the power of space

I recently finished teaching two workshops at the Santa Fe Workshops. I emphasize in my classes that everything has to matter in an image.

I am trained as a magazine photographer to get it right in the frame. As a personal challenge I do not crop my images after the fact. I find that if I just take a step or two forward, maybe left or right, I can tighten the frame and eliminate clutter. Or, if I just move the camera ever so slightly I can perfect the composition.

And, often negative space has as much impact as a person or an object. However, you have to delicately balance the weight of the space with the weight of the subject. It is a balancing act and the tension is critical.

It is as simple as having clean space around subjects, like this:

© nevada wier     Myanmar. Chindwin River. Fog.

or space with texture and color

© nevada wier     India. Gujurat. Washing.

or a big wad of space and color

© nevada wier             Mongolia. Gobi Desert. Sunset. Camel.

You have to eliminate everything that doesn’t matter so that what is left does matter.

And, sometimes what matters is the beauty of emptiness.

Fine-art Prints — upgrading a printer and choosing a new paper

I  started in photography with a Deardorf large format camera and a black & white darkroom. I loved the alchemy of watching a print emerge in a tray of liquid emitting vapors of toxic fumes. It was, and must still be, simply magic.

However, once I began color photography and realized that it was my natural affinity, I left the wet darkroom behind. Perfecting the art of exposing for the limited dynamic range of transparencies consummed me; adding the distraction of color mystified me.

Yet, I never made color prints. I hated limited range of glossy or matte papers. I despised Cibachrome and other color printing processing; not even the complicated dye transfer process held my interest. My prints were from the four-color process of magazines and books. Then Arthur Meyerson had an exhibit of digital prints in Santa Fe (I can’t remember the year) and I knew a color printing revolution was amassing.

I tried working with various  companies (Mac Holbert at Nash Editions is a genius) but realized that I needed to take control of the printing process myself. So I now have THE GRAYROOM, instead of  The Darkroom (yes, the walls are 18% gray) and my own Epson and HP printers.

I had my first major show January of 2008 at the Verve Gallery in Santa Fe (see past posts) with over 50 images printed on a Epson 7800 (24″)  and an HP Designjet 44″ Z3100 using Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Bright White paper.

This summer I am printing for a new show, tentatively titled Outer India, to be hung at the Verve Gallery July 2010. Not only do I have a new printer — HP 44″ Designjet Z3200 (I bought it instead of the Epson 9900 which did not have the shadow detail that I crave), but I wanted a new paper with a greater D-Max. I am printing images in a different style with more de-saturated colors and deeper blacks. The rag papers with matte Ink give me the feel I want but not the deep, deep black tones. Picking a paper is very personal; it has to feel and look right to whomever is printing.

I researched the current fine-art gloss papers which have a “rag” feel and picked 5 papers: Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta, Ilford Galerie Gold Fiber Silk, Innova FibaPrint Ultra Smooth Gloss, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl, and Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper. Unfortunately I have not been able to get a profile for the Exhibition Fiber Paper (and I probably would have nixed it anyway since it only comes in sheets).

I printed out test sheets of various images on the four remaining papers. I don’t like the texture of the  Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl so it was nixed. I loved the whiteness of the Innova paper, but it was too blue/white (and I should stay away from OBA whiteners for archival purposes). Ultimately, it was a tough choice between the Ilford and Hahnemuhle Baryta papers. However, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag has consistently been a great paper for me so I decided to stay with the brand.  The luscious  Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta won my confidence and heart (until a better paper comes my way).

Note: I get my papers from www.shadesofpaper.com Contact: Erik Mateer

© nevada wier.   India, Nagaland. At the border.

Farewell Kodachrome. I loved you well.

I did love Kodachrome. I would not currently chose film over digital, but Kodachrome taught me so much about photography. I am not surprised that it is being discontinued, nor dismayed — just giving a few final words at the funeral. http://homepage.1000words.kodak.com/default.asp?item=2388083

I was one of the last photographers at Getty to use Kodachrome. I knew it so well that I rarely took a light reading. Finally I did switch to the more vibrant chromes, at their insistence; my last film favorite was Extachrome SW (saturated warm). I was never a Fuji fan; the 50 ISO was a problem for me as I handhold most everything.

I have many favorite images from Kodachrome. Here is an early one that has “staying power” and was on the cover of my first book Adventure Travel Photography (out of print).

© nevada wier  1985  Nepal

Five Senses and more …

I believe it was at the Tucson home of the artist Andy Rush, in the mid-70’s, where I encountered the possibility that we really have ten senses, not just five. [I wish I could remember the name of the poet who was one of the guests. He said, as I was making a salad, "It feels like you are making love to that salad". I was young and impressionable, and immediately in love. However, I digress.]  Sunday Morning Update: I remember the poet — W.S. Merton

At dinner we came around to the subject of THE five senses. “No, there are more”, said someone (probably Andy Rush, a very progressive thinker). And, we began to list them… 6: the sense of temperature, 7: the sense of pressure, 8: the sense of motion (my contribution, as I recall), 9: the sense of balance, and 10: the sense of intuition, or maybe someone said imagination for # 10. But, I think it is intuition.

Recently I told a class at Julia Dean’s workshop in Venice Beach that I am addicted to the stimulus of travel. Actually I am addicted to the stimulus of all ten senses that happens while I traveling, especially outside my normal frame of reference — the “terra incognito” of place and spirit.

Sitting at a computer editing images, writing a book, or hassling with a new printer (which took up all of today), and such does not do it for me!

And, I doubt it ever will.

© nevada wier 2006   Amarbayasgalant Khilid, Mongolia

Language

by W.S. Merwin

Certain words now in our knowledge we will not use again, and we will never forget them. We need them. Like the back of the picture. Like our marrow, and the color in our veins. We shine the lantern of our sleep on them, to make sure, and there they are, trembling already for the day of witness. They will be buried with us, and rise with the rest.

UPDATE: THE LIST IS GROWING!

11. Sense of Aesthetics (courtesy of John Lund)

12: Sense of Time (suggested by Richard Hughes)

Upcoming 2009 – 2010 Photography Workshops

June 5 – 7, 2009
Creativity in Travel Photography ( FULL)
THE JULIA DEAN PHOTO WORKSHOPS

VENICE BEACH, CA www.juliadean.com

**********************************************************

July 12-18, 2009 & May 2 – 8, 2010

On Assignment in Santa Fe
http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com

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July 19 – 25, 2009

Outdoor and Travel Photography (FULL)

SANTA FE WORKSHOPS
http://www.santafeworkshops.com/

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At this point I am not offering other workshops in 2009. I will post more of my  2010 workshops as soon as I know the dates.

Sadly the Sundance Photographic Workshops have closed. They will be missed.

© nevada wier  Jaipur, India 2009

Mentorships … and tripods

The Santa Fe Workshops recently started offering mentorships with a select group of professional photographers. It is a brilliant concept, for photographers who want to work in depth or have a consultation with a particular professional photographer. (Check it out http://www.santafeworkshops.com/mentorships/).

I recently had a one-hour conversation with Deigh Bates (http://deighlight.wordpress.com/) about his photography. I thought I was an interesting choice for him as a Mentor since he is primarily a landscape photographer and I am primarily a people photographer. But he was looking for a different perspective outside the nature crowd. And, I certainly have a different perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and it got me thinking about a number of topics.

One of which is … tripods. I rarely use a tripod, except when it is absolutely necessary.

Nature photographers tend to gasp when I say that they use the tripod too much or that depth of field is not that important. Tripods are limiting and people tend to get stuck photographing from whatever height and angle in which they set it up. I find that people do not experiment with creative angles, such laying on the ground and shooting upwards, or getting up higher than their tripod can reach, or experimenting with different tilts of the camera. I find that people just get stuck in “shoulds” when that tripod is set up.

And, one of those “shoulds” is that most everything should be in-focus. This “should” extends far beyond nature photography. It appears to be primarily a concern for western-culture photographers. I am not exactly sure where it comes from since the early photography is quite dreamy; I think it has to do with the advent of instantmatic cameras like the Brownie (I would love to have your thoughts on this). Of course, not all nature photography is f/16 and beyond; plenty of photographers experiment with “selective” focus but primarily with flowers and details and water. And, there are some spectacular nature photographers like William Neill http://www.williamneill.com/ and Eddie Soloway http://www.eddiesoloway.com/, who push their imagery into new directions. I just would like to see more emerging nature photographers let go of conventional moorings and experiment A LOT. Goggle “bokeh” and start photographing what you imagine, not just what you see.

I will have more to say about my conversation with Deigh in future posts because I think he has an extraordinarily open mind. And, he photographs almost every day in his environs (that beats my commitment to photography!). His dedication and photography are exemplatory! I applaud him.

A final word about tripods: Yes, I rarely use a tripod; however, I know intimately that it is not enough to up the ISO on the camera (a digital photography crutch); sometimes I REALLY need the tripod to avoid camera shake and occasionally for a particular depth-of-field that I cannot get handholding the image… just like I used to shoot with film. 95% hand-held, and 5% tripod.

© nevada wier 2009 Rajasthan, India

I’m back in Santa Fe and ready for blogging

I’m back in Santa Fe after being gone all winter photographing in India, Myanmar, Ecuador, and the Caribbean. For the next few months I will be living in my “Gray Room” (yes, the walls are 18% gray) primarily editing, printing, and working on a couple of book projects.

I hope to have at least two blog entries a month (ideally one a week but that might be a stretch) so stay tuned for musings, tips on gear, and new photos!

Excelsior!

Digital Infrared

UPDATE  April 2009: I found the 1Ds too heavy so I purchased a used Canon 5D and converted it using www.lifepixel.com with the Standard IR (equivalent to Hoya R72 / Kodak Wratten 89b / 720nm). My primary lens is a Canon EF 24-105 mm f/4L IS USM. I carry it separately in a Lowepro TopLoad Zoom.

© nevada wier 2009    India, Rajasthan

Original Post March 10, 2008:

I recently converted my old Canon 1Ds to a digital infrared camera. And, I LOVE it.

I used it for the first time in South India this past November.

© nevada wier     India. Madurai

© nevada wier    India. Mahabalipuram.

To convert a SLR digital camera to infrared contact  http://www.lifepixel.com/

centeritis

However, I do promise to write more after April. I have been on the road since October in Myanmar, India, Thailand, Ecuador, the Carribean, and currently I’m back in India. I’m in Mumbai at the moment, taking a rest after running a National Geographic Expedition in Rajasthan (if you have never experienced the crazy colorful festival of Holi it is a must!). Next week I’m off to Gujurat to continue working on my project Outer India.

One of the main points I was pounding into a number of people in my fabulous merry Rajasthan group was to avoid “centeritis”. EVERYTHING in the frame has to matter. (And you should know exactly what percentage of the image is actually being shown in the view finder; only a few high end cameras are 100%. Check your manual in the back under Specifications). Yes, everything in an image has to matter, even the space around a portrait. You will rarely see someone in the middle of my frame unless I have a specific reason. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to jam “things” into your image, or smear a face to the edges (unless you want to) … space… can have its place also.

Here a few photos from a workshop I taught in Bangkok, Thailand a couple of months ago in January.

This face begs to be centered in the frame, yet please notice that I only included what is necessary in the frame (I do not crop my images; I challenge myself to create images in the frame).

But most of my images are not centered.

© nevada wier 2009  Thailand

So avoid “Centeritis” … it is a prevalent disease in photography!

Sawasdeekaa, Nevada

Traveling…with a Lensbaby

Forgive me! I have been traveling non-stop since the beginning of October in countries that have zero to limited Internet connection (and isn’t that a wonderful thing!). I was in Myanmar (zero Internet), India (limited, in the rural areas of Rajasthan and Gujurat), and just recently in the Galapagos, Ecuador (hey, too much to see and do to think about a blog!). Here are a few photos from the Galapagos.

Ah, Lensbaby… helping me stay creative. www.lensbaby.com

© nevada wier     Ecuador. Galapagos 2008 (Lensbaby)

© nevada wier     Ecuador. Galapagos 2008  (Lensbaby)

© nevada wier     Ecuador. Galapagos 2008  (Lensbaby and Digital Infrared)