imagist – Page 83 – Imagist Blog

Nathaniel Reinartz’a new metal work

“It is discomforting to know that if only Beauty could be found then Beauty would cease to exist.” — Dominic Rouse

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever; its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.” — John Keats

Yesterday provided an opportunity to photograph and add to the portfolio of Nathaniel Reinartz. Nathaniel continues to demonstrate his remarkable attention to nature’s details; as well as mastery of his craft. The detail of the candle holder on this sconce also attests to his exploration of new forms.

’tis the (harvest) season

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An opportunity to communicate with the ancients

Last week I was given the opportunity to photograph an ‘ancient’ stone carving for the purpose of evaluation by experts in antiquities. Working with this object, arranging light to bring out its form, color and texture without exaggeration, proved a challenge. With each failed attempt I learned more about this beautiful object and the light falling upon it. Click this link for additional views of this remarkable piece of stone. Vertical = 8.575″, Horizontal A = 7.755″, Horizontal B = 4.043″

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Indian Summer Festival

“No matter what you talk about in life there seems to be a scale: left to right, top to bottom, right to wrong. I can now add a new one… journalism to design. These are the two ends of the scale that I exist in as a photographer. At one extreme my work is pure journalism and at the other it’s little more than eye candy.” — Neil Turner

“Photography suits the temper of this age — of active bodies and minds. It is a perfect medium for one whose mind is teeming with ideas, imagery, for a prolific worker who would be slowed down by painting or sculpting, for one who sees quickly and acts decisively, accurately.” — Edward Weston

Indian Summer Festival, Milwaukee, WI — 2008

Link to slide show of additional images

“Give a man color film …sooner or later you’ll catch him in the garden…

“Fashion, flowers, nudes and portraits — they’re all the same: light, form, color. And mystery. And mystery is very important. When I started photographing flowers, I thought, ‘My God, where have I been?’ I’m totally addicted to this project. I’d never seen the mysteries of a flower. We walk by wonders every day and don’t see them. We only stop at what shouts the loudest.” — Barbara Bordnick

“You give a man color film, and sooner or later you will catch him out in the garden taking pictures of flowers. This seems inevitable. He just can’t resist. He’s got this colorful film, y’see, and he spies this colorful flower, and… well, not being a chimp, he does realize that there are enough flower pictures in the world already, and that the one he’s about to take isn’t going to be of any use to anybody. But he can’t help himself. It’s too great a temptation to resist. He succumbs to the weakness.” — Anonymous – from his 1/18/04 Sunday Morning Photographer article

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A straight photograph cannot be abstract

“They are imbeciles who call my work abstract. That which they call abstract is the most realistic, because what is real is not the exterior but the idea, the essence of things.

When you see a fish you don’t think of its scales, do you? You think of its speed, its floating, flashing body seen through the water… If I made fins and eyes and scales, I would arrest its movement, give a pattern or shape of reality. I want just the flash of its spirit.” — Constantin Brancusi

yesterday: a leaf

fell as I walked to the car

evidence of change

(Leica R8/DMR, 6omm Macro Elmarit)

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Careless time

some days

people flock to the edge

where water meets sand

they sculpt, toss things back and forth,

and mingle with birds

A dad, sculpting sand on the beach
with his daughter, Mia, said to me,
“It’s all about the kids.”
I think, perhaps, it’s all about returning
to childhood for a brief,
careless time.

Photographers love the way the world “looks”

“I believe that photography loves banal objects, and I love the life of objects.” — Joseph Sudek

one of Dad’s vises

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“I have no way of portraying the lives of others. I portray my own.” — Jan Saudek

Scheme to put yourself in the path of beautiful landscapes, buildings, art, and creatures.

Potentially – what an interesting word

Received this e-mail today regarding a design I submitted to 24-7designheaven.

“Congratulations! Your button design has been selected from hundreds of entries to potentially be featured at Sappi’s promotional booth during all of the national paper shows throughout the fall season.” — Sincerely, Sappi Marketing Team

And while we’re on the subject of voting, “potentially” and such…

chasing butterflies and blue skies

as a child i chased
butterflies with a net
now i chase images

Once caught, I never knew quite what to do with the butterflies. I looked at them under a microscope. I marveled at their color and delicate lightness. I ended up feeling uneasy that, as I studied them, they became less beautiful; battered and wounded. In the end I gave up catching butterflies in nets. Now, catching fleeting moments on a light sensitive surface, I find the opposite. The images become more beautiful as I study them; push the edges around; pull information from them; adjust the colors, tonality and contrast. Yet, I still don’t know what to do with my catches.

Yesterday, arriving at a favorite bluff, overlooking the great lake Michigan, I found and caught the following:

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M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30