Collectives

"...the good of the whole benefits the one..." It's something I always thought and still do.  Sure there are many rugged individuals who like to say they made it all on their own...they're full of crap. No one really does. We all need each other or better yet, the right others.

Groups, societies, clubs associations, unions etc become the bowl from where we mix the right ingredients to produce a flavor that makes them come back for more.

Photographers are mostly solo people in a solo game. They are a mostly a one man show with a one man approach. In the telephone era we were all one on one. "Let's do lunch," ...that worked well... then, not so much today. The world for an individual is a much bigger place with its doorway on your desk, on your lap and in your cell phone. Welcome to everyone on the planet and with it global competition.

Are you still standing alone? 12 photographers chose not to and MiamiVisualCollective was formed. Its ingredients blended together over years of mutual cooperation and reliance on each others expertise and performance via the groups they belonged to, and the assignments and clients they sometimes crossed over with. Over that time, professional respect and trust became the binding factor that brought them together and gives them the ability to perform and produce quickly when needed.

While each have different strengths, all share the same interests and love of what they do. That love can be seen in their first "collective" exhibit..."Works in Progress."   

Happy Father's Day

   

I thought I saw my dad. He was standing right in from of me staring me in the face. He seemed slightly different but then again I haven't seen him in two years. There was a lot to catch up on but it caught me at a sleepy moment. The things he said came to mind from the last discussion we had and I heard his voice when I said hello. I remained there frozen going back to a time space in my mind when we went out in the canoe together.

He, as always, voiced his strong opinions on whatever topic or current event was taking place. The government,the president,the economy,religIons and a myriad of people became unending topics . As usual I disagreed , the devil's advocate but that was the norm. I knew he was right most of the time, just had to challenge it to be sure.

It became funny to me until one day in a friendly argument my wife said " You sound just like your father ! "  Last week Macy had a sale and I was happy to pick up a few new shirts. Trying on a favorite choice brought out another , " That looks your father."  I bought it anyway.Over coffee I read about an eastern religion and renewed my subscription to Time magazine.

I thought I saw my dad, but when I reached out to touch him, my hand hit the bathroom mirror. Happy Father's Day dad…. you're still here.... and I like that shirt even more.

Phoneography

Phoneography ... dinner at one of my favorite spots outdoors calls for a phone shot.

Phoneography

Showering with a freind.

Phoneography..a new world of art..part one..

Anyone aware of the history of photography doesn't have to be told how far we have come. From the "Camera Obscura" to film and now digital, it has provided a steady growth of expression with newer techniques and tools pregress. For those who pursue its medium a new forms of art or looks emerge  with every advance .


Across its brief 150 years apprx, it has struggled in its acceptance as art, coming into its own buyer's scene within the last 20 years or so. It became the realm of masters who were capable of handling the equipment along with its technical procedures and could successfully express and produce fine photographic art. For the most part, it took years of experience.The struggle of films,chemistry,and technique kept the masses at a great distance. Enter digital and with it a  new door opened allowing new artists who might not have be here had media remained the same. What did remain for a long time however, was the tool.


A new tool is born..the Cell Phone: Tool for the masses..

Unobtrusive, at hand,capable of not only processing an image and tweaking its look, but immediately publishing it from within and on the spot, it gives birth to a whole new world of potential artists, some of which have probably never been photographers before. Every person I know has at some point shown me his "Pocket Images" some good, some bad, all fun but mostly random . In their hands, an instant photographer;  In others... an artist's expression, and these are some of what can be done through their eyes and experience taking this new tool to higher level :

In my recent trip to New York, as usual I took my camera bag packed with lenses. Not as usual, they remained that way..packed.



I had a whole new world, an entire studio right in my pocket. Camera,darkroom,publishing house,file folders, mini computer and not to forget "can also make a phone call."




Things looked different to me and once again, I felt like I did when I was in the darkroom...thrilled to see them appear.

The other plus side was that my actions drew no one's suspicion nor questions as to what and why I was doing what I was doing.  These are some of my Iphoneography series... This one to the right is "While having a Beer"

 

Doorway to my Dad

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I know better...I'm a photographer..it's worth a lifetime. My father passed on recently. We were very close, having spent most of my life by him. We had walked a long way on this plane and at times I still feel his presence from another one. When it came time to place his ashes in the niche, I tried to find things to say about him that would talk about his life and what he really meant to me. Never really being at a loss for words, I couldn't find enough of them.

Looking through the many photo albums both sides of my family collected, I embarked on a journey taking me through many lifetimes, a century's worth. Some photos were high end studio portraits, individuals whose ghost remained on paper to introduce themselves to those who hadn't yet arrived ; families that would later through fate and happenstance come together and give reason to how and why  we're here; events that serve as ear markers to fill the spaces left behind in the dust of life; memories on paper, for those who forgot and  needed moments refreshed , and those who would yet come to see who came before them.

For me it was a moment refreshed , that I had completely forgotten about, buried deep by all the moments gathered after that. It sat there held by corners, framed, a frozen piece of time, a magical doorway that opened to a massive garden kept in the same condition as the day we left it and I now returned as time traveler. I sat a long time staring at it remembering that day, the things we did, where we lived, even how I felt. It was a defining moment, standing as the sum total of what my father meant to me.. the man who stood by my side all of my life and still does now,  though thick and thin, no matter what, a buddy, a sponsor, a guide...a hero.

I photographed a whole lot of people in this career and still do, paying proper attention to the world behind and in front of the camera. Behind, I am conductor, producer, director...witness. In front, I am the object or part of a moment. From behind I deliver results and walk away leaving the product of our trade and move on to the next. My judgment of my work is based by my professional standards, not by my personal emotions... but that is where the real impact of photography lies, not how I did it nor what it might mean to me but what it means to another.

Pictures say more than words. They have a life of their own superseding the ones who took them. They are keys to doorways of time spent making those who create them its locksmiths. Inside they speak. This one did to me..It spoke for all good dads, what they really mean to us who were lucky enough to have and have had them.  It now sits next to my dad, my hero, and in my heart.       

Publishing Your Own Photo Book

So  you want to publish your own photo book and you're looking at all those self publishing companies online...now what?

To start off...  color balance your monitor with a device like Spyder. There are many to pick from if you Google search it or go to a good photo dealer.I use one from Monico.  Collect your images into one folder. Gather more than you intend to use because often some images will work better with others once you see them laid out, as well as some present better as a collection of 2-4 on a page. Most printers base their price on 20 single side pages, but rest assured once you get going you will pass that amount.

Next, import the folder into a program like Light Room, or Aperture making any adjustments to them like converting into B&W. Sepias or shifting to a warmer color balance, helpful if you are trying to keep a uniform look to all of your book. Don't forget imbedding Metadata with all your info including notice of copyright. Make your images larger to start with, in case you might want to bump up the size of your book later on. I use  300ppi jpeg, maximum quality 10, 9x12 inches or 12 inches on the longest side... and assign them an sRGB profile.

If after you assign sRGB profile to what was your RGB originals and they seem a little flatter in contrast or color, here's a trick I do... In general I assign all my images with RGB profiles tweaking them to to where I want them in Photoshop or LightRoom . If later I need to re-assign them with an sRGB profile, as we need to do here, I first make a duplicate from the original keeping the original open. I then assign an sRGB to the dupe, and compare it to its original and correct it to match.

RGB Profile original

sRGB Copy..uncorrected.
If you're not sure what you have..look at the top of your image where the numbers are and go to the right..if it says sRGB, you're fine,,if it say RGB then this trick is for you.To convert it in PhotoShop go to edit/assign profile, click Working RGB: sRGB IEC61966-2.1( which is really just sRGB ) and save.

Most companies have offer their  free program, a drag and drop with various layouts. For a better crop or anything special you may want to fill on the page, it is better to create the size of the page in PhotoShop, via New Document, then add your image or images to that  document, flatten layers, save as mentioned above, making sure that is is still sRGB and dragging it into the book page as a full page.  

I used the same images for all four..Mac Book...A&I...My Pubisher...Blurb.
Well here's my opinion based on my experiences.

http://fine-art-photographers.blogspot.com/2010/09/self-publishing-photo-books.html
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