A Photo of Nothing

A photo of nothing?  Yup, that's right, a photo of nothing.  What makes this photo worthy of any attention.  It's a blank wall, no color, no meaning, not even fully in focus.  What is so interesting about it?  My personal opinion about this picture is that it is a starting point for many different topics.  First topic, the strip in focus.  Playing with depth of field and a quality lens allowed for this perspective.  Texture is apparent and so is the depth. This is similar to anyone starting off in business.  You can see the rough edges and they maybe out of focus, looking for the right direction to go.  The color is white, a color that allows for addition, a blank canvas that is looking for inspiration and ideas.  I was once a blank canvas, and over time I've added to my palette of colors (knowledge) and have learned to make my ideas become reality.  These two ideas lead to the discussion that we have all heard the term "blank canvas."  Welcome to my blank canvas, where do you see yourself and how do you make yourself stand out?  Don't be afraid of failure, keep doing what is important and make sure you stay focused.

Week 10: Financial Statement

What did I learn from this weeks assignment?  The goal for this weeks class was to work on our financial statement for our business plan.  Playing with Excel spreadsheets and plugging in numbers of what we hope to make in the near future.  It is an eye opener because it puts numbers on a page and helps me realize how close or far I am from my goals.  I know that the type of photography I want to do, weddings, can be very lucrative and it can also go up in smoke.  The key to my success is all in the pricing and in my efficiency of time so that I am able to do quick turnarounds.  Quick turnarounds lead to more business opportunities which can lead to more earnings.  It's a giant domino effect that can lead to some wonderful financial gains.  Being aware of my taxes, depreciation and reinvestment in equipment and myself is important to know.  Businesses fail when they don't prepare for all of the expenses involved.  Granted my business has very little overhead, I still need to pay on the "basics" and keep one my options open to other photo opportunities.  Weddings go in seasons and in the slow months I would have to adjust my forecast accordingly to show the changes in business.  A financial plan like this allows for strategy and awareness.  Having months and years of information can lead to spotting trends and knowing when to ramp up new promotions or prepare for events (senior portraits, Christmas cards, etc)
The financial statement is a flowing piece of information that can easily adapt to changes made and help me be more aware of my goals.  I know  can't have "cookie cutter" months and I will have to make changes. Knowing that will lead to my success.

Week 9: Food Photography

Food Photography is a delicate form of photography.  The image has to make the viewer desire and crave.  To imagine the flavor, smell and taste through a picture seems a bit impossible but the impossible is possible. Look at the image of fried ice cream. It's whipped topping with the the cereal crust already helps give you a sense of flavor and texture.   Does food photography have real food in it though? If this were done in a studio the whipped topping might be shaving cream, the cereal may still be real but the ice cream may have been some substitute that could mimic the texture without the melting.  This is the blending of two different art forms.  The culinary side of things with the photographic.  A cook considers himself an artist in the kitchen.  His or her palette creates works of art that are meant to be eaten.  The colors they decide may add a visual response that has the diner craving or salivating over the intense smell and sight.  Yes the ingredients add flavor and character but its the combination of them that makes the final piece of art.  The photographer sees texture and color and tries to bring that to the pages of the magazines so that the experience becomes visual.  For this reason I chose to make this picture above.  The texture is there.  Rough and smooth, colorful and pleasant.  This form of photography is a specialty and I'll be more than happy to let someone else make these wonderful picture.  I might eat the subject before it makes it to be my subject behind the lens.

40 under 40

A milestone in many peoples life is reaching the age of 40.  "Over the hill" is how some pessimists might view it but I think that 40 will be where I'm just out of the "blocks" and about to hit my full stride.  I'm 36 and in college and by the time I graduate I'll have three years to go before I can proclaim my 40 year milestone.  I already know where I want to be and what I want to do and its because of planning.  I know that I will be back in Southern California working for myself doing event photography full-time and working on the side for Southwest Airlines so I can keep my benefits and fly across the country for free.  Southern Cali has so many more opportunities and possibilities that I know success will come from my hard work and persistance.  The only reason I would fail would be because laziness.  My kids will be older and on the brink of adulthood and I will be the one they come to for advice, money and support.  I need to remain confident and motivated and just the thought of family alone is motivating enough.  I don't intend on having a studio but I hope to have formed some new partnerships that allow me to work in exclusive areas that most of my competition would not have access to.  Networking, pounding the pavement and just being active in the community will pay off.  My schedule will be filled with new activities.  Instead of school and projects I will have meetings, and photo shoots.  Free time will come and go but the only way to reach happiness for me is to complete my goals. 

Week 8: A newsworthy photo

Burning Man (Lady) in Las Vegas!!  The annual event held in the dessert came to downtown Las Vegas for First Friday this past week and the hype and mystery over the event garnished a lot of attention.  Normally First Friday is an event for local artists to display there talents and sell their work.  This most recent outing introduced the mystery and intrigue that follows burning man.  The sacrificial victim was Lucky Lady Lucy a wooden showgirl.  The event was long and drawn out but the final results lit up the night sky.
"Our event is about self-reinvention. Vegas is always reinventing itself and reinventing itself."("Thousands Cheer Burning of Wooden Showgirl at First Friday." Las Vegas Review-Journal. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://www.lvrj.com/news/wooden-showgirl-lights-up-first-friday-in-las-vegas-141277483.html>.)
First Friday was on the verge of being shut down a few months ago but thanks to help from some private investors the event goes on.  Ray Garza says, "It is a blend of different worlds that meets in downtown Vegas and allows for exposure to fine art, culture, food and music" (Thousands Cheer Burning of Wooden Showgirl at First Friday." Las Vegas Review-Journal. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://www.lvrj.com/news/wooden-showgirl-lights-up-first-friday-in-las-vegas-141277483.html>.)
 With warmer weather on the way and the buzz growing about this monthly event the only way this event can go is up!

Week 8: Is she fair game?

"Professionals, academics and students owe it to their readers to be sensitive to unethical practices that demean the profession and reduce the credibility of journalism." Lester, Paul. Photojournalism Ethics timeless Issue. 1995. Web. <http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/photoethics.html>.
 The movie, Roman Holiday depicts a news reporter who befriends a Princess who is out and about in public as a normal person.  Princess Anne, played by Audrey Hepburn decides to escape her royal duties and wants to live life like any normal citizen.  She wants to experience life like never before and in her adventure she meets a reporter that decides to make it into an exclusive story without her knowing.  He brings a photographer friend to snap photos of her without her knowledge and hopefully benefit from the exclusivity of it.  The comment made was, "she's fair game" and that is where the argument lies.  Is it because she is in public that she's fair game? Is it because she's a public figure that entitles us to know more than we should?  Do individuals who carry a higher social status have a greater right to privacy than the "common" person?  This argument goes back to what Ron Galella and Jackie Kennedy went to the Supreme Court for.  Is someone who is oblivious to the fact that their personal behavior in public is being photographed a victim of society's need for pointless information?  Society is so impatient, so intrusive that it has been groomed to expect more and more from our "news" sources.  Web forums are full of arguments the defend both sides of the argument and no one can really decide which side is right or wrong, "celebrities privacy ." . N.p., 07/2. Web. 29 Feb 2012. <http://debates.juggle.com/should-celebrities-be-more-protected-from-the-media>. The end result of all this is that we as photographers have to draw our own moral compass and decide if we want to profit from intruding on someones personal life.  I choose to make my money a different way.

Week 7: How do you show the light reflection on eyes in an oil painting?

The reflection in someones eye, what is that really?  We can be technical about it and say that it is light coming back to the pupil and reflecting what the viewer sees.  The colors, the intensity of the light and the shapes that sit in the foreground.  The “dash” of white that appears either left or right shows up in oil paintings and it gives reference to light coming in, a sense of direction for the viewer.  As an artist we can manipulate where the “dash” goes.  We can also manipulate what the viewer sees.  How?  In the example I provided I show myself in the reflection of the eye.  My model, was told to look at the lens and I positioned myself so that my head was covered by the pupil but you could see the rest of me.  I could have easily told her to look away and I could have shifted myself and I would have been whole.  Photography is controlling light, controlling my environment and making the image my way.  Is there a story to be told in my picture?  Maybe not but there are ways to find a story in the details of all reflections.