See What Zave Nelson is Creating!

Art Piece: 

“Babylon”

Marker and Colored Pencil

25”  x  19”

About the Artist:

Zave Nelson

Zave was born in Atlanta, Georgia.  He never met his mother.  As a child Zave was a problem child, and stayed in trouble.  Zave was introduced to art and in his words “art changed his outlook on life and has brought him closer to God.  He now looks upon his life and talents as a gift, for which he is very thankful.

The Artist’s Personal Statement:

“I am of the father, as the father is of me; therefore I do the will of him, through the expression of my craft.”

To view more of  Zave’s work and the work of all our fine artists, visit us at www.contemporaryartgalleryonline.com.   Also check out our monthly art competitions.

 

Creative Flower Photography Tip #9: Place a Picture Within a Picture by F.M. Kearney

 

Double exposures are a fun way to add a little creativity to your flower photographs. Sometimes, I’ll shoot a close-up, then pull back and shoot a much smaller version of the same flower – giving it the appearance that it’s “nestled” within itself. Other times, I’ll combine two totally different images.

The basic concept is simple: shoot one large image and superimpose a smaller one on top. The problem is being able to clearly distinguish one from the other, and to not have everything meld together into one big cluttered mess. I tried various methods to accomplish this and the best way I found was to simply underexpose the bigger image. However, if both images are shot in the same light, even underexposing isn’t always enough. It’s for that reason that I like to shoot on sunny days. By completely shading the larger image, and then, shooting the smaller image in direct sunlight, I’m able to achieve an even starker contrast through the different lighting conditions. Coupled with the overall underexposure, both images are now sufficiently offset from each other – creating a unique effect, whereby, the smaller image will appear to “float” in the center of the larger one.

 

The photo opportunities are endless, but they do require a certain degree of pre-visualization. For proper composition, it’s important to remember the exact location of the images within the frame. Personally, I find it easier to shoot the smaller image first. That way, I’m able to ensure I have an adequate amount of “dead space” around it. So that the smaller image (and only the smaller image) is superimposed onto the larger one, everything else needs to be “masked” out. I use a 3X3 square foot black cloth that’s laid on the cloth on the ground behind the flower.

When shooting double exposures, the exposure for both images must be halved in order for the two combined images to add up to the correct exposure. One of the easiest ways to do this is to set your exposure compensation to -1. Because the subject is so small and surrounded by so much black, it’s imperative to meter very carefully by spot metering the flower. This will avoid overexposing the shot.
Set your camera up for a double exposure and take the first shot.

When shooting the larger, underexposed image, move in close and try to fill the frame as much as possible. Spot meter the brightest part, then, underexpose by about 1/3 stop. This should give you just the right amount of underexposure – dark enough so that it doesn’t compete for attention with the smaller image, but not so dark that its features become unrecognizable. Next, block any direct sunlight from falling on it.
If taking pictures of two different flowers, try not to choose two of the same color. The effect will always look more dramatic if the colors of the two images are just as different as the exposures.
This picture-in-picture technique is a great way to introduce something a little different in your flower portraits.

Article Submitted by:

F.M. Kearney is a fine art nature photographer, specializing in unique floral and landscape images. To see more of his work, please visit www.starlitecollection.com.

The Worry Doll by Jayme Catalano

 

In Guatemalan folklore, a person can express their concerns to a small worry doll so that the doll may worry in the person’s place.  Artist Renee Laferriere Cinderhouse has created her own series of ceramic worry dolls embodying the twelve most recurrent human concerns:  health, trauma, death, fertility, lust, companionship, love, loneliness, hostility, time, aging, and money.  “A physical manifestation of worry, the dolls are empathetic to our own concerns, our health, our lust, aging, death.  Each doll is a willing audience for the taxing ephemera of our daily toil, they are meant to carry our anxieties for us, so we do not have to.”

 

 

For more information, visit the artist’s website.

Image Titles:  Love, Death, and Surgery

Article Submitted by:

-Jayme Catalano
http://jaymecatalano.com
Graphic design and site creation

See What J. Carlos Cruz is Creating!

Art Piece: 

“Evening at Ridge Creek Lake”

Photography

About the Artist

J. Carlos Cruz

J. Carlos Cruz was born in a small village in the Mexican state of Puebla.  When he was eight, his family moved to Pachuca, the capital city of Hidalgo, where he first began his studies.  As a child Mr. Cruz did not receive any formal artistic training, though he always had an affinity for painting and drawing.  It was during his time studying Humanities at the Unversida Autonoma de Hidalgo where he really discovered his artistic skills, particularly in painting and drawing.   J. Carlos continued to educate himself in the field of artistry by expanding his knowledge of many mediums.  Mr. Cruz eventually moved to Houston, Texas where he currently resides.

To view more of  Carlos’s work and the work of all our fine artists, visit us at www.contemporaryartgalleryonline.com.   Also check out our monthly art competitions.

 

See What Shelley Wheeler is Creating!

 

Art Piece: 

“Pennywise the Clown”

Pastel and Ink

9”  x  11”

 

About the Artist

Shelley Wheeler

Shelley grew up in the Midwest, along the Missouri river, and she carries with me that small town attitude.   She claims to be part of the last generation in America who did not have all the technology we have today while growing up.   I was forced to use my imagination and I thank the universe for that every day. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful husband who has supported me both emotionally and artistically making the starving artist part of my story a struggle but giving me the freedom to pursue my dreams.

Personal Statement:

When you are an artist, all you can think about is art. I am either creating some kind of art work, or I am thinking about creating my next piece of art. I don’t know if it's good art, that's not for me to decide... I leave that to the art critics. I am only racing myself in this game, and as long as I am giving it my all, the rest of it is out of my hands.

To view more of Shelley’s work and the work of all our fine artists, visit us at www.contemporaryartgalleryonline.com.   Also check out our monthly art competitions.



The Best Laid Plans... by F.M. Kearney

 

I recently took a trip to Orlando, FL. to visit family. As a nature photographer, I'm always planning for the possibility of photo opportunities wherever I go. Being land-locked, I wasn't too thrilled about Orlando. I would have preferred a more coastal locale to capture dynamic sunrise or sunset photos. I wasn't at all sure about what to expect in Orlando, so I referred to my favorite little toy...Google Earth. I find this tool absolutely invaluable for familiarizing myself with just about anywhere I want to visit. Even if I'm not planning an actual trip, I can't even begin to count the number of virtual trips I've taken around the globe just for fun.

I was happily surprised when I Google-Earthed Orlando. A huge lake was located behind a resort directly across the street from where I would be staying. I would be on the west side of the lake facing east – perfectly positioned to capture stunning sunrise photos under a beautiful Florida sky. Well...that was the plan. When I got there, I immediately headed to the lake to scout out the best vantage points for my next few days of early morning shoots. I went behind the resort, but found the lake totally fenced off. I saw a lot on Google Earth, but I sure as heck didn't see that fence. When I asked the front desk personnel how I could gain access to it, they told me it was a private lake only accessible to guests of the resort.

In the words of John McEnroe: YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!!

With nothing else but streets and strip malls in the immediate area, my camera equipment became little more than a heavy paper-weight.

As it turned out, the only photos I got on the entire trip were the ones I took on the plane ride to Orlando. The view out the window as we climbed above the cloud layer was spectacular. As I would normally do on the ground, I placed a polarizing filter on my lens to make the clouds pop. When I looked through the camera, I saw a kaleidoscope of weird colors overlaying the scene. Not knowing exactly what was causing it, I removed the filter and the colors returned to normal. (I later learned that most airline windows are already polarized and will create a rainbow effect if you shoot through them using a polarizing filter). To block out reflections, I placed the lens as close to the window as I could without actually touching it – the plane's vibrations would have caused too much camera shake. I was also concerned about shooting through such a greasy, scratch-covered surface. I normally abhor shooting through vehicle windows, but I didn't really have much of a choice in this situation. I cleaned it as best I could and used a moderate depth of field to render the scratches invisible.

Hopefully, my plans won't fall through on my next trip as badly as they did on this one. It would have been nice to come back with more than just an ad for Southwest Airlines. But, in retrospect, I guess it's more important to spend quality time with family than it is to take pictures. It is...right?

 

Article Submitted by:

F.M. Kearney is a fine art nature photographer, specializing in unique floral and landscape images. To see more of his work, please visit www.starlitecollection.com.

The Mohawk Project by Jayme Catalano

 

Austrian artist Andreas Franke has just launched a ground-breaking underwater art installation off the coast of Sanibel Island in Florida entitled Mohawk Project:  The Life Above Refined Below.  Using sunken World War II battleship the USS Mohawk, magnets attach the twelve photo exhibition to the iron hull.  Exploring themes of love, loss, and youth at a time when the world was at war, Franke has evoked a sense of life and love transcending death, a defiance of the devastation and suffering experienced during that period.  Most importantly, it reminds us of just how young and optimistic those sailors and their sweethearts were all those years ago, and how quickly lives were changed and loves were lost.

 

The USS Mohawk, or “Mighty Mo,” was sunk last year to act as an artificial reef.  The ship that helped carry off the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France also survived 14 Nazi attacks and rescued more than 300 sailors from torpedoed ships during WWII.  Franke first photographed the ghostly ship swarming with fish while diving in August.  He then shot a second series of photographs featuring contemporary models in 1940s styling that were then superimposed over the original shots.  Franke says, “I imagined these sailors waiting in the North Atlantic for a German sub to attack them, so in these images I tried to make their lives a little bit nicer with the girls on board.  If I was there, what would I want?  It’s a dream, a fantasy land for sailors.”

 

 

This Mohawk Project is another exhibition in a series of underwater exhibitions by Andreas Franke.  He also displayed retro images on the WWII ship USNS General Hoty S. Vandenberg and photos of Renaissance aristocracy frolicking on sunken freighter ship SS Stavronikita.  The Mohawk Project underwater exhibition will be attached to the ship until September, where it will then be exhibited in more conventional, land-bound galleries.  For more information, please visit the artist’s website here.

Article Submitted by:

-Jayme Catalano
http://jaymecatalano.com
Graphic design and site creation