Reverence

It is certainly a powerful word – “Reverence”. Honor, respect, adoration, they all in part describe what we mean when we speak of  ”reverence”. It is reverence for nature that has driven me to spend as much times outdoors as I can, to support conservation causes, and to make photography my expressive medium of choice.

“Country” is of course one of the things many think of when speaking of reverence. The idea of country can be abstract, and so symbols of country that are more concrete are often revered as well. The American Bald Eagle is one such symbol.  Our national bird symbolizes strength and freedom, but also wilderness. It’s a beautiful creature, majestic really, and wonderful to see with its wings outstretched.

Wonderfully, the American Bald Eagle has been making a comeback to this area of the country. Over the last several years I have been able to observe the eagle and create imagery of it right here in Bucks County, PA.

This image was made last spring just as budding was beginning to occur. During an early morning field session, I spotted this magnificent bird from a distance and began to work my way to a position where I could work with it in the warm glow of sunrise. The tree upon which it was sitting is one I have photographed before. It’s an amazing tree with long stretched out limbs that appear to almost bow toward the perched national symbol. The eagle in return, to my mind, seemed to be returning the honor. Without the wings outstretched, I do not believe the image has near the impact.

I used the lines of the tree to visually draw the viewer to the eagle which, though small in the frame, still dominates the image. Placing the bird at a compositional power point gives it visual strength but also lets the sweeping lines of the tree play a more important role. I used a Canon EOS 1D Mark III camera body with a Canon EF500mm F4.0 L IS lens coupled with a Canon TC1.4X teleconverter.

"Reverence" 9.75"x13.75"

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Spring Fine Arts and Crafts Show – March 26-27

This Saturday and Sunday I will be selling my work at the Reading-Berks Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen spring show. With a combination of fine art and the finest crafts, this will be the place to be on what looks like it will be a cold weekend. What’s really cool about this show is that you can spend the whole day shopping, eating and listening to some top notch local musicians.

For more information check out this website for the Spring Show .

I will have a new print of the image “Spring Embrace” shown below at the show.

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North Penn Select Craft Show 2011

If  spring is near, so is the North Penn Select Craft Show which is this Saturday (March 19) from 9:30am to 4:30pm. One of the finest shows on the East Coast and a great escape from winter hibernation.

I will be introducing new work at this show which is also my first of the year. Get a $1.00 off coupon here Hope to see you there!

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Pastels

In high school and college I studied black and white photography (neither school had a color photography lab then). However, color photography has always excited me more. We see color for a reason, it tells us things we need to know. Vibrant colors are very excitatory, especially red. Softer, more pastel tones seem to elicit a more soothing, calming response.

In my home growing up, I was surrounded by the watercolor and pastel paintings of my mother and do feel that it influenced my tastes in art generally. While I respond as many people do to saturated tones, especially when combined in complimentary ways, I still enjoy the lighter, more airy tones that are often associated with spring.

Ultimately, colors are used by artists to elicit all kinds of moods and feelings. Understanding how colors cause different responses in people is necessary in order to more fully convey your own feelings about a scene.

In the image below, I worked with a Canon 100mm f2.8L macro lens at its largest aperture for limited depth-of-field asserting a softness that I feel is appropriate for delicate subjects. Making the image handheld allows me to make very minute changes depth-of-field and composition and then respond immediately to what I see.

(c) 2011 Paul Grecian - http://www.paulgrecianphoto.com

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My Commute

So much for my usually quite short commute. Typically I am up at 5:30am, get dressed and can be at work by, oooh, let’s say 5:35am (depending on traffic going down the steps to my first floor studio space). Even in bad weather, I have no delays (unless I stop by the front door window to see how bad conditions are for everyone else).

What’s happened is that I have become a bit addicted to going to Longwood Gardens down in Kennett Square, PA. Now that is a serious commute. It takes me over an hour-and-a-half each way on heavily traveled roads. Not pleasant. But I am enjoying the destination and of course, not going everyday. With the weather getting nicer, the draw to be outdoors at Longwood will be harder to fight off. But, soon my commute will include art and fine craft shows at various locations (almost entirely in Pennsylvania), so I may as well get used to it.

(c) 2011 Paul Grecian - http://www.paulgrecianphoto.com

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Flippen Calendar

There are two times during the year that are flippen exciting for me to flip the calendar to a new month. Those times are from February to March and from August to September. Both of these times reflect big changes for me. Going from February to March not only represents a change from winter to spring (my favorite season), but also the beginning of my annual show schedule.

Flippin the calendar page is of course symbolic, but it changes my outlook dramatically and revs me up for more outdoor activity. New botanical growth, especially flowers with all the colors they bring to the landscape, gets me wanting to create new imagery 24/7. I’ll settle for just a few hours a few times a week.

I’ll be at two shows this month which I’ll speak about starting in a couple weeks. For now, I’m thinking spring temperatures, tulips, and birds migrating back to southeastern PA.

The image below represents my interpretation of tulips full of color and light. Working low to the ground to maximize the effect of the translucency of tulip petals, I also diffused focus to play up the abstract forms that I saw.

Tulip abstract

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