Paul Grecian - Photography

I listen carefully to what show attendees say to me when seeing my work. At this last show in Hawley, as in many others, a regular comment is that I must be a very patient person. I often hesitate at this because I simply feel it misses the mark on how I approach making an image. Truth is I’m not a very patient person.  I don’t just stand or sit waiting for something to happen or some creature to pass my position.

I think the confusion is that many people equate wildlife photography and nature photography in general, with hunting. I am not hunting with a camera. Maybe a better description is that I am exploring with my camera and then communicating with as much emotion as I can, the visual experience. Sometimes my images are the result of pre-visualization, maybe for months or just seconds before making the image. Sometimes I just walk around and allow myself to respond to what I see and feel. Other times I do stand or sit in a spot where I have pre-visualized a certain image or type of image I want to make. Usually though, I am on the move observing and thinking about color, form, perspective, and compositions, but mostly letting myself respond to the visual experience I am having.

It is more often true that any image I make was made as I came upon a subject or situation in the field. Many of my images are the result of planning to be in a certain location under specific conditions in order to attempt to make an image I had already considered. This means being in the desired spot often while it’s still dark with the needed equipment and a predetermined creative approach. In fact, this approach may be considered the exact opposite of patience. I’m not saying I never exhibit patience, it’s just not my strongest character trait (at least with regards to making photographs).

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I often read artists assert that their best work is yet to be made and if they knew then what they know now, their work would have been better. Maybe photography is a different medium in this respect from others. I’ve never felt that I was waiting for my best work to be created. In fact much of my favorite work and many of my more popular pieces are ones that represent my earlier visions and efforts. That is not to say that I have stopped growing as a photographer and artist, it’s just that I feel much of my growth is lateral. That is, I believe my style has changed over time and will continue to do so as I change in interests, and discoveries, and personality. But, is this work necessarily better than work I’ve already created? Or is it different and new.

Certainly I learn new things about the medium and what I can do with it all the time. In this way my growth is definitely vertical. But again, I’m not sure that knowledge of the medium equates to better images. If that were true, wouldn’t we all be the best photographers who ever lived because we would have more knowledge and experience than any of our predecessors. The fact that we are not necessarily better image makers because of increased knowledge, expereince, and better tools is because photography is still and primarily so - an art form.

This is an image I made some ten years ago and has found it’s way into over 100 homes, an Audubon calendar, and a book project. It’s one of my earlier pieces. Had I made this image last week, I’d be equally pleased with it.

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Yesterday I had lunch with two artist friends, Bea and Meg. Meg has a farm where among other things, she has deer and horses. I had the opportunity to spend some photographic time with both of these great subjects. It was amazing to be in such close proximity to fairly large bucks who were still in velvet. Meg’s horses are beautiful and a bit pushy. I really had no idea what to expect and so my photography was more of a matter of sketching ideas for future visits.

I needed to get a sense of how the bucks would react to me, what the layout of the land was, and to try and visualize the kind of imagery I would want to create. I’ve also never really spent any time with horses and was really overwhelmed by their beauty and power. I fell in love with their eyes but also their coloration. These are painted horses ranging from white to tan to black with various markings on each. I wouldn’t call any of the animals, buck nor horse, cooperative. In fact most of the time I needed to separate myself from them in order to make any kind of image. Maybe in time, they will ignore my presence. I’m not sure I’ll go back during spring though, as my allergies did not seem to like something I was close to. Thanks to Bea for letting me use these pictures!

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Last night I was pleased to serve as juror for the Churchville Photography Club in Churchville, PA. This club has an active membership with a variety of backgrounds. Lana from The Dreaming Tree asked in my previous post, what I look for/consider when acting as a juror. It’s a good question.

The qualities that I believe make a good juror are exposure to a variety of images and styles, being well read on critiques of a variety of art mediums, being open minded to styles that are different from your own, being analytical of the creative process. I think it also requires a bit of self confidence to speak what one feels and a willingness to suggest that an image can be improved.

My personal approach to being a juror is to talk freely about what I feel works and doesn’t work in an image. I find that an audience, even if they disagree with my assessment, are amenable to it if I can explain clearly why I choose one image over another. Most audiences I believe are very aware if you’re insincere and/or derogatory. I look for creativity first, visual impact, clear intension of content, and lastly technique. To me technique (focus, exposure, etc.) is only a means to an end. I look for technique sufficient to convey the visual intent. Primarily, I want the image to move me. I’ll give more weight to imagery that seems to break new ground or is out of the ordinary. However, I don’t appreciate different for the sake of being different.

Ultimately, I want the audience to take away that my choices are only that, my choices. I feel comfortable with my style as I keep getting asked back and always have a good number of people approach me afterwards thanking me for providing helpful input - even if I selected against their images.

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As I was quoted saying in an article that appeared in yesterday’s Morning Call (link), Mayfair (Allentown, PA) had very good attendance and clear weather. I met many great people and was pleased by the response to my work. Five days makes for a long show and the hours ran well into the night. It was cool to have my canopy lit after dark, this is not something I’ve done before.

A trend that I’m experiencing at shows, including Mayfair this past long weekend, is parents purchasing work for their accompanying child or children. Sometimes it’s the kids themselves that have the money and want a piece of art for themselves or as a gift for someone else. Either way, I am making more sales for or to young kids. This past weekend I made three such sales. One father who purchased an 11×14 print and an 8×10 print for his kids said it was time for them to begin to appreciate art work. How great it that?

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I’ve been working at a local fox den for the last couple weeks and have begun to edit and develop the images. These guys are great to watch but a real challenge. While lighting has been managable because the den is in the open, the grass is sometimes annoying and these guys move quickly. I’ve spent enough time now with them to begin to predict locations and activity patterns. More importantly, I’ve begun to bring image ideas with me into the field. While each visit is unpredictable, it does help to have an image in mind and prepare for it should a situation arise.

I’m always looking for expression, so I am enjoying this image that I’ve named “L’il Bugger”. The fly which is just visible at the center top of the picture, was on the fox kit’s head and as it flew off his head I saw the fox begin to look up. The expression on the fox’s face is great, tongue out and its right eye slightly closed as if it’s sizing up it’s little prey. As an aside, I’ve noticed that even a passing commercial plane grabs their attention skyward. I’m working with some long glass which gives me enough distance from the den to not affect behaviors.

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I prepared my various tax envelopes for mailing the other day and fell into thinking about the IRS’s definition of “artist”. Actually, the IRS doesn’t have a definition of “artist”, just a definition of what is a business. This time of year finds me thinking about what an “artist” is in more functional terms. What makes someone an artist functionally is different from defining them based on their work itself. Functionally, I, and the IRS, think of an “artist” as being someone who actively creates and engages in selling their work. More specifically, the IRS expects that an “artist” also make a profit from selling their work (at least at some point).

My functional definition of an artist in total is probably a bit different from that of the IRS. I think of artists as also studying their medium, exploring their vision with that medium, and sharing that vision even if not offering it for sale (but I’m more likely to think of someone as an artist if they do sell their work). I think of an artist as being passionate about what they do, passionate about art in general, and passionate about interacting with other artists. At some level I even care if the work being produced is good , but it doesn’t seem to be a requirement for me to think of someone as an artist. Is that weird?

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Photographers have had controls for rendering color for some time, but no where near as much as today. When I first started using color slide film, the selection was relatively small. I used Kodak film, mostly Kodachrome. When Fujichromes hit the market with there vibrant renditions, I switched to it for most of my work. Other than film though, color is determined by the actual subject, the kind of light (temperature, or Kelvin) falling on the subject (and the surrounding colors in relation to the subject), the exposure decisions I make, filtration, and printing. I never liked enhancing or color filters, but do use a polarizer often.

Then of course there were color controls involved in the printing. From slide film, an internegative had to be made from which a traditional C-print was created. The original slide being a positive image allowed for close matching of colors, or at least a reference point for making color decisions.

Now with digital image controls, color is more of a creative decision than ever before and I think that is the way it should be. No other medium is constrained by color choice as photography seems to be. I came across this line on Luminous Landscape (Reading Tea Leaves) and believe it to be a truism. Michael writes “Colour exists in our heads, it is not an absolute, and it therefore demands interpretation by our minds and hearts.” While I am personally interested in rendering colors that represent my subject closely, it is my creative decision to do so, not a rule I follow. Color is such a powerful conveyor of feeling that to take the control of it away from the photographer is to limit the emotional range they can express. That being said, I’ve been enjoying doing some black and white renderings lately as well. Oh yea, with some sepia toning

Buy this 11×14 print double-matted to 16×20 for $79.00 plus shipping

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I often find myself wanting to listen to a more peaceful, soulful music when I’m matting or framing my prints. When such a mood strikes me, I head to station 77 on XM radio - Audio Visions. The name of the station strikes me as interesting because of the use of the word “Visions” in its title.

I often read that photographers try to create imagery that has a musical sense about it. To make an image with a visual experience as palpable as that elicited by music is a great challenge. Some great photographers studied music before picking up a camera. How much of Ansel Adams’ success as a photographer can be attributed to the fact that he was also a gifted pianist?

So when I see a music station seemingly suggest that their music selection should elicit a visual experience, it makes me wonder. Does every artist try to elicit a response from senses not immediately involved with their medium? Smells and taste can powerfully evoke memories (a visual experience?). Writing can be so descriptive as to allow the reader to perfectly visualize a scene or even elicit a Pavlovian response. Then again, photographers talk about imagery that is poetic.

Maybe there is a certain insecurity artists have about their chosen mediums that make them want to test the success of their endeavor against the responses people have to other mediums? I don’t know. But I do find it intriguing how often those working in a certain medium discuss their work with vocabulary of other mediums.

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Several years ago I decided I needed, well I guess I wanted, a logo. I wasn’t yet doing photography full time but thought it would help add a sense of professionalism and identity to me and my work. Mostly, I thought it would just be fun. Being a bit creative myself, I played around with some ideas mostly based on my name, the word “PHOTOGRAPHY” and some symbol of film and nature.

I noticed there was some similarly in my name “Paul Grecian” and the letters in “PhotoGraphy” so worked to intertwine the two words in some way. I also wanted to have some graphic representation of a piece of film and indicative wildlife subjects. I though it would be interesting to have the film also take on a feeling of landscape. I visualized a strip of film taking on the look of a rolling hill with some animal and/or bird silhouetted against it.

I’m no graphic designer, but luckily I know one. A dear friend of mine whom I met at one of my first shows is not only an extremely talented painter, but a full time graphic designer. I approached her about it and she agreed to take the job. We talked about what I was visualizing and the elements that I wanted to include. She found a way to get all the elements into the logo that I wanted and yet not make it look complicated. The deer and geese in flight represent the wildlife element of my work, and the film strip represents the environmental or habitat aspect of my work. I work with rather common subject matter so a lion or polar bear would not represent my work well.

I am very pleased with the finished result. I use the logo (along with my web address) on labels that go on the back of mats and frames and on business cards. Another use of the logo is on shirts that I wear to shows. Land’s End has a great corporate account option that even I can afford. I’ve thought about making changes to the logo, maybe making it round, but for now I’ll keep it as is.

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