Photographer Clay

Tag: Photographer

I’m a photographer

  • Impressed by technology

    Impressed by technology

    Last night, I was taking my dog out for his last potty visit before bedtime and I noticed the clouds of an impending storm were beginning to move in. Granted I wasn’t able to see them very well as it was dark outside. I took this photograph with my smartphone. This is a 1/5 second exposure and handheld. I’m impressed.

    I guess a bit of background also helps. My first computer was a Commodore 64 I bought in 1982-83. My first 35 mm camera was a Canon AE-1 at roughly the same time. The computer was a thing of marvel at the time as far as home computers as was the camera since it had an auto-aperture setting. All I had to do was pick the shutter speed and focus.

    As we have moved along, I have adopted new technology as quickly as I could afford to do so. A couple of years ago I built my own home workstation from parts I selected individually.

    I embrace new versions of programs and software. I’ve even been a beta tester of software as well as having written user manuals for programs. In other words, I’m a long-time nerdy geek and I still get impressed with the technology.

    How does all this relate to art and photography? I use technology to create my vision and my art. I also employ much old technology, such as film. I don’t like to have my creative choices limited by boundaries. I like to push my boundaries and see just how far I can go hoping to explore new techniques and abilities. I look forward to each new version of programs and advances in computing technology.

    To truly become an artist I believe we must constantly learn and explore and this often requires us to embrace technological advances all while keeping the old traditions alive and blending them together.

  • Reality versus vision

    Reality versus vision

    So many photographers get caught up in reality. To me, they are basically using their cameras as copy machines. Striving to make an exact copy of a scene. Sometimes it works, and many times it does not. It all depends upon the moment and the vision of the photographer, more so if you are like me, a photographic artist.

    A couple of weeks ago I photographed a session at a haunted house. The session started at 10 AM and went on most of the day. There were photographers and models/actors still around when I left at about 8 PM. The problem? It was daylight and a bright day at that. Not really the scene for gremlins, ghouls, zombies, and monsters. In order to fulfill the vision reality had to be altered.

    Take the photograph above, for example. It is fitting for the setting, at least to me. We have a possessed nun interacting with a zombie. The original, reality-based photograph, not so much.

    The original, reality, doesn’t have the same feel as the altered reality version. First of all, for me, the zombie doesn’t look real ( I know zombies aren’t real). Second, that house, isn’t what most of our imaginations envision for a zombie scene.

    Another example is the ceremony in the cathedral. The altered reality version versus the reality version.

    There certainly is a lot you can do with lighting and camera settings but again, those are altering reality in a different way.

    The mere act of taking a photograph we alter reality. We alter reality by the choices we make in setting up the shot. We alter reality by the lens and aperture we choose. We alter reality by freezing a fraction of a second into the reproduction of a subject or scene. We alter reality by the media we use to capture that moment. For me, I don’t always let the reality of the scene limit my vision of how the emotion of the scene or subject felt to me. My goal as an artist is to bring you into the moment of time and the place I was at the moment I photographed it, just as a painter would do with their paintings. For me, it’s art not a Xerox copy.

  • Suburban natural beauty

    Suburban natural beauty

    I live in a very suburban neighborhood. Lots of houses, wide streets, strip malls, and traffic.

    Even though I live in the suburbs, I can always find nature to photograph.

    Even along busy roadways. So many times we don’t stop to really look. We are often too busy on our cell phones or chatting with others that we fail to see nature around us. Take a look, see and enjoy nature, no matter where you live.

  • Film versus digital debates still rage on

    Film versus digital debates still rage on

    There are “debates” that just go on and on and on, never ceasing and nothing new to add to the debate. The same old arguments and the same old opinions. One of those is the film versus digital debate. I don’t get it. So you really love film, fantastic use film. In the end, one isn’t any better than the other. In fact, they are more similar than most would want to believe.

    We are capturing reflected light onto a light-sensitive surface. But the grain you say. Yes, film has grain. To that I say and for each brand and type of film the grain is slightly different, so what. With digital, there is noise similar to grain yet a bit different. The noise can be reduced or it can be added during development.

    I shoot both film and digital but I get tired of the film-only snobs that for whatever reason feel the need to “look down their noses” at the digital photography world. Digital photography isn’t new any longer nor is it going away. In the end, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is the final result. Results matter more than how we got there. How we got there is a matter of personal preference. If you prefer one method over another it doesn’t make the other any less valid.

  • Artificial Intelligence and the artist

    Artificial Intelligence and the artist

    Artificial intelligence or AI is being built into photo editing programs more and more. Additionally, this AI is getting smarter, faster, and more intelligent. While the software may never be able to read my mind to completely fulfill my vision it certainly speeds up the process.

    New releases came out yesterday for Photoshop and Lightroom. With each new release of these programs in recent years, I am more and more impressed. Selections are faster and easier to make. The programs are doing a better job of recognizing faces, and now they can recognize facial features. Where this helps me is that often the software can help me make selections of people, objects, or backgrounds more quickly.

    Lightroom AI made all these masks from an adaptive preset. I’m impressed. I know that Adobe isn’t the only photo editing software developer utilizing AI technology but their software is what I have used for years. While there may be some people who believe that it’s getting to “easy” to edit. I say, awesome. Let’s utilize technology and give everyone the opportunity to do this work.

  • Use all your skills

    Use all your skills

    When I envision a final photograph I try to use every skill I have available. For me, that includes using my memory from every photograph, every painting, and every movie I have ever seen. Photography is a visual art and as such, it should utilize every memory of everything we have seen. This, to me, is what makes a photograph a work of art rather than merely a snapshot where “I saw a scene and took a picture of the same”. We, as visual artists need to engage our audience, even if that audience is just ourselves.

  • Light at the end of the tunnel

    Light at the end of the tunnel

    I know you’ve probably heard the saying, “I can see the light at the end of the tunnel”. Well, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s getting closer. The tunnel I speak of is the tunnel of working for others. I have just over 80 days left before I am committing to a new journey. That is just 50 working days. My new journey is that I am going to dedicate much more time to creating my art and writing this blog. Many of the things I have planned will take me to new places with both my photography and my writing. The light at the end of my tunnel is a second retirement.

    I don’t believe you are ever too old to follow your dreams or achieve your goals. It is all a mindset and my mindset as a photographic artist is to create. My artwork may not always be to everyone’s liking but they are all to my liking.

    One of the best things I have is a live-in critic and muse, my wife of 43 years. She is always able to give me her thoughts and ideas and many times she helps make them come together. Shopping for props, and assisting with lighting. She helps me come up with ideas and concepts. So not only can I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is getting close to the end but I am going into this new journey with a helper.

    Keep working towards getting to the light at the end of your own tunnel. Stay focused on your art and creativity. Achieve your artistic goals and dreams. Don’t let others discourage you and if you get discouraged on your own find a helper, even if it is an acquaintance with similar dreams and goals.

  • Create don’t just photograph

    My vision is to create rather than just take a photograph. I even create multiple versions of the same photograph to fit my vision.

    I created the dark version to go with another photograph I took in the same area.

    I was thinking along this line because Halloween is approaching.

    Use vision and imagination to create rather than just photograph a scene.

  • I take a camera everywhere I go

    I take a camera everywhere I go

    I was on my way to a meeting yesterday to tour a potential location for winter photography. The meeting was 1 1/2 hours away so we stopped at a wine bar not far from the location to have a glass and a snack. Originally I was going to do some photography by “wandering around” however when we got into the area it began to rain. Not wanting to get wet since I hadn’t prepared for the rain we elected to go inside. As I was sitting at our table the view of the bar and the building outside caught my eye. The building was built in 1909 during a time when the area was used as commercial stockyards.

    When the meeting time started to get close we headed off for the location of the building we were going to tour. Along the way, we saw lots of other photographic opportunities but didn’t have time to stop since we were heading to our meeting.

    As I mentioned in the title of this blog, I carry a camera with me everywhere I go. It may be one of my digital SLR cameras or it may simply be my smartphone. I didn’t always believe the smartphone could serve as a “real” camera but I have since changed my mind. Current smartphone cameras have come a long way. In addition, I have learned how to properly use the smartphone camera just as I learned how to use my “real cameras”.

    Take the time to learn how to use your equipment even if it is the camera on your smartphone. As I said both today and yesterday, there is a photograph everywhere you go.

  • There is a photograph everywhere

    There is a photograph everywhere

    If you look with the proper mindset there is a photograph everywhere you go. Think about that for a moment. The photograph I included above was taken while sitting on the patio of a local microbrewery and restaurant while I was having a beer and pizza. Since this is just “down the street” from where I live we often don’t think much of it. If I were to have a beer and pizza in a faraway destination though I would think “wow, I have to get a photograph of this.”

    Often we get so used to seeing the surroundings we encounter every day that we fail to enjoy the view. Take a moment each day to stop and enjoy the views around you.