Tag Archives: photography

Art Photography Elitism

25 Friday Jan 2013

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Photography with artistic aspirations exists on a scale from quite subtle (sterile even) to wildly showy and dramatic. If you’re not feeling particularly “sensitive” at a particular moment, the subtle/sterile stuff can seem quite mundane, boring and easily dismissed from further consideration. If you *are* feeling perceptive, then the more dramatic stuff overloads your sensory inputs and you hurriedly dismiss it out of “self-defense” and consider it over-the-top flash.

The more subtle/sterile work tends to be less accessible to a general population, and thus photography elitists take refuge here because of its perceived exclusivity; the more the general population says, “I just don’t get it”, the better the elitists like it because it reifies a distance between their tastes and that of the general population.

Of course, elitists sometimes find themselves drawn to the less subtle work; but as long as they keep it to themselves and not let it bleed out into the work they select or create for display, they can privately enjoy their rendezvous with less sophisticated imagery.



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Auditorium in Red by Michael Grace-Martin

24 Thursday Jan 2013

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Auditorium in Red by Michael Grace-Martin
click image..
[Buy Print]



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Everyday Glam by Michael Grace-Martin

20 Sunday Jan 2013

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Everyday Glam
(photos by Michael Grace-Martin)

The best I can tell, “glamour” is some blend of fashion and sex appeal. The amount of clothing involved can be very little (e.g., skimpy lingerie) or even nothing, or offer fairly comprehensive body coverage, as long as it does so in a sexually provocative manner. In all cases, glamour seems aimed at going beyond the “everyday” in a sexy and captivating direction.

Usually, glamour is associated with beautifully dressed people, striking dramatic and sexy poses in special circumstances, like fashion shoots, fashion shows, celebrity events, or fancy balls to name a few.

But what if glamour were combined with everyday tasks and events, like taking the garbage can to the curb or sweeping the kitchen floor? What if it wasn’t just for exclusive occasions when people are getting together to hobnob with others all trying to look their sexy best?

What you would have, my friends, is Everyday Glam: Glamour as an antidote to everyday life.

(Modeling Credits: Parker Day, Nikki Holland, Amanda Marie, Jaime Warburton, and a few others..)

Two options:
1. View the Photos as a vertically scrolling page
2. View the Photos as a full screen slide show (click first thumbnail below)



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Aesthetics in Photography

11 Friday Jan 2013

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There’s a significant difference between using aesthetics as a “delivery mechanism” for the content of a photograph versus making aesthetics (i.e., look, style, eye-catchiness) the primary purpose of a photograph. The latter is short-lived and makes a photo easily forgotten.



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The Devaluing of Photography

12 Wednesday Sep 2012

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With so much “photography” happening, it’s easy to think that photographs will (have) become totally devalued, making it very difficult for a photographer to make a living. However, if you look at photography as simply a (visual) language, it’s not the medium but the “story” that’s important; and that “story” should be as unique as the photographer him/herself, and as interesting as what the photographer has within him/her to say.

Has the overwhelming prevalence of speech and written language undercut the value of stories, speeches, history, or literature?



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Bat Mitzvah Photos and Artistic Expression

19 Thursday Jul 2012

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Regardless of whether I’m photographing an event, a portrait session, or while traveling, I’m always looking for interesting photos that go beyond being of interest to only the participants. These are photos that seem to “elevate” past the specific context of the event.

Granted, some of the photos I take at an event are not very artistic. Most of my event photography is meant to candidly document an event using technical expertise; I believe this is the main deliverable a paying client wants from me. If I can find places in which to throw in some artistic panache, all the better–especially for weddings.

Here are a few from a recent bat mitzvah I photographed. I have photographed numerous bar mitzvahs. And though it had similarities to a bar mitzvah, it also had its unique qualities that you would only find at a party with lots of 12-13 year old girls!



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Making Photography and Photo Collecting Pay Off

18 Monday Jun 2012

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You can buy a photographic print because: a) you like the photo and want to display it for your enjoyment, or b) because it is–or will be–worth more than you paid for it (i.e., as an investment). Of course, it’s possible you find a photo print that fits both these qualifications.

As a photographer, I’m realizing that even though having customers who buy your work for reason #a is quite nice, it’s really enabling #b to occur that’s ultimately going to pay off most for me and my customers.

And how do you get that to happen? That’s the trick, isn’t it…

>Two clues: 1) the “original” is not a digital image file, 2) the only remaining manifestations of the photo (even if it started as a digital image) are physical.

Note: I think offering limited edition prints of digital image files that will continue to exist may not be strong enough to establish “scarcity” for some photography investors.



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Candid Photography with a Camera-Shy Crowd

13 Wednesday Jun 2012

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Crowd Candid @ 110mm

Sometimes when I’m doing candid event photography, I find the crowd is particularly sensitive to my presence, and its members tend to turn away or get a stoney expression on their faces whenever I get near.

Of course I’m trying to get photos of people smiling and actively interacting with each other! So, this leeriness and reticence can be a real problem. So what do you do?

Crowd Candid @ 110mm

At this particular event, I got out my small micro 4/3 digital camera with a manual focus 55mm lens (110mm equivalent on a micro 4/3 sensor) and started furtively taking photos from 15-25 feet away from each subject.

It was a crowd of 400 people or so and they were pretty spread out under and near a large banquet tent. There was a lot of room to cover compared to a cramped indoor venue.

110mm turned out to give me a close to ideal focal distance. Of course, it also helps to sort of hide in shadows and to shoot from outside the tent to inside (the sides were open) and vice versa. The 110mm lens simply made being “hidden” much easier to do.

Crowd Candid @ 110mm

Now, I was also carrying around a relatively large Canon 5D Mark III with a wide angle zoom lens. I had to get in pretty close to use this due to the wide angle…and since people were relatively spread out, it was easy to see me coming and turn away!

It’s good to have a relatively wide angle lens and a professional flash on your camera for when groups of people walk up to you and ask, “can you take a picture of us?”. (I’ve been caught with a 70-200mm zoom on my camera and had to tell them to wait while I changed lenses; I dislike being and looking unprepared for those situations.)

It *is* possible to still get candids with such a setup, however. The key is to keep the camera down and not telegraph where you’re looking. Then when you’re within range of the target, bam!..quickly bring the camera up and snap off a shot.

Candid @ 18mm

The key with both cameras & lenses is *being sneaky*…and the actual equipment that will allow you to be “sneaky” will vary with the crowd, the venue, the stage of the event (e.g., have they drunk enough alcohol yet so they don’t even care about the photographer’s presence), and other factors.

If you encounter a camera-shy crowd, instead of getting frustrated, take it as an interesting challenge that you can have fun with…:-).



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