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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This coming weekend (July 19-20) I will be participating in the Audubon Art and Craft Festival in Hawley, PA. This is a show of talented artists and crafters in a range of mediums. Some of the artists are truly of national renown and specialize in the wildlife genre. I have been showing my work with some of these artists since 1995, sometimes several times a year. This show has become the last one in which I get to exhibit with them. The other shows have dissolved over time. The wildlife art show genre seems to be less successful than it was during the ’90’s, so the Audubon Festival has become a standout event.

This is also the only show event in which my wife and daughter travel with me, so it’s special for that reason as well. In fact, my daughter Hannah has been looking forward to it for weeks. I working late into the night preparing for this show and one in Delaware the weekend after. Lots to do.

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Another fine day weather wise. I am beginning to feel the drain of a marathon show. A large root beer added some needed boost after noon. So far I have avoided the call of funnel cake being made right outside the barn door and wafting in. With the size of the crowd at this show, I’m surprised that I don’t often see people I know. Today however I did have my daughter’s teacher come by to say hello. It was a nice visit. She tells me that Hannah was saying she wants to be a photographer “like her dad”.

Today’s first sale was again L’il Bugger. Some people spot the fly in the image and others are more fixed on the expression of the young fox. The fly though is what the fox is looking at. It was amazing to see the fox though my camera lens with a fly on it’s head and then photograph the fly take-off and the little foxes gaze go up to follow the fly’s flight.

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Nicer weather brought about a large early crowd. Several previous customers came out today and selected new pieces. That is always gratifying. I love hearing I’ll see you again next year as well. I had time to walk through the fairgrounds a bit this morning and all I can say is, if you like to eat, this is the show to be at. I mean the variety and quantity of food is staggering. This is also a show where people bring their dogs and here too the variety is amazing. I could do an great photo essay just on the dogs that are brought to the show. Day 4 tomorrow will be strange as I’m not used to shows longer than 3 days. One at a time though is the way I approach it.

It is typical during shows to be invited to do other shows or events. I was asked to consider participating in an interesting show in upstate PA as well as go on a cruise which sounding very enticing. I always take the information and see what my calendar will allow. Sometimes someone will make me an offer for my work that is unusual as well. I received a barter offer from a gentlemen today who liked my seascape images. He offered me a trade of my work for a week stay in his beachfront house in North Carolina. I gave him my card.

The first sale I made today was of the image Winter Reds, a 5×7 print matted to 11×14. This is a newer image made this past winter during what was probably the nicest snow we had during the season. It is an image I blogged about previously as well.

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Another hot day at Kutztown but no real rain. The crowd seemed larger today. I met several folks who live near me in Quakertown (Q-town to us) who added a piece of my work for their home or office. I also had conversations with nice people who shared my enthusiasm for birds and Colonial Williamsburg. It was not so crowded today that I couldn’t afford a bit of talk.

Today’s first sale was of my newer image - L’il Bugger. I’ve recently blogged about this image which seems to have been enjoyed by many at the festival this past weekend. The weather for the rest of the week looks pretty darn nice!

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Day 1 went smoothly enough. It was hot however and I think that may have resulted in a thinner crowd. A bit of passing rain too meant quickly closing the barn doors (Building A pretty much is a barn). The plus side to a smaller crowd is more time to spend with each customer, which I enjoy. Another plus is smaller lines for food and drink! I am set up again across from my Canadian friend Karen and her assistant Sandy. Sandy has a great Canadian accent.

Last year I blogged on which of my images represented my first sale and I will do that again this year. So, today’s first sale was an 8×10 print matted to 11×14 of White-throated Sparrow.  This is a winter image made early morning. The sparrow is puffed up to trap heat within its feathers, giving it a very plump look. The morning light is warm in color and emphasizes the red in the berries. I was able to find an opening in the brush to get a clear view of the bird’s eye while allowing the surrounding brush to frame the bird in soft reds. This is a film-based image made with a Nikon camera and a Nikkor 400mm f3.5 with 2x teleconverter (a very sharp 800mm equivalent focal length).

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Summer is here and everything changes. What I really enjoy about this part of the world is 4 distinct seasons. Summer always brings back great memories for me. Being free (re. out of school) to be outside all day, and well into the evening was a great feeling. Now my daughter Hannah is out of school and my schedule changes quite a bit. I can work as late as I like and sleep in, or get up early and work for hours before breakfast. With the warmer weather, I can read with my coffee outside and not have to worry about Hannah missing the school bus. Of course I also can’t just leave the house, Hannah needs to be with me all the time (she’s still too young to be left alone). I do get one day a week without daddy-duty to get out and do some photography. And there is always the late afternoon and evening option to get out once my wife Donna gets home. So all-in-all, I have more options during the summer than other times of year.

Also, summer is a busy show time and no more so than this year. Next up is the marathon show - Kutztown Folk Festival right here in PA. It starts on June 28 and goes nine long days. I do get to sleep in my own bed though, that’s a real plus. Then, there are two more shows in July, one in August, and one in September. I’m not ready to even think about the fall!

Oh, and we do get to head down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina during this summer as well. There’s a location that I’ve been working almost every summer since 1990. It’s a great change of scenery from the wooded areas close to home here. This image of shells found on the beach in NC is one of my favorites.

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A question I am sometimes asked at shows is “Why does this image have the look of being 3-dimensional?” The image that receives this question most is Blue Bird, an image of a bluebird on fall arrowwood.  The explanation is that there are two elements of this image that lend it a sense of being 3-dimensional. The first is the limited depth-of-field. That is, the foreground (including the bluebird) are perfectly in focus while the background (distant trees) are rendered only as impressionistic form and color. This situation implies distance and the mind interprets the scene as having something close and something far away. The other element contributing to the 3-d effect is the colors in the image. Warm colors (some of the leaves and stems of the plant) appear to the eye as advancing, while cool tones (the bluebird here) appear to recede. That combination of advancing and receding color right next to each other are interpreted as subjects being close and more distant.

There are other ways that a two-dimensional image can have a three-dimensional look. But of the ones that I place in my booth, this particular piece receives the most remarks.

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Here we are at the end of May! I’m preparing for my next outdoor show - Peddler’s Village Fine Art and Contemporary Crafts Show in Lahaska, PA. Then comes the marathon Kutztown Folk Festival (9 days long), followed by a show up in Hawley PA and another in Delaware. That takes me through July. I’m working hard to print, mount, mat and frame enough work so that I don’t have to work evenings after a show day. In other words, I want to get my ducks in a row right up front. Somewhere in there I will need to get into the field and make some new images as well.

In the mean time, here is a piece I titled Ducks in a Row.It is of a mother wood duck (third bird from left) and all of her young. I find the different postures of each of the birds gives this image great character. My favorite is the bird on the far right who seems to be wondering why he’s the only one with wet feet. This image was made with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and a Canon EF 500mm f4.0 L IS lens with a Canon TC1.4X to bring the total glass to 700mm. I changed my position slightly to include some reflected blue sky on the left. My initial images with all green reflections were not as interesting I thought.

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There are some images that I find great joy in selling. When someone goes away with a purchase of one of these fun images, I feel good in a different way than I do about a bigger purchase. One such image is titled Curious Grasshopper. Here is an image of an insect that just has a lot of character. Some people just respond well to this piece, others do not. But then this is what makes selling artwork of any kind a bit of an adventure.

The grasshopper in this image is looking right at the viewer and hangs between two blades of a cattails plant. It is an image that I made at Hawk Mountain during a summer morning visit. I noticed this grasshopper within a group of cattails and began to compose. My initial compositions were not exciting me and as the grasshopper was moving, I began to try to anticipate a composition based on where it was heading. I composed an image ahead of the grasshopper’s route. Then I waited. I figured grasshoppers where quick movers and that he would be within my frame in no time. I discovered that this grasshopper moved one leg at a time, and very slowly. Ultimately, my subject worked his way into my composition and held steady thank you. I struggled to focus on the grasshopper’s eyes and gain enough depth to keep its nose in focus. My lens choice was a Nikkor 75-300mm zoom set up on a tripod.

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