Category: Portraits

Are the tools immaterial?

“As photographers we sell emotion not emulsion. The tools are immaterial, the resulting piece is all important.” — Jeff Adams

In principle I agree — yet fine tools do make getting to the result a tad easier. Today I began a 15 day trial of Silver Efex Pro for use with Lightroom. It is quite a fine tool; if you’re interested in processing digital color files to black and white effect. Its built-in presets for tone-color, various filtration effects and simulation of (various types of) film grain appear first rate. This image of Sophia at the Children’s Museum (last week) was processed to Acros 100 with slight Selenium Toning and subtle ‘rectangular’ edge burn. Very quick and easy to compare effects. If you’re familiar with the Lightroom GUI (graphic user interface) you’ll find the Silver Efex GUI very intuitive.

In the end every craftsperson (and artist) appreciates fine tools; yet will find a way to express themselves with the tools at hand.

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How to survive the economic slowdown

Here’s what people say to do to survive this current economic slowdown:

Market
Budget
Sharpen Position
Increase Exposure
Self promotion – All the time
Develop New Business
Deliver on promise of Client-centered organization
Manifest polite behavior
Exceed client’s expectations
Sustain positive attitude
Keep Calm
See the glass as half full
Be flexible
Never take the work for granted
Maintain focused optimism
Identify solutions
Fewer desserts and Lattes
More soups
Bake our your own bread
Cook more — eat-out less
Put the “children” on eBay

So as a graphic designer, photographer and videographer I decided to look at my economic picture…

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and open up a clothing store at cafepress with a zen line of designer clothing

Looking closer to find the portrait

“Like doctors, photographers work with what is present. I suspect our chief emotions are anticipation, frustration, and patience, balanced by a marvelous sense of elation when things go right — when we think we’ve captured within a photograph some missing feeling, some sense of beauty, or bit of mystery in the fabric of life.” — John Loengard

Sunday brunch at the Centennial. Watching Ann’s son and his partner as they listen to Ann speak (don’t remember what about, because now I look rather than listen). Not famous people. They probably won’t even like the photograph. No amazing action. Yet, they’re young and lovely in this window light. A 28mm Summicron on the M8. I slice one forty fifth of a second and a small span of five feet out of the infinite possibilities of space and time. Seemingly mundane. Then, examining the photograph on a computer screen, it seems that the parts equal more than their sum. That the individuals behind the eyes have nothing to do with one another. They seem to have more power, and beauty, when isolated. A closer look. Always looking. Closer.

Grant Park — 40 Years Apart

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008, Grant Park, Chicago Illinois: 70,000 ticketed guests, with who knows how many additional participants, gathered to listen to President-elect Barack Obama; elected just minutes before. This group of hundreds of thousands of young and old, rich and poor, of all colors, genders, and ethnicities gathered to hear our first Irish-African-American President inspire them with a message of hope and determination to make the country, and indeed the world, a better place for our children and grandchildren. While not there, I watched this event on a screen, through tears of great joy; shared with Spike Lee, Jesse Jackson and Oprah.

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Wednesday, August 29th, 1968, Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois: Just 40 years earlier; just 4 years after President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law; at the hight of the Viet Nam War and the military draft; as a twenty two year old photo journalist, I was in Grant Park with 15,000 others, including Jean Genet, Allan Ginsberg and William Burroughs (none of which lived to see today). Instead of tears of joy and hope; we had tear gas, clubs and blood to contemplate and record on film and in our memories.

Today the memories of 1968 blend beautifully with 2008 memories.
We wanted change then and we want it today.

Listen to Keb Mo’s America

Watching the kids’ kids

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéy

A dozen years ago I experienced the pleasure of watching Matt Maher play high school football (and grow up) along with Ann’s son, Tyler. Last Saturday afternoon I experienced the pleasure of discussing Matt’s new career as a furniture designer; and meeting Mo Maher at Tyler’s (new) house warming, and Noah’s seventh birthday, celebration.

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Vistor from out of town, parks, families gather

“I have to be as much a diplomat as a photographer.” — Alfred Eisenstadt

Ann’s sister, Teri, visits from Florida and the family gathers together at Menomonee Park, the 297 acre site of a water filled Lannon Stone quarry. Additional slide show of images.

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Net(not)working(yet)

“A photograph is always invisible, it is not it that we see.” — Roland Barthes

Networking (day two) continues: Stephanie Reynolds, the friendly freelancer, hosted the Well-fed writers at Barnes & Noble in Bay Shore Mall, Glendale, WI. Martha Carrigan, President and CEO of Big Shoes Network offered valuable suggestions on the subject of networking. Wesley Manko, of DefenseWorks, recently published How to be Safe No Matter What; and also provided some useful ideas. David White also offered his insights. A few other snaps from the evening can be viewed here.

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a memory locked in silver on paper

“A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet.” — Orson Welles

In the case of a cinematic camera that would involve pace, meter, cadence and rhythm in addition to composition and proper lighting; perhaps even requiring a editor/poet to maintain that which the camera captured. A still camera, as an eye in the head of a poet, however, has more modest aspirations; a haiku; a short verse; a poetic phrase; a simple, often overlooked truth; a bit of passion; a memory; a mystery; a reminder; a nagging or aching;

seen frozen within
silver halides, thoughts, (past times)
still, reading their signs

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Portraits with real heart and soul

“Light is the shape and play of my thought… my reason for being a photographer.” — Barbara Morgan

My niece, Ellie, asked me to make photographs of she and her fiance, Sean, on Easter Sunday. She had long kept the idea of creating facsimiles for photographs I made of her parents some 39 years earlier. The rest of their series can be seen here.

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And of course as long as we’re set up we also involved my granddaughter, Sophia, daughter, Tanya and son in law, Jerome. With more from their session here.

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And of course my other niece, Mandy, and her husband, Greg, their son, Erickson and his new little sister, Libby. With additional possibilities here.

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And of course there’s my sister, Donna, and brother-in-law, Ray, reenacting that day back in 1969; and their other possibilities here.

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And my sweetheart, Ann  – before striking the set.

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