Kodak Returns To Film

Art / Photography

Kodak Returns To Film

January 7, 2017

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

Photographers said they want it, but will they use it?

For the past five years, photographers everywhere, especially us old guys, have lamented the loss of film. When Kodak filed for bankruptcy we saw the writing on the wall. Films began dropping one by one until the only films the once-dominant company still had on the market were Kodak Gold 200, Kodak Ultra Max 400 and a series of professional films. Kodak’s premier color film, Ektachrome, was killed off in 2012.

However, what was old is suddenly new again. Take music, for instance. Vinyl had been declared dead a long time ago, but in the past two years it has begun making a comeback and now accounts for eleven percent of the music market. Could the same thing happen in photography? Is it time to bring back film?

That’s the gamble Kodak is making in announcing that it’s bringing back the Ektachrome film line later this year. They’re hoping that the difference between a good film image and a digital image will be enough to spark a retro revolution that will produce an increased demand for film. The timing seems to be right. The film has been off the market just long enough for old-school photographers and photography school instructors to start missing it. This could be the next big thing in photography.

Maybe. Even if Ektachrome takes off in popularity, there are still some photographers face in using the film, and the first one comes with the cameras themselves. Anyone who has started in photography in the past 15 years without going to photography school hasn’t used a film camera. That’s going to be a problem because film cameras don’t have all the onboard tools that many digital photographers have come to rely upon. Want to change ISO? Have to change the film. Spot metering? Doesn’t exist except in hybrid cameras. Connectivity and GPS? Uhm, check your phone. There is no “landscape” mode, no “black and white” mode, and definitely no “art” mode. You have to know the film, know how it works, and adjust your settings manually to get the best shot.

The second issue, especially for photographers not in major metropolitan areas, is going to be finding someone who can actually process the film. While Ektachrome isn’t quite as challenging as Kodachrome was, it still takes a technician who knows what they’re doing with the chemicals or else it comes out looking like garbage. And if you need to modify the film, good luck. It is extremely challenging to work with as a slide film. While there are still several places that have the ability to process the film, almost all are in major metropolitan centers. That can be a major pain in the backside for anyone who lives and works in a rural area. And do we even want to start talking about turn around times?

Yeah, there are some problems. Yet, for those clients who really want film, this is quite possibly the film they want, especially if you’re shooting outdoors where Ektachrome does its best.

Now, I can hear digital shooters saying, “Yeah, but I can get the same effect with a Photoshop action.”

That produces two questions. First, if you’ve never shot the film then how do you know how the digital emulation should look? I’ve looked at four different popular emulation action sets and all four of them produce dramatically different results. How do you know which one is correct? The answer is: you don’t unless you have shot with the film. A lot.

The second question is WHY? Why would a digital photographer want to emulate a film look other than for the fun of it? Okay, maybe that’s enough reason for some people. But while there may be a market for film prints, the market for emulated digital prints doesn’t exist. Then, once again, there’s also that nasty problem of emulators not being especially accurate. Let me give you an example.

One of the most flexible film emulation filters is located within the Nik Collection, which happens to be free. The emulation within the Nik Collection is preferable to a Photoshop action because it actually gives the photographer the ability to make adjustments to allow for situations where the software misreads the photo in some way. Where actions require the photographer to compensate for a yellow/red saturation that is too high, the Nik Collection filters allow one to adjust those channels and bring them back into the range of something that’s actually usable.

Does the end result match what is achievable in film? I suppose it’s possible, but one has to be ready to work with the software on pretty much every image.

Here’s what I’m talking about. Below, we took five outdoor photographs and processed them using Nik’s Ektachrome 400 emulation. For the sake of comparison, we left the default settings in place. We’ll show the raw image first and then the emulation.

original

emulation

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emulation

Original

emulation

Original

emulation

original

emulation

You’ll have to decide for yourself which version is preferable. You can see through the succession that the emulator tends to have some challenges with yellow and red. This is interesting given the actual film tends to push saturation on blue and green. Can it be adjusted within the filter? Yes, but one would have to know exactly which adjustments to make where, wouldn’t they?

I’m not against film emulators. They can be fun and interesting study tools, but they don’t take the place of actual film. One has to shoot differently with film than with a digital camera. There are no short cuts. “Fixing it in post,” becomes a matter of cost and skill, not convenience.

I’m excited about the return of Ektachrome and I may even dust off my old Canon F1 and shoot a roll or two if I come across some extra cash. Make no mistake, though. It’s not shooting with a digital. Don’t think you can just grab your grandfather’s camera and start shooting. Film is still for people who actually know what they’re doing behind a camera.

Take care.

Art / Photography / PotD

What It Means To Be A Muse In 2017

January 6, 2017

A muse today is different than 10 years ago

muse¹

[myo͞oz] NOUN

(Muse)

(in Greek and Roman mythology) each of nine goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who preside over the arts and sciences.

2. muse

a. A guiding spirit.

b. A source of inspiration: the lover who was the painter’s muse.

Who needs a muse? Not everyone, for sure. If one is a photojournalist one need’s a keen sixth sense to know what to shoot and when to get the hell out of a situation. If one is a portrait artist, one needs a good light setup. If one is an editorial photographer one needs a strong perception of the details in everyday life. There are plenty of creative endeavors that have no call at all for a muse.

Artistic photography is one of those genres, though, where having someone consistent, someone on whom a photographer can depend, really can make a lot of difference. I base this not only on my own experience, but what I hear from other photographers as well. While we enjoy working with several different models, having that one person, or, if you’re lucky, maybe two people, around who you can shape and build concepts and ideas is invaluable.

The requirements for that role, however, have changed over the years. At least, they have for me. For example, as inspirational as Kat is for me and as encouraging as she constantly is, you might have noticed that we took only one set of pictures of her last year, and that was while we were on vacation. The myriad demands on Kat’s time and energy leaves her without the space necessary to be a muse. She simply cannot fill that role, no matter how much I love her.

At the same time, I can no longer wait around for someone to have some spare time, or drop by at any random time of day, or call me up in the middle of the night. Those were all former options that made it easy to accommodate a muse. However, as my life and work have transitioned, that level of randomness no longer works for me. A lot has changed. What I want and need from a muse has changed. I don’t know if these guidelines necessarily apply to anyone else, but I think they make a good foundation. Every artist and photographer is going to have their own modifications to this list, but take a look and consider whether you might be someone’s answer to a serious need.

A muse doesn’t need to look like a goddess

In the past, there was always a lot of emphasis on the person in the picture being pretty. That requirement, generally speaking, is gone. For me at least, what is more important is that the model is genuine, open, and capable of revealing her true nature and personality to the camera. I’m not looking to create a fantasy. I’m not telling a fairy tale. Instead, I’m expressing a perspective of reality. I need a muse that is real and not faking it for the camera.

This means that I’m open to models who are not 19 years old, whose bodies show the wear and tear of real life. I’m open to a muse who has physical limitations, someone who has to work within given parameters and has strict limitations. Those challenges can actually aid inspiration because it challenges us to find a way to be expressive within that box while simultaneously creating something outside the normal concept of artistic figure work.

I also feel that we are at a point in our society where beauty does not always deliver the message we want. Beauty often equals conformity and there are few instances where anything artistic should be conformist. There is such a thing as being too beautiful for certain types of artwork. A muse today can be the ordinary person who simply wants to become a part of art. Those works can be every bit as moving as anything else we’ve ever created. One just has to be willing to try.

A muse doesn’t have to be a model

Historically, there have been advantages to having experienced models as muses. They understood posing. They knew from which angles their bodies look best. They understood the processes behind a photo shoot. Those were all valuable qualities to have and I’m still certainly not opposed to working with experienced people. There are times where experience is a must. However, experienced models don’t always make the best muses for a number of reasons.

A muse needs to be able to work with and capture the creative mind of a specific artist, not an entire audience of fans. Experienced models today come with large numbers of Instagram followers demanding to be fed new images on a regular basis. Models have obligations to maintain an image on social media that might be contrary to what the artist is wanting to achieve. A muse needs to be more like a blank slate without the external influence of someone else’s expectations.

Experienced models also tend to impose their own perspective over the top of the artist. The photographer suggests a specific pose, for example, and the model is reluctant because it might show belly rolls or expose cellulite or make her hips look big. Sorry, that just doesn’t work anymore. Imperfections, the natural ways in which our bodies respond to sitting or lying in certain positions, are expressions we don’t want to avoid. Working with a muse who doesn’t mind if her stretch marks show or her face is a bit wrinkled is wonderful. Act how you are, not how you think someone else wants you to be.

Muses allow an artist to plan

It’s one thing to have a concept for a photo shoot and then cast a model to fit that concept. Quite different is the experience of having a muse around which you can mold, shape, and most importantly, plan a shoot. Knowing exactly the face and the body with which one will be working allows the artist to plan deeper, to think in greater detail, and to create in ways that are more precise, even when the product being created is abstract.

A problem many of us have had before is that too many would-be muses wanted to know exactly what we were doing before they would agree to do the shoot. There is some validity in that if the model/muse has safety concerns or doesn’t know the photographer/artist well. There have been too many instances where one is asked to just show up with a bag full and clothes and wing it. That approach is not only unprofessional, it is unacceptable in the current social reality.

What we need from a muse today, though, is someone who does not dictate the concept, but rather inspires it and works with a photographer to create something wonderful. The photographer might ask their muse, “How long can you stand on one foot?” The muse wouldn’t challenge why they were being asked to stand on one foot, but would know on which foot they can stand the longest. And yes, that can make a difference. Being able to plan for the peculiarities of a muse makes the end result better and the overall process run smooth.

Muses understand the intersection of life and art

Now, more than ever I think, people look at artistic photographs and expect them to say something about life. Figure studies that play with concepts of light and shadow fall flat on today’s audience that has already seen just about every permutation of shadow manipulation possible. While that doesn’t mean light and shadow work isn’t still valid, what it tells us is that we do well to consider placing those studies within the broader concept that envelopes some condition of life.

This affects who one chooses as a muse because some models are so dramatically disconnected from normal life that it is impossible for them to present an image of the human condition. We need muses with whom not only the photographer can relate but the potential audience as well. We need muses who help keep both us and our work real. We need muses who are grounded in what it means to be alive in 2017.

At the same time, though, those same muses need to appreciate how art intersects life, that there are moments of beauty in the things we do that are mundane and ordinary, that expressing our emotions in careful and planned outbursts can deliver powerful images, and that fragility and vulnerability is a level of beauty all its own. A modern muse is aware of how the image they portray can affect society and plays to that artistic reality.

Muses find synchronization with an artist

I have enjoyed working with several people over the years who acted as wonderful muses for a great wealth of work. Those with whom I’ve done the best, though, have always been the ones with whom there is a natural, unspoken, synchronization; a mutual agreement in the way we view life, art, love, and freedom. As I look at what is required of artists today, I find that achieving that synchronization with a muse is all the more important.

This is one of those places where it’s the little things that matter. For example, I don’t think I could work with a muse right now if they didn’t drink coffee. Caffeine not only affects our energy level, coffee specifically puts us in a unique emotional space that is not achievable with other caffeinated drinks. I need a muse who can sit down and have a cup of coffee with me before we ever think about taking any pictures. If a model can’t meet me on that specific emotional wavelength we’re not going to do as well as we might.

Interpersonal synchronization is difficult to describe because it’s going to be different for everyone. Sometimes it’s knowing that a specific time of day works best for you both. Other times it’s the silly things like the way you both cross your legs or enjoy listening to the same kind of music. Synchronization is personalized for every artist and muse and no two muses are likely to synch on exactly the same things. One has to wait for it and let it happen.

Muses understand the risks

I can’t begin to tell you the number of times over the past 30 years where models have gotten upset because we didn’t deliver as many finished photos as they expected, or the outcome was different from what they anticipated. There have been times where, even after letting a set sit for several days, I couldn’t find anything to my liking. Understand, that is almost never the model’s fault. Some days I don’t feel well and my perspective is off. On other occasions, I may not have planned well enough or perhaps even forgot a necessary piece of equipment that prevented me from getting the shots I wanted.

More than ever, I need a muse that understands those risks. Not every concept is going to be a good one, no matter how much planning we might put into it. Work with me long and often enough and there will be those times where I fail to anticipate consequences, such as the taco seasoning that didn’t wash off or the drink mix that burned sensitive skin. When one works with an artist on a regular basis these things are going to happen.

This is one of the defining differences between a model and a muse. Models get pissed when things happen, especially if it turns their skin orange for the next two weeks. Muses understand and find a way to work it in to their life story. Muses enjoy the adventures that come from working with an artist, even if those adventures sometimes don’t come out exactly as we planned.

Muses know the work isn’t about them

One of my greatest frustrations is when we spend hours giving a set of photos a particular artistic look and/or perspective only to have the model say, “You did a good job, but I just don’t like the way I look in them.” This is the artistic equivalent of, “it’s not you, it’s me.” In a single statement, the model destroys the work of the artist and makes the whole issue about them. I can’t think of many statements that drive an artist mad any quicker than that one.

We need muses that understand that the work we’re producing is not about them at all. How they look in a painting or a photograph needs to respond to the overall theme of the image, not some personal vanity that makes them feel good about themselves. The sum of the image is greater than any of its individual parts. That’s why we select certain poses and facial expressions while leaving others alone. And yes, it’s going to differ dramatically from one artist to another. There is no gold standard in art that says we have to portray someone with flawless skin or a perfect body. If anything, art prefers exactly the opposite.

We need muses who are willing to become a part of the art, who understand that they are giving themselves to something greater, to a concept that is larger than the individual. Artistic imagery today cannot be flat and singular. As we’ve discussed already, contemporary artistic imagery has to express life and explore the whole of reality, not merely a pleasant looking portrait of a pleasant looking person.

Muses are flexible

No, we’re not talking about physical capabilities, though sometimes those qualities, too, are advantageous. When I ask a model to be flexible, I’m thinking that one needs to be open-minded about what we’re doing, the message we’re attempting to make, and the social impact of what that message might be. This can be really challenging for the would-be muse, even if they’re clicking on every other level with the artist.

Here’s the thing: sometimes art demands that we shout in order to be heard. If we oppose something that is taking place in society, it is not enough that we create an image that calmly says, “I disagree with that.” No one pays attention to those images. Instead, we have to look for ways of expressing our disdain that is dramatic, different, and even shocking. For the muse, that might mean asking them to do something they normally wouldn’t consider doing. We need them to be flexible.

For example, let’s say that I was considering doing a piece protesting men’s involvement in attempting to dictate a woman’s reproductive rights. I might think of a concept that involves the proper medical use of a speculum. There’s no way in hell that image is going to be considered safe for work, is it? Just thinking about it makes me a little uncomfortable. That wouldn’t be a “fun” set of pictures for me to take. Yet, the message resulting from those images would undoubtedly make a point. We need muses who are flexible reaching outside their comfort zone for the sake of the art.

Muses don’t last forever

There have been times in my career where I could repeatedly call upon the same muse time after time, even with long periods of not seeing each other, and still produce wonderful results. Given the state of my life and that of society in general in 2017, I’m not sure that is even remotely a reasonable expectation anymore. What I’m seeing today is a situation where lives don’t just gradually morph from one stage to the next, they leap and jump, sometimes violently, across disparate and unexpected conditions. Life in 2017 is more fluid, more open to immediate change and that renders one’s longevity as a muse much shorter than we might like.

It is no one’s fault when what was once a creative and thriving relationship between artist and muse suddenly becomes impossible to maintain because of changes in either life. A muse’s life is suddenly skewed by the need to stay home and take care of a parent radically disabled in a car accident. A painter wakes up one morning to quite unexpectedly find they can no longer hold a paintbrush. A job offer half-way around the world suddenly alters one’s career choices. These things are a reality of our lives and sometimes we have to bid goodbye to people and things we love in order to do the things that are better.

Letting go of a gifted and talented muse isn’t easy. I’ve cried more than once. Yet, no muse lasts forever. We don’t want them to. Artists must change as well and if we latch on to a muse and never let them go then we eliminate at least some of the opportunity for us to grow and explore new forms of creativity. Muses speak to a specific period in our lives and leave behind a record of what was important to us both individually and socially at that time. Then, like starting a new book in a series, we open a new cover, find blank pages, and start to fill them with new images.

We may not all need a muse, but when we are lucky enough to find them they do wonderful and amazing things for our work. Perhaps you might think of the artists you know and whether you might risk being a muse. Perhaps a trial run, posing for something simple or even silly, might be a good first step. Being a muse is a special relationship and one should take care to connect with an artist whose vision is complimentary to their own. Be sure, every second one spends working with an artist is a special moment that the rest of the world should envy, and being a muse, even for a short while, is a very special calling indeed.

Art / Photography / PotD

Blue Tuesday: A Mini Gallery

January 3, 2017

Something brief, a momentary distraction

Building on the concept from Sunday’s gallery.

[tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id=”9278″ layout=”contain” columns=”2″]

Art / Photography

Abstracted Perspective: A Gallery

January 1, 2017

Beginning 2017 with a different perspective

One of the dangers of shooting within the same genre, even figure studies, is that after several years one can begin to lose some perspective. All bodies start looking the same. There are only so many different ways one can bend the figure without requiring surgery afterward. Mountain ranges become indistinguishable. Canyons are all grand. It’s a problem.

The same thing happens when we use the same processing methods continually. All our photos begin to look like the others. Our aesthetic renders topics moot because we become so committed to our “look” that we don’t realize how commoditized our work has become.

So, we decided to start this year with a different perspective, one that takes us out of the normal perspective and turns curves into angles, gradients of light into distinct regions, and super-imposes the unfamiliar on the familiar. We imagine how our images might look if there were such a thing as a cubist lens without completely losing the original form behind it.

Exploring within this realm opened a plethora of new opportunities and decisions to be made. From the ten images we chose for today’s gallery, no two are rendered in the exact same manner. Some we favored light. Others we favored shadows. We created barriers for some and blurred them out for others. We explored, which is how we hope you will view them. The year is new. We set out own paths from here.

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Art / Holidays / Photography

Holiday Color: A Gallery

December 25, 2016

A reminder that color can exist in a black and white world

The joys of children at Christmas lasts, at the most, five minutes; just long enough for them to rip through the wrapping paper, tear open their presents, then start hitting each other with the boxes. After that, you want, nay, need a distraction. This is our gift to you.

As depressing as the world is, and as committed as we are to black-and-white imagery this next year, we felt it important on this holiday to remind our friends that color does still exists. There is still joy in the world, even though it most certainly has gone into hiding. Peace probably exists somewhere, though I’m beginning it learned the secret to interstellar travel before the rest of us. There are good things, here and there.

We chose pictures that had not been processed before. You’ve likely seen other images from these sets, but not these. We also looked for images with a different, perhaps silly expression; something one doesn’t normally see in our standard portraits. I dared to select some on white backgrounds, though I don’t really like white backgrounds for portraits because it does really strange things to the amber channel.

Holidays do strange things to our senses, as well. We lose many of them. We remember those two or three minutes of joy and then choose to completely forget the rest of the chaos so that we can tell everyone that we’ve had a good holiday. The truth is, for most of us, that holidays fall into one of three categories: a stress, a pain, or a bore. Distractions that can take one’s mind off the reality are welcome.

So, here’s your break. Our gift to you. You’re welcome.

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Art / Holidays / Photography

Ghosts Of Photos Past

December 24, 2016

Memories that won’t scare the Dickens out of you

It’s Christmas Eve. The kids and Kat are all in bed. Even the dogs have snuggled down for the night. Only one kitten, the calico, still roams around, chasing some piece of fluff that is invisible to the human eye. We’ve managed to play it as low-key as possible tonight. Grandpa Bob stopped by for a dinner of ham and dressing, gave the little ones their presents, and watched The Polar Express with them before leaving.

A glass of scotch and a fresh cigar await me. No milk and cookies, thank you. I fear the bump in blood pressure from the cookies more than I do getting cancer from the cigar. The holidays are exhausting and I’m not the one who has to make 28 stops-per-second in order to deliver toys to every child on the planet. The way I figure it, Santa is that alcoholic CEO who barks orders all year and then sobers up just in time to make an impressive showing at the annual stockholders meeting. The elves secretly hate him but he has a face that’s good for business.

Digging back through the archives, again, I came across a couple of photos I didn’t know I still had. They’ve not been seen in almost ten years. I found some others I’d intentionally been ignoring. Between batches of cookies and an absolutely dreadful last-minute dash to the grocery store, a trip that might have cost me my life were Kat not so incredibly calm in a crowd, I managed to edit the set, or re-edit in some cases. They’re not new photos by any means. They’re ghosts of photos past, reminding us of people who were once in our lives with great frequency. As Scrooge missed the merriment of his youth, so we miss the friendships represented in these photos.

Damn it, the little dog just barked at that fat Kringle fellow. I had to ask him (Kringle) to make another loop around the state while I put the fuzzy little beast back in bed. I hope the kids don’t stir. I don’t have the energy to hide the presents. One has to be careful about where they store coal.

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Art / Photography

A Sunday Gallery

December 18, 2016

Because photography is still our home

I sometimes wonder what it might be like to have a gallery of my own work that I curated for my own amusement. What would I put there? What would I leave out? Would I open my gallery to the public or keep it private?

There are a lot of things to consider in that scenario, not the least of which would be the incredible amount of time it would take to pull prints and have them framed. I rather doubt that I would be up to seeing after everything.

Still, if I were choosing ten pictures for display this morning, it would be the following images. For many of them, this is the first time they’ve been processed and shown to the public. None of them have been processed in this fashion before now. We worked directly from the original RAW files and applied new technologies to our processing methods to create a specific tone that I find intriguing.

I thought oh-so-briefly about adding some type of descriptor but ultimately thought better of it. I will let you see what you want to see and interpret how you wish to interpret. My statement is in the photographs themselves, so nothing more need be said by me.

With our new daily emphasis on presenting verified news, we’re busier than ever now. The process we use is time-consuming as we vet every article and source. That doesn’t leave me a lot of time for just playing with the archives. Perhaps, if you keep reading the news articles, we’ll create a new gallery each Sunday. If you’re really lucky, we might actually shoot new pictures. That would be interesting, wouldn’t it? We’ve not done that in a while.

So, enjoy today’s gallery, please. I’m sorry there’s no way for me to serve you digital champagne. Use your imagination. Make sure it’s the good stuff.

Holidays / Photography

Making Your Photographer’s Holiday Happy

December 17, 2016

charles i. letbetter - giving your photographer a happy holiday

Because you love us all so much

The holidays are the happiest time of year, are they not? And I just know you can’t wait to share all your happiness and generosity with your favorite photographer. After all, if you had pictures taken any time this year and paid less than $3,000 for the set, then you owe him/her. I mean, my father paid $300 for a single black/white head shot in 1968. What we’ve done for you is probably a bit more complicated. Not that we really care about that sort of thing. We’re only in the business for the art of it all. Eating is totally optional.

Now, I know you must think that we’d all like a new camera, but we don’t necessarily look for you to go with the big bucks. After all, your families should come first. Although, if you think of us like family then, by all means, feel free to respond accordingly. Still, there are plenty of things you could get or do for your photographer that would make them very happy this holiday season. We’ll break them down into three easy-to-remember categories and then you can do what you find appropriate from there.

Big Ticket Items

Okay, so no self-respecting photographer is going to ask you to buy them a new camera for the holidays. Still, some of you have taken advantage of a generous soul and gotten pictures for free. Some of you have been doing this for years and yet, when the holidays roll around, what have you done for your photographer? So, here are some big ticket things you can get that will make them happy.

New Glass. Now, be careful. Not all lenses are created equal and chances are your photographer is pretty picky about the kind they use. Also, not every lens fits every camera. In fact, lenses have to specifically match the brand and type camera your photographer is using. Still, if you have an extra $1,500 or so you’re not using, I’m sure there’s something they wouldn’t mind adding to their collection. Don’t be afraid to ask.

Pack Gear. Carting expensive gear all over the place can be scary. I wince every time I see a camera sitting in the seat of someone’s car with no protection. If you’ve observed your photographer handling their camera in this manner, then getting them some kind of pack or case is something they would almost certainly appreciate. There are several different kinds. My preference for every-day use is an over-the-shoulder bag that allows me to pull my camera out quickly and start shooting. Others prefer backpack styles and hard cases are a must for the photographer who has to fly frequently. This doesn’t have to be a high-dollar buy, but the more padding and flexibility a pack has the better and, sadly, more expensive.

Light Modifiers. Please don’t consider this option unless you know your photographer fairly well and can get the make and model of his lighting gear without being obvious. Many photographers, especially those with smaller operations, are limited in the number of modifiers they can afford. The more modifiers they have, though, the more creative they can be with your photographs. Prices range from a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand. Budget accordingly and, by all means, be careful.

Small Ticket Items

Okay, so you don’t have a couple of thousand dollars to dump on your favorite photographer. That’s okay, we still love you and promise you’re our favorite clients ever. You don’t have to spend all that much to make us happy-er. There are a number of things that would make almost any photographer happy to see under their make-shift tree that sits forlornly in the corner of their tiny little apartment.

Camera straps. Think the broad kind. If your photographer is still using that crappy little strap that came with the camera, they need help. Those little straps are practically worthless in a pinch. I’ve been using the same strap for the past 25 years and even though it’s extremely tattered at this point, I know it could still hold my weight if I need it. Embossed leather is a nice touch, or artisanally woven is colorful if your photographer is vegan. Even the best straps are under $200 this time of year, so you should be able to find something that would fit your budget.

Lens Wraps. As simple as these cloths are, they can really do a let to protect lenses, especially if you happen to live in a climate particularly prone to dust and/or sand. They also come in handy if your photographer travels a great deal. Lenses often get jostled around quite a bit during transport and even if the photographer has a good case having a lens wrapped is great protection. This is a perfect gift for the cash-strapped person as most start around $20.

Tripods. Even if your photographer already has a tripod or two, they can never have too many. There are a variety of sizes and kinds appropriate for different shooting situations. Best yet, some table-top varieties cost as little as $20, so it won’t break your budget. Consider what your photographer already has and help them complete their collection.

Won’t Cost You A Dime

Okay, I get it, money’s tight this year for a lot of people. That’s why you asked if we could discount our already-discounted prices. That doesn’t mean we don’t still love you, though, and anything, absolutely anything you want to do for us is still very much appreciated. You don’t have to spend any money to help us out with some of these gifts.

Referrals. I don’t know of any photographer who couldn’t use some extra business this next year. Even if we looked busy this past year, that doesn’t mean we don’t have openings going into 2017. Of course, we’ll be much more appreciative if they’re referrals that pay full price, but we’re honestly thankful for all the business we get. Thank you in advance.

Credit us when you post photos. Chances are we mentioned this when we first took your pictures but we know how easy it is to forget when you’re in the heat of a picture-posting frenzy. We’re not as likely to be upset if the pictures are over two years old and you’re just posting them for memories’ sake, but the new stuff? Yes, please, by all means. We will be most appreciative.

Food & drink. How well do you know your photographer? Almost all of us have a sweet tooth and more than a few of us enjoy an alcoholic beverage here and there. Okay, so this might cost you a little bit. Still, I know very little makes me happier than a tin of homemade fudge or sugar cookies. Granted, they won’t last very long, but for those few moments, we’ll be thinking nice thoughts of you.

By the way, please be considerate when giving a gift to your photographer to make sure you are sufficiently respecting their religious beliefs. Fortunately, both the first day of Hanukkah and Christmas are on the same day this year. If your photographer is Muslim, however, you don’t have as much time as the prophet’s birthday is this Monday, the 19th. Of course, several of us celebrate Festivus and the Solstice and Kwanzaa as well. It’s not going to hurt you to ask which holidays we celebrate, though, because some come with limits on what is acceptable. Me, personally, I’m good with anything at any time. Especially if you’re bringing alcohol. Scotch, please.

Look around. There are a lot of people in your life who provide services for you at or below costs. You know who they are. Show them all some appreciation, even if it’s only a handful of cookies. Your gestures of kindness really are appreciated.

News & Comment / Photography

12/12/16: 5 Things You Need To Know

December 12, 2016

Brace yourself for one wild week

https://youtu.be/-uKr8dRmTXY

Good morning! Now that you’ve survived the weekend we all get to deal with the fact that not only does the weather for much of the United States absolutely SUCK this week, we’re also less than two weeks from Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanza. Those of you who still have shopping to do might want to consider doing it online because the weather outside is going to be beyond frightful in many places.

It’s still early as we’re looking at the news this morning so all the Monday horribleness has yet to hit. However, we have five things you need to know.

1. Prepare To Pay More At The Pump

We’re going to see some higher gas prices this morning because of an agreement between OPEC and non-OPEC countries to reduce oil output over the next several months¹. Saudi Arabia, which has long been a hold out on reducing production, agreed over the weekend that they would pull their levels down below 10 billion barrels per day². The reduction is not as much nor as long as some OPEC members would have liked, but it’s enough to create a significant jump in prices.

Goldman is saying that this cut is primarily to balance out excess inventory and doesn’t see the production lasting too long. February futures rose to just above $56 a barrel this morning which is a bit scary for those of us on a budget, but that doesn’t mean a return to $3- and $4-dollar a gallon prices. With the rising prices, US oil production could increase quickly, which would send prices back down.

No one is saying yet what effect the higher prices might have on holiday travel. Most people have already made their plans and we all know how upset grandma would be if we didn’t show up. Still, this could be a difficult budget hit for those who don’t have much wiggle room for extra spending.

^{1. Reuters: “Oil surges after output cuts, strong dollar weighs” By By Saikat Chatterjee Dec 12, 2016, 3:18am EST

2. Reuters: “}^{Goldman says non-OPEC output cut deal aimed at inventory glut“ Dec 12, 2016, 3:15am EST}

2. The Grinch Came To Venezuela Early

Actually, the Venezuelan government says it’s playing Santa Clause after seizing nearly four million toys from a warehouse near Caracas¹. The government is accusing toymaker Kreisel of hoarding the toys in an effort to create scarcity, driving prices up. Stores throughout Venezuela have complained that the company hasn’t been fulfilling orders and when they did the prices were several times higher than normal.

The government’s official statement says that the toys will be sold at steep discounts. However, William Contreras, Venezuela’s national superintendent for the defense of socioeconomic rights, has promised that “every child will get a toy” for Christmas, so we’ll see exactly how that works out. No word yet from the toy company. All this story needs is a big dog and a bunch of meddling kids and we have a blockbuster movie for the holidays.

^{1. National Public Radio: “Venezuela Seizes Nearly 4 Million Toys, Saying They’re Overpriced” By Bill Chappell December 11, 20164:23 PM ET}

3. Cars Without Drivers Are Coming

If you find yourself driving through Michigan, particularly the Detroit area, don’t be surprised if you look over in the lane next to you and find that no one is driving the car next to you. That reality just became possible last week as the Michigan legislature passed a group of bills allowing autonomous cars to drive on public roads¹. The purpose, of course, is to allow Detroit automakers to compete with companies such as Google who have been testing driverless cars in California for some time now.

In fact, this new set of bills, which Michigan Governor Rick Snyder says he’ll sign, give Detroit automakers more freedom and less oversight with their testing than any other state with the possible exception of Florida. California, which has been the leader in autonomous car testing, still requires a human driver as backup, just in case something goes wrong. The Michigan bills don’t require any humans in the car at all. While this is exactly the type of laws automakers have been wanting, the safety issue is probably going to be a sticky one.

Michigan Transportation Director Kirk Steudle says they’re leaving it up to automakers to decide when a car is safe for the road. Uhm, he is aware that GM just recalled another 50,000 vehicles last week², right? I’m not sure trusting automakers to determine when a car is safe is necessarily the smartest move in the book. This could make driving in Michigan very interesting.

^{1. Associated Press: “MICHIGAN LETS AUTONOMOUS CARS ON ROADS WITHOUT HUMAN DRIVER” By TOM KRISHER Dec 9, 11:10 AM EST

2. Associated Press: “GENERAL MOTORS TO RECALL NEARLY 50,000 POLICE SUVS” Dec 10, 11:52 AM EST}

4. You’re Not Still Using That Samsung Phone, Are You?

We all know Samsung has had some problems with their Note 7 phones doing bad things like blowing up and catching fire. The company issued a recall of all the phones last month and one might think that would put the problem behind them. Apparently not. It would seem there are still a significant number of people who, for whatever reason, did not turn in their phones. That means there are still Note 7 phones out there ready to go boom when one least expects it.

So, Samsung has announced that it is disabling all Note 7 phones in the US with a software update.¹ Samsung issued a statement last Friday saying that the mid-December software update will render the phones completely useless. They won’t even charge properly. Danger averted, right?

Not necessarily. Those who bought their phones through Verizon won’t be getting the update. Verizon claims that it doesn’t want to strand customers who don’t have a backup phone. Therefore, it will not be pushing the software update out to its customers.

^{1. Reuters: “}^{Samsung to disable Note 7 phones in the U.S. via software update” Dec 9, 2016, 1:12pm EST}

5. And Finally …

Here’s one for all my photography friends and colleagues out there. Flickr, the photo hosting service owned by Yahoo, has released data for the year showing that camera phones dominated its service once again. Are we surprised? No, not at all. Flickr is a pedestrian service, not one limited to professionals. Therefore, it makes sense that pedestrian cameras would dominate. What we do find surprising, however, is that only two DSLRs, both Canon EOS 5D models, made the top ten and mirrorless cameras account for only three percent of the photos on the site.

I’ll be honest, while the data is certainly interesting, it doesn’t concern me a great deal as a photographer. I don’t use Flickr and haven’t since it sold to Yahoo several years ago. The site was designed for and is dominated by amateurs. That’s not a bad thing, but there is a definite difference between the tools used by Mom and Pop on vacation versus the professional taking your family portrait.

If anything, the report shows how dramatic the divide is between equipment used by professional versus amateur photographers. As the price for professional equipment goes up and the quality of cell phone cameras increases, we’re going to see that divide become more noticeable. This especially applies when discussing mirrorless cameras which are almost totally a tool used by the pros.

^{1. Flickr blog: “}^{Smartphones Dominate Flickr Uploads in 2016, Apple Leads Device Makers”}^{December 6, 2016}

That’s the five things we think you should know for this Monday. We’ll be keeping an eye on things as they develop today and be back with more news first thing in the morning. Now, get out there and make this Monday beg for mercy.

Art / Photography

Body Parts: A Reference Guide

December 3, 2016

Artists can’t always pay to have a model standing in front of them. Photographic reference is the next best thing.

long legs, sitting

We know a number of artists who work in mediums other than photography. Occasionally, one of those friends will ask if we have a photo of a specific body part, from a specific angle, in specific lighting. Often, we already have exactly what they want. If they don’t, shooting what they want isn’t all that difficult. We really enjoy being able to help out other artists this way.

The catch here, of course, is that sometimes artists need reference for a specific body. Many artists, especially paint and sketch artist, like working with live models so they can see exactly how the body looks from different angles. If one is doing something detailed, however, the cost of a live model mounts quickly. We can shoot a model from every conceivable angle and then crop the photos to focus on specific body parts such as hands, shoulders, chins, and jaw lines.

So, since it’s Saturday afternoon and we’re just content that the dogs are not trying to hump each other for the moment, we thought we’d give you a very, very, very brief sample of reference body parts. We’ve even labeled them for you in case some of you aren’t sure where you’re eyes are supposed to be looking. Enjoy this very brief set and then let us know if you need to purchase more precise images. We’re always ready to help!

Abs

ear, upside down

face, looking up

Arm, inked

back, inked

dirty foot

hand, inked

hands, plain

knees, folded

legs, feet

smile, freckles

Lips, profile

posterior

shoulder

Profile, with glasses

left profile

Art / Photography

A Flashback Without The Drugs

December 2, 2016

#FridayFlashback is something of an Internet tradition. We’re not very traditional.

#FridayFlashback is nothing new. If you’ve been on social media more than a week you’ve likely come across it somewhere. The idea is that one post an old picture of themselves or their friends doing something years ago. Typically, people drop back four or five years, or whatever they happen to have in their cell phone. It’s cute. It’s fun.

Around here, we don’t really do #FlashbackFriday, because almost every day we’re pulling pictures from the archives. So, in a sense, we’re doing flashbacks every day. Friday’s no different than the rest of the week.

Today, however, I came up short. I started work on an article and realized about three hours into it that the damn thing was larger than I anticipated and was going to take a significant amount of research. There’s no way I could get it done in time to post today. So, we’ve set that article aside until tomorrow or possibly Sunday. The problem now was what else did we have to post? It’s already past 1:00 in the afternoon. Most people are trying to get off work early. If we want anyone to actually see what we’ve posted, we needed something we could get up and online quickly.

Ta-da! #Flashback Friday! We’ve grabbed a set of photos shot between 2004-2006. Part of what makes these pictures special is that they were shot with a five-megapixel camera. Granted, it was one of the best five-megapixel cameras on the market at the time. Yet, compared to modern cameras, it seems rather insignificant. The biggest issue we had to deal with was noise. We carefully put each image through noise reduction software so that it wouldn’t look horrible on your monitor. That’s the only change we’ve made, though. So, enjoy looking back at the old stuff. We’ll have that big article in a day or two.

The body can be an amazing background.

Art / Personal / Photography / PotD

It’s My Party & I’ll Post What I Want To

December 1, 2016

All niceties are tossed out the window. Nothing about this article is safe for work.

December 1. My 56th birthday. How did I start my morning? By doing children’s laundry. Damn school uniforms. School uniforms don’t make a damn bit of sense for children who are growing so fucking fast that you can barely keep them in underwear. What parent has the money to keep buying and replacing the same clothes over and over and over and over throughout the year? We don’t. So, their pants are either a bit too long or are riding at their ankles. We just ignore the scuffs on the knees.

It’s my birthday and I’m doing laundry at 4:00 AM so that the little ones will have fresh, warm clothes to wear to school. No one ever did that for me. Probably because the washer and dryer were out in the garage. Oh, and Poppa didn’t start getting up at 4 himself until after we were out of the house. If we wanted warm clothes on cold mornings, we had to set our clothes over the heat register the night before. Don’t give me funny looks over that. I know we weren’t the only ones who did it.

Of course, over the years I’ve heard of others trying to warm up their clothes by putting them on or close to space heaters. The results were not pleasant. At the very least, it’s a good way to lose your best set of jeans.

I sometimes look back at my childhood and wonder how the hell we didn’t die. We took risks—lots of them. Many of them with our parents’ blessing, the rest without their knowledge. If I had ever seen one of my boys trying to tight-rope-walk a barbed-wire fence, I’d have thrown a fit. Yet, we did it. More than once. We didn’t stop until I ripped the seam from a pair of jeans. There were dangerous makeshift bicycle ramps, tree houses that were not safe for occupancy, and daring feats of, “do you think that’s safe to eat?” It’s a wonder any of us made it to our 18th birthday. Yet, here I am at 56. Rather frightening.

A good age to die

Actually, it turns out that 56 is a fairly common age for people to start dying. Heartwarming thought, isn’t it? On one hand, there were all the news stories about the world’s oldest woman celebrating her 117th birthday earlier this week. Things like that didn’t happen when I was a kid. We should all be encouraged about our prospects for living a long life. At the same time, however, the list of notable people who died at 56 is a bit too long and too impressive. Death waits for no one, I suppose. Look at these names:

Alexander Pope, 1744
Abraham Lincoln, 1865
Ian Fleming, 1964
Charles Mingus, 1979
Betty Grable, 1973
Steve Jobs, 2011
Ludwig von Beethoven, 1827
John Hancock, 1793
King George VI (The Queen’s father), 1952

Looking at that list is daunting. Consider all that those people accomplished before they died. Here I am, having never been president during a civil war, never written a great spy novel, never composed thousands of musical masterpieces, never acted in any movies, never built a high-tech empire, haven’t signed a declaration of independence (yet), and am not even close to guiding Britain through a war. When I look at what I’ve done compared to all these people had achieved by the time they died at my age, I feel just a bit like a failure.

There is one name I intentionally left off that list. Adolf Hitler was 56 when he died. I guess that’s one thing I have going for me: I’ve not tried to rule the world and killed millions of innocent people. Perhaps I should put a “yet” at the end of that statement. I suppose anything is possible. After all, I once tried tight-rope walking on barbed-wire, you know.

Do we really want to live that long?

While I’m not in any mood to kick the bucket today, at the same time I have to wonder if any of us really want to live all that long. Consider the plight of Emma Moreno, the world’s oldest woman. She hasn’t exactly had a great and wonderful life, you know. Her fiancè was killed in WWI. She married an abusive brute she didn’t like. She kicked him out of the house, and shortly after doing so her only child, a son, died. She worked in a factory until she was 65, which seems young compared to where she is now. She has outlived her eight brothers and sisters. She eats the same thing every day: two eggs, one raw, one fried. Even she admits she hasn’t had a good life.

So, if living long means outliving everyone you love, being left alone in a nursing facility somewhere in Italy, having the only time people pay any attention to you is on your birthday, if you make it another year, or when you eventually give up and die, is it worth the trouble of even trying? I can see wanting to live a long time if we still have our friends and still have our families and can still go and do things that we enjoy. Take all that away, though, and what the fuck is the point? At this juncture, it seems that Ms. Moreno is more in torment than happy. She smiled for the cameras, but she had to force it.

I wonder if we make too much of living a long life. Certainly, as long as there are people around to love, then, by all means, keep going. But when one has outlived everyone of what value is life? I suppose one could claim that they are producing carbon dioxide for the plants and trees. At least that’s something productive, right?

There are still options

I don’t suppose all is lost. Not having been wildly successful by age 56 isn’t necessarily a major concern, is it? Look at all the people who were older when they finally “made it.”

“Colonel” Harlan Sanders was 65 when he started his chicken franchise.
Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t publish her first novel until she was 65, and managed to get in 12 others after that.
Grandma Moses was 76 when she first slapped paint across a canvas, and she was productive for nearly 20 years.
Edmund Hoyle was around 70 years old when he first began recording the rules of various card games in 1741.

There are several others whose names you likely wouldn’t recognize, like the guy who invented the taser, or the guy who founded Hare Krishna. And how many presidents, including our president-elect, were well over 56 when they took office? Not that I would ever want to be president, mind you. There would probably be a civil war and then I’d get shot. I’ll let Mr. Lincoln keep that dubious honor, thank you.

Still, the point I’m trying desperately to make is that there are plenty of examples of people who didn’t even get a good start on whatever it is that made them famous until they were older and had a good bit of totally unrelated experience behind them. While I’m not sitting on any earth-shattering ideas right at this moment, in theory I’m well positioned to have a brainstorm of some kind that would propel me into the history books. Let’s just hope it’s for a good reason.

Of course, there’s still photography

I suppose, in some sense, all this sounds as though I’m giving up on photography. I’m not, despite how this year has gone. The past four years, for that matter. The number of photographs I’ve taken has been steadily declining, each year being the fewest yet that I’ve ever taken. Rather depressing when one stops and thinks about it. Although, one might say that the reduction in number makes the photographs that were taken all the more valuable. Scarcity can be a good thing, I suppose. Especially after I’m dead.

See, there’s that dead thing again. It keeps popping up.

Part of the issue with photography is a lack of models with whom I can enjoy working. The young woman who posed for the images here, all shot back in 2005, had just turned 21 when I met her. She was lively, adventurous, and willing to pretty much try anything. In fact, there was a lot she was already trying when we met. She was 5′ 10″, perfectly proportioned, and looked sufficiently wonderful dressed, but at the same time didn’t have much hesitancy about getting naked just about anywhere, including once at the ruins in Holliday Park. She understood the artistry and that getting the shots that no one else had sometimes involved taking some risks. As a result, I have a truck-load of archived images that I still enjoy pulling out and re-processing every once in a while.

I need more models like her. We’ve had several over the years, but inevitably, as they get older, they get married, have kids, or take advantage of better offers elsewhere, such as Las Vegas or LA. I don’t blame anyone for improving their lives, but they each leave a special void that is never filled. We once had relationships with our models that enabled us to do some really dramatic and interesting things. No one seems remotely interested in that anymore, though. Without willing subjects ready to step in front of the camera, it is difficult to feel inspired about taking new pictures. Sure, equipment, transportation, and space issues factor in as well, but it’s the litany of muses, the knowledge that for whatever concept I conceive I have the model(s) to pull it off, that is missing.

The Forthcoming Novel

There is no forthcoming novel. At least, not anytime soon. I tried the novel-writing thing in November. I made it two days. Writing a novel, for me, means not being interrupted by chores or children or news or presidential elections or idiots running the stop sign on the corner. Writing, for me, requires that I be able to dedicate my full attention to the process. I need to be able to research everything. Even this article had its share of research, every one of them does. I need to know that the things that I say, the ideas that I present, are at least plausible and preferably possible. I can do fiction, but fantasy is a bit beyond me.

If I ever do complete a full novel, it will be between moments of getting lost in the wonderment of watching cats playing across the living room rug. This morning, it’s the kittens who are leaping and rolling and butt-wiggling all over the place. Their energy is boundless and the entertainment factor is dramatically distractive. I have never been much of a cat person, but the past couple of years with our careful selection of rescued kitties has changed my mind in that regard. They are wonderful little creatures to have around. I can sit and watch them for several minutes at a time, becoming totally lost in their play. Of course, that means I’m not writing a damn thing.

Then, there’s the dog. I love the big guy. He loves me. And sometimes that’s an issue. He wants to play. A lot. And I enjoy playing with him. A lot. I can easily take a couple of hours from my afternoon out in the yard with him, playing tug of war and throwing balls. But again, if I’m doing that I’m not writing, am I? Perhaps I’m gaining little tidbits of information and experience that I might eventually work into part of a story, but I’m not piercing light with pixels (which is the modern substitution for putting pen to paper). Maybe I’ll get around to writing something great and wonderful one of these days, but I don’t see it happening this year, and probably not the year after. There are just too many distractions in life.

What will happen in this next year? Most immediately, I’ll re-work the website a little bit. It’s time to update the template. There’s a new version of WordPress coming out next week, so we might as well get all the kinks worked out of everything at the same time. I’ll move things around a bit, change header pictures, stuff like that. In general, though, I like the layout we’ve been using this year. The number of eyeballs has more than doubled what we had for last year. So, a little tweaking should suffice for the next 12 months.

I would love to shoot more this year, but again, that whole model issue is a concern. Perhaps we’ll meet some people. Perhaps we already have and just don’t know it yet.

Either way, we’ve completed 56 years now. Let’s see what happens next. I fear a new dystopia, but hey, maybe we’ll get cool robot overlords from it.

Personal / Photography

Worst. Selfies. Ever.

November 30, 2016

I need to teach someone else to take my pictures for me.

One might have difficulty seeing the flaws depending on the device one is using to view this page. Our statistics tell us that between 60-70% of you are using a mobile device, which means you’re not seeing the pictures as large as I am. Consider yourself blessed. These are not my best pictures by a long shot. Look at the catch in the eyes. You should only see one little spec of light there, not two, or something that appears elongated. The photo is out of focus. Every damn one of them.

That’s what I get for trying to take my own photos anymore. I considered tossing them all in the trash but thought this might make a good teaching moment. The lesson here is this: if you’re thinking about taking a selfie, don’t. Hand the fucking camera or phone (most likely) to someone who knows what the fuck they’re doing. You’re going to ruin the shot.

The problem with following that advice is that if you are like me there’s never anyone else around when you’re actually in the mood to take a picture, or have what you consider a good reason to take a picture. I figure it had been over a year since I last took any pictures of me, and since this is the very last day on which I am 55-year-old, then it is high time I took some for the sake of posterity. So, we did, and this is what we got out of it. Bah.

I’m blaming the interruptions. There was an interruption to go with every photo. Most of them had something to do with the dog Kat rescued from the middle of the street yesterday. Now, mind you, I’m glad she stopped and rescued the dog. I hate seeing where animals have been hit. Drivers are so heartless anymore. No one stops. No one bothers to see if the dog’s owner is nearby. Rescuing the dog was a good thing.

However, upon bringing him to our house she then turned around and went to school. I’ve been left to deal with the little guy. He’s been rather high maintenance so far. Our dog is three times his size. We have four cats who instantly took a dislike to him. His presence has made things challenging

So, it was snap a picture, run check on the commotion in the back bedroom. Snap another picture, hunt down and clean up where our visitor decided to poop. Snap another picture, and take the dog out to Grandpa Bob who took him to see if he’s been chipped. Snap another picture, respond to urgent email. Snap another picture … you get the idea.

Perhaps I could be excused for fucking up the focus if I were ten years old. I’m not, though. I know how to do this. But I didn’t. These pictures weren’t that important to me. They weren’t worth that extra five seconds. I have things to do.

I’m going to stop bitching about the photos now, even though that’s very much the old man sort of thing I do these days. Here are the pictures. Learn from them. Please. Don’t take pictures like this.

This is how I look when I’m writing. Sort of. Normally you’d just see the back of my head.

I only smoke when I’m stressed and trying to relax. I normally go outside, hence the cap. I’ve been stressed far too much lately. I’m probably going to die.

Music calms the savage beast, huh? I must be listening to the wrong thing.

Scotch, it’s what’s for dinner. And lunch. And sometimes breakfast.

Art / Photography

Strip Down And Unwind

November 26, 2016

Holidays are stressful. Now it’s time to take a break, strip down, and unwind.

Sure, we say the holidays are supposed to be fun and joyful, but are they, really? By the time we are done with all the food and all the cleaning and all the family and all the football and all the shopping we’re pretty much exhausted. We’re not interested in politics or who died or what any particular celebrity did that was amusing or annoying. We don’t care. We’re tired, damnit.

That’s why this entry is short on words and heavy on pictures. Our purpose is to plant an idea in your head. We want you to relax, find pleasure, and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Monday will be here all too soon and it just doesn’t make sense that you would go back to work feeling worse than when you left last week,. You need some time for you. You need to attend to your needs for a change.

So, fuck the politics and having to watch what you say around certain company. Fuck caring about Starbucks cups or who spent the weekend with someone else. Strip down. Unwind. Relax. The world can just wait until Monday.

Editorial / Photography / PotD

Remembering A Moment Past

November 16, 2016

charles i. letbetter - remembering a pleasant moment past

When the emotions of this moment are too much, remembering the pleasure of a moment past helps us to move forward

My brain is thoroughly fried. Too little sleep, too much worry, and too many emotions have left me dead. I had an article in mind for early this morning, but by the time I got Kat and the kids off to school I was no longer capable of writing what needed to be written. Perhaps tomorrow.

So, what I’m giving you today is a set of never-before-seen photos from a 2009 shoot with Olivia. She and Tristan had recently moved into their house out in the middle of absolutely nowhere, just a couple of miles past the end of the earth. There was drywall and lumber and paint scattered about. The birds were making noise. Spike insisted on being in the pictures. Tristan made killer bacon cheeseburgers for lunch. It was a good day.

A lot has changed since then. Sadly, Spike is no longer with us. Liv and Tristan have repainted and finished (I think) most the adjustments they were wanting to make. Tristan has grown a killer mustache but he never lets me take pictures of it. He’s shy like that (and everyone who knows him just laughed). Liv’s changed jobs, rarely has time for modeling, and has more important matters to attend to.

We had a fun afternoon back then, though, and more pleasant memories like that keep me hopeful that maybe, just maybe, we’ll have nice days like that again. Eventually. Maybe. Assuming we survive. Enjoy the pictures.

Art / Photography / pop culture

The Year Of The Two-Headed Shark

November 7, 2016

Could there possibly be a more apt metaphor for this election than a two-headed shark?

We’re going to get bitten no matter which way we turn.

Yes, two-headed sharks are real. You can read about the problem here. Meanwhile, we’re staying away from the beach.

Art / Photography / PotD

Your Whole Life Has Been Rigged

November 7, 2016

charles i. letbetter - your whole life is rigged

The election is not rigged but your life is.

From your DNA to your final resting place, all the important matters are out of your control.

So you might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.

1/4/2010, 11:46:02 PM

6/9/2010, 5:22:39 PM

3/26/2010, 5:05:42 PM

6/25/2010, 7:55:03 PM

6/8/2010, 2:21:17 PM

4/6/2010, 6:24:49 PM

6/10/2010, 3:31:38 PM

6/25/2010, 6:51:11 PM

5/5/2010, 5:29:15 PM

3/18/2010, 10:33:58 PM

Art / Just For Fun / Photography

Models Master The Mannequin Challenge

November 6, 2016

charles i. letbetter - #mannequinchallenge

Models have been masters of the #MannequinChallenge for years.

Long before social media games, models were posing like mannequins.

Feel free to take notes. Click here to see how others did it.

12/17/2011, 1:48:31 PM

4/7/2010, 4:18:33 PM

12/11/2012, 11:36:15 PM

12/1/2012, 5:56:34 PM

charles i. letbe tter - #MannquinChallenge

7/9/2009, 8:20:21 AM

12/1/2012, 6:06:30 PM

4/29/2009, 3:59:34 PM

charles i. letbetter - #manneqinchallenge

12/1/2012, 6:12:05 PM

10/3/2012, 6:22:04 PM

12/19/2011, 3:10:45 PM

Art / Photography / Social Commentary

The Best Cure For Election Stress Disorder

November 5, 2016

charles i. letbetter - election stress disorder

Election Stress Disorder is a real thing plaguing at least half of US citizens.

The American Psychological Association’s advice is to stay away from politics and find a distraction. We have your distraction.

You can read more about ESD here.

10/8/2009, 8:50:28 PM

10/1/2006, 10:57:38 PM

9/11/2005, 10:06:40 AM

chares i. letbetter - election stress disorder

10/8/2009, 8:50:29 PM

11/29/2013, 8:01:17 PM

10/8/2009, 8:50:28 PM

11/29/2013, 7:59:05 PM

Art / Current Issues / Photography

Let’s All Get Upset About Coffee Cups

November 4, 2016

charles i. letbetter - wrap your coffee in this

Once again, the moronic among us are upset about Starbuck’s new coffee cups.

So, we created some sleeves of our own to put over our paper cups this holiday season.

Seriously, aren’t there some really important things to worry about? Read about the controversy here.

Art / Mythology / Photography / PotD

This Must Be How The World Ends

November 3, 2016

charles i. letbetter - could this be how the world ends

The Chicago Cubs won the World Series. What’s left to achieve?

Well, maybe we can think of a few things.

9/9/2010, 1:39:07 PM

6/21/2013, 11:37:59 AM

4/14/2011, 2:29:38 PM

5/2/2010, 2:13:08 PM

5/20/2011, 12:51:59 PM

10/29/2012, 2:25:01 PM

11/2/2012, 10:49:37 PM

1/11/2013, 1:06:38 PM

5/18/2010, 5:29:23 PM

4/6/2010, 1:14:54 PM

Art / Photography

Digging Through The Archives

November 1, 2016

charles i. letbetter - pulled from the archives

We completely forgot about some of these.

8/12/2007, 11:15:26 AM

2/28/2008, 1:17:32 PM

7/15/2007, 4:48:14 PM

7/15/2007, 3:09:30 PM

10/29/2005, 12:43:58 AM

10/28/2005, 12:23:42 AM

7/11/2006, 2:52:24 PM

8/22/2006, 7:19:18 AM

9/14/2007, 9:07:45 PM

3/22/2008, 4:02:40 PM

Art / Photography / studio nudes

Would You Like Another Tattoo?

October 31, 2016

Of course, you would

5/21/2011, 5:31:14 PM

7/31/2012, 9:40:22 PM

2/22/2012, 4:39:00 PM

3/25/2010, 4:37:01 PM

12/6/2012, 5:00:41 PM

10/24/2012, 10:33:22 PM

3/4/2012, 6:04:38 PM

6/24/2011, 11:05:48 PM

12/1/2012, 6:03:16 PM

12/17/2011, 3:28:07 PM

Art / Photography / PotD

Halloween Costumes No One Will Copy

October 31, 2016

Okay, so they might be a bit chilly …

9/30/2014, 11:03:42 AM

9/14/2009, 5:30:44 AM

11/19/2015, 10:53:43 PM

1/27/2015, 3:26:54 PM

7/5/2014, 8:48:28 PM

7/17/2011, 6:13:15 PM

7/17/2011, 6:10:32 PM

7/17/2011, 6:11:26 PM

4/26/2010, 12:55:52 PM

7/17/2011, 6:13:44 PM

Art / Photography

Could Artificial Intelligence Help Us Appreciate Art?

October 26, 2016

Forget artificial intelligence – in the brave new world of big data, it’s artificial idiocy we should be looking out for. —Tom Chatfield

charles i. letbetter - could artificial intelligence help us appreciate art

The average person struggles to understand art. Artificial Intelligence could help solve that problem

If you went to a liberal arts university, or a reasonably well-funded high school, you likely took a course mysteriously referred to as “Art Appreciation.” Your instructor, who might have been an art history major if you were lucky, spent the duration of the semester trying to convince everyone that art was cool while simultaneously imposing a list of dates and names one was required to memorize in order to pass the sanctioned tests. The courses are required as part of the accreditation for most university programs in hopes that the institutions produce reasonably well-rounded graduates.

No, it doesn’t work.

A minority of the US population actually appreciates art on any level. Not because they don’t want to, mind you. Ask most people if they like art and they’ll tell you they do. However, actually appreciating the work requires a deeper understanding than just “liking” art. Giving a work the “thumbs up” on Facebook is a long way from being able to discuss the work’s merits or the motivations of the artist.

The general concept of art, for many people, is that it fall into two categories: the pieces where one can tell what the picture is, or those where they can’t. We “like” those pieces we find easy to understand, especially those brightly colored paintings of the Romantic period. More challenging to the common aesthetic are those pieces that demand abstract thought, almost any major work from the late 19th century forward. Hang a Jackson Pollock painting and wait. Someone will inevitably ask if it was painted by an elephant or a four-year-old. Every time.

Maybe We Need A Little Help

One of the reasons we have so much difficulty with comprehending visual art is that we are challenged to connect it to what is going on in our own lives. After all, much of the artwork that we find in traditional museums pre-dates most of us by at least 100 years or more. What was relevant to the artist is not necessarily still relevant in a contemporary setting. We are often asked to have an understanding not only of art styles, but history, fashion, and politics in ways that are completely lost to us. People wander through a gallery without hardly a clue as to why a work is important or what makes one more valuable than the other.

The curators of museums feel your pain. They want visitors to appreciate the collections they’ve worked so hard to assemble. Understanding how different works by various artists connect not only to each other but also to our own lives is a struggle every curator feels at one point or another. Obviously, the curators see the connections, but they do so drawing heavily not only on their depth of accumulated knowledge but on their own life experiences with art. Transferring that experience from themselves to their guests is almost impossible.

Enter the Tate Britain, one of the world’s premiere art museums. Each year, the Tate offers its IK Prize for promoting the use of technology in the exploration of art. Named after philanthropist Irene Kreitman, the prize this year was awarded to a team in Treviso, Italy for their entry, Recognition. Created by Fabrica with the help of JoliBrain, an artificial intelligence firm, and Microsoft, which helped fund the project, Recognition uses artificial intelligence to match photographs from current photojournalists with works of art at the Tate. The presumption is that by relating works of art with modern photographs, we might better understand the art.

How It Works

There are, obviously, a lot of questions to ask about an artificial intelligence program’s ability to understand and comprehend art. The folks at Fabrica are quick to explain that this is an experimental program and that a more accurate technology would require years more research and input. Recognition is not flawless by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, by forcing consideration of a strict set of criteria, even the mistakes help us to more deeply examine both the structure of art and of the images around us. Consider the criteria Recognition uses for comparison. These definitions are taken directly from the program itself:

Object recognition is a process for identifying specific objects. Its algorithms rely on matching, learning, or pattern recognition using appearance-based or feature-based analysis.
Facial recognition is a process for identifying human faces. In addition to locating the human faces in an image, it determines the age, gender, and emotional state of each subject it finds.
Composition recognition is a process for identifying prominent shapes and structures, visual layout, and colours.
Context recognition is a process which analyses the titles, dates, tags, and descriptions associated with each image. By reading this text, it’s also how recognition learns how to write a caption for each match.

Images with close similarity in these four categories are selected as a match, and displayed in Recognition‘s gallery. You can watch the process online through November 27. I’ve been watching it most of the morning, absolutely mesmerized. Recognition makes three or four matches an hour. Some of them immediately make sense. Others require more thought. And, inevitably, there are those where one has to conceded that maybe the computer got it wrong. But hey, at least it tried.

How Much Do We Want To Learn?

Visitors to the exhibit at the Tate have the ability to help Recognition learn by making better suggestions to the matches that it makes. Given that the exhibition is only open through the end of November, however, means that there is a distinct limit to how much the program could learn. If one were to leave it running for five years or more, I would suspect that its ability to match photographs to works of art would become extremely accurate, but such an exhibition would require a tremendous amount of funding and even the Tate’s extensive pockets don’t run that deep.

Yes, there are more than a few detractors. One needs to have a better-than-average knowledge of the Tate’s catalog in order to participate and interact with any level of accuracy. The interface isn’t exactly friendly and the errors are sometimes so mindboggling as to leave one disappointed in the entire technology.

Yet, it would seem that artificial intelligence has a lot it can teach us. The technology is still very much in its infancy. If anything, it teaches us that understanding art is a learning process itself. Applying strict analysis to what has traditionally been seen as a subjective opinion forces different modes and conditions of examination. Art viewers are forced to take on different considerations that may not be especially comfortable. Making those adjustments, however, are what deepens our own understanding of art.

I wish I had time to fly to London and watch other people interacting with Recognition. I think it would be interesting to study how even a basic interaction with the program alters one’s perception of the art pieces displayed in the gallery. This is an exciting exhibition, one that could genuinely improve public appreciation and understanding of art, which could eventually translate into better public funding for the arts and for artists.

At least, we can hope for that outcome, can’t we?

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Page 7 of 12

Photography

Photographers said they want it, but will they use it?

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A muse today is different than 10 years ago

A muse doesn’t need to look like a goddess

A muse doesn’t have to be a model

Muses allow an artist to plan

Muses understand the intersection of life and art

Muses find synchronization with an artist

Muses know the work isn’t about them

Muses are flexible

Muses don’t last forever

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Something brief, a momentary distraction

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Beginning 2017 with a different perspective

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A reminder that color can exist in a black and white world

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Memories that won’t scare the Dickens out of you

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Because photography is still our home

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Because you love us all so much

Big Ticket Items

Small Ticket Items

Won’t Cost You A Dime

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Brace yourself for one wild week

1. Prepare To Pay More At The Pump

2. The Grinch Came To Venezuela Early

3. Cars Without Drivers Are Coming

4. You’re Not Still Using That Samsung Phone, Are You?

5. And Finally …

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Artists can’t always pay to have a model standing in front of them. Photographic reference is the next best thing.

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#FridayFlashback is something of an Internet tradition. We’re not very traditional.

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All niceties are tossed out the window. Nothing about this article is safe for work.

A good age to die

Do we really want to live that long?

There are still options

Of course, there’s still photography

The Forthcoming Novel

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I need to teach someone else to take my pictures for me.

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Holidays are stressful. Now it’s time to take a break, strip down, and unwind.

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When the emotions of this moment are too much, remembering the pleasure of a moment past helps us to move forward

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Could there possibly be a more apt metaphor for this election than a two-headed shark?

We’re going to get bitten no matter which way we turn.

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The election is not rigged but your life is.

From your DNA to your final resting place, all the important matters are out of your control.

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Models have been masters of the #MannequinChallenge for years.

Long before social media games, models were posing like mannequins.

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Election Stress Disorder is a real thing plaguing at least half of US citizens.