journey for the artist, as well as those in the artist's life. Such a life is fertile ground for fear to take root in. There is strength in numbers, and in numbers, artists supported by community can turn the tables on fear. Artists must support and encourage one another and through community, they better their chances in the battle against fear.

It works. I’ve experienced it personally.

The challenge here is that artists by nature are often solitary creatures. Even amongst our own, we must find our quiet and alone time, often to work; often so we can work. Either way we must have that time and we must be watchful. The artist must return to the community, as fear will be reluctant to follow there. Community gives us strength and confidence to deal with our fear on our terms.

For what its worth, I've made it to the summit of this particular peak in my own personal range of fear. I haven’t survived the trip; not just yet. I'm still on the way to the base, to be grounded once again. But, I'd say my odds of making it are pretty damn good.

An assault on a new and unchallenged peak will begin soon enough, I'm sure. It always does.

"Photography to the amateur is recreation, to the professional it is work, and hard work too, no matter how pleasurable it my be." - Edward Weston

2009-06-11T19:16:00.000-04:00

Hello and welcome. My name is Bill Ballard. I’m a fine art photographer working in Savannah, Georgia.

I create photographic studies of the nude human form, images that are unique visual explorations of the human body using shadow and light. My apologies for the silly ‘adult content’ warning on the opening page; these are photographs that hang on gallery walls and in my humble opinion, barely justify such caution.

I understand if artistic figure work isn’t your cup of tea. I ask that you understand it is most of what I do photographically. But don’t write me off just yet. My other work, which I see as fitting the genres of documentary and travel, will show up once in a while. Certainly, one goal of this journal is to introduce my figurative art to an interested audience; I also hope that it will serve to foster discussions within the fine art photography communities, regardless of the genre.

So regardless of your personal views on the body and nudity, I encourage you to have a look-see. Open your mind and fear not. Look at my photography and see what you feel, what you experience, and what, if anything, you leave with.