This is the 2nd part of my series “Art Comes from the HeART. If you missed part one, you can find it here: http://visionsphotography.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/photography-is-art-art-comes-from-the-heart-part-1/
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“Art washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life.” Picasso I love this quote!
As we go day to day through life, dust accumulates on our soul, when you see a great piece of art, photograph, oil canvas, water color, sculpture, tatoo or a song with special meaning…..for a moment you can get lost in that art, the dust is washed away, your heart and mind are refreshed! A friend named Carey, who is the lead cellist for Orchestra Iowa said it well recently. “For me it is reading chamber music. Just sitting down and reading. The result appears to be the same, Art :)” The “canvases” may be different, but the result is the same…It is art!
What happens to you when you look at a portrait of your special newborn, or significant other, maybe a special photo of your family, you get lost in it for a few moments! The same is true for any image of those special moments in your life!
This brings to mine when I have recently had the privilege to photograph some events for Orchestra Iowa. The music starts. The music is art coming from the hearts of the musicians, there is a special, indescribable energy in the air, that music inspires me. I “zone out” so to speak and feed on that inspiration, this causes me to just “see” in a special way, and deliver images that you can feel not just see.
I do the same at a wedding, the love of the couple inspires me! With a family sitting, the family’s love and relationships inspire me. With a High School student, it is their individuality and their personality that provides the inspiration, and newborns are once again a different source of inspiration, who will they be when they grow up, what will they do!
I’ve been blessed, I get to follow my passion in life and do it for a living. I get to capture moments that will be cherished by generations to come. I’m invited into the lives of my clients, to their homes, invited to their weddings, the major events of their lives. My work hangs on the walls of their homes and sits on the desks of their offices. I take this responsibility seriously! I’m there to capture my clients special moments in artistic images that will last a lifetime.
For example…. during a family portrait session there will be moments that you will remember for the rest of your life. 10 years from now you will look back on that portrait and go “I remember this, or remember when Uncle Joe said such and such and cracked us all up. Or….Jonathon was so cute when that was taken, he was only 10 days old.
The future value of portraits……….
In a recent personal experience, I lost a very dear, beloved furry friend of 13 years named Smokey on December 19, 2009. Last summer I took the time with a very good friend and fellow photographer named Greg Frieden. He came over and photographed me with Smokey a couple times. After Smokey died he presented me with a collage of the photographs he took during those sessions, he caught the moments perfectly and this gift meant the world to me!
It gave me great comfort to know these precious memories of mine were there to cherish for the rest of my life and remind me of the 13 wonderful years Smokey gave to me! Yes he was a dog, but he was also so much more, a true friend who graced my life with his presence and lots of love and laughs! The point of this is, we took the time to photograph someone special to me, knowing that life was short and deer Smokey was getting up there in years! This time taken was Sooooooo worth the investment, Greg did a great job and provided me with memories I will cherish and my son will cherish these for the rest of our lives! He caught some of those special moments that Smokey and I shared on a day-to-day basis! BTW Greg is one of the few photographers I recommend if I happen to be booked.
Behind every portrait I take, there are hours of practice, hours of learning, hours of experience. One of the reasons I compete in competitions is for the learning experience to improve my art. The ribbons are nice but the knowledge learned is priceless! I also do fine art photography, some ask why? I do this as a way to practice, fine tune my craft. To study light and constantly improve my work. Photography is a journey without end, a lifelong journey, always something new to learn no matter what level you are at. I’ve always believed that if a photographer gets to a point where they think they know everything there is to know, then it is time to put up the camera and go on to something else. To become great at anything you need to constantly learn and improve! I combine the things I learn during the creation of my fine art work into my portrait work, combining the two. I like to call it “Fine Art” Portraits! 🙂
I want these “fine art” portraits, these precious moments to not only be a photograph, but a piece of art, something that you will be proud to display on the walls of your home! An heirloom that will be handed down for generations to come. After capturing that moment the best I can in camera, I then do what Ansel Adams used to do with his images in the chemical darkroom, only I use a digital darkroom. A little burning here, a little dodging there, this is where I add my artistic impression to the image, every image I produce includes a little of my heart. I might make it a little edgy, or I may make it a little soft, I can’t tell you ahead of time what I will do, but it just comes from the heart once I see the image full size on my computer monitor. Hopefully when I’m done it will move you, it will speak to you.
We take the time to get to know you, what you like, what you don’t like. Who are you, your relationship to your spouse or fiance’, your relationship to your siblings, the high school senior about to go out and challenge the world. The innocence of your new born and that first year where they change so much. That emotional dance with your father at your wedding, you will always be his little girl. Who is the real you? That’s what you want during a portrait session! Do you really want to be rushed in, take maybe 4 or 5 poses and be rushed out, rushed in your decision making? Avoid the chain studios, and the amateur weekender, come talk to us, commission us for your family, child, baby, senior portrait or even a portrait of that furry family member that loves you no matter what. Consultations are always free and we love to meet people! Don’t trust these special memories to just anyone! We go beyond the snapshot! Once again, you will also have fun in the process!
This slide show is a compilation of some of my fine art work, hope you enjoy it!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za-Y_Nxqafk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]
As always, hope you are having a great day!
Carl
Visions Photography – Go Beyond the Snapshot, YOU deserve something special!
319-286-8483
319-270-7371 cell
carl@visionsphotography.net
www.visionsphotography.net
You can also see more of my work at the following sites.
http://www.facebook.com/carl.bromberg
http://www.facebook.com/visionsphotography.cedarrapids.ia
http://www.twitter.com/visionsphoto
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