Still Life Challenge

In an effort to truly study light and composition, I have decided to set myself a challenge. A still life challenge. Everyday over the next month, I will shoot a single still life image on my trusty Rebel G. Yes! Film camera.

A study I did while at the Global Cinematography Institute 

My rules:

*I can not shoot the same object twice. 

*I must find a new lighting setup every week

*can be both colour or black and white.

*natural light only

*only 1 recreation each week, (for the purpose of studying and achieving a look in lighting) BUT...I have to build on it

Cup of tea, a study of still life while at the Global Cinematography Institute.  

I will update you when my first roll has been shot, from there I may look at extending the challenge. 

New Works in the Fine Art Gallery

It has been a while since I had time to do some work for my fine art gallery. This year got off to a flying start but a last minute change to my shooting schedule meant I was in LA this past weekend instead of Australia. Turns out, everything happens for a reason. I have recently found myself painting again and while I paint purely for myself, it has helped unleash a new exploration for my fine art works in photography. I recognize that I love geometric shapes and patterns. Squares, triangles, perfect circles, straight lines. Sometimes I like the contradiction too, the organic, crooked and messy lines that are presented to us in nature. It appears to be something that I keep coming back to, heck it's even in my tattoos. Hard lined symbols, geography and constellations. Not very original but I'm drawn.

It would be fitting then, that in my love for space science and geometry (I have been ingesting way too much Brian Cox and Neil Degrasse Tyson) that I have created the following works. I am exploring a simplicity. I present to you three new pieces; Planetary Eclipse, Untitled and [ri-frak-shuh  n]. Enjoy!

Planetary Eclipse. 

Untitled

[ri-frak-shuh  n]

Polly Chandler

Polly Chandler is fine art photographer whose work I truly admire. I was first introduced to Polly last year while in Chicago for the Filter Photo Festival. Two pieces of mine had been selected for exhibit at the Black Cloud Gallery and I thought why not make the most of the festival by attending some of the seminars and workshops. The seminar I went to first was Polly's talk on the Inner Narrative. Something I am yet to master.

Polly's work is mysterious and sometimes sad, but not in the negative way. It's haunting, but there is a peace with it. It's moody. Drawing on her own emotional journey through life Polly really has mastered the telling of story in her images.

Shooting on polaroid with large format cameras with shift & tilt lenses it's hard to not be in awe of her body of work and inspired to try the equipment for yourself. Although Polaroid film is not longer being made, the resourceful artist has access to some making the rather smart large bulk purchase when polaroids game was up. When I last spoke with Polly she had been working on a series called You Build It Up, You Build It Down, that was inspired by the lyrics of Tom Wait's songs. To my knowledge a set gallery is not on her website, however she does have images up on her facebook.

I thoroughly encourage you to visit her site and marvel at her work. Polly Chandler is a true fine art photographer and it's hard to not be inspired by her work.