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Michael Grace-Martin

~ Photography, Art & Life

Michael Grace-Martin

Tag Archives: 2013

2013 Christmas Travels “Snapshot”

10 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by mgm in Street

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Tags

2013, christmas, color, Houston, philadelphia, photography, Texas, washington dc

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I had to do some traveling just after Christmas (for non-photography reasons) this past month (Dec 2013 into Jan 2014) and snapped some shots along the way. The series I present here is an exercise in “curating” some of those photos with the theme of “Christmas” in mind…:-).

Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Wash DC Hotel)
Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Woodlands, TX)
Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Houston, TX)

Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Woodlands, TX)
Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Wash DC Airport)
Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Houston, TX)

Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Woodlands, TX)
Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Woodlands, TX)
Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Houston, TX)

Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Woodlands, TX)
Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Wash DC)
Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Houston, TX)

Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Wash DC)
Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Woodlands, TX)
Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Philadelphia Airport)

Xmas Snapshot 2013 (Philadelphia Airport)



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

My Top Tweets for 2013

07 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by mgm in Commentary, Writing

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2013, favorite, mgmsbrain, tweets, twitter

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I opened a Twitter account last June to replace my personal Facebook page (the latter became distracting and problematic in a number of ways). I tweeted 161 times in 2013 over the six months I had the account.

When I was a teenager (well before the time of The Internet), I used to write things and post them on the back of my bedroom door. Occasionally, I would remove notes that seemed stupid or were no longer relevant to my life and keep the ones that still “spoke to me”.

Here now are my favorite tweets of 2013 (in chronological order), some of which may seem stupid or irrelevant by the end of 2014…(!)

  1. True artists are self-propelled…the fanfare is nice, but that ain’t why they’re doing it
  2. Art has become a hard sell it seems. Entertainment, however, continues to attract a hearty share of people’s “disposable” income.
  3. Belched and said “excuse me” with only my cat in earshot. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with manners between species..
  4. I like doing #photography, but it’s not about being a “photographer” for me. It’s about communicating something interesting.
  5. Facebook is not necessary.
  6. Making money “doing your own thing” requires mega marketing because you have to convince people “your own thing” has anything to do w/ them.
  7. Once upon a time, people had to buy books or magazines, or go to a museum or gallery to see artistic photographs.
  8. When you wipe all the friends off your FB list, what happens? There’s less to see on FB, so you move on to other things, like taking walks.
  9. W/ few exceptions, there’s no such thing now as shooting the one photo that knocks people out. consistently producing..that’s where it’s at.
  10. Important thing I learned at Grassroots Festival today: use porta-johns that are in the shade! Otherwise they get up to 150 degs in the sun.
  11. I don’t like to copy/repeat what others have done. I don’t like to repeat/copy what I’ve done.
  12. And somewhere in my mind is the thought: If I ever became famous for my photography, I’d have to quit and start doing something else.
  13. I need to go to more art museums…whether there’s photography included or not.
  14. For some reason, I find it way more interesting to watch programs about musicians than photographers to gain insights into creative process.
  15. A photo that doesn’t distinguish itself is a commodity
  16. Doing your own thing and hoping someone notices isn’t a very efficient way to get notoriety or make money
  17. Most successful artists were able to dial in “commercial” when it came down to it.
  18. Some need others’ opinions to have their own opinion
  19. I don’t think there’s an option: if u don’t like what the art photo “establishment” calls good, develop a dialog directly w/ the collector.
  20. A successful photograph investment-wise requires that it contain a good amount of “cultural currency”.
  21. I just think if my name were David Butt Philip, I’d tend not to use my middle name.
  22. I find it kind of funny how artists refer to their artwork as “The Work”, thereby distancing themselves from it
  23. The web is like putting *everyone* in charge of television programming and having all of it broadcast simultaneously.
  24. Sex: the adult pacifier
  25. I used to think I wanted to be a web designer, but the promised land turned into a shitter. This is the last one I do, I swear.
  26. Size “zero”? sounds like the clothing size one’s imaginary friend might wear
  27. I find it interesting that YouTube seems to group Amy Winehouse and Janis Joplin together in search results
  28. I think there’s something alluring about an artist who’s work you sense was created without looking for your (the viewer’s) approval.
  29. One of the things that stands out about Marilyn Monroe: she was pre-cosmetic surgery.
  30. Without communication, the best we could do would be hedonism.
  31. Taking a photo is not the end. It can then be contextualized and recontextualized. I see photos as fluid and dynamic.
  32. Art that is not relevant is not art; if it doesn’t communicate something relevant or consequential, it’s decoration
  33. “Though she never considered herself an unattractive woman, she felt like she was suffering from ‘premature ugliness’ in her middle age.”
  34. Wanting to be rich & lazy is just a reaction to being poor and overworked. Ultimately, rich & lazy would be pretty boring.
  35. Maybe if people focused more on creative activities, they’d spend less money on trying to purchase joy.
  36. Maybe most photographers think that emulating past photography is what “doing photography” is
  37. Art yearns for a unique voice, not a refinement of a previous or existing voice.
  38. For me photography is just a way to capture portions of my visual experience so I can do shit with it.
  39. The challenge is to find your own voice (when making art) & it may take a while. And it may come from a very different place than u expect.
  40. Maybe I could come up with a better word than “art” to describe what I’m trying to do..
  41. When you’re finally *not trying to be like anyone*…that’s when you truly get there.
  42. Momentary “truths” have an annoying habit of expiring before you can string them together with other “truths” and make an actual dent.
  43. What is needed is not *more* photography, but rather, better editing.
  44. It’s pretty easy to like or not like almost any photo. It depends pretty hugely on the context and one’s frame of mind at the time.
  45. “Michael is a self-taught photographer. His photography explores the relationship between his camera and his visible surroundings.”
  46. A “good photo” no longer involves anything like light, composition, etc. It just means *people want to look at it*.
  47. One of the big misconceptions: that a good or great idea will be instantly recognized as such.
  48. With photography, I see stuff I would have *never* noticed otherwise because my field of view as I move through life is too fleeting.
  49. One of the most splendid is capturing the hidden moment on display to all but only “seen” by a device that can pluck out a sliver of time.
  50. Going forward while integrating backwards.
  51. Maybe there’s an alternative to riding on the ever-increasing-shock-to-gain-attention train wreck…?
  52. Aging = becoming a caricature of yourself.
  53. Here’s one to keep pounding: There’s more to art than making pretty or beautiful objects. Meaning is not always pretty.
  54. Circumventing the 140 character constraint..BbtE6pzCQAAkqGR
  55. Street photography is as much *sport* as it is art.
  56. My (woman) dermatologist wears pink rubber boots during appointments

Hopefully my 2014 tweets will be even more fun, insightful, and goofy…:p. And, of course, feel free to “follow” me @MGMSBRAIN.



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

2013 Elvis Festival, Lake George, NY

03 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by mgm in MGM's Photos, Street

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

2013, elvis, festival, lake george, new york

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Last June (2013), I took a trip up to Lake George, New York to take photos of the Elvis Festival. I also figured I’d do some “street photography” (unrelated to the Elvis theme) while I was there.

Ironically, I ended up taking *way* more photos unrelated to the Elvis Festival than I did related! This was partially due to the Elvis Impersonators being mostly indoors (bars, an auditorium…and the auditorium was quite dark) and mostly singing & performing when they were visible.

I wasn’t really looking to take dark indoor shots or performance photos. I was more interested in the “Elvises” walking around town and interacting with people; but there wasn’t much of that, at least the day I was there.

In any case, I liked some of the ones I got and put them into the gallery below…:).

(BTW, you can purchase the camera + lens I used for this series in my Amazon Associates store. The small amount I make helps to support this website! Thanks…:)

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival
2013 Elvis Festival

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Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

2013 Cornell Fashion Collective Fashion Show

23 Thursday May 2013

Posted by mgm in Fashion/Glamour, MGM's Photos

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2013, cornell, fashion, show, university

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For the past 6 or 7 years, I’ve been photographing the fashion show at Cornell University. It’s always in the Spring and it’s always a good warm-up for the busy late Spring and Summer photography seasons.

This year, I did some photography both back stage and also photographed the entire show itself.

In this post, I’ll be featuring some of those back stage photos–which I truly enjoy taking; they’re totally candid/unstaged and give one a view of the event that you don’t normally see as a fashion show audience member. (I mixed in just a couple show photos for good measure.)

I’ll be adding to the gallery over the next few weeks, but here’s a start!

2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show

2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show

2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show

2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show

2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show

2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show

2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show

2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show

2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show

2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show
2013 Cornell University Fashion Show



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show (40th Anniversary)

22 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by mgm in Fashion/Glamour, MGM's Photos

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

2013, cazenovia, college, fashion, photos, show

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Cazenovia College celebrated 40 years of fashion shows today and I was there to take photographs.

I will be editing photos over the next few days. I’ll be adding to them to the gallery below.

(By the way, the main show photos are now online and available for purchase. Note: contact me if you are one of the designers to get all of your runway images for a highly discounted $99.)

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show

2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show
2013 Cazenovia College Fashion Show



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

MGM’s Twitter Feed

Twitter
Michael Grace-Martin
Michael Grace-Martin
@mgmsbrain

@cbouzy I'm moving my Twitter account over to Spoutible. Already started an account at spoutible.com/mgracemar 😀

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8:32 pm · April 7, 2023
Twitter
Michael Grace-Martin
Michael Grace-Martin
@mgmsbrain

I think I'm just going to move over to Spoutible because I like how they're doing things over there. Check it out and maybe follow me there at spoutible.com/mgracemar

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10:26 pm · April 6, 2023
Twitter
Michael Grace-Martin
Michael Grace-Martin
@mgmsbrain

Saratoga Racetrack (Aug 2019) #streetphoto #streetphotography #colorphotography #eventphotography #candidphotography #saratogany #saratogaracetrack #photography pic.twitter.com/rNRYx2T23F

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6:20 pm · January 25, 2023
Twitter
Michael Grace-Martin
Michael Grace-Martin
@mgmsbrain

Seat at the Table (2011) #portraitphotography #portrait #portraiture #female #woman #throwbackthursday #throwback #bnwportrait #bnw #bnwphoto #photography pic.twitter.com/CIMurIxGGb

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9:56 pm · January 17, 2023
Twitter
Michael Grace-Martin
Michael Grace-Martin
@mgmsbrain

Grassroots Festival (July 2022) #street #streetphotography #photography #eventphotography #candidphotography #people #grassrootsfestival #trumansburg #streetshot #fashionstyle pic.twitter.com/xd2rsmO3bu

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9:55 pm · January 17, 2023
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