Week 6 EOC: How Has Art Changed You

I have always had the desire to be an artist in the true sense of the word. My jobs have always been ones that required logical thinking such as computer installation and maintenance. I tried from time to time to get into art on way or another but it never lasted. I tried music, leather carving, macrame, painting and any number

Week 6 BOC:Me working on a computer editing a photo

Photography, if done well, is not just about taking correctly composed pictures. I spend far more time on my photos doing post processing and retouching then is spend getting the shot. The rule that you always here is to get the photo right in camera and I agree that that is the goal to strive for. The fact is that it is not always possible to get your vision 100% in camera and some editing might be required. Also it is more often the case than not that even a well composed and exposed photo can be made even better with some post processing. I am shown in this photo editing a photo on the computer. I am in fact editing the photo of me doing the editing. So, how can I take a photo of something that does not exist yet? I simply took the photo of myself at the computer with a blank screen and then made a copy of the photo and placed it into the original photo.

This photo was shot against a black background and with a piece of white foamcore for a table top. I used wireless remote to actuate the shutter on the camera. There are two strobes for lighting. The main strobe is placed 3 feet in front of me angled down at 45°. The other strobe is behind me aimed at the laptop. The second strobe also provides a hair light which helps separate my head from the background. In order to get the picture in the laptop monitor to have the correct perspective I used the transform  tool in Photoshop to skew it to fit the screen. Finally adjusting the overall exposure and did a little cropping to finish the photo.

Week 5 EOC: The Best Part of My Business Plan

The Digital Single Lens Reflex camera has been the greatest factor in developing trends in fine art photography. These cameras allow the artist to do photography in ways and situations that were unheard of or very difficult with film cameras. In order to get professional results for art photography there is also the need to use pro level equipment, from the choice of the camera to the lighting and accessories used. “Typically, the prosumer lines of camera and lighting equipment have fewer features then the professional line and more features than the consumer.”(JOHN HARRINGTON, Best Business Practices for Photographers”, chapter 2, page 9) Also the digital darkroom allows us to manipulate the photographs in an almost unlimited manner. This has caused a paradigm shift in art photography. From surreal too ultra-realistic, from turning a photograph into a soft impressionistic painting to creating something that has never been seen before.

Week 5 Weekly Photo Challenge:In the Photo Shop

The professional photographer must buy equipment and accessories necessary to do the job at hand. Here I am checking out a monopod. Monopods are an absolute necessity for situations were a tripod is not allowed. You would be amazed where you can't take a tripod. A good example is the observation lounge at the top of the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino. Also you can not use a tripod at football games so a monopod is needed to support the heavy telephoto lenses used here.

You will notice I also am holding a roll of gaffer tape. No professional photographer can do his job without this accessory. Gaffer tape is used for all sorts of things in the studio and on location. You use it to tape your background to the floor, attach your wireless remote trigger to a light stand, tape up a reflector or scrim, tape down wires to prevent tripping, and any other number of uses.

Week 4 EOC: Peering Into the Future

My future? That is an interesting question. I have had no less then three careers, the last of which lasted 35 years. I have no real long term career interests. My objectives are to supplement my retirement income while doing something that I love. I believe that photography will fit this purpose. Also I have no desire what so ever to work for someone else or be a slave to a deadline. This why I plan of pursuing photography as an art form.

Week 3 EOC: National Geographic Photo

Joe Mcnally is one of my favorite photographers. Not only is he very skilled and artistic he is willing to do whatever it takes to get the picture or story. He has traveled the world photographing in every environment and situation imaginable and some not so imaginable. An example is the photo shoot he did for National Geographic on the people that repair high voltage lines by riding a helicopter to the middle of the line and stepping out on the line and attaching themselves to it to do the repairs. For another National Geographic assignment he photographed the workers who install and repair antennas on top of buildings. The self portrait above was taken at the top of the antenna on the Empire State Building in New York. You will notice that he is actually above the worker.

Week 2 Weekly Photo Challenge: Weekly Photo

I spent hours on the strip waiting to catch a celebrity to shoot with no luck. My main haunts were the Bellagio poker room and the Forum Shops at Caesars. These are both well known for star sightings.

In this photo the lady must be a celebrity. I mean look how she's dressed and those legs! The photo was taken with and on-camera flash (SB700) from about 8 feet. The thing I find most frustrating with this type of photography is constantly having to look in front and behind trying not to miss anything. The other thing is that when you're wearing a press pass everyone knows you are a paparazzi and not just a tourist. One guy passing by even called me a "fucking paparazzi"! This will be my one and only paparazzi shoot.

Week 2 EOC: La Dolce Vita

I thought that La Dolice Vita was a very interesting movie and plan on watching the whole thing in the near future. The whole concept of the paparazzi has always bothered me. I understand the desire and sometimes the need to get news worthy photos of celebrities but I see no need to be a total ass about it. Also the concept of fame just because you are rich and/or beautiful but have no other qualities is very shallow. I assume the reason that it sells is peoples desire to live in a fantasy world where everyone is rich and famous. Also the concept that just because you are famous that somehow you have a greater understanding of the world is ludicrous.

Week 1 Photo Challenge: Constructed self portrait

Winona by Joe McNally. joemcnally.com

Joe McNally is one of my all time favorite photographers. I have read his Time/Life "Digital Photography" book and have taken several on-line courses and tutorials by him. Joe has been a staff photographer for Life Magazine and contributes regularly to National Geographic.

The reason I like Joe so much is because he is great at lighting and does a very good job of instructing others is the use of flash and strobes.

I have placed myself in the above photograph of Winona Ryder by Joe McNally. I studied the lighting in the photograph and reproduced it as well as I could in the studio. I the took a picture of myself, extracted me from the background and the placed me into the photo with Winona. I little treatment with the mixer brush and dodging tool to helped me blend into the picture.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

Hi, my name is Larry Clay.  For the last 35 years I have worked repairing and maintaining mainframe computers. I worked for such companies as Control Data Corporation, Gray Research, Inc., Network Systems Corp. and Storagetek. I am currently leveraging my many years of scientific and industrial experience and my training at the Art Institute to provide services as a photographer and post production editor.

My career in computers led me into many different venues such as large corporations, national laboratories, and military installations. I worked with heads of industry as well as scientists and engineers. I have a high sense of professionalism and dedication to the task at hand.

I have a high proficiency in editing and retouching photographs and would be a real asset to a busy photographer who has little time to do his own post production. I can also assist in the studio or on location with lighting and pre-production setup.

I am finally fulfilling a lifelong ambition to express my creativity and am continually exploring the different areas of photography and photo editing.

Week 1 EOC: Stallions not Unicorns

I have chosen photography not as a career per say but as a life style. I retired in 2010 and don't need but a few extra dollars per month for my basic needs and to provide income to support my growing needs for equipment and software.

My main interest in photography is in the area of fine art. There are many reasons for this but one of my main motivators is that I am color blind in greens and reds. I will be doing both color and black and white. The choice of black and white is not just because of my color blindness but for the control of tonality that is inherent in black and white.

As an artist I will be able to do what pleases me and not worry about the requirements of a specific client.

I am a good photo editor and can bring even more expression in post processing.

One of the best things about art photography is that my subject matter is unlimited. I can do landscapes, studio work, architecture, life style, street, or any number of styles that strike my fancy.