What is a Photograph

In today digital environment the question must be asked: what is a photograph? Is it the paper that it is printed on? Or the computer screen that it is view upon? Or is it the hard binary data (jpeg/negative) that can be eternally reproduce from?

Do photo’s last a lifetime? What if all your photos were replaceable? Is having the jpeg/negative raw information preserved on hard disk priceless to you? I ask my clients if having a fist generation photos that can be passed down to future generation a priceless family heirloom.

Why do I choose to include all the copyright & CD-negative’s of my photography with original purchase? I do this because I believe in a digital e-comerance you should only have to buy the product once.

For expanded view see this, this, this

Musician & Reincarnation

When musician discuss reincarnation things get interesting. (Check this out) Personally reincarnation is a non issue for me; individually the idea has poetic and romantic notion but beyond that it has no impact on my beliefs system. Either way it is an interesting read. Enjoy.

Photo of the Day

, originally uploaded by Craig-Photography.

Transcend and Include your own Artist Practices

-Deconstruction and reconstruction of a postmodern artist: Transcend and include your own artist practices, solo, single medium art is becoming extinct for the working artist. If you’re fortunate enough to be in the top 1% of your field this post is not for you. Artist products ought to be able to become digitized then ripped apart and then re-digitized into a new product. Globalizations of flatland products must be produced; selling single widgets products is no longer on the horizon for the working artist. Downloading, uploading and service can be a working salivation to the future of your artist income. Web 2.0 and social networking are opening up doors to backdoor marketing expanding the playing field to different audience eliminating selling your art out of your trunk thinking.

Compositional Flow

Below is a general answers to e-mails I received asking how to keep continuousness thoughts on compositional flow, open and expressive in your daily practice. What follow is a detail daily record of my personal psychology/philosophy practices that I try to capture into my daily work. Various items may take hours while some may only take an expression of my consciousness. The objective for the daily devotion towards my practice is to open up my compositional flow. Hope this helps....

(MY)-- Body + Mind + Soul, in Self, Culture & Nature -- Practice

Reading (Mind, Self) .. (current) Stuart: a life backwards by Alexander Master
Music (body, mind, soul, self, culture).Playing guitar & practicing Bach works
Mood (mind, soul, self). Reflection of moment and dwelling into my shadows
Sound (mind, nature) Awareness of my environment
Sight (Mind, nature) Awareness of my environment
Smell (mind, nature) Awareness of my environment
Temperature (body) Awareness of my environment
Thoughts/Theory (mind, soul, culture) .Expending my integral practice (&) Technical aspect of photography
Grateful For (mind, self, soul).Thankfulness for this moment
Work Out (body, self) swimming laps, morning yoga
Spiritual Practice (mind, soul) meditation in the morning & prayer at night

The artist's way

-Reliance on experts, not to mention thinking of oneself as an expert, closes down inquiry and therefore is a fast lane to no innovation. The artist draws from a power beyond the ego.- (viaJack/Zen)

Composition

We live in an age today were there is post modernisms and sac-religion and it’s all on the television. Where the lies and the truth are told under the march of the media foot hold; where the fear of God is struck in to the young between sponsor announcements. All we want is the truth, truth of life, truth of heart, truth of the sacrifice, truth of the youth of tomorrow, truth of you I.

Life of Buddha

Watch Life of the Buddha last night: LIFE OF BUDDHA breaks new ground in revealing the fascinating story of Prince Siddhartha and his spiritual transformation into the Buddha, the great teacher who changed the entire world. This beautifully produced DVD, featuring nearly an hour of additional materials from the world’s leading Buddhist scholars and spiritual leaders, is a must-see for anyone seeking answers to life’s mysteries.

P.S. if you are a Thich Nhat Hanh fan (which I am) be sure to watch the additional material.

Photography & Integral Artist Statement

-Looking for feeback on: Do you think I am a integral artist/work?
Artist's statement
Portfolio
Public site
Mission Statment

iPod Sanga Generation

I did it; I am now one of the cult members of the iPod sanga generation. No more cumbersome cd or jewel case messing up my house or car. No more scratch cd or cd placed in the wrong case (you know who you are) no more letting friends bower cd’s and never getting them back. Today I bow down to the God of the iPod sanga cult and offer you my devotion. I got this too.

Dialog

She walks in the room and I silently stare at the book in my hand. Hesitation of thought, breathe my heart skips a beat; with courage I glance up at her. She asked “What are you reading” I respond, “The uncompleted works of a nameless soul”. Giggling at me she says “Turn to page 185” “ok”

5-4-3-2-1

Everything you think is true.
What you think is.
Nature follows mind
Be peace
Smile

Julia's Photos

Hypnotic portraits by Julia: Greatest photography statement ever" Finding the Grace Point"

How to photograph feelings

Do not think about cropping think about composing

Photograph the light first and the subject second

When photographing close-ups frame your subject first and then take two steps closer to the subject: then take that picture.

Negative space and positive space are your friends

Color saturation, think about it.

The phrase “I'll fix it in Photoshop” is poor compositional skills.

Yoga & Composition

Can yoga progress your compositional skills? Was the question that I was asking myself driving home last night? Yes, in my personal experience. No matter what discipline you work in opening up your body flow and releasing tension can relax the body to let the mind expand. In a comparison example; it is like when you a wake from deep sleep with your best ideas. Yoga can become body training (daily practice) to let the mind expand. Art is the practice through repetition, yoga becomes effectual though repetition: consequently yoga can assist in developing your compositional skills.

Moment

Current Reading: Good Business : Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning, By Mihaly Csikszentmijalyi (Gift from Zaadz - thank you)
Music: Edgar Meyer(self titled) By Edgar Meyer
Mood: Uplifted by a nice phone call
Sound: Back ground conversations
Sights: A reflectionn from the outside world bouncing off my computer screen
Smells: Chi Tea - whoa, not coffee
Temperature: 60 degrees partly cloudy
Thoughts: If you want to stop terrorists, decreasece your uses of oil:

Pedestal Falls

The pedestal falls and the individual you placed upon it shatters on the floor. Your heart breaks wide open when they are destroyed by your own self creating view of them. Is the creator responsible for what you do with the creation? Or is the individual accountable for there own perspective on the subject. When rants about critics being critical about a person life vs. a person works cause anger in the collective audience, is the original message no longer validated. After all only art, morals and truth live on.

Photo of the Week

Mindful Work II

"What I really liked about your goals is that I struggle with work with a purpose and giving with out expectation's – except with my clients. It's like trying to follow the middle way. I think it is also what sets aside extraordinary people – to work with purpose with all their passion and not worry what will come of it."

I received this e-mail while I was writing about mindful work. Talk about a serendipitous moment.

Mindful Work

Today I rest with the thought; Do I have mindful work? Photography is mindful work that proves a service for future generation.

Sustainability

An Inconvenient Truth - Google Video (Trailer for the movie). What can you/we do right now, see this post.

Two New Flickr Slideshows

Thanks for the request; hope you enjoy them...

Pittsburgh at Night (here)
Poems / Art (here)

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Creative Commons

All photography & artwork on this site is licensed under a creative commons licensing: Please feel free to use and distribute the photography & artwork in accordance with the licensing

Craig Photography

1-2-3 of Photography

Moving beyond my photography concepts while being rooted in my photography practice is transformational to my composition skills. Transformation is my only destiny as a working artist if I want to cultivate and expand my skills.

Today I am thinking about photography from a 1st – 2nd - 3rd person perspective and trying to map together how this would develop my compositional skills. My definition of 1st person would be the “I” (photographer), 2nd person would be the “subject” (you, you are) and 3rd person would be the “completed work” (photograph hanging on a wall) no longer belonging to me.

Developing the “I” (1st person) Photographer - could include recommended things such as technical knowledge, visualization and personal awareness? Developing the “2nd person” Subject – could include understanding the combined style, moral and culture of my subject? “3rd person” Completed Work – could include objectivity, organization, economics and overall collective view.


Photography, Integral