Working Inside The Box

I have always felt working with boundaries makes the creative process easier. Face it, if someone asks you to make a photo of anything you want, where do you start? But, if someone says make a picture that has these ideas in them you now have that place... to start.

It’s what comes after, which takes you beyond the box.

TEXTURE

Recently I was given some boxes to fill. Simple boxes like shape, line, and texture. Having improvisational acting experience I understand the power of a one word suggestion.

New Work

Here's some new work I have been doing since my last post.

Enjoy.

Hauntings

I see photographs in my head that haunt me. I dream about them. Then one day I will be compelled to just go out and make it. Like this one.

I live golf

Today I won my flight in the club championship at the Montecito Country Club, where I am a member. In a two day total score (less my handicap) I shot a 137.

Today was a great day.

Series

I have been creating photos in series. One titled "Santa Barbara Succulents", is exclusively shot here. I have had 2 one-man shows with this work. . The first gallery, in Beverly Hills, sold 8 pieces. The second, here in Santa Barbara didn't have a single sale. It erodes my confidence. I know this work has legs from the response people give it.
SUCCULENT #4801
40" x 43.7"





I'm new to the "fine art" arena and while it seems to be a more receptive audience to cold calls and unsolicited mailings there is still all the fear associated with putting yourself out there. One big difference is, I'm not selling the invisible. I'm selling a tangible finished product. Take it or leave it, like it or not. Different mindset.
SUCCULENT #1932
40" x 44.9"










This succulent work came out of an absolute need, for me, to make photographs. Something inside me forced me out the door to push the button on the camera. I pushed the button many times before really looking at the film. But once I started to see the photos I had made from my heart and gut I knew I had something special.
SUCCULENT #10740
40" x 54.1"






Each piece is large. 40 inches is the smaller dimention. One, the best seller, is almost seven feet long. (not pictured)

Let me know what you think of these.

Final Exams

I teach basic photography. Yep that's right PHO101 at Brooks Institute here in Santa Barbara.

Yesterday was the final exam for my classes. For me that is the most boring class of all. I get to sit in front of the class like some policeman making sure no one cheats. It's quiet. All I hear is pencils coloring in scantron slips and the shuffle of papers as each student turns to the next page of the 100 question exam.

Some finish in less than an hour and others take over two hours.

Frankly, I would rather talk about their photos and how they feel about them. But testing seems to be the only way to measure students.

I think the photographic education and training the students are getting today is far superior to what I got when I was in school. So I got to thinking. Didn't I still have a photo or two from my first days at school?





I think I was shooting the Shape, Line and Texture assignment. Still the same today, it's a classic assignment. I mean what photographer doesn't consider shape line and texture in every photo we make.

Father's Day

Today is Father's day. I got calls from my children and I called my father. These are some photos of my father that I have made over the years.

This one where he is all in yellow was on a trip to Greenland around 1993.



Where he is all in white with a red tie was on January 1st 1987. He is getting ready to ride in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses as the Mayor of Pasadena.




The third one I shot way back when I got my first SLR camera. In this photo he is just about what my age is now.

Through my children I discovered he is and has always been consistent. When I realized that a few years ago I found a time to tell him, I love you, dad.