Here is a list my of upcoming exhibits for the first half of 2010:
1. LA Art Fair, with the Group LA project, Jan 21-24
2. Irvine Fine Arts Center, with the Photographers Exchange Group, Feb 19 – April 3
3. Laguna Art Museum, OsCene 2010, Feb 21 – May 16
4. Gallery 825, Solo Exhibit, March 20 – April 16
5. University of Wisconsin, Solo Exhibit, June 4 – September 14
I will have work from four different series in these exhibits. Hope to see you at one or all.
by Gina Genis
Just who, if any, will be the successor to the Dalai Lama has been a topic of debate for quite some time. Now, with the charismatic and controversial leader of the Tibetan people in his mid-70s, eyes are focusing increasingly on the Karmapa – a 24-year old Buddhist monk.
Award-winning, Bangladeshi freelance photographer and TCI instructor, “Akash,” traveled to Dharamsala in northern India, home of His Holiness and seat of the Tibet Government in Exile, to photograph the Karmapa – the young man who will most likely be the future spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people. Akash’s coverage is featured in this month’s issue of German GEO magazine.
G.M.B Akash teaches the online-interactive course, Street Photography – Creative and Classic, at The Compelling Image.
Check out this article from Alternative Photography online magazine, about a thorough account of the Getty Museum’s ambitious research project of chemical process photography.
Bank of America has announced free 1st weekends at many museums across the country. Just show your B of A credit or debit card for entry. See link for further details and list of participating museums.
http://museums.bankofamerica.com/
by Gina Genis
HENRY DAVID THOREAU
If you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams and endeavor to live the life you have imagined, you will meet with a success unexpected In common hours. You will pass an invisible boundary new, universal and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within you and you will live with the license of a higher order of beings.
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.
PLATO
The man who arrives at the doors of artistic creation with none of the madness of the Muses, would be convinced that technical ability alone was enough to make an artist . . . what that man creates by means of reason will pale before the art of inspired beings.
THOMAS ALVA EDISON
Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration.
PICASSO
You need not leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You need not even listen, simply wait, just learn to become quiet, and still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.
Professional fine art photographer David Hoptman teaches two online and interactive courses at The Compelling Image-The Abstract Image and Mixed-Media Photography.
Different schools of thought have evolved through time and each have given a particular consideration to the concept of how in fact we as creative beings arrive at the moment of inception in regards to creative process. There are those who feel that emotions and intuition power the creative spirit while others feel that there is a more rationalistic or scientific approach to be adhered to. Each and every one of us knows that in order to function in our society today we need to find a balance between emotions and rationale. As individuals we all have different personas’ from one another, each unique. It is this distinctiveness that gives way to our ability to incorporate originality into our work if we so decide. This unique human quality is in part the basis for all that follows artistically. It is this ground infused with imaginative potential that we as humans use as a springboard to delve into what is most valued as artistic beings and that is expression of the self.
Kant maintained that morality and creativity do not follow causal, scientific law, they exist in a unique realm distinctive from physics: so called meta physics where the rules are written by god. More to come … ANY THOUGHTS TO SHARE?
Professional fine art photographer David Hoptman teaches two online and interactive courses at The Compelling Image-The Abstract Image and Mixed-Media Photography.
There’s an interesting article in this month’s Wired Magazine about the proliferation of so-called “Good Enough” technologies. In an age of increased technological sophistication, it turns out we like our gadgets cheap, simple and minimalistic. Take, for instance, the MP3. The audio quality of an MP3 is terrible compared to a uncompressed WAV file, but consumers have demonstrated they’ll take the convenience of the small file size over the purity of hi-fidelity any day.
This trend extends to video as well. The article highlights the Flip digital video camera, so simple and feature-deprived that even a puppet can figure it out. By every account, the Flip should be a novelty, a toy for either the super thrifty for whom it’s their only option, or the super rich who can hand them out as party favors at their kid’s Bar Mitzvah. But despite having inferior image quality, no zoom and no image stabilization, the Flip is the top selling digital camera on the market. The Flip is everything large HD cameras not: fast, cheap and easy.
So what to make of this phenomenon, and what does it mean for the future of video production? I, for one, think it’s great that cameras are getting cheaper and smaller and easier to use. I believe we’re entering a whole new world of video literacy and storytelling, one where a filmmaker’s idea is more important than his or her equipment. The more comfortable we as a society get with consuming and producing video, the more creative and innovative we will become in telling and appreciating great stories.
One of my favorite videos I produced in the last year was with three Flips, a digital still camera and a prosumer HDV video camera during Barack Obama’s inauguration. I had three colleagues station themselves around Washington, DC, filming people arriving to the ceremony as well as anything else interesting they saw. With the digital camera I took still photos, and with the HDV camera I was able to get some nice candid shots of people’s faces as they watched Obama’s speech. I then edited all of the clips together to create what I like to call an ‘experiential’ interpretation of the event. Without the smaller and cheaper equipment I never could have done a project like this.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH “THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY EXPERIENCE”
All that said, much of what makes this video work is that the production value is still fairly high. There’s not a whole lot of shakycam (unless it’s intentional), the shots are framed according to fundamental rules of composition, there’s an overarching narrative and the editing flows together. Compare this effort to someone who just filmed the ceremony for their video scrapbook, and you’ll see what I mean. There are some universal fundamentals of video production – such as planning and organization, scripting, sequencing, etc. – that are instrumental no matter what kind of camera you own or story you want to tell. So to all you aspiring filmmakers out there, remember that gear can be “Good Enough,” but presentation must just be “Good.”
Professional videojournalist Andrew Satter teaches online and interactively at The Compelling Image. Learn more about his course, “Mastering Video Production Basics,” and how it can get you up-and-running in the field of digital video production. ENROLL NOW! There are still openings for the current session.
The other day I got a last-minute assignment to cover a rally by American progressives in support of a government-run health insurance plan. If you’ve been following the health care debate in the US you know that it’s become an emotional issue, especially in the past few weeks. After weeks of contentious town hall meetings where opponents of the government plan shouted down members of Congress and some protesters even brought guns to events with President Obama, the left felt it was time to fight back. With the president coming to the nearby Democratic National Committee to rally supporters, his base gathered outside with signs and chants to put the pressure on him to pass a public option. I’ve covered more than my share of rallies and protests working in Washington, and below I will share some tips on how I approach such assignments.
(Watch my video from the rally outside the DNC here).
FIND THE LEADERS
The first thing I do when covering a rally or a protest is find out who is organizing the event and try to get in touch with them in advance. It’s important to try to get a few names to ask for so that when you get to the scene you’re not lost in a sea of people. The other thing to check is if there are going to be any counter-protesters. I called a few of the opposition groups and they said they weren’t sure if they were going to send anyone. So by the time I got to the scene I pretty much knew who to look for from the organizers, and not to expect a whole lot of opposition. What that told me is that since I likely won’t have interviews from each side I’d need to include a bit of background in either narration or voice over to set the stage.
SHOW UP EARLY
Another concern when covering a rally is that people are very suspicious of people they don’t know with cameras. While groups like media attention for their cause, their first instinct is to be suspicious of the person behind the lens – many assume you are a plant from an unsympathetic opposition and will edit the footage to make them look bad. Too alleviate this concern, I always try to show up early and talk to people before the real rally starts, while it’s still quiet and get people comfortable with seeing me there. And of course, I wear my press badge with my organization’s name clearly displayed.
INTERVIEWS ARE SUBSTANCE
Try to talk to as many people as possible and get as many points of view as possible, both across the political spectrum and even within one side of a spectrum (oftentimes you’ll find many different voices within one group). Listen to people and really try to get a personal answer to the question, “why are you here? Why is this important?” People are very complex and it takes a lot for someone to take to the streets, so be certain to understand their grievance. Rally or protest stories can all look and sound the same – what really sets them apart are good, honest interviews. That said, don’t be afraid to challenge people if they are repeating falsehoods or spreading mistruths. It does no one any good to let people, whether out of ignorance or malice, perpetuate myths. So do your research before an event so that you can tell what is spin and what is genuine.
MAKING IT LOOK GOOD
Finally, part of what makes rallies so much fun to cover is that they provide lots of action and emotion. There’s plenty of opportunities for good nat sound, be it a chant, two people arguing or other noises that arise out of a bunch of people trying to draw attention to themselves. There’s signs, faces filled with emotion and often colorful props and costumes. Be sure to get lots of good close ups. Don’t be afraid to get your camera right in someone’s face. If you’re not close, it can just look like a bunch of people milling about (note of caution: be sure to accurately represent the size of the rally. Wide shots are important to show whether there’s only a handful of people or whether there’s a million people). As for editing, if it’s an energetic rally the editing can be fast and tight. If it’s more somber, like a vigil, then you can slow down the pace and rhythm of the editing. Remember, you want to tell a story about this particular rally on this particular day, so make it interesting while staying factually accurate. Ultimately, you should give viewers an understanding of what the protesters want within the larger context of what’s happening. In short, tell the truth and provide context.
Professional videojournalist Andrew Satter teaches online and interactively at The Compelling Image. Learn more about his course, “Mastering Video Production Basics,” and how it can get you up-and-running in the field of digital video production.
I have just published a book on Blurb.com.
It is work that I have been involved with for over twenty five years. The title is FACESINMIND … the journey of PHOTO mixed media in regards to the face and its features.
Also I am at the beginning of my Photo workshop season 2009 that I teach on a regular basis here in Tuscany, Italy. TUSCAN LIGHT PHOTO WORKSHOPS.
I look forward to any comments,questions or suggestions.
The second-ever presidential election was held in Afghanistan today. With lead-up to it characterized by spotty campaigning, Taliban intimidation and a generous dose of apathy, expectations weren’t high.
Supporters at a campaign rally in Kabul for presidential candidate, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.
Turn-out, at least in Kabul, was sporadic and low. Many people just weren’t prepared to risk their lives for a change they don’t see coming. As a result, no one among the front-running three or four candidates will probably receive 50 percent of the vote needed to win in the first round. Consensus on the streets of the capital has it that a second go at president-making is surely in the cards – a possible month down the road.
Afghans are a patient lot, though. They’ve been waiting for something more and better in their lives for the past 30 years. Who knows – Inshallah – this next 5-year government may just be it.
A villager in Nuristan Province displays his voter registration card.
Photojournalist David Bathgate teaches an online course in photojournalism at The Compelling Image.
