When To Stop
1970-01-01 00:59:59
I admit it. I am a perfectionist. This can be a problem. If I may quote Brooks Jensen from his recent interview with Ibarionex Perello on The Candid Frame, "The practical consequence of perfection is procrastination". If one is constantly and persistently trying to improve a print, as Brooks put it, "the work simply won't get done". I can vouch for that. It can take me several weeks to take an image from RAW format to a completed print. However, I do have a "day job' as well as kids. My photography time is therefore somewhat limited and so maybe it turns out that I am not quite as pathologic a perfectionist as was being described in the interview. But, trust me, it is a problem. And this year I have decided to solve it! I thought it might be useful (or at least therapeutic for me) to describe how to properly diagnose and cure this photographic malady. How can this diagnosis be made? How can you tell if you might be a fellow sufferer? Based on my personal
Are Abstracts Too Personal?
1970-01-01 00:59:59
It has been said that if one wants to be successful at selling their photographs they shouldn't be making abstract images. Abstracts
don't fly off the shelves, at least that's what I've been told. I make abstract images because I enjoy it. I like looking for lines, shapes and patterns in places where most non-photographers wouldn't. I find it very satisfying to find something that looks like it might be interesting when isolated from its surroundings and then going on to compose an image and tweak the camera position until it seems to come together in the viewfinder. With a click, it's then frozen forever. But do these images interest others? Sure, an abstract with saturated colors and distinct angles are going to grab one's attention, but what about the more subtle ones with gentle changes in tonality and less dramatic shapes? I find them personally satisfying, but I'm not at all sure that they have broad appeal. Images have to stand by themselves. In
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What We Miss
1970-01-01 00:59:59
If you are over 40 (or perhaps 30), you undoubtedly remember returning home after a trip to the record store to purchase a new album. What did you do once you got home and put the album on the turntable for that first listen? My guess is that there is a pretty good chance you were clutching the album jacket and examining the album art while reading whatever words of wisdom were printed on the back. If you were lucky enough, maybe there was even a foldout cover. Double album…..heaven! And who can forget that Rolling Stones album with the real zipper? That, unfortunately, is a feeling that we have lost in the digital age. Sure, CD's often come with a small case insert that has everything on it that an album had. Only smaller. Much smaller. And if you are over 40 it is probably small enough that you need to adjust your bifocals or take your glasses off to read it. It just isn't the same as when we had that big album cover with all the artwork. So exactly how does all
Playing To An Audience
1970-01-01 00:59:59
Several days ago, I suggested that perhaps one of the reasons that abstracts don't have as much broad appeal as, say, landscapes, is that they might be too personal. Steve made an interesting comment in response to that post. He said:"I take flower images and photoshop them in such a way that they are vaguely reminiscent of O'Keefe paintings. These images are very popular because that artist, long ago, struck a chord with a segment of viewers. I wasn't looking to copy anyone when I started out doing that, but found that others saw in these photoshopped images that same chord that the original artist had discovered. I suppose that I too was influenced by this artist and just hadn't recognized that in myself. So, I do think that abstract images that are done with an audience in mind aren't too personal but have a more broad appeal, and thus successfully attract a following.What do you think about working with an audience in mind?" I thought that was a very interesting concept,
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The Matte Aesthetic
1970-01-01 00:59:59
One of the nice attributes of digital photography is that it allows for one to do their own printing. Of course, this can get out of hand, as I described in my post about being a perfectionist. Nonetheless, the advent of high quality inkjet printers and image editing software has now given us unprecedented control over the appearance of our images, perhaps even more so than the wet darkroom. Once an image has reached the stage where it is ready to be printed, the first decision that has to be made is….printed on what. Assuming that the answer, as it will likely be in 99% of cases, is printed on paper, then the obvious question is……what paper? And that is where the fun begins. First, let me back up a bit. I print with an Epson 7600 Ultrachrome printer. The 7600 uses separate types of black ink for optimal printing on matte paper on the one hand and semi-gloss to glossy paper on the other. Unfortunately, at any one time, the printer can only be loaded with one of these
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When Size Matters
1970-01-01 00:59:59
There are some images that seem to cry out to be displayed as a large sized print. Skyscrapers and mountains come to mind. However, it has also been said, and I am paraphrasing as I can't seem to remember to whom the quote should be attributed, that "if you can't take a great image at least print it big and maybe no one will notice". "Three Trees"Copyright Howard Grill Recently, I made an interesting discovery when I was working with this image. I wasn't really sure how it would look as a print. Evaluating it on the computer monitor, as you are now, I thought it was, well, so-so. Certainly pleasant enough to look at, but really nothing special. I didn't simply pass it by at the time because I had been considering including it in the project that came about from my New Year's resolution (see Part 2 of my Jan 21st blog entry). For this reason, I decided to see what it would look like when printed at the same size as the other images in that group, which are matted
What Is Real?
1970-01-01 00:59:59
Visiting Antelope Canyon, which is located on land belonging to the Navajo Nation within Arizona, USA, is a deeply personal experience, even if you must work your way around the crowd. It is very easy to see why the Native Americans considered this a sacred location. About two years ago I attended a workshop at the canyon, which was given by Alain Briot and Uwe and Bettina Steinmueller.The shapes and twists of the canyon walls are amazing. The colors are surreal, which leads to some problematic issues when portraying the canyon photographically. First, it would be useful to offer a brief explanation of how the colors arise. The walls of the canyon are made of sandstone. When the sun is high in the sky, one of the two canyon walls are illuminated by direct sunlight. Because of the composition of the sandstone, the wall shines brightly and reflects red light onto the opposing wall, causing it to appear an unbelievable fiery red/orange. The reflected light is very intense on the o
A Beautiful Quote About Creativity
1970-01-01 00:59:59
In my January 15th entry, I mentioned Jeff Curto's History of Photography podcast . This is one of several excellent podcasts that I listen to regularly, and I was planning to mention the others intermittently over the next several weeks. However, yesterday I listened to one that really struck me, so I feel compelled to write about it now. I am talking about Ibarionex Perello's The Candid Frame. First, a bit about the podcast. In each episode, Ibarionex has an in depth interview with a photographer, some well known and others less so, but always one with something interesting to say or a viewpoint worth listening to and considering. I have listened to each installment and each has been saved. Not a one has ended up in the recycle bin. They are discussions that can be listened to again and again. So what has motivated me to write about The Candid Frame right now? In the last installment, Ibarionex interviews Brooks Jensen (whose podcast I also plan to write about in coming
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, Quote
, Creativity
The Abstract: Does Location Matter ?
1970-01-01 00:59:59
While a good deal of my photography is nature related, I have recently started to venture into the city in search of interesting abstract and landscape images. I have not been doing "street photography' per se, nor have I been seeking "the decisive moment'. At this point in my urban outings I am still too uncomfortable to try to slip in a hidden candid shot or ask people if I can photograph them. What I have been doing is more along the lines of just looking for that nice coalescence of lines and shapes that seem to call for an image to be made. Oregon DunesCopyright Howard GrillUnited Steelworkers BuildingDowntown PittsburghCopyright Howard Grill What really intrigues me is how absolutely similar looking for the abstract seems to be in both settings. It doesn't really seem to matter whether I am in Downtown Pittsburgh or the middle of nowhere. In either location I find that I am using the same mindset and looking for the same components with which to construct an image.
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, Location
Photographers' Rights
1970-01-01 00:59:59
There have been some extremely interesting posts and discussions going on over at Paul Butzi's blog "Photo Musings" regarding certain ethical aspects of taking photographs. I think that reading them, or at least giving thought and consideration to the topic, is essential. The blog entries and comments can be seen here, here, and here.The discussion revolves around whether it is acceptable to take photographs in the following types of situations: i) when people don't want you to photograph them,ii) when you must trespass either overtly, or more subtly, by going onto clearly private land that is not so clearly marked as such, and iii) when you are photographing private property from a public location and the owner specifically approaches and asks you not to do so. First, let me state that I agree with Paul 99%. I personally feel that one should not photograph people who do not want to be photographed, that one shou
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, Rights
Overdone, But Still Fun
1970-01-01 00:59:59
I enjoy photographing statues and monuments when I go into the city with a camera. I guess they are somewhat overdone since it is awfully easy to find plenty of statue images. I do think that many statue images seem dull and somewhat sterile appearing. But that might be because most of the ones we see are from travel guides, history texts, and the like. They are presented in what is essentially a documentary format, much like flowers in a field guide.Images Taken In Downtown PittsburghCopyright Howard GrillBecause there are so many 'field guide' type presentations, I view statue photographs as something that has a fair amount of potential for creativity. Now, I am not saying that I am a great connoisseur of these type of images, but I do know that if we pick statues that are interesting in appearance and shoot them from angles other than eye level they have a fair amount of potential. As an aside, I see no reason why this blog should contain only my images, so I was going to
Rocks In The Big Picture
1970-01-01 00:59:59
In a prior post, I spoke about photographing rocks as macro subjects. In those images, the rocks served as a source for abstract compositions. However, it goes without saying that rocks themselves can become a central part of a grander landscape photograph. I am not talking about merely the obvious example of, say, an image of huge mountains, where the interest lies in one's amazement at the grandeur of the mountain range. I am also speaking of where the rocks themselves are so beautiful that, in aggregate, they become one of the image's focal points. This is typical of many pictures taken in the American Southwest. Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to photograph at a slightly more obscure and less traveled location that, like the Southwest, has rocks that, because of their rather unique appearance, can become a central part of an image. Picture
d Rocks
National LakeshoreCopyright Howard GrillPictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a 70,000 square acre park located along 42 m
Clone Is Not A Four Letter Word
1970-01-01 00:59:59
In some circles, clone is considered a dirty word. I am, of course, referring to Photoshop's clone tool. There seems to be several camps, or schools of thought, regarding this issue. On the one hand, there are photographers such as Stephen Johnson whose philosophy is not to make any changes whatsoever to a scene after the photograph is taken. In one interview, he mentioned that he hadn't noticed a piece of garbage (as I recall, it was a paper cup or soda can) that was in an image of his that ultimately became the cover shot for one of his books. His publisher asked him to remove the relatively small piece of trash and he refused to do so. Though I would not have had a problem with cloning the item out of the image, I respect his decision not to and, moreover, am a great admirer of his. I just don't carry the same philosophy when it comes to cloning. On the other hand, there are those who would clone things, both alive and dead, in and out of an image without so much a
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Jerry Uelsmann Interview
1970-01-01 00:59:59
Jerry Uelsmann is known for his surreal images which are assembled from multiple negatives using several enlargers. Though one might initially suspect that his photographs are digitally manipulated, they are, in fact, made using "traditional' darkroom techniques. People often think of image manipulation and montage creation as being a product of the "digital revolution', but it is worthwhile to be reminded every so often that the process existed long before the first pixels were born. Chris Mahr and Larry Berman interviewed Jerry Uelsmann in November 2006 and recently made the transcript of that interview available on-line. The interview is quite interesting and can be found here. The entire conversation is an excellent and very worthwhile read. While I don't want to delay your getting to the interview, I did want to mention one of the comments that I found to be particularly poignant. When discussing the use of digital versus darkroom technology to manipula
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Shadow Shooting
1970-01-01 00:59:59
I went out to take pictures several weeks back and it turned out to be one of those days that nothing seemed to click. Maybe it was where I was looking, maybe it was my attitude, or maybe the light was just a bit harsh. As I was walking along with the sense that this was not going to be one of my more productive outings, some shadows on a concrete wall caught my attention. The interplay of the shadows with the actual tree, with the neutral color of the concrete wall, and with the cracks of the wall somehow seemed interesting, though I really wasn't quite sure why.City TreesCopyright Howard Grill When nothing seems to want to happen, it is probably a good idea to follow the slightest premonition, so I spent some time photographing the shadows against the wall. It strikes me that photographing shadows is also a good idea for when the light just isn't so great. Since a bit of contrast can be useful for accentuating shadows, photographing them can be accomplished in light that
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Linguistics And Emotion
1970-01-01 00:59:59
Images which are decidedly asymmetric often have a different "feel' when oriented in one direction as compared to the other. This is important since it effects the message conveyed by an image and in the digital era it is a trivial matter to flip an image on its horizontal or vertical axis.In cultures where language is read from left to right, images that "flow' from left to right (or have an isolated subject placed on the left) are said to feel more peaceful than those which have a flow in the opposite, or right to left direction. The theory is that eye movement from right to left goes against the natural tendency for people to "read' an image from left to right, thereby causing a sense of tension. In cultures where written language is read from right to left, the opposite is said to be true.This can, at times, be used in a subtle fashion to accentuate the feeling we are trying to convey in an image. I am not suggesting that an emotionless image will suddenly come to life
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, Emotion
Camera Position Podcast
1970-01-01 00:59:59
So you already listen to Jeff Curto's History of Photography Podcast
, which I talked about in a prior post. It's great, it's informative, it's entertaining. But say you need more…….more Curto. Well, there is a place where you can get that extra bit more, and it's his excellent "other' podcast entitled Camera
Position. This is entirely different from the History of Photography classroom lectures. The Camera Position podcast is perhaps best described by Jeff in his own words as "a podcast about the visual and creative processes in photography, not the technical. Using images and the spoken word, my podcasts are about the "why' of photography from the point of view of the creative photographer"Always thoughtful and entertaining, the podcasts run about 10-20 minutes, but I guarantee you will be thinking about the topics covered for longer than that.Over the course of time, I plan to post about more of my favorite podcasts, and when I discuss them will put each on
Rorschach
1970-01-01 00:59:59
The human mind has an uncanny desire and ability to take random lines and shapes and assemble them into something seemingly identifiable. This seems to be an inherent part of human nature. Perhaps the beginning of artistic expression is somehow rooted in this yearning of the mind to assemble input into the "known' category.Rock BirdCopyright Howard Grill When looking at this rock formation I felt like I was looking at an ancient cave painting of sorts…but it was just a rock in a small cliff by the Oregon Shore. And so I wonder, am I the only one who sees a bird?
A Look Into The Past
1970-01-01 00:59:59
Some months back (when it was a bit warmer than it is now), a friend and I spent a day exploring some of the back alleys of Pittsburgh. They are a fascinating place, as I am sure they are in almost any city. Besides their "gritty' nature, one of the things that I found very interesting is that, because they are not seen by most of the world, the backs of buildings are often not "updated' in the same way as the fronts. The walls in back are often less painted over, not repaired, and there are no new facades or décor. In some ways, it is a bit like a trip back in time, as you can often get a sense of what the buildings looked like many years ago.Taken in a Downtown Pittsburgh AlleyCopyright Howard Grill When I was growing up in New Jersey, my family would often visit relatives in New York. I vividly recall that one of the things that I would see in New York which was different from Jersey were the big buildings that had signs and advertisements painted onto their brick
The Image Within
1970-01-01 00:59:59
I was planning to use a second photo for yesterdays post about monochromatic images. This picture, which was also taken on a workshop to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is another example of the monochromatic presentation. I didn't use it yesterday because I remembered something totally different about it that I wanted to share. Pete's LakeUpper Peninsula Of MichiganCopyright Howard GrillAlmost two years ago, I attended Alain Briot and Uwe Steinmueller's excellent Print Summit and Workshop. As part of that experience, the participants were to bring, for a private critique session with either Uwe or Alain, five or ten images that they had completed prior to the workshop. There was something that really appealed to me about this print, and it is one that I brought to the critique session. It is not easily seen on the small screen, but there is subtle visible detail in the distant land and trees on the right side of the photo. This, as well as the gentle tonal and color chang
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Transience
1970-01-01 00:59:59
As humans, we tend to think of time in years; as measurable portions of our own lives. Though we know that the "grand landscape' is a "work in progress' that has been formed by millennia of continuous exposure to wind, water and the other forces of nature, we nonetheless tend to consider it as static. I suppose that is a fair, even utilitarian, way of thinking; one that I am just as "guilty' of as the next person. After all, we are unlikely to see any obvious changes to the appearance of the Grand Canyon in our lifetime. Nonetheless, perhaps once or twice in a lifetime are we are able to see a sudden and significant change in what we had considered in our thoughts to be immutable. Such was recently the case for me. On the same trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula on which I took the picture discussed in yesterday's blog entry, I also had the chance to photograph Miner's Castle. This distinctive rock formation is very easy to get to and is one of the more fam
Turn Around And Shoot
1970-01-01 00:59:59
Before getting to today's blog entry, I have a request to make. I have been working, though it is now truly a "labor of love', to make daily posts and to keep this blog fresh, interesting, and, hopefully, enjoyable to read. Needless to say, I am trying to develop a readership. If you find my blog enjoyable, useful (or any other positive adjective), I would certainly appreciate it if you would pass the URL on to a friend that has an interest in photography and who you feel might also like it. Also, please feel free to comment, as it is always nice to know that there really are people out there. Thanks,.......now on to today's thought.There are two sayings whose points ended up combined together to lead me to make a few images that I find interesting. These sayings are, and I paraphrase, "If you take an interesting shot, turn around, because the one behind you might be even better" and "Shoot
where you are and what you know".I have found the quote about turning around to
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Returning
1970-01-01 00:59:59
In yesterdays post, I mentioned that I had thought a building which I visit frequently might be interesting to photograph, and that I had returned to it with my camera in tow. I really wish that I would return more often to places that have struck me as intriguing. Often times, I will be driving somewhere and see an interesting landscape or location and tuck away in the back of my mind that it is a place that, in the future, would be worth exploring photographically. Unfortunately, much more often than not, I never end up going back. On the occasions that I do return, I usually end up feeling quite happy about having done so, both from the point of view of the photographs I end up taking as well as from the sense of having followed through on an idea that I had. In fact, I find that I capture at least some interesting images the vast majority of times that I return to such a location. It makes me wonder if that initial positive gut response occurs because the scene or locat
MonoCHROME
1970-01-01 00:59:59
In photography, the term monochrome is often equated with black and white. However, if one looks at the root of the word, it can clearly apply not only to images that are black and white, but also to pictures that are, for all intents and purposes, just one color. I tend to find such images very interesting. To me, they always seem to be very moody and emotive. I also find that, for some reason, my feelings about individual images of this genre tend to be rather strong; I either really like them or really do not care for them at all. I have noticed that a good many of these types of images tend to be fashion photographs. But I also have seen monochrome used in this way, to a lesser extent, with landscapes, as well as with almost every other kind of photograph. It is a presentation that I don't use very frequently because I just don't find that many of my images are, for lack of a better term, harmonious with this technique. But, every once in a while, I find that there
Portfolio versus Project: A Dilemma?
1970-01-01 00:59:59
Last week, I listened to the latest Candid Frame interview...excellent as usual. William Neill was being interviewed, and the discussion turned to assembling a photographic portfolio. There was an aspect of this conversation that intrigued me and, to a certain extent, confused me. I have been thinking about it since (the mark of a good interview….raising as many questions as it answers!) When assembling a "portfolio', intensive editing is needed to ensure that only one's best work is used. The concept which was mentioned, and which I wholeheartedly agree with, is that it is better to have too few images that are outstanding than more images which include average photographs. In the latter case, the average ones will lower the overall quality, bringing the outstanding ones down as well. But how does the idea of a portfolio interact with a defined project? For example, I have been on several workshops across the country and could assemble a portfolio of what I conside
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, versus
, Project
Skyscrapers
1970-01-01 00:59:59
Skyscrapers are one of the reasons that I enjoy photographing in an urban setting. There are just so many ways to compose an image with them that you could stand in one location and experiment for hours. Despite the fact that skyscrapers have easily identifiable outlines, I find that my favorite images of them are ones that are taken when I consider them in the abstract; by removing from my mind the fact that they are buildings and, instead, consider them as lines, shapes and colors. Given the number of buildings like this in any major city, there is an almost endless array of composition and images that are waiting to be made.Image taken In Downtown PittsburghCopyright Howard Grill As I mentioned in a prior post, I find it interesting that the mind set and compositional ideas I use to photograph the urban landscape are really no different than those that I find myself using to photograph nature. Before venturing out into the city with a camera, I thought they would be very d
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Predictions
1970-01-01 00:59:59
I find it intriguing that I can't seem to predict what photographs people are going to like. Before I started selling some of my prints, I knew what I liked and I thought I knew what images others would find appealing. In fact, I was sure I could predict which images would sell and which would not. I was wrong. Very wrong. I am not quite sure what this means. Clearly, the obvious reason is that people just have different tastes; different even within a specific genre of photographs, like landcapes. During the few art shows where I have offered my work for sale, I have witnessed large errors in my predictions about what images I thought people would purchase. A couple could be really examining a print, while inside I might be saying "not that one, that one isn't even close to being my best work, not one of my favorites", and yet they are strongly attracted to it. Please don't misunderstand, I am not putting images out there that I don't think are my strongest efforts, it is ju
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Art and Fear, Part I
1970-01-01 00:59:59
If you have read some of my recent blog posts you have probably noticed that they've been a bit on the philosophical side lately. That is probably because I have been reading Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. First things first. I have to thank Billie for coaxing me into finally buying and reading the book. It had been on my "To Read" list for some time, but ended up being one of those books that I just never seemed to get to. Billie's comments on some of my prior posts convinced me to finally get to it. It was clearly a mistake to have put it off for so long! Anyway, turns out I'm perfectly normal. All the issues that concerned, confused and, even to a certain extent, tortured me are all par for the course….the course of (OK, having read the book, I can say it) being an artist. It would, after all, seem that if you take your photography seriously you are an artist, even if you don't make your living from it. It would appear that all the fears and c
Art & Fear, Part II
1970-01-01 00:59:59
If you haven't already read yesterday's blog entry (Art &Fear, Part I) I would like to humbly request that you back up a day and give it a quick read rather than start in the middle……Great..... all caught up…then off we go.In a prior post I had expressed concern about the fact that once you have made more than one image you were likely to have favorites. Bayles and Orland address this, noting that:"The function of the overwhelming majority of your artwork is simply to teach you how to make the small fraction of your artwork that soars" (page 5).In regards to the fact that the more one learns and understands, the more questions get asked:"Having come this far, it's tempting to try to bring this idea to closure by resolving all those leads into a single clear, concise, fundamental, finely honed answer. Tempting, but futile. Answers are reassuring, but when you're onto something really useful, it will probably take the form of a question" (page 113).And, ultimately
Art & Fear, Epilogue
1970-01-01 00:59:59
Honestly, I really wasn't planning to do a third post about Art & Fear. However, the book so nicely addressed some of the excellent comments that have been made, that I felt the need to take the opportunity to add a few more quotes.Mark raised the superb question (check out his blog called Notes From The Woods) that:"………I can understand the perfection aspirations of our own work - but what about when we look at another photographer's image, perhaps one of our "heros" - and label that as perfect? We establish a previsualization of "perfection" and then attempt to get there ourselves. Then we will probably subject ourselves to disappointing image after image trying to achieve, perhaps not a replication of the same image, but one that achieves that status in our own eyes……"Bayles and Orland make a wonderful observation about comparisons to other, perhaps more accomplished and/or famous, artists:"But the important point here is not that you have - or don't have -
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