Photographic Interpretations

NFTs or  Non-Fungible Tokens have grabbed the attention of artists all over the world.  With the digital collage art selling at Christie's for $69 Million, artists are not starting to take notice of this interesting way to sell art. But what is a NFT?  And how do I get in on this? We all know a digital image can be copied, shared and duplicated over and over again. This is where NFTs have changed the digital art world. They allow you to create something that can't be duplicated, the actual ownership of the artwork. This is your digital signature or certificate of authenticity of your photo. NFTs allow you to create limited editions of your digital artwork, all while retaining the copyright. What makes them valuable is the ownership recorded on a blockchain. A block chain is a digital ledger similar to the networks that support cryptocurrency. Each NFT is unique and can't be duplicated. They are unique digital artworks no one else can own. Of course, people might have a co...

Well, it looks like in-person workshops are happening again! Covid kind of put them on hold but they are back. Even though I did a few Zoom workshops over the past 12 months, there is nothing like getting together and working with a live model. My Fine Art Nude Photography Workshop will be  4 hours and will also have a Zoom component where I'll retouch and tweak a few images live so you can see my workflow.  The nude photography workshop will be May 1st at the Art Establishment in Fountain Hill, PA, from Noon until 4:00 I will be focusing on lighting the nude model using only one light source. By using strobes, an LED light panel and an Ice Light, along with various modifiers, we'll create dramatic nude portraits and body scapes. Plus at the end of the workshop you'll be able to work with our model one-on-one to create your own images. For this workshop I was lucky enough to book as our model the beautiful Carissa Santigate.  IG @freshcinnamonrols     If you're ...

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 ...

"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 ...