Blog | LomiMonk Photography

Jan

2012

Setting the Course; Hoping for Favorable Winds

Today is the day I set out some photographic goals for myself. I do so with some excitement as well as some anxiety. After all, I realize I am not fully in charge of this life and many things can happen to get me off course. I don’t want to end up 2012 looking back at this list feeling I have failed. I know that although my hopes for the year exist, the year will also look very different from what I imagine.

So why do this?

Well, quite simply put, I am distractible. Easily distractible. And I need reminding, much reminding, to focus on what I would like to achieve, who I want to be, and how I want my life to be. So this list, these goals/hopes/aspirations, are put forth with the idea that I will review them periodically and they will help me to refocus. There are also items here I long to get involved in which take some planning and foresight, so this voicing of my intention helps to pave the long road toward those items.

Where was I?

Oh, that’s right! Goals!

So here we go: I’ve arranged these in the manner suggested by Steve Simon in his wonderful book, The Passionate Photographer. If you haven’t read it, do. Making this list in this manner, with these categories, has helped them be more focused and I hope will lead to more accomplishment, and therefore more joy.

Photographic Project Goals:

Continue working on my Tierra Encatada Project (New Mexico Project)
Develop and Complete an ebook on the psychology of photography.
Create a notebook dealing with cameras.
Create a notebook dealing with life in Cafes.
Finish my baseball project (Put me in Coach)
Create a photobook based on the Dia de los Muertos Parade here in Albuquerque, NM.
Create a photobook chronicling my young family’s life with photo stories
Create 2 photo stories with NM artist’s as the subject. I have 2 ideas for subjects here.
Begin my Two Worlds Project dealing with bicultural couples.

Artistic Goals:

Partake in at least one photographic workshop
Either enter (deadline 1/20/12) or attend Review Santa Fe Critique/Review. My intent here is to learn more about what makes a good photograph, especially with regard to my own work, much of which I am often too emotionally close to in order to assess that effectively.
Take an active part in an online collaboration/feedback forum to which I belong. Once again my effort here is to help me develop a more critical eye regarding my photography and photography in general. I also enjoy helping others work toward their photographic goals and this is a way to do so.
Attend quarterly photography gallery viewings at galleries such as Verve and Photo-Eye
Read and digest at least 5 of the following books:

Develop a greater ability to tell visual stories by studying the craft through books, blogs, and producing at least 4 concentrated visual stories.

Technical Improvement Goals:

Learn how to use a handheld light meter in order to learn to better meter my film camera.
Increase my ability to use off camera flash and flash modifiers.
Learn black and white film processing-Darkroom anyone?
Update the firmware on my camera.
Learn ftp protocol for my website

Equipment Goals:

Silver Efex Pro 2 Computer Software
Portable Softbox
Umbrella & Stand
Rangefinder camera- you know, a Leica M9 or a Fujifilm x100…
An iPad, cuz I really, really want one.
Wacom Tablet.

(Note: having written this before the new year and posting it here a week or so later, I have noticed that my “Equipment” list is short and-frankly-I don’t really “need” anything on it. The first three items would be nice and would help some with my vision of some images I want, but I can manage without them. The last three goals are just wants. I have what I need in terms of stuff. What I really need is more time to work on my projects, not more equipment.)

What about you? Do you have goals, dreams, aspirations? Are there things you would like to feel you have accomplished, created, enjoyed in the coming year? What point on the compass does you heart set?

Dec

2011

My 2011 in Review

Earlier this year I set forth a series of goals for the year. As this year draws to a close I thought I might revisit those goals, assess my progress with them, and assess where I got off track in either a constructive or obstructive way.

In all I feel pretty good about the year. I feel I have grown as a photographer, made some new friends, helped some people, and produced some work I find acceptable.

First, I published a number of books through blurb.com, some for public release and others for private consumption. The challenge of making books is quite large. I discovered I have a lot to learn regarding layout, design and typeface but I am emboldened by my efforts and look forward to several new works this year that should be quite fun.

Second, I did not quite enter three prints in gallery shows this year. I entered two. This was mostly due to economics rather than desire. Neither print sold, despite some interest, and they now hang in my office. (For those who are curious, I chose the ones shown above and below this paragraph.) The thought of spending another $100-$150 to mat and frame another image for a show took a backseat to diapers and baby food this time around. I learned a lot about myself though during this time. It feels like quite a risk to put one’s art out there on public display and I’m glad I did. However, I went with some “safe” prints I though people would like and if I did it again I might take more risks.

Third, I did not enter any prints in juried competitions. My hope here was to learn something from the feedback received. Once again I opted not to pay to enter. I did, however, attend the jurying of the NM State Fair photography competition and found it eye opening. Mostly I walked away with difficulty understanding how a subjective experience can be scored and compared with another and so thought the whole process silly. I doubt I’ll enter a competition in the future. I may, however, opt to enter a portfolio for review and feedback instead. As it was I was invited to join an online group of peers for support and feedback on projects in the works and so far I have found that to better suit my needs and support my growth as an artist.

Fourth, I not only completed one photographic project for someone else, I completed two! I always find such things stressful, and my wife concurs. So while shooting for someone else forces me to explore photography at the edges of my skill level I have also discovered I like shooting for myself first. That is what is important to me; my own interpretation of my subjects. Still, shooting my brother’s packaging plant for his website and my friend’s goddaughter’s baptism garnered me some images I am proud of and taught me some photographic skills I did not yet know. In the case of my brother’s job, it also afforded me the opportunity to begin a project based around my nephew’s high school baseball team-a current work in progress.

Fifth, I do feel I supported another artist this year. My neighbor is a published and acclaimed romance novelist and I found myself encouraging her, doing research for her, troubleshooting for her, and cheering for her as she developed her own website, wrote a new novel, and got it self-published and available for download or print on demand from a number of sites. I really enjoyed watching her learn and grow and produce.

Sixth, I shot a lot in black and white this year. A lot. In fact, for the past several months I’ve had my LCD set to black and white the whole time. I’ve published more in black and white this year than ever and feel I’m beginning to “see” much more in that medium. While I didn’t read any print books regarding black and white, I did read Andrew Gibson’s great ebooks “The Magic of Black and White, Part 1 & 2” as well as Piet Van den Eynde’s “The Power of Black and White” from Craft & Vision. These three books formed the basic skill set I developed my black and white photography on-they helped me that much.

Seventh, I didn’t quite achieve 100 blog posts this year. Life has a way of affecting that, especially with family and job taking precedence. But I have posted consistently and that was what this goal was meant to achieve. So I’ll keep it around for another year perhaps…

Eighth, I can say I did lots of photography just for the fun of it. Lately that has involved making images of my family as they go about their day in and around our house. So much so they never blink anymore when I pick up a camera and shove it their faces. In fact, my 3 year old has taken to picking up my old film camera and giving me a taste of my own medicine.

Ninth, alas….no weight loss this year. Barring the onset of a stomach bug I don’t imagine I will lose any before the year is out either. So that remains a goal as well. Why is this a photographic goal? Well, when you feel better, you move better. And when you move better, you can photograph from more interesting points of view. And that translates to more interesting images.

All in all I feel I can give myself credit for 8 out of 9 of my goals this year. Not too bad. Stay tuned for next year’s goals-I’m going to do them in a slightly different way. Something I learned reading a photography book this fall and I am excited about it. In the meantime I might try to catch that stomach flu…

Dec

2011

Learn How A Top Travel Photographer Makes Their Images

I have a new favorite photographer to add to my growing list: Mitchell Kanashkevich. Mitchell is a Belarusian/Australian photographer who has made great waves in travel and documentary photography in the past several years and has been on my radar for some time now as I followed his travels on his blog.

His photos and portraits are stunning, to say the least. But what garners my attention the most about him is his minimal use of equipment. The images he makes are so rich and inviting that I continually ask myself the photography fan’s ubiquitous question: “how does he do that?!?”

Well, today I found out as I was asked to review his latest ebook “Rabari: Encounters with the Nomadic Tribe” published by Light Stalking as part of their Inside Series To Travel Documentary Photography. I have to admit that at first, while honored in being asked to review the book, I wasn’t that excited. On the surface this looked like another “how to” book. A sort of “I went here and took these pictures and had an adventure you’ll be envious of” book. But this book is not like that.

Very early on Mitchell lists the equipment he used on this project and that made me sit up in my seat. Using only a Canon 400D (Rebel xti to US based folks), 3 prime lenses (50mm, 28mm, and 20mm) and a reflector, Mitchell reminded me of my other fave photog, Andrew S. Gibson, in the “less is more than plenty” category of photographers. Once I knew that I wanted to know how Mitchell could make such stunning images with wayyyyy less gear than I own.

Well, Mitchell is very generous with this information providing background information, his objectives, the light conditions and how he modified them (with only a reflector!!), his challenges, how and why he composed the images and posed his subjects, and the “what” and “why” of post processing for each of the 10 images.

As I read along I noticed I was beginning to anticipate Mitchell’s writing by correctly guessing what he was doing and why; a clear sign I was learning. This is, after all, why I am interested in these ebooks: to learn. And that learning, the lessons, were beginning to sink in as I progressed through the book.

At $24.95 this is a premium price for an ebook. But I have to say that at 59 pages you get decent value for the money. Add to this a $5 discount until Christmas and a money back guarantee and the value gets a bit better.

A word of warning, though. If you want to discover exactly how Mitchell post processes his images, this is not the book for you. Those descriptions are general. If, however, you want to know what he was trying to achieve while photographing his subjects, the challenges he encountered while doing so (from language issues, to cultural issues, to technical issues) then this book will be helpful. Some of the information is repetitive, but I think that is exactly what makes this book a good teaching tool-repetition is a key component of education.

Dec

2011

Give

This is the time of year that I become more reflective. For those that know me this might seem like an impossibility. But, there it is. I feel more reflective, and I reflect more.

This year I have the profound joy and responsibility to introduce the meaning of Christmas, as I know it, to my older son. He’s three and therefore has developed a memory and is building the ability to make meaning out of his experiences. This was, of course, arrived at-and continues to be arrived at-by asking and demanding the answer to the question “Why?!”

For the first time in my life I am partly responsible for how another person makes meaning of this time of year, and I suddenly realize the importance of that act. I’m molding a little person, who will grow into a bigger person, and who will interact with others, take on roles, and come in contact with those of different beliefs and differing fortunes. What do I want him to make of this? What do I want him to be aware of? How do I want him to make sense of all this shopping, gift giving, greeting, wishing, longing.

So I had a thought. What if we hit up the Giving Tree? What if I showed him the importance of giving as well as receiving this Holiday Season?

“Good idea,” I thought to myself. But then came the thought, “but how are we going to pay for it?” Well, that is not too hard to do. Money is tight, as it is with a lot of people these days, but not so tight that I can’t buy a toy for a kiddo that might not receive a gift otherwise. But I noticed too that I wasn’t really willing to admit to myself that I’ve got a few bucks quietly sitting in my PayPal account that I earned from stock photography sales. You know, that whole “earn money while you sleep” idea.

I’ve not gotten rich off it, nor can I quit my day job, but I did earn a few shekels with which I treated myself to blurb books and a few other camera related unnecessaries. And I watched my mind as I stingily compartmentalized that money for myself, and I knew what to do.

So that money needs to go toward giving. It’s not a lot; I wish I had some more. But maybe I need to show my son the better aspects of this holiday by giving it to someone who needs it more than I.

What about you? Will you join me in showing my son, in showing our communities’ children, what it is like to give to others. Do you have a few bucks in your PayPal account that you earned through stock, an affiliate program, a profit on a photo book that sold that you would have made for yourself regardless? Can you part with that and boost this world a little bit?

Oh, and see that “buy print” and “buy card” and “send ecard” button above the image above. It’s a simple image, just a snowman on a bike, but if you buy a card or a print I’ll give the profit to charity. Perhaps buy a needy kiddo a toy if I get enough money. Or use the ecard to spread this idea. Dig up your spare shekels, find the change in your couch, give it away to someone who needs it. Because really, if you’re reading this on your iPad, iphone, Droid, computer, whatever….you, like me, have enough…and others don’t.

Nov

2011

Fall in Love

Going to bed last night I had a thought. One of those “slap your palm against your forehead” kind of thoughts that resonate so deeply; that “Aha!” moment; that moment of sudden realization that students of Zen seek so stoically called Satori.

I had it, last night.

I didn’t write it down.

So I’m left here to attempt to reconstruct it. Bah! (The picture above is me frantically trying to reconstruct the thought stream right before writing this post.)

“Bah!” because I also know those Satori moments are moments beyond words, and a great way to know if someone has “got it” is that they are unable to explain what it is they “got”. It’s as if it is an intrinsic knowing-a feeling-not a thought. So to try to distill it down to a thought, a series of words, doesn’t seem to do it justice.

But here I go:

From what I have learned recently, artists view art as a verb. Consumers of art view art as a noun-a thing. To artists-those that make art- art is a verb. It is an action. It is the act of creation. And to be an artist means to be a creator-continually creating. (I didn’t come up with this on my own, mind you. I got it from Art and Fear, a great little book about artists their challenges.)

As such, for an artist to be artistic they need to focus on doing the work. Without the doing, without the act of creating and doing the work, the artist isn’t an artist. In fact, studies have shown that those that are the most prolific at creating art are also the ones that create the best art. Holding out until the right time to create the masterpiece doesn’t really work; creating lots of work births the masterpiece. That is how the process works.

But there is a challenge: the artist’s vision stays one step ahead of the artist’s skill and this can lead to a perpetual dissatisfaction with the work. After all, if you never quite have the skill to fully create what you envision, you won’t ever be truly satisfied. Many fall prey to this challenge and drop out of artistic endeavors. Best to focus on continually creating-Do the work.

It’s funny this thing called an artistic life: we get into it because we want to have done something creative we can be proud of-we imagine being proud of ourselves to have produced good work. It just doesn’t really work like that. We probably won’t be satisfied with it, despite any accolades we might receive from our peers or consumers of our art. So best to focus on the creating.

So then, the photograph doesn’t matter really. It is the act of photographing that matters and will, with enough work, create good photographs. But we’ll be dissatisfied, so best to keep photographing.

Do you see where this is going? Sure, we need to develop a critical eye, edit well, sequence well, expose well, pan well, choose depth of field well, process well, all that jazz. But we have to learn to love the act of creation; we have to love making photographs!!!

There are some that advocate forgetting about the gear and loving the photograph. That the primacy of photography is the photograph. I don’t disagree with them, but I’ve spent many an evening falling asleep wondering why people love their gear so much. And I am beginning to realize that the love of the gear is an integral part of the process. We have to love making photographs and loving the gear is part of that. If I hate my gear I am not going to make pictures, simple as that. But if I love my gear, if I am excited about it, well….that is another story.

So that is my attempt at reconstructing a thought that came to me during that in between space between wakeful reality and dream reality. What are your thoughts?

Nov

2011

eBook: Square by Andrew S. Gibson

As my regular followers here know I often write reviews of ebooks released through the good folks at Craft & Vision. I just love ebooks! I know that is obvious. But there is something wonderful about paying $4 or $5 for a 40 to 60 to-occasionally-80 page manuscript of luscious photography writing. The advent of tablet devices like the iPad have made ebooks an economical means of distributing and consuming content, and these ebooks look wonderful!

So I was both humbled and excited when one of my favorite Craft & Vision authors contacted me and asked me to review his latest ebook: Square: the digital photographer’s guide to the square format. If you remember, Andrew is the author of the ebook on composition that was released last week as well as two of my favorite titles “The Magic of Black and White, Volumes 1 & 2”. Andrew has decided to release this ebook through his website.

Square explores the history of the square format, its challenges for digital photographers whose cameras photograph strictly in 35mm 3×2 format, and the possibilities this format encourages in composition. In addition, Andrew packs this ebook with beautiful new images all formatted square, two case studies with wonderful square format film photographers, and several tutorials for altering digital files into attractive square format photographs.

And to celebrated the launch of his book, Andrew is having a special sale for the first 7 days. Normally $5US, you can get the book for $4US by using the coupon code square20 at checkout.

This code expires on Wednesday 30th November, 2011 23:59 GMT.

Nov

2011

New Craft & Vision eBook: Beyond Thirds

The fine folks at Craft & Vision have been staying true to their mission of providing quality ebooks meant to educate photographers to increase their craft and explore their vision. Today, they released the latest publication by Andrew S. Gibson, author of “The Magic of Black and White, Part 1 & Part 2”: “Beyond Thirds: A Photographer’s Introduction to Creative Composition.”

In this ebook Gibson uses some of his beautiful imagery to explain basic guidelines of photographic composition beginning with the Rule of Thirds and moving beyond into aspects of the Golden Section, Balance, Dynamism, Contrast, Aspect Ratios, the use of Space and more.

This book is particularly useful to those photographers that are attempting to understand how positioning subjects in a photographic frame leads to stronger images. If you tend to adhere to-or have not even heard of-the “Rule of Thirds” this book is for you. Gibson is clear in his writing and explicit with his imagery and while he introduces the reader to varying compositional theories he also encourages the reader to work from feel. For $5 this ebook provides what it promises-an introduction-but can also serve as a nice reminder for those of us that think we are beyond such discussions.

Click on the link in the text above or click on the images in this post and you will be taken to the Craft & Vision store where you can purchase and download this and other wonderful ebooks.

Special Offer on PDFs: Use the promotional code BT4 and you can have the PDF version of Beyond Thirds for only $4 OR use the code BT20 to get 20% off when they buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST November 19th, 2011.

Nov

2011

Lest We Forget

It is Veteran’s Day here in the United States and there is an outpouring of support and remembrance for U.S. soldiers that sacrificed their lives, in part or in whole, to serve in our military. So I thought I might post this image I took earlier this fall. It seems to fit in with the theme of the day.

The title I chose is one I feel the need to actually explain. It could, I suppose, be understood as recognizing this day of remembrance but I did not choose this title specifically for this day. I chose it more out of a sense of bemusement.

You see, I spotted this garage as I was driving down the street at the end of an early fall day while the sun was shining beautifully. I hesitated for a second or two, and then I spun the car around, parked across the street, and got out of the car with my camera and took a few images of this scene as well as the house next door.

I remember not knowing why this scene felt so fascinating to me. I just remember that it felt that way. I felt curious, bemused, wondering. Mostly, as I think upon it now, I wonder what it must be like to pull up to this garage after each day’s labor. I wonder what inspired this person to paint the U.S. flag on their garage door.

I imagine it was done with a sense of pride and patriotism but I wonder what compels a person to throw it up in their-and others’-faces repeatedly. Did they think they would forget who they were, where they were from, and what they believed in? Did they need a daily reminder? Did the rest of us passing by need one? I both understand it and it strikes me as funny all at once.

I suppose that is what bemuses me. When I look at this scene I get two simultaneous and conflicting reactions. One is “yes” (it is an act of urban, contemporary, cultural art-making, after all) and “for heaven’s sake, why?”

I’m curious, what is your response to this image or to similar scenes where you are from?

Nov

2011

Dia de los Muertos 2011 (Part 2)

Read Part 1 here.

I went to this year’s Muertos Y Marigolds Dia de los Muertos Parade with a better understanding of what I would encounter. After all, I’d been each of the past three years. It is a really fun and fascinating event with photo opportunities in nearly every direction. This year was no different; more so even!

My goal was to photograph images that could support previous efforts to create the feeling of being at the parade, so I started looking for more images of the spectators interacting with the participants. I found this really challenging though because so many of the spectators are dressed up, painted, and generally taking part in the entire spectacle. It is fabulous, and distracting!

It became quite challenging to tell the participants and spectators apart.

Eventually the sun dipped below the horizon and I broke out my flash. Using it off camera I began to play with some exposures of the tail end of the parade-those folks that hung in there, did the length of the parade route in the dark…and the cold.

In the end it was these last three images that have more of the feel that I was looking for.

Nov

2011

Dia de los Muertos 2011 (Part 1)

Each November, in the South Valley of Albuquerque, New Mexico the city gathers to remember the dead in the annual Muertos y Marigolds Dia de los Muertos Parade. I’d attended this for the past 3 years, photographing it each time. It is, quite honestly, one of the best photo-ops in the city and cameras are out in full force.

I don’t know what other Dia de los Muertos festivals are like. This is the only one I’ve been to. But I have a feeling this festival is uniquely Burque!

Lately I’ve been working up the courage to begin a rather large project. Inspired by Stuart Sipahigil’s encouragement to shoot “Close to Home” and constrained (travel-wise) by a growing and young family, I began to turn my photographic eye toward telling the story of my adopted state, New Mexico. And so, with each thing I photograph for this project, I am trying to bring the viewer into the image; trying to give the viewer a feel for what it is like to be there.

So I went to the parade this year with some idea of what I wanted to capture. I felt I had a pretty good series of portraits and ghoulish images from years past, so I wanted to give some sense of the interaction of the crowd with the parade as well as give a sense of the crowded multicultural spectacle-you know, the Indo-Hispano-Anglo-grow local-anti-establishment-low rider-marching band-school group-gender/sexual orientation equality-gang-bicycle-eclectic artist community all out celebrating the departed, calaveras, marigolds, and candy.

I worked the participants and the crowd a bit at the beginning. The light was pretty but threatening to go behind some clouds and the anticipation of the parade, the largest yet that I’ve seen, made for some harried photographing. I was having some trouble getting into the zone. After the Aztec Dancers made their customary blessing (this is the same group that last week blessed El Kookooee before he met his fiery fate) the parade began in earnest.

Check back in a couple days for the continuation of this little story. In the next post I will share some of the shots I am most happy with this year. They were a little surprising for me and I hope you will like them.