Evan Baines Photography

Our French Laundry Dinner

2009-11-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

Wine: Krug Grand Cuvee NV Champagne

Amuse: Gruyere Cheese Puffs
Amuse: Salmon Tartare Cornets

"Oysters and Pearls"
"Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar

Hand Rolled Ricotta "Gnocchi"
Piedmont Hazelnuts, Musquée de Provence Pumpkin and Shaved White Truffles from Alba

Wine: 2006 Albert Grivault Meursault "Clos de Perrières 1er Cru

For Amanda: Tartare of Japanese Bluefin Tuna
Water Chestnuts, Hass Avocado, Radish, Mizuna and Blood Orange-Vanilla "Nuage"

For Evan: Sautéed Fillet of Atlantic Pompano
Hearts of Palm, Padrón Peppers, Cilantro, Medjool Date, Pili Nut and Eureka Lemon Coulis

New Bedford Sea Scallop "Blanquette"
Chanterelle Mushrooms, Sweet Carrot and Sugar Snap Peas

Wine: 2007 Martinelli "Bondi Home Ranch-Water Trough Vineyard" Pinot Noir

For Amanda: Salmon Creek Farms Pork Belly
"Morcilla," Pearl Onions, Apricot and Frisée

For Evan: Moulard Duck "Foie Gras en Terrine"
Cranberry Jam, Tokyo Turnip, Beligian Endive, Pecans and Corn "Génoise"
Served with a glass of 1986 Chateau Raymond Lafon Sauternes

Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Rib-Eye "En Persillade"
Glades Sweetbreads, "Cassoulet" of Autumn Beans, San Marzano Tomato Compote and Thyme Jus

Cheese Course: "Manchego"
"Patatas Bravas," Broccolini and Pickled Garlic

For Amanda: 2003 Topaz "Special Select" Late Harvest California Dessert Wine
For Evan: 2002 Királyudvar, Tokaji Cuvée, "Ilona," Tokaj

Bartlett Pear Sorbet
with Roasted Jacobsen's Farm Pears, and Chai Tea Sablé

"Coffee and Donuts"
Cappuccino Semifreddo with Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

For Amanda: Bakewell Tart
Huckleberries, Carcona Almonds, and Crème Fraîche Sherbet

For Evan: "Gâteau Saint Nizier Au Manjari"
Mango-Chili Relish, Valrhona Cocoa Nibs, Lime Foam and Coconut Milk Sorbet

Coffee and Mignardises

A Moving Experience

2009-09-29T09:27:00.001-07:00

Hi folks! We've moved the wedding blog onto our new website at Nashville Wedding Photographer Evan Baines! You can check the "recent" section, or you can browse the blog through the galleries as well. I'm probably going to keep this blog for non-wedding posts, but for right now don't expect much activity here for a bit.

Cheers!
-E

Karen + Dave: Wedding

2009-09-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve known Dave for the better part of a decade, and he’s just an unbelievable human being. I was thrilled to be able to help out with his wedding up in Lexington, KY! Karen & Dave were married at the gate of Gratz Park, and then rode their horse-drawn carriage a few blocks to the Carrick House for a beautiful reception. Karen is an amazingly expressive woman, and she looked beautiful throughout the day: she was a joy to photograph. Her makeup artist Ana did a superb job, and that always makes a huge difference! I was ably assisted by Mr. Tom Cannon on this set.

Thank you so much Karen & Dave for allowing me to be part of your day. I hope you love these pictures! To register for the full online gallery, please follow this link to my Pictage site: David & Karen’s Wedding Gallery.

Vendor List
Wedding Coordinator: Deanna Dillender, Great Expectations
Hair Styling: Cha Cha’s Salon
Makeup Artist: Applied Cosmetic Services
Ceremony Music: Phoenix Entertainment
Reception Music: Grooves on the Move
Carriage: Lexington Livery
Bentley Limo: Gold Shield Transportation
Florist: Hollie Chambliss
Cake: Martine’s Pastries

Please click for a larger view!!

image by Tom Cannon

Steph + Michael: Wedding

2009-08-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is a set of images from a wedding this past weekend, where I was helping out the incomparable Tony Hoffer. Tony is a good friend of mine and a brilliant photographer, so when circumstances permitted us to work together, I was thrilled to collaborate. The weather was uncooperative with the outdoor wedding plans, but in retrospect it added many interesting facets to the photography. As I was not the primary photographer here, you may notice some differences and/or omissions from my standard coverage.

So Michael looked JUST like Actor Wes Bentley (pictured right)

Elizabeth + Bill: Wedding

2009-08-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth and Bill were married this past weekend at a beautiful ceremony in Our Savior Lutheran Church here in Nashville, TN. I couldn't have asked for a couple with more sincerity and chemistry. The reception was held at fabulous Belmont Mansion, which also made my photographic job easier.

If you are interested in being notified when the entirety of this wedding is edited and released for viewing and ordering (a few more weeks!), please follow this link and sign up for Elizabeth & Bill's online gallery:

http://www.pictage.com/700719

Thank you for looking, and please click on an image for a larger view (a must with the shot of the couple entering Belmont!).

Elizabeth: Bridal Portraits

2009-08-12T09:10:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth is a beautiful lady who was married this past weekend. I hope you enjoy her bridal portraits, taken in my downtown Nashville studio! The second shot is my favorite: I really feel that it is both an illustration of how lovely she looked AND a hint of her personality.

Please click on the images for a larger version!

Randi + Wes: Engagement

2009-08-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

Randi & Wes linked up with me the other day for an engagement session that started in the studio, moved through Radnor Lake, and then wound up at a Starbucks. They had their first date at a 'Bucks, so it was a fun way to create some relaxed lifestyle portraits. The first studio portrait was directly inspired by Avedon's Portrait of Alfred Leslie & Lisa Bigelow (small photo on right).

I hope you enjoy them!

Melissa + Bart: Engagement

2009-07-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

I journeyed up to Hopkinsville, KY this past week to do an engagement portrait session for Melissa and Bart, who are getting married in the fall. Melissa and Bart were looking for an organic, outdoorsy style of images that captures their personality, and also incorporates their furry family-members. I hope you all enjoy viewing this set as much as I did shooting it!

Please click on any picture for a larger version.

John + Laura: Wedding

2009-07-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I journeyed to Washington DC to chronicle the wedding of John & Laura at St. John's Church. St. John's is known as the church of Presidents, because of its location directly across Lafayette Square from the White House. Laura prepared for the ceremony at the luxurious Hay Adams Hotel, also across from the President's house, and the ceremony was around the corner at the historic Decatur House.

I was ably assisted throughout the day by local photographer Sarah Salyer, and can't thank her enough for all of her hard work.

I've also included in this set a handful of Laura's bridal portraits, taken in advance of the wedding.

Enjoy, and remember to click on the images for a larger version.

Yes, that's the White House Gate. I probably almost got shot.

Bridal Images

Commercial: Masato Pearls

2009-07-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled to be chosen to do the website and marketing photography for Masato Pearls' upcoming campaign. These are absolutely beautiful salt-water pearls from the far east: its always easier to do product photography when the product is simply stunning! Black, gold, and white pearls all have unique properties that represent special challenges for a photographer. here is a sampling of what we shot!

Raina + Jeff: Wedding

2009-07-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

So I've gotta say I was a bit offended when the best man accused me of pandering, because I was wearing my Boston Red Sox cufflinks to the wedding. I'll have you know that I've been a Sox fan since my college days up at Bentley in Waltham, MA! I figured that Raina & Jeff would think it was cool, but I certainly didn't buy them just to impress a set of clients!

(kidding)

Anyway... You may notice a decidedly Fenway-centric theme running through this set. That is entirely intentional.

I think that two of the most meaningful images for me are the two shots up in the stairwell, taken just after the ceremony. Raina & Jeff had just run up there to stay out of side while the crowds subsided, and those photographs are unscripted and genuine. Another poignant moment occured during Raina's sister's toast: Raina's expression listening to her sister speak is priceless.

As usual, thanks to Kristen Carolan for doing such an amazing job organizing and coordinating!

Wedding Planner: Kristen Carolan of Simply Stunning Events
Wedding Venue: Belmont Heights Baptist Church
Reception Venue: The Country Music Hall of Fame
Catering: SoBro Catering
Florals: Fresh by Carry Ann
Cake: Cakes by Shara
DJ: Brent Cantrell with Cosmo Creations
Videographer: Realize Studios

We're also trying out some of our new branding in the watermarks on this set, which we're very excited about. Expect to see more of this soon!

Enjoy the images, and please click on any for a larger view!

WPPI Accolades!

2009-07-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

I'm excited to announce that all eight of these images were honored with Accolades of Excellence in the prestigious WPPI 8x10 print competition this week! Thanks to the wonderful couples that worked with me on these images, without whom non of this would have been possible.

Lisa & Robbie: Reception

2009-06-24T13:52:00.001-07:00

Amanda & I traveled up to Indianapolis this weekend to photograph the state-side reception for Lisa & Robbie following their wedding in the Mayan Riviera. When we arrived at the hotel, it was completely full of Phish fans fresh from a concert and smelling of various illegal substances. We were barely able to secure a room!

Due to scheduling issues, we were forced to execute the group photos in some of the harshest conditions possible for a photographer: bright midday sun and 90+ degree heat. A little lighting magic (ok, a LOT!) gave us some really lovely portraits, but I sure had to work for it!

Since this was a reception and not a wedding, many of the things you might expect to see in my sets are missing (IE ceremony).

Please click for a larger image!

Did I mention the bright overhead sun?

By far my favorite image of the day. This is Robbie to a T.

Groom and bridesmaid
setting off fireworks and running away...

AIGA CASE Awards Wins!

2009-06-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to announce that two of my images were selected for awards in the 2009 AIGA Nashville CASE Awards! The AIGA is the largest and most important professional organization for designers, and the CASE Awards are Nashville's competition to honor the best in advertising, design, and media. I was thrilled and honored to compete in such a great competition!

Congratulations to all of the winners, most particularly my friends at Iostudio, LLC, who raked in a number of awards!

ADDENDUM! Apparently, the SpinFitness shot won a "Best in Category." Unfortunately, I missed the Awards ceremony due to a gig up in Indianapolis. Thank you Kevin!

Best in Category Award: Photography (Advertising)
Client: SpinFitness
Art Direction: Fred Heim

Merit Award: Photography (Editorial)

Client: GX Magazine

Elizabeth + Bill: Engagement

2009-06-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

=We had a great time the other night with Elizabeth and Bill on their engagement session at Radnor Lake and on the Vanderbilt campus! It's wonderful to work with couples that are so totally "into" each other: makes my job very easy!

Please click for a larger view!

Courtney + Mike: Engagement

2009-06-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

Wow its been a busy few weeks! Sorry to everyone if my emails have been a little more tardy than usual: lots of travel and TONS of work. I also owe some of my friends blog comments on their sites: again, my apologies.

Without further ado, here are some of my favorites from Courtney & Mike's warm-weather engagement session here in Nashville! Thanks for being such great sports guys, and I'm really looking forward to your wedding just around the bend!

Jenny + Tim: Wedding

2009-06-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled to photograph Jenny & Tim's beautiful wedding this past Saturday. You couldn't ask for a more friendly or sincere group of people. The feel of the wedding was simple, classic, and vintage. The intimate ceremony was held in Owen's Chapel Church of Christ in Brentwood, erected back in the 1800's, and the reception was at Traveler's Rest Plantation. Tim is a photographer himself, and both he and Jenny had a specific vision for their wedding photography: classic & elegant photojournalism and editorial portraiture.

Kristin Carolan did a superb job coordinating all of the details, and all the other vendors did a great job as well!

Thanks for making me a part of your day guys! It was brutal trying to whittle this set down to this few images!

Wedding Planner: Kristin Carolan of Simply Stunning Events
Ceremony Venue: Owen's Chapel Church of Christ
Reception Venue: Traveler's Rest Plantation
Catering: Menu Maker Catering (Mary Weary)
Florals: Rachel Short Designs
Lighting: Nashville Event Lighting
Cake: Maples Wedding Cakes
Videographer: Realize Studios
Makeup: Lisa Johnson
Keyboardist: Kevin Reeves
Ceremony Musician: Andrea Carroll (Violinist)

Please click for a larger image!

This is one of my favorite pieces of photojournalism from the wedding. I really love this photo!

This little guy was very impressed by my camera's 10 frames-per-second.

New Wedding Books!

2009-06-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have met with me recently probably have heard how excited I am about this new product offering: our new heirloom albums! These beautiful books are a hybrid flush-mount and matted album, offering the dynamic full spreads of a contemporary "storybook" style with the classic elegance of window mats. These books also offer countless customization options, for those couples that want a truly personalized album. Here are some quick snaps I took in my living-room that definitely don't do justice to this beautiful tome: fancier shots will come along once I get a chance to take it to the studio.

Specs:
12x12" Book with Custom Slip-Case
White Top Grain Cowhide
Photo Cover
Copper Imprint, Gilding, and Mat-liners
White mat pages

Enjoy! Please let me know if you'd like an appointment to check out this book in person!

Lisa: Bridal Portraits

2009-06-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, its been a busy few weeks and its not getting any slower! I apologize to y'all if my emails and phone calls aren't as super-prompt as I usually try to be. I was away in the early part of this week up in Chicago shooting a wedding with my good friend Sam Hassas, which also gave me the opportunity to spend some quality time with my brother and sister-in-law. For those of you who don't know Sam, he's a brilliant wedding photographer based in San Jose, and I've had the privilege of shooting with him twice in the past year.

Anyway, a few months back we took Lisa to Union Station in downtown Nashville to create some stylish bridal portraits. Unfortunately, the Mexican resort where Lisa got married didn't allow outside photographers, but I'll be photographing her state-side reception in a few weeks up in Indianapolis. Now that Lisa is safely married, I'm able to post these portraits of which I'm quite proud. The folks over at Hair Mafia did a great job on her hair and makeup, which really makes a huge difference!

Please click for a larger view!

Tanya + Aaron: Wedding

2009-05-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

We've had a dicey run with weather here in the Nashville area lately, and last Saturday was no exception. We were fortunate, however, that other than a few sprinkles the rain held off for Tanya & Aaron's beautiful outdoor wedding on the family farm in Franklin. I think one of the most touching moments for me was when Tanya walked from the house to the ceremony with her daughter, and Aaron went out to meet the two ladies at the end of the aisle. The trio walked down the aisle together, as a new family. It was a wonderful symbolic gesture, and really tells the story of this great group of people.

Thanks to all the vendors whose hard work made the day go off without a hitch!

Wedding Planner: Marcia Husband
Floral Stylings: Knestrick by Design
Tents/Party Rentals: Liberty Party Renta l
Wedding Cake: Publix of Franklin
Event Lighting: Tech Works
Ceremony Music: The Marty Crum Quartet
Reception Music: The Clarence Dobbins Revue
Catering: Namie Mason
Limo: Valet Parking Management & Transportation

Please click on the images for a larger view!

Bouncing Baby Buckley

2009-05-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Baby sessions can be extremely trying if the star of the show decides to be temperamental. However, my job is a breeze when my subject is as friendly and happy as Buckley.

Photo-shoots are even more fun when the clients provide a superb home-made brunch as part of the session! That was some French toast Diane!

Cheers!

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to take a moment out of our regularly scheduled programming to wish you all a happy Memorial Day, and remember my 5th Special Forces Group brothers who never came home. Forget politics or other divisive topics: each of these men believed in the best of the American dream and gave his life for the ideals of freedom and justice.

The motto of the Special Forces Regiment is De Oppresso Liber: "To Free The Oppressed."

De Oppresso Liber, brothers. I hope the team room fridge up there is stocked with plenty of cold ones.

SSG Ayman A. Taha
SSG Gary R. Harper
SFC Brett Walden
SSG Matthew Kimmell
CPT Michael Tarlavsky
SSG Paul C. Mardis
SSG Aaron Holleyman
SGM Michael Stack
MSG Kevin Morehead
MAJ Paul Syverson III
SFC William Bennett
SFC Daniel H. Petithory
SSG Brian C. Prosser
MSG Jefferson D. Davis

As you enjoy your Memorial day, Please take a moment to reflect on those who gave their lives for the freedoms we all enjoy.

Daniele + André: Wedding

2009-05-19T08:28:00.001-07:00

Damp weather couldn't dampen our spirits on Saturday as Daniele and André tied the knot at St. Henry's church. As a photographer, I look at situations like rain as an opportunity for interesting and unique images. The 5th shot in this set is one of my favorite pieces of photojournalism this year: Daniele being helped into the church by the chauffeur holding an umbrella, while her father holds the door.

I also feel like this is an excellent opportunity to give a shout out to my good friend Dave Nuding with Nashville's Blue Tone Music group. Having a good band or DJ at your reception can really make an impact on how your party runs, and the Blue Tones are among the very best I've seen. I've known Dave for a while through TWESA, where he coordinated our spring Habitat for Humanity build, but this was my first time actually working with him. The Blue Tones have a well-deserved reputation for excellence.

Among the emotional high-points of the day were almost certainly the serenades: Daniele and her father are both supremely talented musicians. First, Mr. Caroleo grabbed a guitar and performed a beautiful rendition of "Always" for his daughter, and then she took the stage in turn and captivated the entire hall with her amazing voice, styling the classic "My Romance" for André. The pair capped off their performances for the evening with a stunning version of "Unforgettable."

Thanks to Daniele and André for making me a part of their day, to Amber Housley for her help and excellent job coordinating the occasion, and to all the other vendors who made the day such a success!

Wedding Venue: St. Henry Catholic Church
Reception Venue: The University Club of Nashville
Wedding Coordinator: A Delightful Day Event Planning
Floral Design: Rhonda Patton Designs
Cake: Maples Wedding Cakes
Band: The Blue Tones
Stationary & Paper Details: Sweet Life Designs
Lighting: Nashville Event Lighting
Ceremony Musicians: Nashville Chamber Players
Limousine: Matchless Limousine
Guest Transportation: Anchor Tours

Jenny + Tim: Engagement

2009-05-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a selection of my favorite images from my shoot with Jenny & Tim this past weekend. We did the first part of the session at Radnor Lake, and then headed to 21st Ave for some fun at Fido and in the surrounding neighborhood. Tim is a bit of a photographer himself, so I know I needed to bring my "A" game to this one ;)

I'm very much looking forward to the wedding: with such a great couple, and the incomparable Kristin Carolan of Simply Stunning Events handling the details, I have no doubt it will be a lovely and memorable occasion!

"Whoa, we look deep!" - Tim

GX Magazine Cover

2009-05-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

The new issue of GX Magazine is out this week, with a cover image shot by yours-truly on assignment up with the Kentucky National Guard! This issue has an estimated circulation of 273,000, which ain't exactly small potatoes!

Congratulations to SGT Bryson Yarbrough on being selected for the cover story, and thanks for being such a pleasure to work with!

Also thanks to my editor Keith Kawasaki for providing me with cool assignments!

Courtney and George: Wedding

2009-05-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Courtney & George! Many thanks to both of your families, who were just wonderful to work with, and to all the other vendors who made this such a beautiful occasion!

Wedding Location: West End Church of Christ
Reception Location & Catering: Vanderbilt Legends Club
Bridal Gown: The White Room
Tuxedos: American Tuxedo
Wedding Cake: Patty Cakes
Bouquets: The Bellevue Florist
Music: Silver Strings
Videography: Weddings by Joel

Edward Steichen: In High Fashion

2009-05-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Cover Image from
Edward Steichen: In High Fashion
(The Conde Nast Years 1923-1937)

The most recent acquisition to my photography book collection is Edward Steichen: In High Fashion (The Conde Nast Years 1923-1937). Physically, the book is a hefty 12.3 x 10.4 x 1.3 inches , with 4 lengthy essays and 242 quad-tone images. The print quality is uniformly excellent, which prompts a disclaimer in the introduction that certain retouch-marks may be visible in this edition that would not have been seen in the original printings of these images due to the poorer print quality. The essays are solidly written in a style accessible to the layperson without an MFA in art history. They are generally celebratory, but provide useful context in which to place the collection of images.

Steichen is a fascinating character: in the early 1920's he stood at the pinnacle of the fine art photography world when he was approached by Conde Nast to be chief photographer for their fashion and society magazines, most notably Vogue and Vanity Fair. Steichen's fine arts colleagues urged him to decline the job offer, as fashion and commercial photography were not considered fertile ground for a true artist. Steichen was broadly derided as a sell-out for accepting the position. However, Steichen anticipated the immense power of images in print publications, and blazed a trail for a new era of dynamic imagery that blurred the lines between art and commerce. Indeed, subsequent photographers such as Penn, Avedon, Demarchelier, and Leibovitz all owe a debt to Steichen for being among the first to blend fine art and mass media.

There are two things that really stand out to me in Steichen's work for Conde Nast: his ability to infuse fashion photographs with the personality of the subjects (this was completely revolutionary at the time), and his willingness to apply unconventional "fine art" compositions and lighting to fashion images. Many of the images in the book seem downright abstracted by commercial standards, yet they remain accessable.

If you have any interest at all in classic photography, I'd definitely put this book on your shopping list. Its certainly having an influence on my work.

Courtney is Beautiful

2009-05-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Courtney & George were married yesterday in a lovely ceremony at the West End Church of Christ. Now that they're safely married, I can finally post Courtney's stunning bridal images. She's got a beautiful classic style, which I worked to augment with some vintage-inspired shots. The color images utilize a treatment inspired by the carbro-color shots of the 1940's.

Bridal Gown by The White Room in Lebanon, TN, with vintage gloves.

Welcome to the Neighborhood!

2009-05-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

I'm taking this opportunity to introduce you all to my friend Dori Thornton, who has just started her new business here in Nashville called The Social Office. The Social Office is an event planning service with expertise and experience ranging from weddings to corporate events.

What qualifies Dori to be an event planner you ask?

Well, she served as one of the youngest Deputy Social Secretaries in the history of the White House (yes, THAT White House), planning and coordinating events ranging from affairs of state to the Washington D.C. wedding reception for Jenna Bush.

Dori was introduced to me by Alice, one of my favorite past brides, and I was able to help Dori out with the photo on her website. Dori wanted something really vintage-looking for the site, and I think we succeeded with this shot.

Anyway, welcome to the neighborhood!

http://www.thesocialoffice.com

Getting in the Habit

2009-05-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

My extremely talented sister-in-law is a fashion-designer and boutique proprietor in Chicago, IL. Lindsey is a designer under the label Superficial Inc., and operates Habit, a design collective on Division street specializing in up-and-coming designers. Lindsey sent me one of the couture pieces from her spring lineup and asked me to provide some photography. The dress is a hand-stiched garment, inspired by the Culver House by Dirk Denison Architects. It features a detachable train, shown in the third image. This piece sold at auction last month at the Mies Van Der Rohe event, but Lindsey obtained permission from the owner to have the dress sent down to me for a few days. Amy Lynn Larwig did a stellar job on Crystal's makeup, and we were able to produce some effective fashion images for my dear sis.

Model: Crystal Borovik
Hair/Makeup Artist: Amy Lynn Larwig
Wardrobe: Lindsey Boland, Superficial Inc.
Styling: Amanda Baines

Photoshop Magic

2009-05-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm a pretty old-school kind of guy, and I harp on and on about getting it right in the camera. Don't let that fool you into thinking that I don't take every advantage of technology when I need to. Case in point: the wide-angle ceremony shot from Alicia & Brian's wedding.

During the ceremony, there was an extremely intense beam of light filtering in from the back window of Scarritt Bennett, being cast upon only part of the group. Any normal exposure on the camera would have looked something like this:

Not pretty, eh? The bride and most of her bridesmaids are completely overexposed, and the groomsmen are way underexposed. For you photo-geeks out there, it was a full four stops difference in exposures between light and dark: nothing that was even remotely in-bounds for a single capture.

So what did I do?

I pulled out my telephoto lens on my 1D3, set the exposure to bracket and fired away at 10 frames-per-second. Wound up with these:

You can see that the really dark exposures keep all the details in Alicia's beautiful dress, but the bright exposures show the expressions of all the groomsmen. It took about an hour, but I was able to blend all of those exposures into a single "working" image that looked something like this (I touched it up a fair bit later):

Then, I spent another half-hour or so blending the working image above into the first shot I posted, along with some careful editing of the original file. The final result looks totally natural and depicts the beauty of Alicia & Brian's wedding ceremony, but would have been completely impossible with any traditional technique.

Alicia + Brian: Wedding

2009-04-29T06:25:00.001-07:00

Here are my favorite images from Alicia and Brian's beautiful wedding. Enjoy!

Ceremony Venue: Scarritt Bennett Center
Reception Venue: Musician's Hall of Fame
Bridal Gown: Arzelle's

(If you are a vendor from this wedding and would like to be added to the list, please contact me!)

Alicia's Bridal Portraits

2009-04-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of shooting Alicia & Brian's wedding on Saturday... I'm hard at work on the wedding day images, but here are a few of Alicia's bridal portraits! The location shots were at the Scarritt Bennett Center, and the other was done at my studio on Cannery Row.

An Unlikely Weapon, Part II, with "Lovely Assistant" Amanda

2009-04-22T21:31:00.001-07:00

Eddie Adams, AP Photo

Hi, everyone: Amanda Baines here. Evan asked that I “guest blog” for Part II of his coverage of “An Unlikely Weapon: The Eddie Adams Story” to get an alternate perspective. The layman’s terms of it, perhaps? I said, “Fine. Cheeseburger first, then blogging.” So, after a lovely nosh of cheeseburger and fries at Five Guys, here I am.

I came to this film out of a desire to find something over which Evan and I could bond. I’m really into highbrow stuff (grammar jokes, esoteric subtitled films, etc.) and Evan is, of course, a photographer’s photographer...a student of the world of it who can’t get enough of it. He’s tried to teach me things and I’ve learned a little. Trouble is, my head is already so full of other technical information that I don’t know what to do with F-Stops and ISO’s and what have you.

When I shoot, which is rare (I’m a ham, what can I say? I prefer to be the focus of the picture, not the one focusing), I usually bring along a Holga. Point, Shoot, Pray: that’s a good enough MO for me. Leave the real photography to the professional in the family.

Anyway, I heard that this film was playing and got really excited. A few months back, Evan and I had attended a photography exhibition at the Frist Center here in Nashville, where we’d seen some of Eddie Adams’ prints, in person. I remember being instantly familiar with the shot when I saw it in person. I remember thinking to myself how horrible it was...and how lucky. Not lucky for Eddie in the sense that it granted him any wishes or fulfilled any dreams, and certainly it was bad luck for the shooter and victim in many ways afterwards, but lucky in a timing sense.

Working with Evan and other photographers, I’ve learned that timing is absolutely vital to all that they do. Understanding this, how purely lucky it is that the photo even exists. How many factors had to have merged to allow that shot to be captured at all.

In the film we meet Eddie as an older man, gruff, funny, and a bit of a rascal. I liked him immediately, much like most people who met him probably did. He seemed to have a affable sense of humor, an approachable vibe, and a self-deprecating manner that resulted in true honesty, made you want to know him, made you want him to want to know you, too, in a way.

Eddie Adams is best known for his combat photography, specifically during Vietnam. While there, Adams was placing himself in harm’s way along with the Soldiers, going on runs with them in helicopters, through the jungles of Vietnam. He knew, having been a soldier himself once, that this was the only way to win their respect.

He saw six friends die in the war, all photojournalists. After a particularly unfortunate incident (four photographers he knew were killed in a single helicopter crash) he called the president of the AP and asked to be sent home. He had already been in country for perhaps years by that time, photographing the day to day monotony and weariness of the Soldiers and citizens along with the drama and agony of the war. It was too much: he was spent. But when he got back home to New York City, he couldn’t relate to anyone who hadn’t experienced what he had. He felt detached, annoyed that no one seemed to care that there were people dying in Vietnam. He realized he had to go back the day he saw a disabled Vet on crutches nearly run down by a New York City cab. He called the president of the AP and asked to be sent back again.

The shot Eddie Adams became so famous for, the Shot That Turned The Tide In Vietnam, as it was dubbed by some interviewees in the film, was taken during this second tour. Things in Vietnam had gone from really bad to a lot worse since he’d been away. When that shot was taken, it was during of a Vietcong raid on Saigon where the US Embassy had been nearly destroyed and thousands Vietnamese citizens and US Troops alike dead or injured. On day two of the attacks, during the cleanup, Eddie Adams explained that he saw someone shackled: a prisoner, and saw more people with guns moving him down a street. As a photographer, his instinct was to follow, to see what happened, expecting to see the Soldiers cart him off to a paddy wagon and away.

Instead, the General simply stood the Vietcong up in the street and shot him, minimal fanfare, minimal fuss. The accompanying video footage, interspersed with the three photos Eddie Adams took, was very graphic, a “water fountain” of blood issuing from the wound in the grainy color film. Strangely, I was less shocked by the footage than I was by the photos. The footage was taken at the exact same time as the photographs and yet, it was somehow too surreal for me to grasp, to follow. The director, Susan Morgan Cooper, said later in the Q&A that for her, photographs are something that we can stare at, can be made to live with.

Eddie Adams had to live with it, too. When he finally left Vietnam, the photograph was everywhere, haunting him. He barely seemed to want anything to do with it. Later in the movie, he commented in his self-deprecating way that, “It’s not even a good photograph. For one thing, it’s the wrong time of day...composition is awful...”

He would go on to cover nearly a dozen wars and through all of them, the press began to look to him to “take the one shot,” the shot that would serve as the touchstone for the conflict, encapsulating it and representing it to the rest of the world.

The thing that struck me so much about him, beyond the comments about how “everyone is...we’re all dying, so what does it matter what you do?” was that he really wanted to understand his subjects. He wanted to understand and empathize with the General in the photo he took, seeming to understand on some level that he was doing what he had to do. Later, he wanted to understand Fidel Castro (after he bossed him around a little bit), trying to put him into a situation where he was Fidel, not Fidel Castro Menace of the Caribbean. All of his subjects, from tyrants to philanthropists to actors, he seemed to empathize with all of them, treating them and photographing them with a true sense of sensitivity and class.

Hilariously, his attitude toward the media was one of amusement and disdain. He only published one book of his work in his lifetime in partnership with Kerry Kennedy. Adams had some strong words for their collaboration, “Speak Truth to Power,” saying: “What the f*** does that even mean? I think it’s a stupid title. I wanted to call it ‘Soldiers Without Guns.' People could understand that, not this s***.”

He was honest, he was raw, and for all the trash-talk, it seemed obvious he did respect the work and people in it. His comments about the photos therein were dry and deadpan, “They’re in focus.” Like many photographers I know, he never seemed satisfied with any shot, getting tired of them over and over again. He also bemoaned his contemporaries: other photographers. He grumbles, walking through the streets of New York with the director, “You know what I really hate? Other photographers. They’re too f***ing good. It pisses me off.”

After the film, I was full of questions that I wanted to ask about this guy. The one I got to ask the director was, “How did you prepare for your first meeting with him?”

She said, more or less, “I was a little nervous, but he was very kind and we had a beer together and we looked at photos he had taken of this little boy with Progeria meeting another little boy with the same disease, both of them never before having seen someone who looked like they did. We looked at those photos and drank beer and cried and bonded.”

I have still more questions about this man, and find myself mourning his passing. I wanted to ask “What was he like with his family? How did he work? Was he patient behind the camera, was he demanding?” The film gave us a beautiful picture window to look through and yet, I still want more.

Eddie Adams’ sense of duty to his subjects and his empathy stay with me, even though I feel I have some unanswered questions. I really liked the film. If it’s going to be at a film festival near you, please try to see it. If not, we’ll likely have a screening party soon with the festival copy we were able to purchase soon. Come on over.

An Unlikely Weapon, Part 1

2009-04-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Image by Eddie Adams

1968

Tonight Amanda and I will attend a screening of An Unlikely Weapon, a documentary on the great photojournalist Eddie Adams. The film will apparently focus on the circumstances and ramifications of his Pulitzer-Prize winning photograph depicting the execution of Vietcong prisoner Nguyễn Văn Lém by police chief general Nguyễn Ngọc Loan during the 1968 Tet offensive.

"The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera. Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world. People believe them; but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths. ... What the photograph didn't say was, 'What would you do if you were the general at that time and place on that hot day, and you caught the so-called bad guy after he blew away one, two or three American people?"

-Eddie Adams

I will make sure to report back on what I think of the documentary, and any philosophical or ethical questions that it raises.

Susan Sontag

2009-04-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been complaining that my posts here aren't nearly verbose or esoteric enough, I'd heartily encourage you to check out Susan Sontag's collection of essays: On Photography. If you're a fan of intense ruminations on the nature of this art, peppered with obscure references and replete with a greater density of poly-syllabic words than the ingredients list on a Twinkie wrapper, this is the book for you.

A passage that I find particularly interesting follows:

"The camera can be lenient; it is also expert at being cruel. But its cruelty only produces another kind of beauty, according to the surrealist preferences which rule photographic taste Thus, while fashion photography is based on the fact that something can be more beautiful in a photograph than in real life, it is not surprising that some photographers who serve fashion are also drawn to the non-photogenic. There is a perfect complementarity between Avedon's fashion photography, which flatters, and the work in which he comes on as The One Who Refuses to Flatter-- for example, the elegant, ruthless portraits Avedon did in 1972 of his dying father. The traditional function of portrait painting, to embellish or idealize the subject, remains the aim of everyday and of commercial photography, but it has a much more limited career in photography considered as an art. Generally speaking, the honors have gone to the Cordelias."

"Chance Favors the Prepared Mind"

2009-04-11T16:27:00.001-07:00

Throughout my life I’ve been an active participant in various competitive sports: soccer, hockey, baseball, water polo, and lacrosse among others. In all of these sports, I was a goaltender (or catcher). In all of these sports, both conscious and unconscious decision-making took crucial roles in determining my performance. On the conscious side, my team would practice plays, scout the other teams, and consider various strategies in advance of the game. Once the game began, I maintained a conscious awareness of the locations of the various players on the field, and attempted to anticipate certain eventualities. However, when the shot came and it was time for me to execute, carefully tuned instincts and muscle memory took over the performance of my duties and conscious thought took a back seat.

Over the years, I learned that my ability to cultivate particular states of mind was absolutely vital to my performance in the instinctual phases of play. Athletes frequently develop rituals or superstitions that help them to evoke a certain mindset that has facilitated high performance in the past. In many ways, I believe that photojournalism requires a similar blend of conscious and unconscious decision-making. Awareness of the impact of our mindset on the instinctive portions of timing and composition may enable a photographer to improve overall performance.

By my estimation, there are three discrete phases in the creation of a photojournalistic image: strategic planning, tactical planning, and execution. Each of these phases of creation are progressively shorter, less controlled, and more dependent upon a combination of intuition and “muscle-memory.”

The strategic planning phase includes all of the basic things that a photographer does to prepare to take photographs: the shooter decides what type of photos he is going to take, purchases the gear that he feels will best enable him to achieve his photographic objectives (within budgetary limitations), and learns what he can about his subjects, the location, and the situation. Strategic planning, therefore, is a period that extends from years in advance of the actual shot, right up until the shooter sets foot on the objective location. Strategic planning controls what techniques and tools the photographer must utilize within a given situation, and provides the framework for understanding and anticipating the events as they unfold. The strategic phase is made up almost entirely of conscious decision-making.

Tactical planning begins once the photographer sets foot onto the actual objective. Tactical planning begins with an awareness of events as they unfold around him. Once the photographer identifies the subject matter of his shot, he will assess the lighting situation and compositional elements to ascertain the best shooting position given the circumstances. He will consider using flash or other lighting devices, and determine camera settings that control depth of field and motion-stopping. The tactical phase ends when the camera is actually lifted to the photographer’s eye. The tactical phase is significantly shorter than the strategic phase, and begins to mix in unconscious decision making with the conscious choices. The photographer may consciously consider the lighting and composition of the scene or consciously anticipate the actions of the subjects, but an element of instinct and intuition begins to come into play here: not all of these factors may be consciously considered.

The execution phase entails all of the actions taken once the photographer is looking through the viewfinder. Here, there is frequently far less conscious thought. An experienced photographer will make minor exposure adjustments and achieve focus primarily through “muscle memory,” and the finer points of composition will often be handled in a subconscious “it just feels right” fashion.

I’m highly skeptical of any photojournalist who claims to consciously control every aspect of composition. First off, there simply aren’t enough rules or guidelines for composition to mentally articulate a justification for the placement of every object in a frame. Second, there is seldom time to internally verbalize every aspect of the framing decision, even if the language exists. This is not to say that these decisions are random or haphazard! Rather, the more subtle compositional choices are made with a combination of the photographer’s innate sensibilities and the visual compositional catalog that he has developed through exposure to other artwork. At most, a photojournalist might consciously decide to place the subject on a third or at the end of a leading line, but the real grunt work of making the composition “just feel right” occurs beneath the surface.

This is why composition is so difficult to teach and learn. Many of the other choices we make as photographers are controlled in the strategic or tactical phases and rely heavily on conscious decision-making. However, even in photographic disciplines, such as landscape or static portraiture where there is plenty of time to consider every compositional option “above board,” as often as not, the complex analytical language is applied later to justify an instantaneous intuitive recognition of the most graceful arrangements of the object in frame.

Louis Pasteur once said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” One might say the same for creative composition. As it is difficult or impossible to think our way to better reactions, the challenge becomes cultivating a sense of preparedness, which makes our minds attuned to greater possibilities and possesses us of a repertoire of building blocks to make the most of our opportunities. The most obvious course of action suggested by this theory is that a study of patterns will render us more likely to recognize organizations of content through our viewfinder. However, a more tantalizing possibility exists that careful circumspection might reveal a certain mental state in each of us, in which we possess the greatest capacity to see. Rigorous mental discipline and conditioning may grant us the tools to invoke this state more frequently and for longer periods.

Trying to document one’s state of mind at the moment inspiration strikes is like trying to capture lightning in a bottle--but that doesn’t stop me from trying to find just the right jar…

Engaged: Courtney and Geoge

2009-04-06T21:49:00.001-07:00

Mother nature was throwing curveballs on Sunday: alternately beautiful and blustery. Courtney, George and I went back and forth a few times on whether we were going to postpone the shoot, but ultimately decided that Tennessee weather in the spring is going to be unpredictable no matter what. Got a bit of a late start, but we made the most of some patches of beautiful light before the storms started rolling in. An hour into the session, the serious weather showed up and we snapped a few dramatic sky shots before calling it a day. You guys still owe me a game of mini-golf! ;)

These 8 photos are my favorites of a brief but action-packed set.

Documents of Family History

2009-04-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

Edward Nigel Morris Baines
photographer unknown

On a black shelf overlooking the maelstrom of clutter that is my office rests a small reproduction of an aged photograph of my grandfather: Edward Nigel Morris Baines. The photo is a drug-store reprint made from the scan of this old image, sitting in an embellished silver frame likely purchased from the same drug-store. The original photograph is a hand-colored black & white, and either due to the ravages of time, the deletorious effects of reproduction, or the lack of brilliance on the part of the original artist, the colors aren't exactly spot-on.

My grandfather is depicted as a young man in his British paratrooper's uniform during World War II, posing for a formal portrait. His jump wings are barely visible on his right shoulder, and the emblem of the airborne engineers is present on his dark beret. He looks young in a way that is hard to connect with my memories of him: the classicly reserved elderly British gentleman. Seeing this picture forces a paridigm shift in the way I think of him not totally dissimilar from when I discovered that the long-buried geneology of his nickname "Claude" derived from his not-so-endearing term for other drivers.

Claude passed away after a long and heroic battle with leukemia in 2001. I had never really noticed this picture, nor given his military service any particular thought. I loved my grandfather and mourned his passing, but my connection to him had always been somewhat abstract. I'd spent my life a continent away, with only periodic visits to bridge the gap of his typically reserved character.

After a series of tumultuous events in my life that year and a catastrophic event for the country, I made the decision to enlist in the military. Never one for half-measures I became a triple-volunteer: I volunteered for the Army, volunteered for Airborne training, and volunteered to join the Special Forces Regiment.

While visiting my father on leave a few years back, I finally noticed these pictures of my grandfather hanging along with a regimental portrait and his old unit patch. Not only did my features resemble his, but I suddenly realized that we both belonged to a fairly elite group of soliders foolish enough to jump out of perfectly good airplanes. Even though Claude was a few years gone, I suddenly felt closer to him than I ever had in life. With his blue eyes and rakish beret, exuding confidence and perhaps a thirst for adventure, my grandfather could have been my comrade, my brother, or myself.

This image is, for me, a priceless document of family history that connects me to my forebear in a way that wouldn't have been possible based purely on the abstract knowledge of his service.

When I photograph portraits or weddings, I constantly remind myself that perhaps the single greatest gift that I can give to my clients' families is the potential that one day in the future, a young person may find in the characteristic expression captured in one of my images a deeper connection to their heritage and a more profound understanding of their roots. I owe a debt to the nameless photographer who gave me the gift of a more profound relationship with my grandfather's memory, and I'm conscious of that every time I lift the camera to my eye.

f/1.2 and be Lazy

2009-04-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Point and shoot cameras don't do shallow depth-of-field very well, so when many of us graduated to fancy DSLR's and faster lenses, we develop an implicit association between shallow depth-of-field and quality. The ability to throw a background radically out of focus becomes a hallmark of professionalism, as it serves remarkably well to isolate a subject and let the viewer know exactly where they are supposed to be looking.

Once upon a time, photojournalists were taught the expression "f/8 and be there," meaning that capturing the decisive moment was more crucial than the minutia of camera settings. F/8 gives a fair bit of depth of field on a 35mm camera, so classical photojournalists were not (especially on manual focus 35mm cameras) trying to play games with extremely shallow depth-of-field.

However, the current generation of young photographers, in many cases, now use this expression as an epithet against "stodgy old-schoolers." F/8 is no longer cool, nor is anything from f/4 to f/11, really. Many seem to want to either be shooting completely wide open, or perhaps at f/16 (with a super-strobe accompanying).

You don't usually need to compose very much when you're shooting at 85mm f/1.2. You've got a subject with perhaps a few eyelashes in focus, and a completely blurred-out background. So long as you don't bullseye the subject, you've pretty much got composition covered. Its easy and you don't have to think about it. When you're shooting with a 35mm lens at f/8 however, you've really got to work with leading lines, negative space, light, contrasting areas of interest, and various other tools because any focus effects are more subtle and don't yank your viewer's eyes right where you want them to go. Composition is almost optional at f/1.2, while its mandatory at f/8.

My point is that if you're looking to improve your compositions, try stopping down a bit! It will force you to consider your compositions all that much more carefully. Sometimes the big apertures are necessary under a given lighting condition, and sometimes extreme depth-of-field is the best way to compose a shot. However, shooting wide open all the time can really cause you to become lazy when it comes to composition.

The image below works because of the contrasting compositional elements: in theory (and title) the photo is of the Yale Commencement ceremony, but the old man in the foreground serves as contrasting subject matter. He is looking in the opposite direction as the other subjects, and is obviously in a very different emotional place (and chronological place in his life). The layered content in this image works because there is more than one thing to look at: at 1/4 this image would not work nearly so well.

Yale Commencement (from "The Americans")
Robert Frank (1955)

Wedding Photography: What's in YOUR Wallet

2009-03-31T08:16:00.000-07:00

I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about the classic photography that matters to me. I go on and on about folks like Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus, David Seidner, and George Tice...

But there is some other photography that matters to me a great deal. For today's entry, I thought you might be interested to see some of the photography from OUR wedding. Amanda & I hired a young lady named Kyra Shelley to document our wedding in a photojournalistic fashion, exclusively on black & white film. Kyra did a beautiful job developing and printing all of our album images by hand.

Its interesting to look back on our decision-making process regarding wedding photography, as I was still in the service and didn't even have an inkling that I'd ultimately wind up in this field. I find it very grounding to look back on the choices that Amanda & I made, and at what sorts of images she and I continue to value.

And yes, she is threatening me with the knife in that one shot. "No cake on face."

The Wedding of Evan Baines & Amanda Meetze
Second Empire Restuarant, Raleigh, NC
Photo Credit: All images by Kyra Shelley, 2004.

Ringside: A Fight For Kids

2009-03-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

It was my pleasure to volunteer my time for the second year in a row to the Charley Foundation and their excellent event, Ringside: A Fight For Kids. I was thrilled to have my good friend and associate Daniel Shaw there to help me document the occasion.

From the Charley Foundation website:
The Charley Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides support to charitable agencies addressing the critical needs of children.

Our mission is simple: to improve the quality of life of children in need. Through donations, sponsorships and fundraising events, we distribute funds to qualified non-profit organizations who share our mission to improve the lives of children. Specifically, the Charley Foundation supports agencies that provide relief in one or more of the following areas:

Children who are victims of neglect, abuse or other crises
Children who live with chronic or critical illness
Children who endure poverty or homelessness
Children who require mentoring or other proactive outreach

This is just an awesome charity, and they know how to throw a great party! Ringside is a sanctioned boxing event, a live and silent auction, and a concert rolled into one. For 2009, the main event was the Rumble on the Row, which was a match between Keith Gale (VP, Sony BMG) and Adrian Michaels (VP, Curb Records).

If you have the opportunity to support this charity, either by donating your time or money or by attending one of their events, I can promise you that you won't make a better investment.

And to those photographers who frequent this blog: I challenge you to find ways to give back with your art. Many worthy charities can benefit from having top-shelf images to promote their events or advertise their missions. Take your gifts and spread them around where they are most needed!

Akumal Destination Wedding

2009-03-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

A wise man told me recently that as a professional photographer, a good portion of the people who visit my blog might be more interested in seeing some of my pictures than reading 2000 word essays written at a college reading-level (according to the Flesch-Kincaid readability test).

So here is my most recent completed wedding, shot at the Grand Bahia Akumal Resort an hour south of Cancun. Jennifer and Kyle found me on bestdestinationwedding.com, which is a great resource for all of you ladies planning a wedding in some exotic locale!

The trash-the-dress pics at the end were shot in the Hidden Worlds Cenotes Park, which is a totally amazing place to visit, and the staff were unbelievably kind and accommodating.

Thanks to Jennifer and Kyle for providing such a wonderful wedding for me to document!

A slide show comprised of a larger selection of images, including some from my good friend Kay Anderson who joined me for the wedding, may be seen here.

On Internet Critique

2009-03-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Its safe to say that measured by volume, internet forums and image posting sites account for a sizable majority of the photographic criticism taking place in the world today. While in-person critiques in schools and photo clubs are still important, a large percentage of photographers young and old are now far more influenced by websites like Flickr.com and FredMiranda.com. These sites and others like them have contributed to a major acceleration of the dissemination of ideas and the progression rates of new photographers: their existence is a blessing to the art-form in many ways. However, the benefits created by such sites should not cause us to turn a blind-eye to their limitations. What follows is an examination of some common shortcomings of internet criticism. This is not intended to discount this mode of learning! Rather, it is my intention to encourage individuals partaking in this process to think critically as they assess the value of the feedback provided.

The Woman in the Red Dress:
All of us are familiar with this concept: the bombshell vixen in an eye-catching wardrobe who attracts the attention of everyone in the room. There may have been a number of attractive women in more demure costume with better conversational skills, more varied interests, and greater achievements... But alas they are overshadowed by this showy creature who may lack their substance. An internet forum is not unlike a singles bar: every photographer showing his or her stuff and trying to attract the attention of the crowd. I'm deeply suspicious of anyone who does not admit that in posting their images, they hope for a large number of positive responses. It is undeniable that the more showy flavors of photography tend to attract the attention of the crowd. Attractive subjects and extreme stylization achieve the best response, and thus this response conditions photographers to create and post ever more stylized images of only the most attractive subjects. Power overshadows grace, contrast overshadows tonality, vibrancy exceeds subtlety, and only the sexy folks get posted. This ultimately can affect the sort of images we seek to create: we may begin to shoot to impress the crowd rather than to create meaningful images for our clients!

The Strawberry Jam Experiment
Its no secret that internet forums are frequented by anyone from accomplished artists and professionals to neophytes and hacks, many posting more-or-less anonymously. Stop me if you've heard this one:

Photographer 1 posts a handful of images
Photographer 2 slams the images on a variety of technical failings
Photographer 3 jumps to photographer 1's defense and questions the authority of photographer 2 to pass judgement.
Photographer 4 pontificates that one doesn't have to be a good photographer to offer valid critique.

Along the way, photographers 1-4 all pick up adherents to their particular points of view and acrimony ensues until the thread is locked.

So who is right? Does one have to be an expert to provide valid critique of a photograph? The answer is yes-and-no.

In Malcolm Gladwell's fascinating book Blink, he details an experiment in which both experts and laypeople evaluated various brands of strawberry jam. Consumer Reports had taken all 44 of the major varieties of strawberry jam and given them to expert food tasters for evaluation and ranking. The experiment involved taking the first, eleventh, twenty-fourth, thirty-second, and fourty-fourth ranking jams and giving them to two separate groups of college students. The first group was simply told to rank the jams from best to worst, while the second group was asked for written explanations of their rankings.

Here's the interesting part: the group that was called upon simply for rankings produced results that showed an extremely high correlation to the expert's opinons. In general, the experts and the general public liked the same jams in the same order. However, the group that was being called upon to explain their ratings produced markedly different results from both their peers and the experts. It is the author's hypothesis (supported by other case studies discussed in the book) that while most of us possess a remarkable ability to intuitively evaluate a wide variety of subjects, only training and experience can enable one to quantify and explain his or her "gut feeling." Asking a layperson to evaluate a subject in technical terms frequently causes them to alter their preferences as they over-think their response. The second group of college students did not only disagree with the experts: statistically speaking they almost certainly got their own preferences wrong!

One of the fundamental differences between a traditional critique and an internet forum is that a traditional critique is usually at least moderated by individuals with established ability and stature. Internet forums provide far more democratic feedback. The experiment above suggests that one should value the snap-judgements of the average Joe, but when seeking detailed critical feedback one should be leery of the value of statements provided by those without the training and experience to quantify their gut feelings appropriately. They may in fact be distorting their own natural view of an image in an effort to apply a critical evaluation that they lack the capacity to provide.

Photography Idol
In a 1996 paper entitled "A Disconfirmation Bias in the Evaluation of Arguments," Kari Edwards and Edward Smith explore the extent of and manner in which individuals tend to be more receptive to facts and arguments that favor their preexisting beliefs, while seeking to undermine those that run contrary to their opinions. One relevant passage:

"When one is presented an argument to evaluate, there will be some automatic activation in memory of material relevant to the argument. Some of the accessed material will include one's prior beliefs about the issue."

In photography, no one evaluates an image in a vacuum. One of the most important preconditioning factors is the source of the image. When one is confronted by a Man Ray image in a museum, the validation conferred by his name and its presence in a gallery of stature causes us to seek out reasons why the work has merit. In fact, when the stature of the artist or of the third-party validation is great enough, one is tempted to find reasons to distrust one's own judgment if it is not in accordance. Alternately, when one is presented work from a relative unknown, or perhaps someone who is an acknowledged "newbie," one is far more likely to ascribe deviance from expected norms to faulty technique than to artistic choice.

This issue is exacerbated in photography forums, where one's status and acceptance into the group is dictated by both one's own ability and by the "correctness" of one's pronouncements on the work of others. Anyone who has spent time on these forums will recognize that new participants' work will commonly pass without comment until an established member of the community will set a baseline evaluation. Only a forum participant with a secure stature on the forum is willing to risk being "wrong" in their evaluation of the work.

This same effect causes many posters to become excessively nit-picky for fear of being branded ignorant for missing a "defect" such as missed focus or "incorrect" portrait light patterns. Technical minutia tend to become emphasized out of proportion to their true importance when images are subjected to internet critique.

For established members with a reputation for excellence, forum members will be both more likely to be looking for things to like about the posted images and be more likely to be willing to risk posting these positive opinions as the previous acceptance of the artist's work makes it more likely that this praise will be viewed as "the right response." Thus, forums have a tendency to create "rock stars" whose work is evaluated far differently from less established members. At the opposite end of the spectrum, this tends to explain the "dog-pile" effect when large masses of forum members descend on a thread to denounce the many failings of a piece of work.

I Am Wondering... Why Are You Here? (in Yoda Voice)
Why do so many of us devote so much time to internet forums? There are a multitude of reasons to be sure. Some enjoy finding a larger aggregation of like-minded individuals with identical interests than would be possible in our geographic vicinity. Some feel liberated by the greater anonymity offered by the internet, or feel more comfortable dealing with others by proxy: through text on a screen rather than face-to-face. Many might seek to create a mutually supportive learning environment. However, most photographers on an internet forum have at least an element of one of the following motivations at work:

1. Seeking validation of one's work and abilities.
2. Marketing one's business by establishing a professional reputation
3. Feeling like an authority on photography and hopefully making others respect you as such, by assigning value to other people's work, and contributing to the education of others.

Ultimately, ego and self interest are at least factors in the participation of most forum members. This is not mutually exclusive with elements of altruism or a desire to foster a mutually beneficial environment, but it needs to be understood as a factor as to why so many individuals give so much of their time to criticizing the work of others. There is a power dynamic at work. In a more traditional critique environment, typically the social heirarchy is more rigid (IE established student and teacher roles), thus there is less incentive for power plays in the evaluation of others' work.

I would hazard to say that a significant portion of the critique offered on internet sites is given with less earnest desire to foster the development of the artist than from the enjoyment of feeling like an authority, and the desire to be seen as one by the larger group. This is particularly true when the feedback amounts to little more than denouncement of an image or set of images without any constructive elements to build on.

Conclusion
This is not to say that internet feedback does not have value. However, a series of questions may assist one in filtering and evaluating the feedback one receives on such a forum:

1. Why am I posting my images? Am I looking for validation or growth? Is this an effort to learn or an effort to market myself?

2. Where do I fall in the existing social hierarchy of this forum? Am I a rock-star? A journeyman? A newbie? How does this status condition people to respond to my work?

3. What is the balance of style and substance in my work? Is my work the sort that reaches out and grabs the attention of the crowd, or are its merits more subtle and substantive? Does my work feature attention-getting subjects and locations?

4. What sort of person is evaluating my images? Do they have a body of work or qualification from which I can ascertain their relative knowledge-level and artistic preferences? Is this person providing expert critique or a layperson's impression?

5. What is the motivation of the person offering the feedback? Are they more interested in helping me or in looking cool to everyone else?

By asking these questions, one can increase the value of internet feedback. I'd further encourage anyone participating in such a forum to seek out more traditional critique and mentorship environments where one might temper internet feedback with that from a trusted authority or colleague. By combining the benefits of this modern vehicle for growth with the best of traditional methods, one can ensure the best opportunity for real education in photography.

How I Print

2009-03-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

A wise photographer once said that the only way to know when you've got the best print possible from an image is to keep printing until each new print no longer shows improvement. Alas, the source of the quote and exact verbiage escapes me, but the spirit is clear: the only way to get the best print is to experiment with variations.

These days we put a whole lot of stock in fancy color management systems. I perpetually hear photographers posit that if your prints aren't coming out right, then either your monitor or your lab/printer's calibration is incorrect.

I think that's a load of hooey.

Now, I absolutely use a photo spectrometer to keep my screen consistent, and use fancy ICC profiles specific to my printer and paper choice to "soft-proof" my images before printing. And yes, it certainly helps.

However, I don't see how a bunch of electrically stimulated liquid crystals (or projected cathode ray) can really look like paper. A monitor generates light and color for itself, while a piece of paper is subject to the ambient light that it has the ability to reflect. This fundamental difference in physical properties ensures that there may always be a difference between what looks good on your screen and what looks good on a wall. If you want to get REALLY particular, you can actually make a print specific to the lighting conditions under which it will be viewed (such as one might do for print competitions).

The first consideration when it comes time to make a killer print is paper choice. We live in a new golden age of digital printing, where there are countless paper choices to ponder. There are richly textured matte papers like the Epson Velvet, which is not dissimilar to a fine watercolor paper. There are papers with a mirror gloss so shiny that it appears to be glass. There are bamboo papers and rag papers, and papers with all sorts of coatings.

For this shot, I felt that I wanted a contemporary look with some texture, but deep blacks and excellent color saturation. I also like a heavyweight paper, so the Hahnemuhle Fine Art Bayarta 325 GSM felt like a good fit. So I cued up my edited image and set my ICC to correspond to that paper, and it looked pretty good. However, I know that this paper can really suck up the pigment, and this shot is (in my opinion) very dependent on hitting just the right saturation level to have the best effect.

So I cued up a test 8.5x11" sheet that looked something like this:

Sure enough, I found that it took a LOT more color saturation in the background to get a print that looked good to me. It looks overdone on screen, but great on the paper. Those thumbnails may all look the same to you so tiny on this screen, but in print I can tell you that the difference between some of them is night and day.

I targeted for a 14" print, but when I actually made my first edition of the print I felt that it looked a hint softer than I wanted it to be, so I discarded that print and selectively applied some sharpening to detail critical areas. I also found some minor color-shift in his nose that I evened out for the final version. Never noticed it on the screen, but it showed up in the print.

Now, some techno-geeks may come on here and suggest that I need to spend more money on a fancier or more comprehensive color management system.... and I'll concede that if I was willing to spend a lot of money on it I could get my starting point closer. Some extremely high volume portrait studios do their color correction in a black room with no windows and hourly calibrations, even requiring the techs to wear black so as not to reflect light back onto the screen. However, my experience tells me that the different physical properties of a screen and a print will always have me making test sheets for images that really matter, or that have specific qualities that must be critically accurate for a successful print.

Some people ask me why they should pay a higher price to have me make a print of their image vs. simply taking it to Cosco or Walgreens. However, they never ask that question after I show them a comparison between the two options. The hard work that goes into perfecting the final presentation of an image represents one of the key differences between snapshots and art.

Reason #2759 That I Love My Wife

2009-03-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

Amanda immediately reacted with amusement to the fact that in the early part of the movie Watchmen, when Ozymandias is being photographed, the photographer is Annie Leibovitz (well, Salli Saffioti made up to look like her anyway). The fact that my wife recognizes portrayals of famous photographers without having their names mentioned is just reason #2759 that I love her.

I :heart: Tripod

2009-03-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

On Feb 28th, 2009 in Akumal, Mexico, my beloved tripod was stolen off the beach by an evil tripod bandit while I was in the surf taking pictures of a bride and groom. I'll miss you, beloved friend.

Evan in the Carribean
by Kay Anderson of Frozen Moments Photography

The tripod (A Gitzo Basalt Reporter with a Markins M10 Ballhead) has already been replaced: I ordered its successor the moment I returned home. The only change this go around is I opted for the Really Right Stuff BH40 ballhead instead of the Markins. Variety is the spice of life, after all.

This may seem strange to some as tripods are usually not considered "sexy" by many of my contemporaries. Many of my colleagues' tripods serve primarily for extra rear-wheel traction in winter: dead weight in a car trunk. So why do I love my tripod so much?

First off, I didn't really love using a tripod until I got a really good one. My very first go with a tripod was a little Sunpack deal purchased before I went pro. It was clunky, wobbly, and drooped incessantly. My first "serious" tripod was a Giottos leg set with a Manfrotto ballhead. It was a step up, but the legs were clunky and the ballhead still drooped. Further, the plates were uncomfortable when used with a vertical grip, so I always took them off. That setup also wound up failing rather spectacularly, when in the space of a week the ballhead chipped and the legs split in half for no good reason.

After my $400 tripod setup failed, I decided to bite the bullet and go with the gold standard: Gitzo and an A-list ballhead.

One interesting thing is I'd always thought of tripod weight as a non-issue. I'm a big macho former SF-guy, so what does a pound or two matter for my tripod, right? Well, the funny thing is that when I finally owned a light and compact tripod (and a convenient Tamrac tripod bag), I started actually taking it with me more often!

Some of the reasons I love my tripod:
-It forces me to really THINK about my composition.
-Not only can I shoot in low light, but I can shoot in low light at clean ISO's or with more than a hair's breadth of depth-of-field
-I can use live-view with 10x magnification to focus my lens when I'm at f/1.2 or 1.4. Even a 1D won't hit that critical autofocus 10/10, but I can do it manually!
-Even if your shutter speed is high, swaying in or out can also soften your pics at wide apertures. Not gonna happen on a tripod.
-HDR
-Composites made easy! Have trouble with a reflection from your light in a window? Shoot once with the strobe and once without.... easy fix!
-Panoramas (especially with the RRS Pano kit). Want a 50+ megapixel file?
-Depth-of-field stacking... want to get it ALL in focus?

Anyway, I just realized I hadn't posted in a bit so I thought a love-song to the tripod would be a good fit.

Also, for those of you who don't know I've completely re-done http://www.bainesphoto.com and I have a new lead image up on http://www.evanbaines.com!

Cheers all!

WPPI Accolade of Excellence

2009-02-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

"The Love Bug"
Greg & Amy

I'm pleased to announce that I was awarded an Accolade of Excellence in the 2009 Wedding & Portrait Photographers International 16x20 Awards of Excellence Competition. This is the most competitive international print competition for wedding and portrait professionals, attracting literally thousands of entries, and an Accolade of Excellence is a real honor. I'm thrilled and humbled to be placed among such distinguished company.

Thanks are due to Greg and Amy for wanting to create such a fun and stylish image!

Congratulations also to my friends Andy & Angie Woods, Gabe Mcclintock, Chris Fawkes, and Ed Pingol on their success in this competition!

Amber

2009-02-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

Did a studio session with Amber yesterday: a talented young lady who is getting ready for her big move to LA. She's really got a great look!

A significant portion of this session was shot under a 1000w hotlight beauty dish, which accounts for the different look.

I'm getting a great response to the new workshop offering! Thanks guys!

The new commercial website might be up as early as this weekend!

Still Life

2009-02-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year, I had asked for a book of images from Irving Penn. I'll be honest that when I added this item to the list, I was thinking of Penn's stunning fashion and portrait work. However, my lovely sister-in-law Melissa surprised me with Still Life, a collection of the photographer's images with which I had less familiarity.

The book is a moderately-sized 11x11" hardcover, and contains 45 color, 50 tritone, and 3 duotone illustrations. The most striking thing about thing about the volume is the excellent quality of the reproductions. The dust jacket comments that Penn oversaw every aspect of the production of this book, and that comes through in the superb rendition of the vibrant colors and subtle tones. The introductory essay by the late John Szarkowski is fairly dense: lots of complex sentence structures and references to slightly less-well-known denizens of the MOMA. It is definitely not light reading.

Lion Skull (Panthera Leo)
Irving Penn, 1986

As a body of work, the most striking thing to me is the moodiness and poetic quality the artist imparts upon these "inanimate" objects. Whether by austerity of composition, a slightly dark color tone, or even a little insect crawling across the cheese rind, these images express a profound sense of the ephermality of the subject matter. Even the flower images, which rank among the most beautiful I've seen, evoke a greater sense of the fleeting nature of these plants' beauty than the immortality conferred by the medium.

Cottage Tulip, Sorbet

Editorial Photograph for Vogue
Irving Penn, 1967

Its singularly fascinating to peruse these images and to attempt to distill the source of this "personality" in each, when on the surface many exhibit no obvious style cues but the almost clinical precision of the artist's technique. Penn's ability to construct an emotion from a seemingly careless arrrangement of objects is a unique kind of alchemy.

In closing, many photographers may be tempted to pass up this volume in search of Penn's remarkable fashion and portrait work. However, this book is a catalog of the beautiful possibilities present even when supermodels and celebrities aren't. Not only can cigarette butts found on a NYC street be beautiful: they can have true character.

Birth Story: A Visual Documentary

2009-02-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

I would like to take this opportunity to send you folks over to FredMiranda.com, where my good friend and associate photographer Daniel has posted one of the most beautiful and poignant series of photos I've seen in a long time. This series documents the birth of his second son, and is truly a profound and moving documentary. I challenge you not to be affected by his powerful images. Dan is a gifted photographer and a great friend.

Congratulations Daniel!

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/738523

SGT Ken

2009-02-11T18:34:00.000-08:00

SGT Ken Weichert has me do all of the photography for his column in GX Magazine, and he's one of my best clients. The only downside is that I wind up with more great shots of Ken than I could possibly use on my regular website. Regardless, he's a great subject and a lot of fun to shoot.

Here's one from today that I thought had a good feel. It can be challenging to work accent lights on a high-key background: total tightrope act! But accents do make sense in this context, as a bright background would often suggest some back-lighting on the subject.

Individual Workshops

2009-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

I've had a bunch of people asking me about workshops and mentorship lately. After quite a bit of thought, I've decided to try something a little different: the individual workshop.

Here's the idea:
-1 on 1 with me for a half-day or full day.
-At my studio or on-location
-Curriculum is completely customized to your needs

Basically, I work as your private tutor in anything you want to know about the art or business of photography. The nice thing about this is that its actually much easier to do this kind of workshop than the larger group format, which means that I can make it quite cost-effective.

Let me know if you are interested and I'll provide some more details!

Nashville

2009-02-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

You know, when the Army moved Amanda & me to Tennessee, we were not sure how much we'd like Nashville. However, it really has become a very nice home for us. Its a great little city.

There's No School Like The Old School

2009-02-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

Here is the corollary to my "gimmicks" post: these are some of the photographic skills and qualities that are impossible to "short-cut."

1. Personality/Empathy/Scope of Knowledge
You've probably noticed I talk about Avedon a lot. What made Avedon great was not some technical brilliance that exceeded that of mere mortals: Avedon was a brilliant talker. Avedon was brilliant at finding common ground with a subject. He knew just what to say to get the reaction he needed. Avedon had a scope of knowledge that enabled him to speak knowledgably about classical music with Mitsuko Uchida, and about theater with Andre Gregory. The ability to empathize with a subject, and to know how to create a circumstance where they will show a desired quality is almost impossible to teach. Its a skill that is partly inborn, and partly honed through extensive practice.

2. Posing
Posing isn't "cool" these days, largely because most photographers haven't studied it and aren't good at it. Many clients express distaste for "posed" photos, often because they have usually been exposed to awkward and inexperienced direction. Good posing is the accumulated knowledge of centuries of visual artists concerned with making the subject look a certain way. A good pose doesn't look "posed." The only way to master posing is countless hours of practice with subjects of all shapes and sizes.

3. Elegant lighting
Lets face it: it's not rocket science to go out and buy a really powerful strobe and create some "gee whiz" lighting. Power can be purchased: elegance can only be learned. Examine the portraits of geniuses like David Seidner to see what is possible when grace takes priority over power.

4. Timing
Some folks are born with great timing, and some folks learn timing through practice. However, there's no blog or book you can read, and no workshop you can attend that will imbue you with great timing. Machine-gun photography is a poor substitute, and in the context of photojournalism or portraiture it seldom works. Nailing the "decisive moment" is a carefully honed talent.

5. Artistic Judgement
Anyone can learn to apply a texture to an image in Photoshop. $1600 will buy you the ability to shoot at f/1.2. Only a refined sense of judgement will tell you when either of these options are appropriate. Composition I'd consider a subset of this skill: what goes in and what stays out of an image is a matter of judgement that is partly innate, and partly developed over time.

These are the qualities upon which I have focused my photographic studies of late, because in an era when so many qualities can either be bought in a fancy piece of kit, or short-cutted with a trick learned on a blog site, the only way to reliably differentiate one's work is by focusing on those skills and qualities that are impossible to reproduce without the confluence of talent and sweat.

I'll end this post with a shot from today's session with the always-stunning Carrie.

Congratulations Michelle and Mike!

2009-01-28T14:54:00.000-08:00

My wonderful clients Michelle and Mike Peterson had their wedding featured in the latest issue of Her: Nashville! It was a beautiful wedding, and I was thrilled to be a part of it! Check out the latest issue of Her on newsstands now!

The pics:

More photos on my weddings website: click on "featured wedding: Michelle & Mike!"

An Abbreviated History of Photo Manipulation

2009-01-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this post by acknowledging that yes, in fact, I am sitting at home on a Saturday night writing essays on photographic history for fun. My wife and I are not exactly wild and crazy party people. This essay was written largely in response to some fairly heated discussion to which I've borne witness where participants discussed the place of Photoshop in photography. I feel that some historical perspective could help clear the air.

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The first practical photographic method was devised by Louis Jacques Daguerre in 1836. This painstaking technique, called a "Daguerrotype" involved sensitizing silver-coated copper plates and exposing them to light passed through a lens for time periods generally lasting a goodly number of minutes. This technique produced a single positive-image plate that did not lend itself to the production of separate prints. Calotypes, which soon joined Daguerrotypes, utilized a sensitized paper. Both processes required that the photographer sensitize the recording medium themselves shortly (days to minutes) before use. Dry plates came to prominence in the last quarter of the 1800's, offering standardized shelf-stable media. What we call film didn't come to prominence until the end of the 1800's and only became truly ubiquitous with the introduction of the Kodak brownie in 1900.

The first well-publicized case of photo manipulation occured in 1860, when in search of a suitably heroic portrait of Lincoln, and unidentified artist ironically appended the statesman's head to the body of noted slavery advocate John C. Calhoun. While I cannot find documentation to this effect, the image was almost certainly a composited Albumen print, which was the first widely used method of creating a sensitized negative recording medium to produce positive paper prints.

Lincoln's Retouched Portrait and its Source Material Lincoln Headshot by Mathew Brady John C. Calhoun portrait and retouch artist unknown Circa 1860

To illustrate how sophisticated these albumen print composites could be, its amazing to observe Henry Peach Robinson's 1858 piece "Fading Away." This somewhat morbid image, depicting a young woman's last moments, is actually a composite based on 5 separate negative images. Having inspected a print of this work in person, I can verify that the standards of manipulation far exceed much of the digital trickery in contemporary media. I never would have pegged this image for a composite, had I not been informed of that fact in advance. Henry Peach Robinson would not have wound up on Photoshop Disasters.

Fading Away by Henry Peach Robinson 1859

As the medium passed through its adolescent phases, photographers self-consciously sought to stylize the medium in an effort to establish photography as a true art form. The pictoralist movement began in earnest during the late 1800's after the introduction of the dry plate process, and took much of its inspiration from the work of the impressionist painters of the era. Pictoralists created highly subjective images utilizing soft-focus lenses and a variety of esoteric darkroom techniques. One of my favorite examples is this beautiful photogravure from William A. Fraser. In this image, a cityscape softens into dreamscape of rain, reflection, and mist.

Wet Night, Columbus Circle by William A. Fraser 1897-98

Pictoralist manipulations ranged from the aforementioned soft-focused lenses to more extreme methods such as using needles to alter the actual negatives. Its interesting to note that many pictoralists pursued these manipulations specifically to differentiate themselves and their "art" from the "snapshooters" that proliferated with the introduction of Eastman's inventions. While art historians have long given short-shrift to pictoralists for failing to embrace the unique qualities of their own medium, its possible that the modern era of digital artists will usher in a renewed respect for the achievements of this period.

Pictoralism began fading in the first part of the 1900's, when even such leading lights of the earlier pictoralist movement as Stieglitz were heard to say "It is high time that the stupidity and sham in pictorial photography be struck a solarplexus blow." As a movement, Pictoralism gave way to straight photography, which fully embraced the unique qualities of the photographic medium: sharp, detailed, and frequently instantaneous images that accurately reflect the scene before the camera. Perhaps the fullest expression of the straight photography aesthetic found fulfullement in Group f/64, a loose conglomerate of like minded artists including Westin, Adams, Cunningham, and Van Dyke. Group f/64 took their name from the smallest aperture on a large format camera, which renders a large depth of field and very high resolution.

From the f/64 manifesto:
Group f/64 limits its members and invitational names to those workers who are striving to define photography as an art form by simple and direct presentation through purely photographic methods. The Group will show no work at any time that does not conform to its standards of pure photography. Pure photography is defined as possessing no qualities of technique, composition or idea, derivative of any other art form. The production of the "Pictorialist," on the other hand, indicates a devotion to principles of art which are directly related to painting and the graphic arts.

Its tempting to think of the f/64 crew as in-camera purists who eshewed darkroom trickery, but this is in fact far from the truth. Ansel Adams, for one, was a master of dodging and burning in the darkroom. His influential book, The Print, details his highly developed techniques for manipulating images in the darkroom to conform to his artistic vision. In truth, many members of f/64 were skilled manipulators in the darkroom, even if they did not attempt to disguise the fundamental nature of their medium.

Moonrise, Hernandez Mexico by Ansel Adams 1941

Incidentally, issues of photojournalistic integrity predate the founding of Adobe by a goodly margin as well. In this classic case, a furor was raised over Dorothea Lange's depression-era masterpiece when it was discovered that she had retouched out a thumb from the bottom right corner of the original image.

Migrant Mother, by Dorothea Lange (Retouched)
1936

Migrant Mother, by Dorothea Lange (Untouched) 1936

Techniques for manipulation and retouching of images grew increasingly sophisticated as time passed. Below, you can see an amazing example of Hollywood glamor king George Hurell's "makeover" skills as performed on Joan Crawford, using a variety of labor-intensive techniques.

Joan Crawford, by Geoge Hurrell

date unknown brought to my attention by ksmahgrts on FredMiranda.com

My final example of darkroom manipulation will be, of course, Richard Avedon. In this case, Avedon used liberal retouching to overcome the limitations of location shooting with the Kennedy family.

Jackie Kennedy by Richard Avedon
1961

Photoshop version 1.0 was first shipped in February of 1990 by Adobe Labs Inc. It was orignally designed by a college professor named Glenn Knoll who maintained a darkroom in his basement. Many of the early tools and icons were modeled after tools of the traditional darkroom, such as dodging and burning. Much has been made over Photoshop's ability to distort reality, and perhaps lower the standards for image capture as young photographers assume they can "fix it in post." However, almost all of these abilities have existed as long as there have been photographs to alter, albeit with a little more manual labor.

My hope is that a survey of these techniques and ideas throughout the history of the medium will demonstrate that whether an image is fully realized at the time of capture, or whether extensive manipulation is used to achieve the desired result, artistic vision and judgement lies at the heart of every great image. Laziness and a half-hazard "fix it in post" mentaility utilizing pre-formulated actions will not elevate a pedestrian image to greatness, but a judicious application of carefully executed techniques can elaborate a theme more fully, and occasionally correct inconvenient realities that intrude on an artist's design. Ultimately, post-production is neither requisite to, nor inhibitory of greatness.

Some non MLA-format Bibliography:
An American Century of Photography: From Dry Plate to Digital by Keith F Davis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_manipulation
The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family (Images by Avedon)
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/

Modern Photographer!

2009-01-23T18:03:00.001-08:00

I'm pleased to announce my acceptance into the ModernPhotographers.com family!

ModernPhotographers.com is a directory of photographers where every member is only included after rigorous peer review. Standards are high, and its an honor to be included with such distinguished company.

Cheers!

Portrait of Nashville 1

2009-01-20T15:02:00.000-08:00

Billy Block has been a force on the Nashville music scene for years now. Mr. Block describes himself as an "artist advocate," who seeks out, nurtures, and promotes independent talent in the world of "Americana" or "roots" music. A drummer himself, Block tirelessly works to raise awareness for a truly authentic sound that he describes as America's greatest indigenous musical style. In addition to hosting radio and television, he is well known for his long-running showcase that was originally known as Western Beat, but is now simply "The Billy Block Show."

This image from the sitting I believe successfully illustrates some important aspects of Block's character: his kindness, his honesty, his visionary qualities, and perhaps a hint of the concern that makes him such a successful advocate.

I :heart: Film

2009-01-17T12:27:00.001-08:00

There's just something about B&W film. This is from my session with Lonnie the other day. Once the print comes back from my genius printer out in LA, I'll try to get a halfway decent reproduction as opposed to this awful scan of the contact sheet.

Objet Trouvé

2009-01-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

Objet Trouvé is a school of modern art originated by Marcel Duchamp in the early 20th century, in which everyday objects become art solely by being identified as such by the artist. Duchamp is perhaps most famous (read: infamous) for his submission of a urinal to a modern art gallery in 1917.

"Fountain" by Marcel Duchamp

I've seen an awful lot of folks arguing lately about what constitutes art and what doesn't. Duchamp proposed that art was simply a matter of discrimination and context. We've all seen creations that, were they not in a book or museum, we would not have accorded them the status of "art." Anyone who has participated in an online photography forum has recognized the phenomenon where the "rockstars" may get a pass, or even be praised for lesser work while the lesser-known photographers are critiqued much more harshly. The context under which we view something determines the artistic value we assign to it (at least initially).

The reason I bring up Duchamp is that I believe that all photographers share a crucial commonality with the "ready-made" artists.

As photographers, our creative process lies not in brushstrokes or subtle manipulations of clay. Mechanical and electronic equipment facilitates our act of creation. While various manipulations are available to our use, our most important artistic tool ultimately lies in our ability to discriminate. As photographers, we assign the designation of art to our subject matter by including it in our frame. Our artistic designation is also applied in what we choose to exclude from the frame. We chose what goes in and what stays out. We choose what stays in focus and what is blurred away. We select which moment is decisive and which will recede into history.

When Westin photographed his Pepper #30, how was that fundamentally different than him simply placing the pepper on a pedistal in a museum? Of course, Westin controls our viewpoint and the lighting in the still image, but all of this is ultimately secondary to his impulse to say "Look at the beauty in this pepper as it exists. This pepper is art."

Edward Westin's "Pepper #30"

Our single most potent tool as photographers is our ability to instantaneously designate a scene before us as art. Our cameras give us the ability to say "hey, take a second look at this!" We confer significance on the insignificant, we apply order to chaos, and we elevate the purely factual to aesthetic elegance.

You're SO Manipulative

2009-01-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

I suspect that many of you are new readers subsequent to my participation in Weddings: The Bridal Show yesterday. Welcome! I occasionally use technical terms in this blog, but try whenever possible to offer definitions at the bottom of the entry. Further, note that not every image on this blog-site is mine, and that such images will be clearly identified in the text. All of my images will have the white "Evan Baines" border. Thanks for reading! I hope that I don't bore you to tears!

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Most dictionaries define a portrait simply as a likeness. However, in practice the use of the word "portrait" usually implies an artistic representation of a person in which they are aware of the likeness being made. In cases where the person is unaware that their image is being recorded, one typically uses terms such as "photojournalism" or "candid." For the purposes of this discussion, the word "portrait" will be limited to such applications where the subject is aware of the image-making process.

Physicists discuss a rule referred to as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle*, which may be paraphrased by stating that it is impossible to observe an object without altering it in some manner. This is directly applicable to portraiture in that the moment the subject becomes aware of the camera, a photographer has already manipulated that person's behavior by his presence. Anyone, photographer or otherwise, has observed individuals for whom when the camera appears they put on their "photo face." We all do this to a greater or lesser extent.

Further, despite what one might think, a photographic representation of a scene isn't "picture perfect:" it is only a mediocre representation of what the human eyes observe. The first and most obvious limitation of the medium is that a photograph freezes a fixed view of a moment in time, and lacks any of the motion or surrounding context that our vision provides. Second: our stereoscopic visual system provides an ability to interpret what we see in three dimensions, while a photograph is typically a two dimensional representation of three dimensional space. Thirdly, a typical camera usually only records 6 to 9 f-stops** of information while the human eye is estimated to record 24! A photograph is a recording of reality that has been manipulated by the technical constraints of the medium.

You may be surprised to learn that there was a lively debate among early photographers on whether or not a photograph created an accurate likeness. Even once the initial challenges of the long exposures and optically mediocre equipment were overcome, many photographers found that their portraits simple didn't accurately reflect how they viewed the subject. Only as artists achieved a mature understanding of the medium did they realize that manipulations of lighting, perspective, and pose were actually required to make a person's photograph reflect his or her actual appearance! A modern photographer may choose to flatter a subject, achieve an "accurate" likeness, or even make the subject appear in an unfavorable fashion using focal length***, lighting, posing, composition, makeup, and Photoshop.

It should be established by now that portraiture is, by definition, a manipulative act. However, the type of manipulations that are perhaps the most interesting are those that a photographer uses to elicit a desired appearance from the subject.

There's a humorous story about my hero Richard Avedon in which he was commissioned to photograph the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. However, during the sitting Avedon found the couple to adopt an aloof and unapproachable demeanor. Knowing that the couple was renowned for their love of dogs (more specifically the pugs they bred), Avedon fabricated a story on the spot about his taxi running over a small dog on the way to the sitting. The Duke & Duchess reacted just as Avedon hoped they would, and he snapped a photograph of their slightly distressed appearance. This portrait, while not neccessarily "flattering," humanized a very reserved set of subjects in a remarkable way. The image is probably the only one produced in which the couple dropped their courtly facade, and one can empathize with their distress.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor
Photographed by Richard Avedon in 1957

In another famous moment in portraiture (that I've mentioned on this blog before), Yousuf Karsh famously ripped a cigar from Winston Churchill's mouth to provoke a scowl that became symbolic of British resistance to the Axis Powers in World War II.

Winston Churchill
Photographed by Yousuf Karsh in 1944

My instinct is to celebrate the ingenuity (or some might say audacity) of the photographers in the instances above. In both cases, the manipulation was utilized to elicit a genuine response that accurately reflected an aspect of the subject's character. And importantly, "no dogs (or subjects) were harmed in the making of these photos." However, I'm somewhat less comfortable with Jill Greenberg's methods in obtaining the images of crying children for her "End Times" series. In many cases, a piece of candy was given to the child and then shortly taken away: quite literally taking candy from a baby. No wonder Ms. Greenberg entitles her website: "The Manipulator"

"Torture" from the collection End Times
photograph by Jill Greenberg

While assurances are given that the children were only sucrose-deprived for about thirty seconds, it just seems a little mean to intentionally provoke that level of distress in toddlers, even for the sake of art. Perhaps its a double standard, but I'm much more comfortable with Avedon's slight needling of grown adults who have chosen to be a part of a sitting than this artist's provocation of unsuspecting children. Ms. Greenberg has subsequently received further attention to her manipulations-of-subject for her work during the 2008 Presidential Campaign. While on assignment for The Atlantic to produce a portrait of John McCain, she intentionally created some unflattering "outtakes" to post on her website with anti-McCain slogans.

John McCain
photographed by Jill Greenberg in 2008

Regardless of one's political views, intentionally producing unflattering images of a person of whom she was commisioned to produce a (presumably flattering) likeness is professional malpractice, and ethically bankrupt. The issue here is not that Greenberg created the images: it's that she created them while under a mandate to produce a certain kind of work, and where the subject had made himself available in good faith assuming that every effort would be made to produce a fair image.

Given that manipulation is inevitable in portraiture, the question is NOT whether certain practices are "manipulative," with all of the associated negative connotations. I view the sensitivity and ingenuity that a portraitist evinces during his interactions with his subjects to be a crucial measure of his talent as an artist. The question is whether both the ends and the means of manipulation stand up to moral scrutiny.

*In quantum physics, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that the values of certain pairs of conjugate variables (position and momentum, for instance) cannot both be known with arbitrary precision. That is, the more precisely one variable is known, the less precisely the other is known. This is not a statement about the limitations of a researcher's ability to measure particular quantities of a system, but rather about the nature of the system itself. (from WikiPedia)

**An f-stop is a photographic term that is used to describe how bright something is. In this context, I am using it to describe the difference between the lightest and darkest things in a scene. Have you ever wondered why you can see a person in front of a sunset perfectly, but when you take the picture either the person is black or the sky is white?

***Focal length refers to how far away the lens "sees." A short focal length gives you a wide-angle view, and a long focal length is referred to as telephoto, which sees far away. By using lens selection, a photographer may stand either close to or far from a subject, which changes the way they are rendered in the camera. Certain focal lengths may make a subject look tall or short, fat or thin.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing you all a happy new year!!!

Photographic Eye

2008-12-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

I've long thought that many people put too much emphasis on the concept of a "photographic eye" or someone's inherent "gifts" with regards to the potential one has as an artist. In my experiences, hard work has always been a greater determinant of success than "raw talent," and now Malcolm Gladwell has written a book that strongly supports my views.

Outliers is a book about how extraordinarily successful people achieve their success. Gladwell's general hypothesis is that while a degree of natural talent is certainly necessary for success in any given field, once a critical ability threshold is reached external factors become crucial in determining the ultimate outcome of one's efforts. One of the most important factors he discusses is the "10,000 hour rule."

In a study at Berlin's elite Academy of Music, the faculty grouped students into three groups:
A) Potentially world-class talent
B) Merely good
C) Less talented: unlikely to have professional success

They polled these students on their practice habits, and discovered something fascinating: while the "group A" students had accelerated their practice throughout their lives, the B's and C's had not. This sounds obvious, but they could not document a single case of a student who'd achieved "group A" status with less than 10,000 hours of estimated practice time. Further, they could likewise not find a single group C student who had failed to achieve brilliance despite practicing anywhere CLOSE to 10,000 hours. There weren't any students so gifted that they didn't have to practice as hard to achieve that level of ability, and there weren't any grinders who put in the time but just didn't have what it took.

Gladwell produces a number of additional case-studies demonstrating that people such as Mozart or Bill Gates, who most would consider prodigies, only had their great successes after about 10,000 hours of practice at their craft.

The author also uses some interesting data to show that so long as a person has a "threshold IQ," he or she is just as likely to win a Nobel Prize as a super-genius. Once a person is smart enough, many other psychological and situational factors become far more crucial to that level of success.

My point is that a "photographic eye" requires only a threshold level of talent. I believe there are very few people who honestly lack any knack for taking pictures. The biggest difference is the amount of time one is willing to put in: are you willing and able to make the sacrifice of 10,000 hours in pursuit of excellence?

For what its worth, my wife estimates that I spend about 12-16 hours per day seven days every week taking photos, editing photos, planning for future shoots, or studying photography. I'm not at 10,000 hours yet, perhaps, but I'm counting down!

Not Every Bride Wears White....

2008-12-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

Ashton's dress definitely qualifies as my most unique wedding attire so far this year....

Here are a few teasers from San Antonio this week! (yes, that's Elvis performing the ceremony)

Mother of the Bride

2008-12-11T18:47:00.000-08:00

My Richard Avedon-inspired portrait sessions have really started to spill into my wedding coverage. This is a shot that I really love, which would never have happened before I started doing that style of portrait session, where the interview process and verbal exchange is crucial to the success of the shot.

I'd reached a point where I felt comfortable that I had enough "bride getting hair done" shots, so I left my second to cover in case anything happened, and asked the mother of the bride to step outside with me for a moment. It was a nice partly-overcast day, but a bit brisk. Knowing I didn't have long, I chatted with Mom for a moment and then asked her:

"If you could have one wish for your daughter's marriage, what would it be."

She responded: "Only for her to be as happy as I've been."

This picture was taken just after her response, and just before the tears came. This image is not a "rockstar" shot with an amazing composition or elaborate lighting. This image matters to me, because I can see in this woman's eyes just how much she loves her daughter.

The Art of Printmaking

2008-12-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

I'll open this entry with one of my very favorite recent images. In this shot, the son of the groom was a little bit apprehensive about his father's marriage and how it would impact his relationship with his dad. The groom's step-father noticed the young man off to one side, and went to comfort him. Capturing moments like this is a truly humbling experience for me as a photographer, and I feel a tremendous responsibility to respect the fundamental dignity and beauty of my clients and their families as they deal with the emotions of the day, both joyous and poignant.

As a photographer who works in both the film and digital mediums, I'm perpetually fascinated in the ways that the rise of the digital camera has changed the way we make and enjoy images. Many of the changes are positive: digital cameras have democratized the art form by making it easier for more people to experience the joys of photography. Digital manipulation has offered new avenues for artistic expression, and entirely new mixed mediums have evolved.

One area that I believe has suffered, however, is an appreciation for great printmaking. Shooting photographs on film is inherently a print-based medium: even if one is only viewing contact sheets, there is a process of physical creation for almost every frame. Most people would at-least order a set of 4x6 prints from every roll they sent off to the lab. Prior to the internet, photographers were primarily judged on the quality of the prints hanging on their studio walls, or those in their portfolio books. Brilliant artists like George Tice became known specifically for their expertise in the darkroom and the amazing quality of their prints.

I haven't seen any studies, but I will guess based on my own experience that most digital photographers and/or their clients probably print only a small fraction of what they shoot. When images are printed, they are typically done from merely adequate home printers or only-slightly-better automated devices at local "labs." Further, when images are printed from digital, there is often the assumption that what looks good on one's screen will look equally good in print.

There is an art to taking a great image and turning it into an amazing print, whether its film or digital. Even if one works on a calibrated monitor, it takes a comprehensive understanding of how a printer renders information to predict the subtleties of how that information will be translated into a physical rendering of the image. Whether shooting film or digital, it often requires test-runs to completely perfect a print to its fullest interperetation of the original image. Black & white images in particular put huge demands on the printer, as the subtle and sensitive rendering of tonality can make-or-break a piece of art.

If you'd like to see for yourself, compare the majesty of a Yousuf Karsh silver gelatin print in a museum to its more mundane doppelganger in a book of Karsh's images.

I'm now offering my clients three print options. Clients can:

1. Print the image themself from the digital files

2. Order a very nice, carefully prepared print from me that will be executed on the best equipment available at a reasonable price.

3. For those clients who want a piece of fine art for their walls, I offer signature prints that I produce in conjunction with a handful of master printers around the country. Whether film or digital, no expense is spared in the production of the fullest possible interperetation of the image. These are the only prints that will bear my signature.

I'm very, very excited about these signature prints, and I welcome clients and potential clients to meet with me and examine my samples in person to witness the difference for themselves.