Monday, June 04, 2012

Quick Hit Monday: Uhhh… How About Inspiration Monday

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I have to tell you, LaDawn and I had a nice weekend off before all heck breaks loose from this point forward for the rest of the summer. The weather held for most of the weekend and we were able to do what most people do when they have a weekend off – take a hike at our local Nature Center and visit one of the big art fairs happening in town this weekend.

SummerfairOne of the highlights for the weekend for me was visiting Summerfair Cincinnati, the oldest and one of the largest art and crafts fair held in the country. We decided to head over Sunday afternoon and check out this year's exhibitors. The highlight of Summerfair Cincinnati for me is walking up and down all the Isles of exhibitors seeking out all the photographers.  I just seeing great photography up close and personal. 

This year, there seemed to be more photographers exhibiting then I ever remember seeing  before – Hey, good for me, right?  This fact probably goes to show the explosive interest in photography these days. In any event, what I want to share with you today are the works, the websites, and my comments on some of the beautiful and outstanding imagery that I saw at this year’s Summerfair

A Quick Note:

Although the work featured is primarily landscape photography, there were a couple of photographers who added their special niche to the exhibits.  I think you'll find these images a wonderful exercise in creativity and inspiration.  And, no one can ever complain about the fact that occasionally we sometimes need a good kick in the side of the head to get our creative juices flowing more easily once again.

And that's another reason why I enjoy these kinds of exhibitions. It gets me looking, thinking, enjoying, and being inspired by photography other than what I’m normally use to.  I hope my experience does the same for you too.  Be sure to make it to the last set of images and prepare to be amazed!!!

Monday Morning Inspiration – Here We Go!

Jason Parvalonis: Warm Desert Wind Photography: [link]

Jason, I thought, had some of the most exciting landscape photography at the exhibition. He was showing large-scale canvasses that were truly impressive to behold. Looking at these 5 foot wonders took your breath away!  He also has some beautiful galleries on his website so be sure to check them out.

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Randal  Shedd Photography: [link]

I would have to say that Randal had one of the most creative collections of imagery at this year’s show. In his previous life Randall was a well published landscape photographer in the Midwest.  In 2006 he felt he had to change things around a bit for himself creatively.

He developed a brand-new way to photograph still lights which results in an image that seems the capture the translucency of the flowers he photographs without losing any of their detail or texture.  Each image almost looks like a watercolor painting but always, upon close inspection, if was a photograph.  Looking at his work you were blown away by the simplicity, color, composition and presentation of the finished result -truly amazing!

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J. Miles Wolf Photographer: [link]

J. Miles Wolf has been Cincinnati favored photographer for many, many years. Not only is he an accomplished, award-winning architectural photographer but he has been shooting Cincinnati scenes and skylines for well over 25 years. J. Miles has several books published and his work is on display throughout the city. I've always admired his photography since I first saw it so many years ago.

Yesterday I had the opportunity introduce myself and have a nice conversation with J. Miles.   It was good to finally meet the person behind the photography that I've admired for so long.  I even asked J. Miles if you would be interested in doing a webcast for us here DigitalProTalk. He said he would be happy to entertain that prospect so, who knows, we just may be honored with a webcast from one of Cincinnati's finest right here at DPT in the near future.

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R.C. Fulwiler: Photography of wit, humor, and coincidence [link]

R.C. Fulwiler's booth was one that you could spend several hours enjoying the “browse” through all of his very wonderful (and funny)  images. Each new image brought a new giggle to my face. As R.C. says on his website, he has a way of capturing of coincidences of life. And, as you can see from this small sampling of images, he really has a knack for doing just that.  I hope you'll visit his website, browse his gallery, and enjoy a few Monday giggles for yourself.

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Mary Nemeth: Image Quest Photography [link

What I liked about Mary's work was the utter simplicity of her compositions.  As you can see from the small sampling each image captures a moment from nature that stands very well on its own.  I particularly like the Monet feel in the first image below.  Check out Mary's website to see more of her beautiful work.

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Patrick Hyland: Patrick Highland Photography [link]

Patrick Hyland was another photographer showing some wonderful landscapes. I particularly liked his black-and-white images but his wide-angle landscapes were quite impressive as well. You can see more Patrick's wonderful images at his website above.

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Tom Lazar, Moments In Time [link]

Lazar was another one of my favorite landscape photographers featured at this year's Summerfair. One of the special treats when viewing a photographer's work up close and personal is the fact that it's a much deeper connect with the image itself when you see it in person as opposed to online. Nevertheless visit Tom's website and see some more of his outstanding landscape photography.

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Almost Photography – The Most Amazing Exhibitor At Summerfair!

Ping Guo, Superview Silk Embroidery Arts: [link]

I have to tell you, visiting the Superview Silk Embroidery booth at this year’s show was a “blow out” experience for me. As I approached the booth from a distance and looked  I thought I was looking at another photography booth.  The fact that the booth’s name said “embroidery” made me walk right by. Still, as I walked by I did a “double-take” and turned my head back to see if it really wasn't a photographic exhibit.  after a few steps I stopped, turned and went back to the booth and to my amazement witnessed some of the most amazing displays of art I've ever seen!

Ping6Each one of these creations were all hand sewn embroidery at an almost a microscopic level.   Looking closely at the samples they had on display forced you to believe that what you are seeing was truly some of the most beautiful embroidery ever seen in your life.

I had a wonderful conversation with Ping Guo who enthusiastically described the beautiful works in his booth and even showed me the loom upon which many of these embroidery works of art were created .

Each one of these “objects d’art” is hand-woven, every stitch put in its exact location by hand over many days to create the final result.  It was only upon close inspection that you grained a true appreciation of the phenomenal artwork which all of us in the booth viewed in amazement.  Yes, I left the booth, ran down the aisle and coasted  to comeback and see what had me so excited.  She loved them as well. We ended up picking up a few souvenir pieces to display in our home.  As I said – one of the best experiences of summer fair 2012!
  Look at the images below and keep in mind that each image is sewn almost microscopically by hand capturing the fine details of these beautiful, complex scenes – just unbelievable!

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  Hope you enjoy the post today – lots of good stuff there.  Look for me sometime tomorrow for another episode of Technique Tuesday. 

Have a great rest of the day and I’ll see you soon.

-David

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