Contemporary Photography

What the world needs now is another drink!

2009-07-08T08:57:00.017-05:00

What is this drink doing on black sand?

The drink is one of those designer cocktails

that many of the watering holes are serving these days.

I got the idea to portray the drink in an exotic place

to support the notion that the drink is new and unusual.

How many black sand beaches have you been on?

I haven't been on one so to me black sand is exotic.

I think the background captures the mood and

grabs the attention of the viewer because

it is juxtapositioned against a background

you wouldn't expect to find it in.

The next shot in the series of exotic drinks has an unusual tropical flavor to it

and I wanted to show a connection between

the flavor of the drink and an exotic location.

I chose bamboo as my background to

accomplish this.

I'm always striving to present attention getting images, ones that will

stick in your mind.

People Who Need People

2009-06-17T07:42:00.057-05:00

If you want to know how unimportant you are as a photographer work with a model in front of your camera. All of the lighting, staging, composition, right exposure and hair and makeup won't add up to a "hill of beans" if you can't get the model to emote.

The magic is not in the camera it's in the models body posture and face. When working with a model you quickly find out how good you are at communicating your ideas. Can you explain what you are looking for and can the two of you create what you as the photographer have envisioned?

On a recent shoot for Re-Think a "green" designer and manufacturer of shopping bags, I found myself right in the thick of the communications conundrum. I needed to communicate to the models what I wanted to portray in the images. For more than 35 years I have directed for television and film and this background allowed me to move pretty seamlessly into still work.

Every person is an individual and models are no different. How you communicate with them takes on many forms. Some need to be told every little thing you are trying to do and what you want them to do. Others just seem to get it after you explain the product, the environment you are trying to create and the look you want them to achieve. Often the good models will just delight you when they come up with something incredibly inventive. This usually happens if you take the time to explain and context the shoot to them and then give them the freedom to do their thing. There is a limit to this kind of give and take and as a photographer you also have to know when to pull the reins in.

On this shoot for Re-Think I was fortunate to have two very bright. creative and cooperative models. They got the idea right away and became co-producers of the images.

I believe that how the client, the model, and you feel about the shoot ends up on the image. So if everyone is comfortable in the shooting environment, feels that they are making a contribution
to the final result and generally are enjoying the process you are pretty much guaranteed to get a great result.
Hard to believe but the image bellow was shot on a day when it was grey and misting rain while on the right the sun was out in all of it's splendor.

Working with these two models was a real treat.
They were both pleasant, energetic and jumped in to add their ideas to the mix. They were very creative and I think without their input we wouldn't have achieved these images.

What did Leonardo De Vinci know that I don't?

2009-05-25T07:41:00.023-05:00

When I started this Blog I had the idea that it would be a great place for me to share my thinking about photography with whomever happened upon this blog. At the time I had started to do some commercial work and also thought it could be a great place for me to post my latest adventures in the for-profit world.

However, lately I've been thinking about my website and this blog and whether I have crossed a line between my desire to create artwork and my gut need to have someone pay me for my work. My website http://www.barrywolf.com/ is solely dedicated to my artistic endeavors and the blog to date has solely been devoted to commercial work.

As my mind traipsed along the highway of reality and fantasy I started to think about Leonardo De Vinci. The "Mona Lisa" and the "Last Supper" are without question two of the greatest works of art in the world. Yet most of De Vinci's efforts were focused on the "M" word... money! In fact he was hired by several foreign governments to create and design weapons for their armies so he could earn money.

Michelangelo, was not much different than De Vinci. He spent years laying on his back painting the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. True, he believed that it was to honor God but he was also being paid a commission for his efforts by the Pope. We could argue his intent but at the essence of it is the fact that it was work for pay, all be it for a greater power.

So here we have two of the worlds greatest artists who's, and you should excuse the expression, bottom line was the bottom line.

So I ask myself, am I an artist or a commercial photographer. Are the lines clearly defined or are they blurred? Just look at some of photography's greats and the line gets murkier. I've read that Ansel Adams was always worried about money. He took on many "for pay" assignments. I have to believe some were not to his liking but he did it to earn a living and maybe he too wanted to test his limits as a photographer. Beyond the money, he was very dedicated to helping create great public lands through his photographs. Although I've been told by a gallery owner that he was a postcard shooter, I believe as do many others, that he was a great photographic artist.

How about Annie Leibowitz? She is a commercial photographer of great note yet her artwork sells for many thousands of dollars in fine art galleries.

So where does that leave me? Do I continue to sell my abilities to the highest bidder in an effort to make myself feel worthy or do I chuck the whole commercial thing for obscurity in the cold cruel art world? Or like De Vinci do I straddle the two worlds to provide what I apparently think I need to feel that I'm really a worthy photographer?

I guess I should just cry for help on this one but I've actually come to a conclusion as I sit and write about this subject. It doesn't really matter does it? Nothing in this world seems to be that pure. The world is not an either or place is it? So why not try both worlds on for size. If the art world has trouble dealing with me as an artist because I accept commercial assignments then it's their problem. If the commercial world can't grasp the advantage of an artful thinker then I guess my income will be less. No matter, I'm in for the ride. I want the experience and excitement of putting myself out there and testing my limits. I want the adrenaline rush that's comes with a new assignment or a new direction to create an art portfolio, on a subject that interests me.

I guess I'm spoiled, I want it all!

For years I worked as a TV director and producer creating programs that fit other peoples needs. Today I am lucky to be able to navigate both the art and commercial worlds on my own terms.

I guess life is good!!!!!

Yummy!

2009-05-19T09:14:00.022-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to shoot the food of a well known Arizona Chef, Charles Wiley. The shots will be used to promote ZuZu, a restaurant at the hotel ValleyHo in Scottsdale.

I wanted to set the food apart from it's surroundings but still suggest that the food was on a plate and a table, without hitting the viewer over the head visually. I decided to make the environment disappear. Using a white background, white dishes and painting the silverware white did the trick for me. I tried to create enough dimension by back lighting the images to give them a 3 dimensional look.

Making the food the star without visual interruption was my goal.

These shots are a great example of how simple is often the most pleasing.

Selling Soap or Telling a Story?

2009-05-07T10:05:00.012-05:00

As an art photographer I haven't spent a great deal of time shooting product shots. In my first career as a Television Producer, Director and Writer I did have many opportunities to shoot many products on video. I was asked to shoot some soaps and lotions for "Vanity Fair" magazine just recently. I wanted to not do the same old, same old so I tried to context the product with the resort that was providing Vanity Fair with their in-room offerings. The Sanctuary is a boutique Spa and Resort that caters to a very demanding clientele. Many high profile people come to stay because of its small size and its secluded feel. The Resorts mission is to provide a "natural and rejuvenating environment. I wanted my images of their room product offerings to reflect that message. I chose not to do the typical table top shot but to blend luxury with natural.

Challenging yourself to think about the mood your client wants to portray is no different to me than creating an art image. I ask myself what am I trying to say with this image? How do I want someone to respond to the image I'm creating, what story am I telling?

Photography to me is about story telling. Beautiful is good, beautiful and a story is better.

Barry Wolf

http//.www.barrywolf.com

What's in a persons face?

2009-05-03T13:02:00.010-05:00

Recently I had the opportunity to photograph Ed Mell a famous Southwestern artist. The image I wanted to create would be reminiscent of images you might have seen in a 1930's to 40's black and white movie. In these movies strong shadows added to the importance of the person and revealed a "bigger than life look" to the person.

I met with the artist several weeks earlier to learn about him. I wanted to see how he behaved in relaxed conversation to get a feel for his personality. I needed this information so I could understand what his life was like, his aspirations and his struggles.

All of the small talk we did helped me frame the style and approach I would use to create the image. It also helped me understand the range of emotion I could obtain from him while I photographed him. The session went badly in the beginning when one of my strobes failed. However, because we had established a good relationship before the shoot he showed great patience. I think the end result shows how important understanding your subject and establishing a good rapport with him is to the final image.

Barry Wolf

http://www.barrywolf.com/