Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Tasting sunshine...

Model: Envy, Film: Fuji color 160
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Envisioning an abandoned emotion in an imaginary non existing dimension, is relevant to actual life, just as much as tears and bloods of victims of a great injustice who have to accept oppressions to survive...because without dreaming about impossibilities, tasting sunshine and drinking moonlight, we would be nothing but bunch of oppressed sad people with no hope, no past and no future.
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Above image was taken during a very fun session with Envy. We covered various styles during that shoot, from portrait to editorial fashion and from erotica to experimental nude...and she was just wonderful.
Cheers
Wolf
Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York City

Monday, July 28, 2008

General Relativity & Art Appreciation Theory

Model: Brittany, Film: Fuji color 160




Albert Einstein, after a few corrections, on November of 1915, submitted a paper called "The field Equations of Gravitation" ...although it was not until he explained his paper in two articles on March of 1916 that his colleagues and others understood his original paper better.
The three major points of the General Relativity are as follows:


I. Space and time are not rigid. Their form and structure is influenced by matter and energy.


II. Matter and energy determine how space, and space-time, curve.


III. Space and its curvature determine how matter moves. (my personal favorite, for some reason, it reminds me of putting during a game of golf)


How is that relevant to art appreciation....I have no idea but would like to try to connect them some how.


Perhaps we need to mention the Einstein's two postulates of special relativity as well before my philosophical attempt to connect everything to each other:


1. The laws of physics are the same for any inertial reference frame.


2. In an inertial reference frame, the speed of light (c) is the same whether it's emitted by a source that's moving (uniform motion, not accelerating) or stationary.


OK so the understanding of an aesthetic (let's say in photography) and its value is subjective...everybody loves to use the cliche phrase of "in the eye of beholder" .


On the other hand, everybody more and more gets influenced by the media and globalization of standards. For example, have you noticed how much harder it is to create a shock value in TV series these days? 10-15 years ago they were not allowed to show a needle breaking into someones' skin and now you can easily catch a crime lab technician on TV in the act of sawing or chopping body parts, almost any night of the week...or perhaps a slow motion of brain matters falling on the ground, all filmed in saturated colors.


Values change, based on our personal experiences....what we call great today, could've been considered horrible yesterday and might be considered boring tomorrow.


The point is, society as a whole, usually is following the trends and being taught non stop by media and other resources, about today's' standards ...and what they should consider "good". From TV to Internet and from publications to music, cinema, fashion and politics.


Physics is beautiful...you can always assume existence of "inertial reference frame" and go on with your theory. Can we assume such frame in let's say writing a critique on a photograph for example? What would that even mean?


A good photo editor is usually good at his job because he is familiar with the current trends, he also remembers the older and more tired close past trends while he is open to take a calculated risk on controlled risky new trends of photographs.


For him, "inertial reference frame" means death of his job! If we could always judge and say what photograph is good at all time, there would've been few reference books around to tell us that and be done with it.


This is where General Relativity comes into the game.


Yes value of art and photography is subjective because it changes based on what society and personal experiences of the observer would consider valuable....but on the flip side, you can say, it's almost calculable. If we know enough about the observer(could be ourselves)/client, (without trying to stereo type anything) we can safely venture a guess on what image he/she would like better...and of course "function" and definition of "success" are other closely related terms to follow.


The simple example is this:


You want to sell an image to a publication, create similar images to what they are publishing right now and perhaps predict what they might be publishing 6 months down the road. That is the safer bet usually....however does that fall into the category of "good" imagery based on your own personal standards or not? If you are lucky enough to answer yes...then not only you are producing what you enjoy but also have a better chance to be accepted and make money doing it. On the other hand if you are savvy enough to be able to create what clients ask you perfectly without accepting it as "good" on your own, you are not going to last long usually or you are not going to be very happy.


I guess that is the key part here...the personal characterization of "success" in producing an image and how aligned it is (on its own and without forcing yourself) with the desired function or clients needs or even our own imagination.

Too many words and not many visual examples so let's try to change that.

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The following two shots brought me many clients...even if they didn't want to do anything similar (sport publications, commercial photography, etc.) still they enjoyed the shots enough to comment on them. On the other hand, while I like the shots myself and gladly appreciate the kind words I received because of them, I didn't try to recreate them or build a body of work around them.

Models: Miss L. and Chrys, Films: Kodak B/W 400

On the other hand the following shots were my personal favorite works while almost never got a feedback about them from any art director, art buyer or publications.

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The top photo of the following shots was very entertaining to me...the white cross on the darker back ground and dark heart on the lighter back ground, while both being placed between model's long legs to create a subtle yin/yang effect that I enjoyed plus I liked the fact that while the shot is from a shapely posterior of the model, the back ground is in the play as well as a dynamic composition ...such as unusual framing, while legs are heading diagonal and yet the upper body balances everything out (at least in my own eyes).


Model: Miss K., Film: Ilford B/W 100
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I also enjoyed the following shot (again personally) for various reasons.
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...subject was wearing such a dark and unusual outfit for such a mundane and ordinary location and comparing to the people in the back ground which it created a conceptual contrast very similar to the actual visual contrast in the image (her skin tone and the dark suit, shadow on the left and bright surface on the right etc.) plus from compositional point of view I liked the shape of pool mimicking her curves while the palm tress complimenting her stance...add the fact that the people were trying so hard to pretend nothing unusual was going on...to me this photo was stimulating visually and conceptually on various levels...and yet almost I never received any feed backs about it. Of course I do understand the difficulty of finding a use for such shots which goes hand in hand with theory as well.
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Model: Lillithe, Film: Kodak B/W 400

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To bring home my longest blog post of this year:
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1. No two complete unique observers would appreciate the very same art element, in the same manner and equal to each other, on all aspect of their experience.
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2. Personal experiences, geographical location, media exposure, sociological and psychological effects, education, sexual tendencies among other things affects how an observer would appreciate an artistic element.
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3. For a unique observer, the appreciation for the very same art element does not stay constant since his understanding and appreciation of such art could change based on new experiences, understanding, visual education and other matters pointed in part 2.
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Thank you for your time and patience.

Cheers

Wolf189

http://www.wolf189.com/

Las Vegas, LA, Phoenix, NYC

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Square format

Model: Angela B., Styling: Wolf189, Film: Fuji B/W Neopan 100

I have been enjoying the square format framing more and more these days (above image: 6"x6") ...perhaps because it forces me to understand and view the compositions in a different manner and reevaluate placing the dramatic elements within an equivalent space.

I think it works wonderfully for portrait shots as well as editorial and fashion portraits...the presented space does change dramatically based on the lenses that you would choose to work with of course.

Either way I am going to spend more time exploring possibilities using this format specially in documentary and architecture photography as well as editorial fashion.

Cheers

Wolf189

http://www.wolf189.com/

Las Vegas, LA, Phoenix, NYC


Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Canon Demi and Democracy




Models: Brittany, Alexandria, Lizaveta, Taylor, Films: Kodak B/W 400 and Ilford B/W 400


" In 1963, after the success of the Olympus Pen camera, Canon decided to enter the half-frame market. The Demi was the first Canon half-frame and sported a 28mm (f2.8-22) manually-focusing lens (5 elements in 3 groups). Shutter speeds of B, 1/30 - 1/250. It had a selenium meter, with a match-needle system (readout on top of camera) that set the shutter speed and aperture at the same time by turning a single ring on the front of the lens.... "*
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All of the above images were shot using an early 1960's model of Canon Demi...a wonderful camera. As my usual no crop or major manipulations has been done on images.
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After using the camera for few months, currently, talented and beautiful model and artist; Miss Brittany Vipond; has taken over the camera and actually doing photo sessions using it.
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On an unrelated note I came across the following quotes about democracy which I thought were interesting enough to share:
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"The survival of democracy depends on the renunciation of violence and the development of nonviolent means to combat evil and advance the good." - A. J. Muste
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"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." - John F. Kennedy
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"The spirit of democracy cannot be established in the midst of terrorism, whether governmental or popular." - Mohandas K. Gandhi
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Sounds like the understanding and appreciation of democracy has changed during years.
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Cheers
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Wolf189
Las Vegas, LA, Phoenix, NYC
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* : The image of Canon demi camera and its history has been borrowed from http://www.subclub.org/ .
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Thursday, July 17, 2008

Friday, July 11, 2008

180 Magazine: "Lizaveta's Long Legs!"

Model: Lizaveta, Styling: Wolf189, Film: Fuji PRO 160

"Lizaveta's Long Legs" is a photo essay shot in editorial fashion style with a bit of comic subtext that is currently being exhibited in 180 Magazine (July issue):
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Cheers
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Wolf189
Las Vegas, LA, Phoenix, NYC

I’m nobody!

Model: Ree Ja, Film: Ilford B/W 100


I’m nobody! Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?

Then there ’s a pair of us—don’t tell!

They ’d banish us, you know.


How dreary to be somebody!

How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong day

To an admiring bog!


I read somewhere that "Emily Dickinson wrote 1700 poems, seven were published in her lifetime."
The above poem is by Emily Dickinson of course.
Cheers
Wolf
Las Vegas, LA, Phoenix, NYC

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Few interesting facts about Pentagon





Airshow, Film: Fuji color 400


"since 2004, the Pentagon has spent roughly $16 billion annually to maintain and modernize the military's business system, but most are as unreliable as ever-even as the surge in defense spending is creating more room for error. "

"for the first three quarters of 2007, $1.1 trillion in army accounting entries hadn't been properly reviewed or substantiated, according to the Department of Defense's inspector general."

"in 2006, $258.2 billion of recorded withdrawals and payments from the army's main account were unsupported."

"in 2000, a Pentagon inspector general finds $2.3 trillion in unsupported accounting entries on the Defense Department's books."

"Two South Carolina sisters who supplied small parts to the military bilked it of more than $20 million by charging wildly inflated shipping costs for low-priced items, like $998,798 for shipping two 19-cent washers to an army base in Texas. The scheme lasted six years before they were caught in 2006."

Cheers

Wolf
http://www.wolf189.com/
Las Vegas, LA, Phoenix, NYC

Facts are borrowed from "The Pentagon's $1 TRILLION Problem" written by Scot Paltrow and published on May 2008 in Conde Nast Portfolio magazine.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Polish sensuality!




Model: Ava, Films: Fuji PRO 160, Kodak B/W 400, Ilford B/W 400

Polish are not famous for being sensual...at least not to my knowledge.

When I hear the word "Polish", first things that come to my mind are Frederic Chopin, Roman Polański, Andrzej Wajda, Lech Wałęsa and Polish sausage!....but perhaps Ava has made a bit of difference in my mind...granted, she is half Polish and Half German but for some reason she seems more Polish to me...and a wonderful model to work with.

Cheers

Wolf

http://www.wolf189.com/

Saturday, July 5, 2008

One wave short of a shipwreck





Models: Miss K. and Miss Catriona, Film: Ilford B/W 400

Title of blog is a line from "I'm Going Slightly Mad"; a Queen song ; written by Freddie Mercury.

It just felt right for the above images, although perhaps " slightly" is too kind of word in my case.

Cheers

Wolf

http://www.wolf189.com/

Friday, July 4, 2008

emotions...




Model: Miss V., Film: Ilford B/W 400


Feelings and emotions ...come and go.

It's wise trying not to take them for granted and perhaps document them when/if we got the chance.

Cheers

Wolf
http://www.wolf189.com/