Merry Christmas to Everyone

More than a religion is it's message....

" Peace on Earth...

 Good Will to All Men "

" From Their View "....James Clancy...Elizabeth James

 

Elizabeth James:



‘Colour in Motion’ captures
the characteristics of Water under different circumstances. My approach to this subject is varied and often experimental. I have spent many years 
experimenting and observing closely its many varied forms it adopts in different circumstances.

Capturing my findings has allowed me to study and record Colour in Motion, its transforming shapes & colours as it freely takes on its own direction and tones. The colours themselves carrying little or no commitment to the ebb & flow of the water as it takes on the body of life; taking us out of our sphere influence and bringing others in to it

 

More of her work..www.elizabethjamesart.com

___________________________________________________________________________________

James Clancy:

 I drew on inspiration from classic cinema styles especially that of Film Noir and journey through the mystery and suspense within the shadows of the late night urban scenes to re-think privacy and to explore solitude and isolation through this examples of night photography pictures.

More of his work: www.jamesclancy.org

"From Their View"...Nancy Bechtol...Sean Costello

 

Nancy Bechtol  is a photographer, independent producer/director, artist and educator. She shares with us some of her views of Chicago.

‘Top o Willis Tower” Chicago.  Shot from the ‘Ledge’ on the Sky deck. (shot about 5 years ago then reprocessed several times, in PS using painting, and numerous layers)

‘Street view-track” Chicago. 2013. Corner of Lake and Wabash. Casual shot with my Samsung Cell. On the way to work, where I teach at Illinois Institute of Art. Downtown Chicago)

http://socialdocumentary.net/photographer/nancybechtol




_________________________________________________________________________________

Sean Costello   shoots commercial portraits, architecture and fashion. His art shows a strong graphic sense in his work " Sanctuary "


To highlight the design of each church, I make high-contrast black andwhite photographs against a dark sky.

The  low angles serve to emphasize a sense of awe in the viewer at the monumental elements ofthe structure.




My goal is not to coerce people into a newfound faith,
but to celebrate the genius of combining a near perfect set of
physical and aesthetic architectural elements, to create a beautiful structure that reflects individual beliefs and ideals.

more of his work: www.seancostellophoto.com

" From Their View"...Sigthor Markusson

From Iceland, Sigthor Markusson explores the other side of his commercial work and shows us the beauty of form and landscapes in  

" Bare Landscapes."   

" Bare Landscapes is a photographic expedition across the topography of Iceland.   The journey is mesmerizing as a visual exploration of natural bodies, that of the land and the female form. They  are exposed raw, unadorned and blooming. Whether resolved against volcanic rock, sequestered in craters of ice or simmering in hot springs, these images have been chiseled out of time, beautiful and natural. The Bare Landscapes project has spanned more than a decade, and will continue on as more images are created."

" After living in the US for so long and traveling back to Iceland each year I began to experience the country as a visitor might, taking in its raw beauty, and seeing the land like never before. It was upon one of those visits that the Bare Landscapes project began, when he started photographing, and appreciating what he had taken for granted for so long."

More of his other work can be seen at:
http://markussonphoto.com/

" From Their View "...Tanya Smith

These recent images are presented for the first time in public by Tanya Smith. She welcomes fellow Fine Art Photographers to comment with their opinions.



"This first image, entitled 'Thorns For The Crown' was captured using a Canon EOS 30D with a Sigma 35-75 lens at F8 1/125 with an ISO 800 setting.  Part of a self-assigned photo shoot I recently did called Finding Faith.  An arrangement on the walls of an historical Episcopal church I attend occasionally, I relate it to the crown of thorns Jesus wore on the cross.  The image is post-processed in Adobe CS5  for toning and effects, and will be printed on a Fine-Art Matte paper or Arches Watercolor paper (which is one of my favorites for images like this)."









My second image is entitled 'Strength of Character'.  Canon EOS 30D - Sigma 35-75, ISO 160, F16 @ 1/125 with 18mm focal length. This old barn is surrounded by chain link fencing, prohibiting me from closer contact and forcing me to shoot from an upward perspective to avoid the distraction of the fencing.  I love the character of old buildings and saw great strength in this barn.  The image is post-processed in CS5 to achieve an infrared effect and will be printed on a Fine-Art matte photo paper.


Tanya Jacobson-Smith
For more of my work check out my FAA page http://tanya-jacobsonsmith.artistwebsites.com/

" From Their View "...Marcus Brunström / Jonathan Brooks

From Marcus Brunström:
 
This is a series I shot for the Norristown Farm park in Norristown/East Norriton, PA, USA.
It’s shot with a Shen Hao 4x5 with TMAX 320 over the past few months.

The purpose of this series is to show the decay of mankind and how natures reclaims their property as soon as we leave it.

Photographer bio:
Marcus Brunström
Stehag, Sweden
For more of his work :   www.marcusbrunstrom.se
__________________________________________________________________________________
From Jonathan Brooks:

These are two of my Femme Fatale Characters from my Skull Series.

One is from my first short film 5 SKULLS, which I finished in October and the other continues the series of characters.

For more of his work:

http://jonathanbmiami.tumblr.com/

" From Their View "...Nikolay Semyonov

From South Russia, Nikolay Semyonov emerges on the art scene after a career as a teacher. His love of art lead him into photography. With a knowledge in Photoshop, he leans more towards Corel in his current work.

 

1) rr snow: RAILROAD SNOW. shot a few years ago when the first snow of the year started falling. the idea was to snow the mood of the moment;

2)1040477: SCHOOL HOLIDAYS. corel painter brushes (pallet knives, sargent brush, layering etc) on a photo of the local school on an early winter morning. gradation from warm to cold colors and the play of light were the two most luring things here;

3) 1060500: TIMUR. My  elder grandson
looking for how to get behind the door of a building in the neighboring public park. He has a syndrome and, when shooting him, I often stop to think if he'll ever be able to find a way for him in life. Processed in corel painter (surface texture adjustment, noise etc).


In fact, I use a lot of tools and a few processing techniques, depending on the image. I started with photoshop way back to the late 90s' but very soon corel painter became my Nomer Odin (#1 in Russian) software.

I've been a member of a few domestic and international sites, e.g. Redbubble (about 1,000 works), where you can find my portfolio at :

http://www.redbubble.com/people/snik?ref=account-nav-dropdown

"From Their View"...Bernard Kessler...

The two photographs, Silent Space #3 
and #5 are in my book published by Blurb, SILENT SPACES, devoted to the exploration on the extraordinary in the ordinary.


 Simple photographs of things in otherwise empty space.  They are stark. without visible flamboyance, but filled with a sense of transcendental meaning that takes us beyond the visual surface.


 It is my experience that each and every thing we can see can be communicated with beyond the surface.  It is as though we are at the edge of a pond.  When we move from the edge’s surface into the depths our understanding of the pond increases.  The pond becomes more complete, more interesting, communicating its essence.

My experience over the 75 years I have been photographing is that the essence of the subject is not merely what I am seeing, but instead communicates from a different dimension,
a welcome, mysterious comfort.

A columnist reviewing SILENT SPACES suggested the content as an example of the art philosopher, Arthur Dante of Columbia University book, THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE COMMONPLACE.  Not an easy read as I searched for an explanation. It is a scholarly document exploring, analyzing, diagnosing the process but no "how tos." 
I have  been introduced to many possible explanations.  It has been an interesting exploration ranging from the spiritual beliefs of Native American Indians to Quantum Mechanics, via Werner Heisenbergs’s  UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE.

Evidence of what happens is clearer than how.
So be it.
more of Bernard's work ...http://www.flickr.com/photos/zennature ... 

" From Their View ".. .Renata Ratajczyk

  views of women from our group at Fine Art Photographers: 

 ____________________________
Renata Ratajczyk: finds her inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen"

 excerpt from her blog

"...Think about how beautiful the world often looks in winter.  The fresh white snow makes it also looking more peaceful, ethereal and encourages people to rest and reflect.  This time of the year can also be very good time to create new things and to dream about the future.  Winter is also sometimes playful and creates conditions favorable for many activities not possible to do during warmer months when the snow is absent.  That’s why particularity many children and sports enthusiast love it.  Because of winter’s playful nature, I have chosen to depict my Winter Queen as more joyful personality. "

more of her work

From Their View : Corrado D'Angelo...

This week, Corrado D'Angelo shares his work and his own words.

" Two images from a larger portfolio (8 images) dedicated to a particular shop in my town, Turin, north of Italy. Its name was "Inferno" (Hell) and they sold strange garments for "strange" people (punk, dark, and so on). Really far from my gendre, but one rainy day I was strolling under the arcades of the town center with my camera and saw the girl arranging the shop's window with the heart.

I lifted my camera and shot: a short smile between us and I left. Few days ago I returned with the print of the photo and gave it to her. Well, so I started to work on the shop, on the girl and their clients, so different from me. I came back 5 or 6 times and found that "different" does not necessarily means even "dangerous".
My aim in photography is to tell stories and emotions, through images that are both pleasant for the eyes and moving for the hearth.
All images are hand printed by me, with a light final selenium tone: shot by Nikon F70, TMax 400 roll. "

More on me (and the whole portfolio) at: www.corradodangelo.com.

"From Their View"...Paul King

From his profile Paul King states, he is a student of Fine Art Grimsby Institute whose studio practice work is Photography. " Such is the power of education, doors open and close until you find the path to what really interests you. In my case it was returning to something I have been involved in for many years."

 " These images are part of a wider body of work for use as part of my Fine Art Practice degree coursework.  I would like my audience to consider more deeply the environment in which they find themselves, recognizing the beauty of small (relative to the overall size) details.  I am drawn to structure and form, repeating patterns and interplays between juxtaposed elements.


  All my images are digital and are shot using RAW format files.  I used to use Photoshop for post-production editing, but now virtually all images are processed exclusively in Lightroom 5.  From this peer review process I would like to get a cross-section of comments in which people, in their opinion, can tell me what works, what does not work, and why.  I am less interested in reviewers using other photographers work, as a comparison tool, because then they do not describe their own feelings towards my work."

Welcoming comments....

John Minnicks : The Liberator Camera

In this electronic gizmo, " fits in your pocket " era, John Minnicks reaches into the past to revamp a classic film camera into an art piece that is getting quite a following.

What he wanted was a hand-held 4X5 camera, with some style, with a look…

So he started with the Graflex cameras. The only problem was they wouldn’t accept the 7” F:2.5 lens. The lens with the 3-D look, (the fastest 4X5) that could focus from 3’ to infinity…  {The AERO-EKTAR lenses were used for aerial reconnaissance spy photography in World War II!}

Minnicks modified them to accept the lens by machining the camera. He makes custom-designed bellows, a new mirror-bright screen and a Graflock back, which will accept any 4X5 Polaroid back and roll film backs. 

The lens board has a Tilt & Swing enabling
selective focus. The live image is 4X5 landscape, the short back focus of the lens and the precision size of the body to achieve infinity. Shutter speeds generally range from 1/500-1/30 sec.+ time exp.

Each camera body is unique and special, a bit different because each part is individually designed to suit the camera.



That amazing look is matched with the images achieved with the camera: a hand-held 4X5 with full control of the image.

image by ...©Bernard Testemale

John enjoys working with each client to design his or her personal and unique camera.

( on the right Dave Burnett )

image...©Bernard Testemale

Each one uses different materials and finishes: leathers, exotic leathers, metal finishes, choices of bellows and hood materials…


Prices depend on materials used: lenses, body and parts/materials.
 A basic black leather runs about $3600.00, the Woodies run $6,000.  Due to the amount of custom work and attention to detail and specially machined parts, he can only build a few a year. ( woodies )  -  (Weather conditions affect finishes as well.)




For more information, contact us at:   johnminnicks@gmail.com   203-247-3833

"From Their View " Mark Kulaga...Sergio Duarte

Mark Kulaga:

Scissor Wings was created from a pair of scissors I have had for over 30 years, and inspired by a friend whom told me once to run with scissors so I did, and then I gave them wings.   The technique used I call photosculpture, and each of my pieces can and will one day be fabricated.  At this point they are only available on canvas with Giclée process.  

The next piece is "Stairs" and was an image taken by one of my doctor's offices when I was quite sick.
For more on my work, please visit:
http://koogz.net
http://facebook.com/artofkoogz
http://koogz.see.me

____________________________________________________________________________________

Sergio Duarte:

The first photo ( 20120527-Guimaraes-07p&bq72dpix600.jpg ), was taken in a Art center in Guimarães city in the north of Portugal.The light caught my attention due to the light foggy day, and the lines textures were have given me a special atmosphere that I tried to capture.

The second ( 20130406-Elementos-01a72dpix600.jpg ), belongs to the same series I'm working on - series that I called "Elements" - which concerns architectural or engineering details. These one was taken in the access stairs of a public swimming. The detail that caught my attention was the small plant that was becoming to grow in the middle of those big concrete stairs and his resilience.
 
http://www.sduarte.net/

http://sergioduarte.photoshelter.com/gallery/Elementos-Arquitetura-e-Engenharia/G0000yXorHX0GvBg/C0000kybB0Jn5SfU
 

From Their View...Peter Treiber,,"Ethereal Luminescence"

My primary goal as a photographer is to make beautiful images, but to make that beauty both dynamic and fascinating. The union between the motion we live in and still photography which captures that motion seems to be the place where this “dynamic beauty” fuses. This series, “Ethereal Luminescence”, is a study of color abstraction, light and motion in the popular and active places where we find pleasure and exhilaration.


Technical notes: All of these photographs were made with a high resolution digital camera as single exposures with a technique, created by me, which I call camera painting. Only very minimum color corrections and cropping were made during post production. More of this work here and here.

Peter Treiber Photography
ph: 610.867.3303 fx: 610.867.6607
Email:  peter@ptphoto.com
Web Site         cell: 610.554.0337
Publisher of the book Inside Bethlehem Steel
Member: ASMP  American Society of Media Photographers
Art Center Portfolio     Behance Portfolio    AdWeek Portfolio
Print sales:GlowArtworks       OCDesignerSource

From Their View "Dream Walking".....David Aschkenas

 

" A couple of years ago there seemed to be an ongoing debate about what "look" only film could produce, as opposed to anything digital.  I decided to rework a group of photos from the last 30 years, done in virtually every format from 4 x 5 view camera color and b & w film, 2, 1/4 film, 35mm neg and chrome film, polaroid SX 70 film
and finally digital imagery, to give them and interesting cohesive look that you could not tell what image was made with what film or technique.  Of course all of this was done digitally.

I don't anyone could determine what the original was made from in terms of format or material."

Link to other DREAM WALKING photos here



Link to web site here

http://www.daschkenasphoto.com