Photographic Interpretations

 For the longest time, we always though that what we saw in a photograph was reality. The camera doesn't lie. Then came the dawn of digital photography and the programs for photo manipulations, and our idea of what's real, changed. Recently, I've seen the debate about photography purism spring up again. Specifically due to the new updates in Photoshop 2022 and other such programs that has made it easier and easier to manipulate, change, remove and add things to photographs. This top photo, is a photo I took of Steel Stacks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on a pretty but cloudless day. In about 3 minutes I was able to change what was once a very average photograph to one that has more impact and drama. Is this wrong? Am I not telling the truth? Or am I just creating an image with more feeling and drama, just like any other artist would do? Photographic manipulation is this is nothing new to photography.  Photographic artists have manipulated images almost since the medium was inv...

Morning Sunlight  #ZenPhotoChallenge   If you are like me, these last few months have been surreal. With all the shelter in place orders, closed stores and for a time, closed parks and paths, it's been hard to keep any sense or normalcy.  I've seen a lot of photographers photographing things in their home, flowers, spoons just to keep busy. Keep shooting. But for me this didn't work. For the last 35 years I have always felt I needed to say something with my photography. Get a point across, push and issue. But now, I have struggled with a complete creative block. The lack of even wanting to pick up my camera. That was, until I remembered a few things I actual teach my students. I have forgotten over the years the shear joy of just shooting. Picking up my camera and taking photos just to take them, with no expectations, no story to tell. What got me shooting again was actually teaching my wife photography. She has always been interested and I really am not ...

"Face of Fear"       We are in unprecedented times. A time of extreme uncertainty, confusion and cause for great fear and nervousness. It is not a time for party politics and boastful pride to take center stage. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, our leadership has been confused, contradictory and extremely slow to act. These qualities are not what we look for in a leadership and especially our President. This President relies on grand gestures, lies, self-praise,  fear mongering and threats. All of these things came to light during his press conference on Friday. If this was just some political gesture with no repercussions other than another get out of jail free card for him, it wouldn't be an issue. But with a global pandemic creeping over the world, direct, decisive and true action is needed. We are seeing shelves in grocery stores bare of essentials. Local governments shutting down all commerce and a stock market in free fall. There is no dou...

In my over 35 years of being a professional photographer and artist I have been censored more times than I can remember. Yes, my form of expression is photographing the nude form and yes, some of my work, about 10 years ago, did push boundaries. But they were only shown in a gallery space where the visitors knew what was being show and had to be over 21. So now, besides shooting, I teach. I teach basic photography, advanced techniques, and also studio workshops. One of which is a figure study workshop. So, in this day and age where do you advertise but on social media. The video above "was" posted on facebook but it seems it now violates their standards. even thought I was vert careful not to show anything explicit and show less than some regular posters do from their bathrooms or in their bathing suits. When a media giant like facebook who also owns Instagram dominate the market and bans a user what can be done? It seems nothing. So, I now need to find alternat...

"Innocence Lost" 2019 Photography can be so much more than pretty pictures. I can also be used to raise awareness on social issues, to help create a dialogue. Unfortunately in the area I live in, the galleries and people who actually show art work, first think of photography as the step child of the arts and secondly, do not want to show anything even a little bit controversial. It's not that they can't monetize and sell the work, it's because they either are afraid to offend or maybe cause waves, or aren't brave enough to take a stand. This is not new to me, I have been aware of this since I start exhibiting my work. But I find that more and more people are afraid to take a risk, push the envelope, make a stand. They are happy with pretty pictures to fill their gallery walls. These pretty pictures are part of the reason that photography still is not taken seriously in the art world. If I mention Lewis Hines, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evens, W. Eugene ...

e·ro·sion - the gradual destruction or diminution of something Currently there is organized conservative attack on the rights of women in tis country. When Trump basically stole the election in 2016, he set into motion his plan to reverse any intelligent, thoughtful and remotely progressive laws that this country has built in the last 50 years. When the Republicans illegally blocked President Obama's choice for Supreme Court, Merrick Garland to replace conservative Antonin Scalia, this set the wheels of extreme conservatism into motion. Since then the court has been swung to a 5-4 conservative court with no one in the middle ground. The Republican plan to reshape the laws of this land in it's extremely conservative image is moving unimpededly forward. When these new justices where under oath in a Congressional hearing, they all spoke of not overturning existing law that has come in front of the courts before them. But as recently as this month the courts just reve...

In 2017, hate crimes rose over 12% from the previous year. And this year the data shows that these crimes will rise greatly once again. Emboldened by Trump's hate speech and rhetoric, these low life xenophiles have now become more brazen and taken their once hidden, dark coroner of the internet ugliness and become mainstream and "accepted" by the rest of the Republican establishment. With his blatant lies and fear mongering about minorities, migrants and people of different faiths and sexual orientation, Trump has legitimized the white supremacists. All for votes. All to activate these groups to keep the Republican party in control of the House and Senate. With this control, they are trying to disenfranchise the minorities in this country that have made America the country of diverse thought. Diverse in arts, culture, science and technology. Roped in with the extreme radical right are the Christian Conservatives who have turned a blind eye to the hate and...