There’s always something you can do to make your work better. Sometimes it is a big difference; sometimes it’s just a little tweak. Sometimes you see it while you are working; sometimes you won’t see it until after you think you are done. Sometimes it’s too late to do anything about it; sometimes you make the change anyway.

The important thing is that you never stop looking. When you stop, it’s not the work that’s finished – it’s you.

Last year I was asked by a coworker to photographer a dance recital at the arts academy her daughter attended.  I decided to go ahead and shoot over two nights – the tech rehearsal and the dress rehearsal; I figured I’d miss a lot of good shots if I didn’t know what was coming.

The shoot was a lot more fun than I anticipated.  Being in a theater rehearsal brought back a lot of memories from my days on stage and back stage.   This shoot inspired me to start a personal project called “Models in Motion”, but honestly I just wanted to shoot more dances.

This shot was from the first night.  It was in a small rehearsal space with bare  lighting, warehouse construction, and minimal curtains.  I was working with a less-than-ideal kit lens, 5.6 75-200, so I shot at ISO 400.  I’ll be honest, I’ve never been comfortable with grainy photos – well… mine at least.  There are some great images that do not suffer (and may even benefit) from the grain.  It’s just that my first reaction to grain in my images is that it’s not as good as it could be.

To some people, porn is “anything a child should not see”.  And to some people, a nude body is perfectly natural and acceptable for a child to see.

If porn is in the eye of the beholder, then I have to admit that I do draw a line and at some point say “this is porn”.  Porn is anything whose sole purpose is to elicit a sexual response.

Can porn be art?  I’m sure it can…  If you believe in the definition of art as “that which elicits an emotional response”, then all porn is art.  But usually we draw a line – porn or art.

The struggle of any artist is to keep perspective.  Too confident, and you never grow.  Too doubtful, and you never try.

I believe that it is okay to be your own worst critic – that means you are always exceeding the expectations of others.  But that inner critique needs to be honest about both the good and bad aspects of your work.  And eventually you need to put the critic aside and say “this is as good as it can be, for now.”

As digital artists we are faced with the questions and concerns of digital copyright every single time we post to the web. Visit any social site where art is commonly posted and you will find ongoing discussions ranging on everything from steps you can take to protect your work, sharing information on known violators, what you can do when you find your work has been copied, what constitutes fair use of your or others’ work, to sometimes even whether you are giving up your rights simply by posting to the site.   Fortunately on many popular sites like deviantArt, Flickr, and MySpace, your rights are fully preserved (although deviantArt and Flickr both provide the option of choosing a less restrictive Creative Commons license).

It is that latter spirit, the Creative Commons notion that “Creativity and innovation rely on a rich heritage of prior intellectual endeavor”, in which I ask you to consider a story that challenges the very notions of copyright and plagiarism.

“[Copyright] is taken as a law, both in the sense of a universally recognizable moral absolute, like the law against murder, and as naturally inherent in our world, like the law of gravity. In fact, it is neither. Rather, copyright is an ongoing social negotiation, tenuously forged, endlessly revised, and imperfect in its every incarnation.” – Jonathan Lethem, “The Ecstasy of Influence” http://harpers.org/TheEcstasyOfInfluence.html, Harper’s Magazine Features

Lethem’s piece is an exploration of the vital role that “plagiarism” has had on art, and the dangers that the ever increasing stranglehold of copyright law present to creativity and culture. Much of what he provides as examples lean more toward the fair use end of the spectrum than on outright duplication, however even in that nebulous realm of cut-ups and mash-ups he examines the strangleholds that large corporations and organizations are exerting on the creative and cultural heritage which underlie nearly every aspect of modern culture.   He presents the notion that all art is a gift to future art, and ultimately argues that all art is drawn from and built upon things which have come before.  He does not suggest that we should give up the rights to our works, but asks us to reconsider how far those rights should really extend.

Ran

I recently began a semi-regular Thursday night model shoot with my CatchLight meet-up group. The group ranges from beginners to experienced pros, and the idea is to give them practice at working with models and lighting gear. This will be studio work, at least for the first few months, and models who work out well are welcome to come pose again. For the models the deal is Time for Pictures, and we ask that you sign a release for each of the photographers. In return, you will receive at least one good image of each outfit from each photographer who shoots you. That usually means a minimum of 4 different shots, and as many as 10 or 12.

This Sunday is another Art Show Event, which I will be attending if the weather holds off the rain.

In January, I took over a photography Meet-Up group, so I’ve been spending extra time organizing that group.  The motivation and effect of this has been to push me to be more active both as a photographer and a net-worker, and so far it seems to be working.

I had taken the week off to attend a workshop by Michael Grecco, but it was canceled.  So instead I’ve been doing a lot of extra photo-related personal efforts, as well as taking care of some much needed personal chore-errands (new tires, new insurance, vet visits, etc…)

All work fits in a niche. You may have many niches, but you have at least one.

You can find your niche or you can sit and wait for it to find you. Waiting takes longer.

The same holds true for a market for your work. The market is out there. There may be many markets for you. You can go find your market or you can sit and wait for it to find you. Waiting takes longer.

Are you prepared to wait?

Sometimes you have to try new things to advance. This image, for example, was my first HDR attempt. This blog was a new way of blogging – using Wordpress to take advantage of it’s search engine optimization support. And this post is being composed on my new iPhone – which not only allows me the freedom to blog anywhere, it also encourages me to post just so I can prove it works.

Never be afraid of failing. You will stumble when you try new things. But failure can teach you so much more than easy success if you are open to the lessons.

I decided to try to sell some of my prints at a local art show:

Auto Deco Archer by *trickylaughter on deviantART

Auto Deco Ram 01 by *trickylaughter on deviantART

Auto Deco Indian by *trickylaughter on deviantART

The View From Above by *trickylaughter on deviantART

These will also be available as post cards, along with a bunch more:

Auto Deco Angel 01 by *trickylaughter on deviantART

Auto Deco Angel 02 by *trickylaughter on deviantART

Split Pea by *trickylaughter on deviantART

Blue Door, Shadow Lattice by *trickylaughter on deviantART

Put To The Fire by *trickylaughter on deviantART