Architecture by Lance McCormick

Architecture by Lance McCormick | BOOK INFO

Click on Fullscreen icon first!

Charles Cramer - Ordover Gallery

Charles Cramer was probably the most interesting photographer I came across at Balboa Park. In the Ordover Gallery at the San Diego Natural History Museum, his work is featured and is for purchase, too rich for my budget but none the less he has amazing photos. He has this unique style of photographing water. He must leave the shutter open for a longer period of time because a flowing river ends up looking like it was painted with brushstrokes. He knows how to capture motion with everything else remaining still. To do this must be difficult because he simply using the natural elements around him in nature. Water becomes almost glass-like and I found this to be the most important aspect for me to stay interested in his work. I couldn’t help but to keep looking around at the entire photo, there was this unnatural smoothness to his photography that you obviously don’t see in nature. However, water was featured in almost every photograph in the gallery done by him. There was one particular photo of a small waterfall where the shutter was left open and the water ended up looking like snow rather than running water. The rocks were smooth and attractive, the color tones were fairly neutral in the blues and grays, but it made for a very interesting photo. I do enjoy the landscape photos the most, that’s why I believe that this artist became my favorite of the day.

Todd Hido - Museum of Photographic Arts

When I went to Balboa Park I went into the Museum of Photographic Arts and browsed the gallery. I came across a few interesting artists, some disturbing and some intriguing. I found the pictures of the beauty pageant children really disturbing and it actually made me mad to see really young girls done up to be showed off, it serves no purpose. I did come across a series of interesting photographs by Todd Hido. They were taken from within the inside of his car through a rainy window with gave it this smudged look and refracted the light in interesting ways. All three pictures gave the sense of gloom and put the viewer into a depression state if you will. I enjoy these types of photos and I like how photographs can evoke emotional responses. Generally, as humans we don’t like cloudy rainy days and it does put some of us into a depressed mood and I believe he achieved this effect in picture form. The landscape features a rainy muddy road with a single headlight in the distance which captures the attention of the eye, centering it in the frame. The series of photos complement each other and it gave me a creative insight of what this artist might have been thinking when taking these photos. It also told me that even when conditions are typically bad for taking pictures you can still capture a really good photo.

Vincent Laforet

So far, he is the most interesting photography I have seen on the Internet. While interesting he is also very entertaining, taking away from our perception of normal things we see everyday in a unique perspective. The trick he plays with the field of depth makes his images almost doll-like. It actually gives me the sensation of looking at little models on a tabletop. The colors pop so vividly and the contrast is perfect. I enjoy night photography that’s why I found the image of the two people in front of the cityscape very good.  He takes people and objects that are typically large and gives them another meaning. When I view his work, I think in terms of how small we really our on this earth, maybe he had the same idea in mind. One thing about his photography that I really noticed is that the greens and blues pop out almost overwhelmingly. However, this doesn’t take away form the images, to me, they enhance them giving even more visual interest to the viewer. Obviously Canon is known for their sporting event photography so of course this gallery features many pictures of exactly that. Running, biking, tennis, and even ordinary life going on in the streets are made out to be nothing more than a bunch of still-life models. Very compelling, visually pleasing, and most importantly extremely interesting photos that stuck out beyond the rest.

Chris Orwig

Chris Orwig came to mind only because we have had so much instruction from him through the Lynda.com tutorial series. The more I watch his tutorials and hear his take on photography the more I enjoy and understand his work. He obviously loves the beach and him being so close to us, location wise, really helps me get more into his work. When he speaks in the beginning of a new chapter he brings so much emotional value to his work and by listening to him explain his take on things it rubs off on you too. He is a very inspirational artist and it seems like he is a great person on top of it all. He has photographed a lot of influential people in the music and sports industry. He does more than just recite instructions to you, he dynamically and systematically provides the information in a way that is easily remembered and recalled later for use. One thing I really enjoy about his style of photography is that he does a large amount of portraits. The series of photographs of professional surfers from past and present have this grainy weathered look to their faces. Almost like they have been through a lot of harsh stuff. It gives this interesting feeling and texture that keeps you focused on their faces. I might have a biased opinion though, because I feel like I can connect better to his photography based on the fact that I am receiving Photoshop tutoring through Lynda.com by him.

Ansel Adams

I chose to look up Ansel Adams for a couple of reasons. Not only is he a paramount figure in photography, he might be the most commercially over-used and hated photographer of them all. Actually I should use the word “disliked” instead of hate in more of a love/hate relationship among artists. It was for this reason that Ansel Adams was the very first photographer that popped in my head. First off, I am no photography expert and I am no way learned in the history of photography, but we have all seen Ansel Adams work being sold in Target, Wal-Mart, etc. My friend’s house has at least four Ansel Adams photographs framed in his house. While some photographers stray away from the Adams style, I enjoy them. Ansel Adams, in my opinion, has a very unique eye for interesting landscape images. He was able to turn an ordinary tree, lake, or rocks into a very compelling image. I believe the key to this was that he shot most of these images in black and white. Sometimes color can take away meaning or be distracting to the viewer while black and white can create playful contrasts between figures and foreground intensifying the viewers experience. While in some aspects I do believe he is over commercialized within the photo market, he still offers a large amount of artistic inspiration for many people. That is the beauty about the electronic age of media. Art was once looked at by those considered worthy enough to view it, now anyone can take part in the art viewing experience and this opens more minds to the creative process, this is why I cannot sympathize with the unhappy artists that stray away from the Ansel Adams fan club. The more art seen, the better.

BookSmart Update

As of now I am still taking pictures to gather the bulk of my content. I made a trip to Old Town San Diego and L.A., specifically Hollywood Blvd. I have not started putting my BookSmart project together yet but plan to very soon as time is running out. My subject is more difficult than I realized, the trip to LA and Old Town only produced a few good shots but it still added to my pool of images. Im going to need to dedicate a large amount of time within the next week to get to a comfortable spot in the project. I am not too worried though, I am sure that I can finish this project without sacrificing quality.

Chased by the Light - Jim Brandenburg Part 2

I found that the most interesting and enriched experience that Jim Brandenburg had the chance to photograph were his encounters with wolves. He says that after 30 years of roaming the woods he has yet to photograph a wolf taking down a deer. However, he came close. He was not too far away from a very recent wolf kill. The deer still fresh and quite disturbing to look at. I like the thought he had though, which was that we all return to the earth eventually and so would this deer. He focused in on a tree branch with the deer out of focus in the background. It was very symbolic. I enjoyed learning about the wolf pack and raven interactions and how their relationship is one of love / hate. The raven protects the wolf and the wolf provides a meal for the ravens after a hunt. It takes a lot for someone to be so self driven to complete a project of this magnitude. Jim Brandenburg without planning on it created and huge fan-base for this project and was able to save natural habitats with the impact and meaning of photography. State legislature saw too, the love that Jim possesses for nature and were inspired enough to prevent harmful laws from falling into place.

My Book Project Plans

I have had a lot of trouble deciding what to plan this book project around. At first I thought about creating the book based on my nephew, then about sports, specifically baseball, and now that time is running out I have decided to create this book based on landscapes/ landmarks. My interests are in the building architecture . This Picture was taken at Balboa Park around midnight. I have some ideas in mind about where to go for more pictures. I plan on shooting Downtown San Diego, Old Town, and I might even take a trip up to Los Angeles. I find that public places with interesting architecture catches my eye and it will be fun traveling a little bit. So, my book will consist of mainly landscape orientated photos of architecture in popular areas. And to note that the three pictures below that were submitted to snapfish will also be featured in my book project, they too were taken at Balboa Park.

3 Snapfish Photos

Chased by the Light - Jim Brandenburg

Jim Brandenburg is one of the best photographers I have seen. His ability to capture a particular shot is amazing. For having a mid-life crisis and almost quitting photography all together he seems to be a very aware and thankful to be taking pictures in an environment that is important to him. Jim was a National Geographic photographer for many years, but he had very little professional experience when he was asked to be a freelance contract photographer for them. He now resides in Ravenwood, a complex he built which displays his work in a gallery where his family helps him.

Jim's 90 day project was designed to determine whether he still had the love for photographer still in him. He told himself that he would take one picture everyday for 90 days, from the first day of fall. It was more a spiritual journey more than anything. He knew that everyday he was out there he would find that perfect moment in time where he could capture it. To him, this was a time of quiet reflection. He was going to tell the story of nature. The picture I enjoyed most was the photo of the bird, island, and fog on the horizon. That photo was born from an action he did, in a sense he made that photo work just like the photo of the waterfall with the flashlight behind it. Very exciting photos.

Picture Adjustment

"Warning" Original

"Warning" Adjusted

Levels Adjustment

Contrast Correction

White Balance

Crop

Collier Schorr

I found it very interesting that she is obsessed with the masculinity of males from a female perspective. From what I understand after watching the video is that she is trying to capture the image of what makes us who we are. She is on a constant search for what that means. Who are we? What are we? She likes to photograph her subjects up close and when they have been pushed to their physical limits, such as her photos of the high wrestling team. She explores gender roles by placing males in female positions and plays around with the meaning of that situation. I do not know exactly if I like her as an artist. However, she did say something that could apply to any photographer. She mentioned that when she is working in the field and she takes pictures it can be, "...not a picture I planned but a picture I saw." This can and should indeed be something that all photographers come to understand.

Sally Mann

I found this artist particularly interesting. Her connection to nature and love for her work is priority in her life. While she admits to not be the best of mothers, I am sure her kids received a worthy experience growing up having such an artist for a mother. One thing that stuck out to me the most was that she embraces the flaws in her work. She said that is what makes them interesting. I on the other hand tend to try and perfect the little things. I wish to bring her philosophy to my work and enjoy the small errors, even perfect work can be boring. Im happy she is very open about everything in her life, and I am sure that her kids will appreciate all their hard modeling work growing up later in their life.

Roni Horn

I found the video of Roni Horn extremely philosophical. Her perception of the world is rare. Not too many people get to understand and perceive things as she does. She has this obsession with water and the human condition that craves it, that needs it in some comforting way. I enjoyed her water pieces in Iceland, the idea of water flowing around the school along with the students up and down the hallway is very clever. She said she does not want the unknown to disappear, she wants to be in it. To be in non-existence, almost in a spiritual manner. Her installation art is very creative, I did like the her definition of space and image space being two different things and I do agree with her on most she had to say.

This is her niece.

Website in Progress

This is a website background graphic I started today. I have been experimenting with colors, size, and composition. Obviously, I am trying out a grunge style and my website will be about alternative energy but thats subject to change at anytime. I may need to narrow my focus on what about energy I will be researching. Im looking forward to using Dreamweaver, so far it is pretty simple. My website is up and running but has absolutely no content. I will keep posting the images I plan on using. As of now it is only a work in progress.

Rick Smolan

Rick Smolan appears to be a very lucky person. His photography career, as he puts it, has been favored by fate. It is amazing how well timed his career highlights have come to be. Being so young and passionate about photography and getting the chance to work for Time Magazine, he got to travel the world and see interesting cultures and document life changing events. The most interesting accomplishment, to me, was the "Day in the Life of Australia" event that he spent almost two years organizing. This event challenged 100 of the best photographers in the world to come to Australia for one day and take pictures, afterwards, only the best pictures were chosen and comprised into a book.

He has had a journalist career that most would dream of. On top of everything that he has done he is very funny and full of life. You can read on his face that he does not regret a single decision in his many years of photography / journalism and now publishing. I admire how determined he was to pursue his dreams though discouraged by his parents. Funny enough though, his father was a photographer in the military. I thought the lynda.com videos featuring him were very organized. I would definitely enjoy looking at more of his work.

Rick Smolan on Wikipedia