The image below was a result of considerable post processing in Photoshop, starting with an original photo I took as the source image. I had adjusted the curves, saturation and hues and when I arrived at the image/art I wanted, I further cropped the image into 4 squares and increased the pixels in each of them resulting in a fluid glass like mosaic art. Out of the four in a series, below is my favorite creation. The image reminds me very much of the tiled bathroom in my old condo when I lived in Asia. I had gone to great length and had the bedroom painted deep blue. The bathroom was put through a complete remodel with a new tiled bath tub put in. The small square tiles were pretty ocean blue in color and they lined the entire bath tub which needed an additional water heater to fully fill it. The walls of the bathroom were laid with 12x12 inch blue tiles, so essentially when I walked into the bathroom from my bedroom, it was as if I had walked into a hideaway in the deep ocean. I would come home from work, put a music CD in the player (usually a Mozart Horn Concertos or a Barbara Streisand), turn the volume up, pour myself a nice glass of red wine, and decompress my brain.....while I relaxed in the bath tub. It was all so very soothing.....I am missing my old sweet pad already...
"Rhapsody in blue"
There has been an interesting and at times very passionate debate over the question of "when is photography considered fine art" in one of LinkedIn Group Forums. To follow the debate, click on this link. My first comment (#4 by JC) had stirred up a hornet's nest unbeknownst to me :( The very passionate debate only serves to re-inforce the notion that one's creative pursuit is indeed a very personal and intimate journey. In my opinion, there is really no clear line between the two genres. Ultimately it is in the eyes of the beholder, in that something special that connects the author and the audience that determines an image's worth to the beholder......
Photography is a great avocation. I am happiest when I have my camera around my neck. Learn to see the light in ways others can't and it will make a lot of difference in how that image is going to turn out in the end.
It is all about exploring and experimenting. Look for interesting subject, unusual light and shoot from a different angle even if that means going down on my knees for a different perspective. I am reminded of what I learned in one of my photography class - that when one first arrives at a location, to not snap way but rather spend time surveying the place for unique angle, interesting light - sizing and soaking up the image in your head....before you click that shutter.
Wrote an article a little while back on how to get started in photography if one has a limited budget. The article is here and at Helium if you wish to read more.
If you are an aspiring photographer, and you are researching for a good way to showcase your work. A photo blog is a good way to start. As for tips on how to get started on your photo blog, take a look at the book by Catherine Jamieson. It was my very first book on blogging and definitely has some good ideas on how to approach your blog project. The book also has some great photography as well. It is a book I refer to a lot and it is well worth the read.
Create Your Own Photo Blog by Catherine Jamieson
"Whether you seek to showcase a professional portfolio or just want your family across the continent to see the pictures from the reunion, you can do it with a photo blog. Catherine Jamieson, whose award-winning blog, Utata, has a legion of fans, gives you all the tools you need in this richly illustrated, full-color guide. She translates Web lingo, walks you through setting up your blog, and provides professional tips on composing, shooting, and editing your photos. Jamieson even helps jumpstart your creativity with 100 photo ideas to get you shooting."
To learn how to create a sticky blog, check out my article at AC: the link can be found Here
Photography is about seeing the light, the way the Grand Masters see it and it is what separates the great legends from the rest of us. Light or the lack there of is what stops us dead in our track and makes us take two steps back and take a lingering look at a photograph hanging on a wall. To me, colors are just a facade - the "extras". Peel away the colors, if a photograph is truly special, the light that grabs our attention initially should still be there.
I am convinced if the modern day photographer can master the subject of light and use light to convey her message just the way she intends it to, she truly has a special gift. It is that gift I so wish for, it is my only goal in the quest to be a better photographer. So very often, we snap away without spending time to compose the image, to think of the message and why we are there in the first place. We hope by snapping a few dozen shots of the same scene, one will turn out good enough and our effort will not be in vain. That is where we are all mistaken. The most valuable lesson I learned from my photography teacher was a sentence she uttered one day in class: "Timeless photos are composed, and they are often a result of a great deal of planning and thinking, in setting up the shot and the placement of light." Ask any accomplished photographer and they will tell you this cannot be more true.
The more I do photography, the more I realize I need to go back and re-learn the basics. I told myself that until I can wrap my head completely around the subject of light, I have barely just begun. That is the story of photography - It is simply a story of light and light is all around. Can you see it?
Each of Adams 40 photographs presented here is accompanied by an engaging narrative that explores the technical and aesthetic problems presented by the subject and includes reminiscences of the places and people involved."
Ansel Adam (1902-1984) made over 40,000 photographs. His mastery on the subject and his medium are well chronicled in three much sought after books: "The Camera", and "The Negative" and "The Print"
