Brian Miller

Jul

2010

Love of Equipment

I know a person who owns a very nice camera. It’s quite expensive. But he does not take it out with him to make photographs, even when on vacation, for fear that he might damage it or it might get stolen. It seems to me that he loves his gear more than he loves making images. I have another friend who takes her equally expensive camera everywhere she goes. It is always out of its bag, shutter clicking away, in all kinds of weather. Seems to me she loves making images far more than she loves her gear.

This is something we all face at some point if we do something for the enjoyment of it. We have to choose which we love more: the activity or the gear that is used in making that activity. I’ve seen people struggle with this choice in sports, art, leisure activities, etc. To be sure we often spend lots of money on the gear but something is lost, in my eyes at least, when we make it more precious than what it is meant to produce. In cycling I’ve seen racers lose races for fear of damaging their bicycle and in the above example…well, that speaks for itself. I understand valuing the gear, but should we do so at the expense of the experience or the art?

At some point, I suppose, we have to ask ourselves if we are willing to risk our equipment in service of our art: our life. A well known photographer, David duChemin, likes to say “gear is good, vision is better.” With that in mind, can you put your gear in service of your vision? And if so, might you be willing to risk sacrificing your gear in service of your vision?

Note: The image above was taken while my 23 month old son and I explored a back alley near a coffee shop in our town. If ever there is a risk to expensive photographic equipment, using it around a young child is it. But you know, I wouldn’t trade any of the images I have made while spending time with him for the safety of my camera. The camera is replaceable; the images and the memories are not.

Jul

2010

Inspiration Mondays: Graham Watson

This is the fourth of my weekly posts where I introduce a photographer, piece of art, or person that inspires me to pursue my artistic vision. This week, since it is my birthday and I don’t have a lot of time to compose in front of the computer, the Tour de France is on and currently racing through my old neighborhoods in Belgium (Tour de France in Belgium?? Yes, it does happen), and I get a bit cycling mad during this time, I thought I would introduce Graham Watson.

Graham is a world famous bicycle racing photographer. Think about that for a while. He photographs racing cyclists, in Europe mostly, from the back of a motorcycle, facing the wrong direction, in all kinds of weather, in all kinds of terrain, in all kinds of light.

For years I wondered over his images not because I was amazed at his photographic skill. No, Graham is too good for that. He is so good he makes me forget about the about the photography and wonder at the cyclists. He has the ability to bring me into the action of cyclist grinding up steep hills in the woods of the Ardennes or sprinters hurtling themselves headlong toward the finish line on the Champs-Élysées. He’s captured Lance Armstrong’s steely-eyed look in the high alpes and iconically picturesque views of the colorful race passing fields of blooming lavender in Provence. And he does all this with only the gear he can strap to himself on the back of a motorbike with minimal time to set up a shot, in all kinds of weather.

If that wasn’t enough Graham posts processed images from each day’s race on his website the same day. He has even, with the advent of the iPad’s 3G connectivity, posted an image mid-race which is a first, I think.

As I watch the Tour de France this month and marvel at the professional cyclists (some of whom are friends of mine) who spend each July pedaling speedily around France I will also be watching for Graham perched precariously on the back of a motorcycle or crouching on the inside of a hairpin curve in the mountains capturing all of the action.

So check out Graham’s website at www.grahamwatson.com. It might not be your favorite type of photography but you might just find his abilities impressive. Click on the “race updates” link and scroll down to July for the Tour de France, or click on any other links on that page for other races. His galleries page is also worth checking out especially the one with photo-montage and description of what life as a cycling photographer is like. You can find that here. (It was put together back in 2002 before digital really took off so he used film cameras then. Can you image changing film on the back of a motorbike in the rain?)

Jul

2010

Synthetic Happiness, Photography, and the Creative Soul

I just watched an episode of TED Talks featuring happiness expert and social psychologist, and author of “Stumbling upon Happiness,” Dan Gilbert wherein he describes the unique ability of the human brain to create happiness despite logical reasons not to. He calls this “created” happiness (the happiness found despite bad stuff happening in one’s life and even as a result of bad stuff happening in one’s life) “Synthetic Happiness.” This synthetic happiness, he claims (and his experiments appear to bear out) arises out of limited choices in one’s life. That essentially, a person will develop a sense of happiness, at least with regard to specific aspects of their lives, equal to or surpassing another’s happiness if they are given fewer choices and most especially when choices are irreversible.

This is interesting stuff. Watch the video here for Dan Gilbert’s 21 minute explanation of this fascinating psychological construct. After watching this I started to think: how does this apply to the creative person? What are the implications for the person drawn to artistic and creative pursuits? Well, I think it has direct implications? I’ll use an example from my own life to illustrate the dilemma.

When I first moved to Albuquerque from New York City, a friend who had moved here several years prior commented on the risk of living in an environment so conducive to outdoor pastimes. She explained that there were almost too many possibilities each day: snowshoeing, cycling, skiing, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, etc. She would often find herself stymied by which activity to undertake on any given day and would often find herself stuck at home unable to make a choice between several desirable possibilities.

The same is often true with the creative. When facing the blank page, when facing the prepped canvas, the writer or painter have infinite possibilities. The same is true for the photographer; lots of gear, many lenses, strobes, reflectors, barn doors, gobos, etc. can sometimes (or even often) lead to an inability to get started. What helps overcome this stymie-ness is the making of what Gilbert calls an “irreversible” choice. In my example above, my friend eventually suggested I get up and do the first activity that came to mind, regardless of whether it was the perfect choice or another equally good choice popped in my head. She recommended making an irreversible decision to undertake the first activity I thought of.

In photographic terms this means grabbing gear, whatever gear, and heading out the door to shoot. We might lament the choice we’ve made for a moment, but once stuck with the limited gear we will produce something and actually become happy with it. Yes, we could have shot the subject differently with a wide angle lens, or a macro, or a telephoto, or whatever. But it seems like we are able to accept the loss of the “possible” shot if we’ve committed, irreversibly, to our gear and what we can do with it rather than if we bring all our gear with us and then use it all in an attempt to get the perfect shot. Or worse yet, not leave the house due to the overwhelming difficulty in deciding which equipment would be perfect for the day.

So what does this mean in our daily life as photographers? Well, it means that our creativity and our happiness with the results is bolstered, upheld, perhaps even dependent upon making an irreversible choice regarding our gear, the location, the timing, etc. Essentially, the psychology of this creative process calls for us to adhere to Nike’s famous maxim of “just do it.” Grab your camera, any camera, any lens, and walk out the door and do it! Commit to some project, any project, and see it through. Your happiness with the outcome of the project is dependent on your irreversible commitment to it, not on the quality or quantity of gear that you take along. I would encourage you to grab your camera, with the lens it currently has attached, and head outside with just that equipment and go make photographs. Your happiness might just depend on it.

And please share. What images did you make? Post them on Flickr, or Facebook, or whatever and post a link to them in the comments below. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Jun

2010

Inspiration Monday: Lisa Kristine

This is the third in my weekly series entitled Inspiration Monday. In these posts I attempt to spotlight a particular photographer, artist, work of art, or person that inspires me to pursue and create my chosen art form of photography. This week’s pick is professional humanistic travel photographer Lisa Kristine.

I was first encouraged to explore Lisa’s gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico by my good friend Marc Gutierrez about a year ago. I trust Marc’s eye for quality photography and made a note to visit the gallery the next weekend. When I got there I realized it was the same gallery I had spotted the last time I was in Santa Fe. It’s hard to miss. Located on West San Francisco street, just west of the plaza, the gallery has enormous and colorful prints of people from distant colorful lands. They are the kind of images that draw the eye of every passerby.

Once inside her gallery I realized Lisa makes full use of the exotic nature of such distant lands as India, Vietnam, Morocco, Burma, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Japan, and the Sahara Desert in her imagery. The bold colors, the exotic cultures, and the use of natural light all blend to awaken and evoke a longing for travel, exploration, and adventure in the viewer. The locations and general nature of her subjects touch on elements of the divine and are powerful at evoking a sense of peace, awe, and wonder within the witness.

At the back of the gallery is playing a video documentary of Lisa Kristine explaining her work, her travels, the challenges she endures, the successes she enjoys, and the people and cultures she comes to know. In it she reports using strictly film and natural light to capture the world as she experiences it, maintaining that this approach best replicates the enchantment of the moment.

Lisa’s photography has inspired and motivated me to take more risks when photographing. I imagine what it must be like to travel to these distant and often remote places and ask people from distinctly different cultures if she can photograph them. And then, once establishing a relationship with the subject, managing to take such captivating photographs. This thought has spurred me to approach more people about photographing them. If Lisa can do this with her subjects I suppose I can attempt to take some images of people in my backyard, who share the same language, customs, and culture. Lisa’s photography has also inspired me to seek that which touches me spiritually; she has encouraged me through her work to look for that which is enchanting, spiritual, divine in daily life. I feel more compelled to photograph that which moves me.

The image above is of a local coffee roaster in Albuquerque and is an example of how Lisa’s work has motivated mine. This coffee roaster often roasts his coffee by some large picture windows in the coffee shop where he works. When I first saw him working several months ago I ate my breakfast and drank my coffee and watched in awe as the early morning light filtered through the window illuminating him beautifully. I marveled how such simple light could draw out the contrast between his red beard, his smiling eyes, his pale skin, and the canvas coffee bags hanging on the wall behind him. I sat there and let that image burn into my mind, and I didn’t approach him to ask if I could take his picture. Several weeks later, with that undocumented moment still burning in my mind, I returned to the coffee shop for breakfast and found him there once again. This time, remembering the motivation gleaned from viewing Lisa’s work, I approached him and asked about taking his picture. He was hesitant at first but as we spoke more he agreed; he even came to get me when the coffee was ready to pour out of the roaster and the shot would be better. I didn’t get the same light as the day I sat glued to my chair, but I did get a shot I really like. And I emboldened my motivation by facing my fear, taking a risk, and asking for permission. I also met a nice person and had a nice conversation.

So take a few minutes to explore Lisa Kristine’s work. If you can visit one of her galleries, do so. You will not be disappointed. There is a gallery in Sonoma, CA and one in Santa Fe, NM. And if visiting these locations is challenging, at least take the time to browse through her online galleries at her website, www.lisakristine.com. While you do that I’m going down to a coffee shop I like and wait for that light…

Jun

2010

Craft and Vision eBook: Vision in Motion

One of my favorite photographers has a fantastic mission: he wants to support the passion for photography that many people have and wants to educate people in how to maintain and communicate their vision. With that in mind he has created an online company called “Craft and Vision” where he writes and produces eBooks dedicated to helping people express their vision through the photographic medium.

David duChemin has written several books through the traditional medium of printed material and has written numerous eBooks taking advantage of the new medium of digital media, especially the iPad. Each month Craft and Vision releases at least one, if not two, new eBooks and I have to say each has been wonderful. Filled with beautiful images, oriented for rich viewing interaction with computers and the iPad, filled with wonderfully instructive reading, the books are a joy to read and re-read.

On Thursday, June 24th Craft and Vision released an interesting new eBook addressing movie making entitled Vision in Motion: a Photographer’s Introduction to Digital Video by Trevor Meier. This ebook is a response to the recently available HD movie filming mode now made available on many DSLR cameras. It seems many people originally interested in still photography are now also interested in shooting video due of this new feature. While this appears to be a very good introductory ebook on the subject of video creation, I have to admit my interest was not held for long. This has more to do with my current general lack of interest in creating any videos other than those of my children exploring their environment. While I marvel at, and thoroughly enjoy good cinematography, I am also keenly aware of my limited skill and limited time, and therefore my limited ability, to create compelling video.

However, if the medium of video is compelling to you, this is probably a quick and quite inexpensive way to become exposed to some of the aspects of videography. With specific attention paid to vision, story, sequencing, technique, lighting and color control, and a review of basic equipment, Meir does a good job of providing a grounded introduction to video production. He is adept at describing the differences between aspects of videography and still photography as well as describing where the two mediums intersect. The book is also filled with beautiful images artfully depicting the current subject discussed and even contains a montage of still photographs illuminating the importance of sequencing in cinematography.

While Craft and Vision generally sell their eBooks for $5 a piece (a steal, if you ask me!!) this new release will be available for only $4 through Sunday June 27th using the coupon code Motion4 upon checkout. And if (like me) video isn’t your thing I can highly recommend the other eBooks available for purchase. You can receive 20% off these titles if you buy 5 or more and use the coupon code Motion20. I will make an effort to review some of the other titles in future posts as I am quite fond of them.

Jun

2010

Inspiration Monday: Michael Kenna

This is the second post in my new series entitled “Inspiration Mondays,” a series where I explore, review, and present an artist, a piece of work, an approach that inspires me to pursue my artistic work. Last week I wrote a short piece about my good friend Nancy Newell and received lots of good feedback so I hope this post enthuses people much the same way. For this post I have chosen someone I do not know personally and who has made quite a career being a photographer: Michael Kenna.

I was first introduced to Michael’s work quite by accident. A friend’s neighbor was a photographer and was moving and giving away boxes of books. My friend asked if I would like the photography books and I think I quite literally shrugged, saying “sure, why not?” I received lots of old photoshop tutorials, books on film processing, and a bunch of what looks like run-of-the-mill old photographer’s books. Upon discarding the obsolete items I settled on flipping through some of the photography books to see what I could see and learn what I could. One of them, it turned out, was a book of Michael Kenna’s well known collection of black and white night images entitled “Night Walk.” I had never thought of photographing industrial buildings, gondola peers, and smokestacks as particularly enticing but here I was staring in wonder at just such images. They are strange and moody and ethereal. The long nighttime exposures allow clouds and fog and gondolas on the water to create beautifully blurred forms. This approach de-realizes aspects of the images, creating ghostly areas. This, I realized, was art. Michael Kenna was not just taking pictures in the way that I was. He was making pictures in studied and conscientious way. I had never even conceptualized using the camera in this way. And to be honest, I have a hard time remembering to do so even now.

The very next day I came across a link to a video on a blog I was following asking if we, the reader, had the same passion about photography and making art as the man in video. It took about two minutes for me to realize that the man in the video was the same man from the book I had read, and it took me about another minute to just love his work. And it took me less than another minute to decide to buy a tripod. Check out the video; check out his work.

To me there is something serene and meditative about Michael’s approach. He possesses a patience, it seems, born of many years spent making images that require lots of time spent outdoors, at odd hours. I just love how he is able to reduce an environment to just a few necessary elements, wait for the right light, shoot it, refine it, shoot it again.

I am continually inspired by Michael’s video and by his images. They remind me of the importance of mood, tone, and especially form in a photograph. They inspire me to move away from the “snapshot” that first captured my imagination in photography and to move toward a more conscious and otherworldly aspect of photographic artistry.

Michael’s work can be found in his galleries on his website www.michaelkenna.net and through numerous books available through Amazon.com and other booksellers. While you are at it, make a point to look at his commercial work. I find it amazing how mainstream companies fit his work into their advertising.

Oh, and don’t contact me to see if I am willing to sell my copy of Night Walks; I think I am keeping it.

Jun

2010

The Drive toward Creativity

The medium of digital photography has not been around for very long, perhaps 10 years or so in its current “serious” guise. Before that there were some digital camera efforts but nothing that could compete with film. Indeed, I owned one of those early “cameras.” It was shaped like a VHS cassette, was about as wieldy, could snap a picture at a whopping 1 megapixel, and had a refresh rate (the speed at which the photographer could shoot another picture) of about 10 seconds. I carried that thing everywhere. I had to. I had a job traveling the United States and I even made forays to Malaysia and Japan with it, attempting to chronicle my journeys. It wasn’t a great camera, but I could share images of my travels with friends and family back home over this newish thing called “email.”

In today’s world of high megapixel, digital single lens reflex cameras with the capability of shooting HD video, that box-like camera is the equivalent of the photographic Edsel. But something happened during my tenure with the box. A drive was unleashed within me. The ease and availability of the digital image provided a medium for the creative urge in me to express itself. It is almost as if my soul was waiting for a way to talk and “the box” gave it a voice.

I have a funny feeling I am not so different from others; the democratization of photography through the advent of digital imaging and the computer age has provided us a medium to express our soul where before we might have lacked the skill in more “traditional” arts, or the money to do so. And I think it is great.

There appears to be a drive within we humans; a drive toward creativity. Shelter and food are a couple of the rudimentary necessities that our ancestors strove to provide, but they (and we) don’t just stop there. No. We decorate. We become chefs! We become interior decorators. We invent (or at least the French do) haut-cuisine. We create! That’s what we do once our basic needs are met. (Heck, even that male peacock in the picture above does it, although perhaps his drive is fueled by hubris. Who knows.)

I have met many people along my journey that have their basic needs met but feel something is missing. Some say they lost their mojo. Others have it a bit worse and suffer depression. Some describe it as being empty inside. All, it seems to me, have had their drive to creativity thwarted for some reason. The current climate of democratized photography has helped to stem that tide somewhat and allowed millions of people a voice and a creative outlet that previously was not available. And that is a good thing.

Digital photography has helped provide some meaning and creativity in my life, how does it do so in yours? How do you create? I would love to hear how you bring aliveness to your life and to the world through creativity.

Jun

2010

More In The Horsie Series

I’ve received some feedback regarding the pictures of the horses I posted recently (thanks for all the love!) and thought I might post another.

In addition people also mentioned how much they liked my idea of Inspiration Mondays as well as Nancy Newell’s work. Thank you so much for all the feedback. I am looking forward to creating some more Inspiration Monday posts and have some fun stuff in store for the blog as well. And if you like what I am doing so far with this blog please spread the word, list me your blogroll, link to me on FaceBook or Twitter. And let me know that you have stopped by too. I would love to check out your site/blog/feed etc. Who knows, you might just end up on my Inspiration Mondays. 🙂

I have added an email sign-up button on the right of the blog page for your convenience, or you can follow the blog by subscribing to the RSS feed. That link is here or on the right side of the page as well.

~Brian

Jun

2010

Kickoff: Inspiration Mondays!

So, I had an idea…

Part of what moves me, motivates me, gets me out of bed in the morning, keeps me from going to bed in the evening, is creativity. I just love things, people, events that are creative. They inspire me. And they drive me to create. Often times I am inspired to attempt to recreate something I have seen; a kind of “wow, I want to do that!” And eventually I become inspired to seek out my own vision, and to express it.

Being a photographer, and with the advent of the web as the modern art gallery, I am a blog and artist website junkie!! I darn near collect blogs: photo blogs, blogs about photography, blogs about vision, blogs about craft, blogs about gear, blogs about creativity and the creative process. And why do I collect these blogs? Well, to get inspired, to learn something new, to discover what others are doing in order to push my own creativity. And that got me thinking. If I have such a good (well, I think it’s good) collection of inspiring blogs, perhaps there is a way to share them beyond simply listing them on my blogroll (although my blogroll, albeit short at the time of this writing, is filled with inspiration for me.)

So here is my idea: Each Monday I will blog about something or someone that inspires me. I will start with photographers but I imagine over time I will post about other creatives that inspire my art and could inspire yours as well. I am really excited about this little project and hope you will like it.

Now the big question: who do I kick off this endeavor with? Well, I think it is going to have to be my good friend Nancy Newell. Nancy is a photographer in Albuquerque whom I met through Flickr.com where she has been a prolific poster for the past several years. She was pretty good in the beginning and in 2009 she started “A Year In Pictures” project where she took and posted a picture every single day of the year. Her dedication to the project (and her husband’s support of it) over the course of the entire year is inspiring in itself. But what inspired me more was watching her progression as a photographer and as a post-processor. Each month she created a different theme around her daily photographs in order to learn some new aspect of the craft; one month it was black and whites, another month it was adding textures, another macro shots, and yet another was reading her camera manual and applying something she had learned. As a result she closed out 2010 with an incredible body of work that shows a progression from good photographer to amazing photographer that inspires others. Her following on Flickr is a testament to her skill and creativity and I think she should have an equally large following here in the blog-o-sphere.

And she’s at it again. She is undertaking another year of “A Year in Pictures” on Flickr. In addition she has hung some prints in a “Flower Power” show in Albuquerque at the Wooden Cow Gallery and is a featured artist on Joy’s Gallery.

So do me, Nancy, and especially yourself, a favor and stop my her blog, her website, her Flickr stream, and spend some time wandering along with her on her photographic journey. I think you will be impressed. I even think you might be inspired.

Jun

2010

Freedom Rider

Another shot of the blue-eyed horse from the ranch. He’s a nice fellow but a bit of a leadfoot. I’ve been trying to capture one particular shot that my wife saw in an art gallery in Taos some years ago and am discovering just how challenging it can be working with horses. They’re wonderful animals and all, but this one just wouldn’t stand still for me (and he kept trying to bite my camera.) Sheesh! Still, it’s a project I am very interested in completing so I’ll keep at it and post it here when I finally finish it (complete with fireworks and everything!