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Dear Cole,
How does one refine their eye? How do you see
uniquely? How do you find your own vision? Must a person
be born with artistic talent or can it be developed?
Not a day goes by that I don't wonder about the
creative process. For most of my life I felt that I
lacked artistic talent and so I pursued photography. I
calculated that with photography, mastering the
technical skills would compensate for my lack of
creative ones.
And so for years I pursued
technically perfect work and strove to imitate the look
of photographers I admired, such as Ansel Adams.
However, my work was imitative and it lacked spirit.
Then one day it hit me; there already was an
Ansel Adams and nobody would ever do Ansel better than
Ansel. And was that really the extent of my ambition, to
copy someone else's work? I came to realize that I
needed to create work that was uniquely mine.
This epiphany forced me to re-examine the
assumption that I lacked creative ability, because if
that were true I was consigned to being yet another
Ansel imitator.
What I have come to believe is
that we all have creative abilities, but for some like
myself, it's just buried beneath a lot of other "stuff."
Consequently, I must work harder to bring it out and
develop those talents.
I think this is true for
everyone, that each of us have a unique perspective and
ability that can be developed. So if you've also pursued
photography because you feared you had no talent, take
heart, it's not true.
Cole
I just ran across a website called Spirit Clips, and
they apparently produce their own inspirational videos.
The one I am recommending this month is "The
Hospital Window."
If you cannot properly see or read
this newsletter, please view it online by clicking here.
Rock Study: A
New Image |
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(Rock
Study - La Jolla, CA - 2009)
I have
always been drawn to dark images with strong
contrasts.
This rock caught my eye as I
was walking along the beach at La Jolla Cove, just
south of the Children's Pool. It seemed so out of
place.
View
my new images
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Happenings
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(Smile
No. 11 - Moab, UT - 2009)
- Ukrainians, With Eyes Shut" just closed at
The Center for Fine Art Photography. This was an
experiment of sorts, as I printed the images
life size. It's amazing how different this work
feels, when it's this large.
- I just returned from Pittsburgh where "The
Ghosts of Auschwitz and Birkenau" opened in the
New Works Gallery at The Silver Eye Center for
Photography. I received a warm welcome and was
very pleased with how active the photographic
community is in Pittsburgh. The exhibition will
run through September 12th. Visit
Silver Eye
- Two of my images are on display at the
MarinMOCA exhibition entitled "Dreams and
Revelations." The exhibition runs through
September 20th.
- Three of my Ceiling Lamp images will be
displayed in the "Abstraction" exhibition that
opens on October 2nd at the Susan Maasch
Gallery.
- The August 2009 issue of "The Sun Magazine"
featured eight of my images in a five page photo
essay entitled "With Eyes Shut."
- A close friend and French artist a (MoonlightNoir)
created a wonderful new YouTube video of my
work. If you have a few minutes, please rate the
video and leave a comment. Watch
the Video
- Please visit my blog for a sometimes
technical and sometimes philosophical discussion
about my work and about photography.
Visit
the Blog
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Parting
Shots... |
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(Mud
Hills - Somewhere in Utah - 2009)
- I've redesigned my website so that it's
easier to navigate and with less clicking.
Please let me know what you think.
- I've added a page to my website entitled
"New Images." It's a quick and easy way to see
what's been recently added. View
the New Images Page
- I have a few test prints that I'd like to
donate to a school photography program. If you
know of any schools who might like these, please
let me know.
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