Art and Photography Blog

What is Your Vision of Paradise? National Geographic Provides Some and Asks for Yours

Here is a beautiful new book from National Geographic. Visions of Paradise contains 155 images from 82 well known photographers divided into three themes: land, water, and air. The sections are introduced by a writer on the topic. Linda Kulman describes the critical issues facing the land and how we need to change our ways to keep it healthy. Joel Bourne Jr. points out the bleak state of the world's water, but offers some hopeful solutions. Brian Doyle covers the miracles of air in a lyrical manner. The photographers include Sam Abell, who I recent interviewed (see Sam Abell Talks about Photography and Life) after I reviewed his book (The Life of a Photographer – Sam Abell).

The site says, “The photographers at National Geographic—some of the most peripatetic and adventurous people on Earth—reveal wonders of nature so uniquely beautiful that we're filled with hope and inspiration to celebrate and protect the world's environments. Visions of Paradise is the magnificent result of their work. Through breathtaking images from across the globe, and stories as exquisite as the glance of a leopard seal, these men and women share the places they have personally found to be Heaven on Earth.”

I would agree. Sam selected a photo of a school of migrating and a salmon in Australia under a breaking wave. The contrast between the breaking wave an the drama underneath is very striking and the composition follows the rules conveyed in his interview with me. There is a centrality, the fish under the water, with the breaking wave serving as the horizon.

I was struck by the diversity of visions. It made me reflect on what could be considered paradise on earth. There are probably as many visions as there are people. This book provides 155 versions from many different locations and perspectives. I highly recommend it. The book is one that you will savor in small doses.  You can see a video description of the book on YouTube.

National Geographic also has a related Visions of Paradise photo contest. Entries will be accepted from Oct. 21 to December 21 at the Visions of Paradise web page.  Enter your vision of paradise. Each week, the public can vote on their favorite images. Entries will also be judged by an expert panel of photographers and art directors. Three winners will be selected for each of the nine weeks of the competition, with the first week's winners announced on Nov. 3. Winners will receive a customized edition of VISIONS OF PARADISE with their photograph as the cover image. 

 

Richard Prince's Stolen Art

Recently, I talked with Sam Abell who wrote a wonderful book, The Life of a Photographer – Sam Abell, published by National Geographic. See my review and my conversation with Sam. During our conversation, Sam mentioned a YouTube video covering an interview he did, Photographer Sam Abell talks about Richard Prince who stole his work.

In this case Sam talks about a photo he did for a Marlboro ad. Richard Prince, the so-called artist, took the image, stripped out the text and made an edition of two copies, selling them for several million dollars. Sam gave up rights to the ad agency when he did the photo. There is also some law that photos used in ads can be then used for other things. The ad agency has tried to sue William Prince unsuccessfully as he stole a number of their photos for his personal gain.

Sam’s picture was also on the cover of a Guggenheim Museum catalog giving Richard Prince credit for Sam’s photo. Sam pointed out that this was his work but his work would never appear in a major art museum because of the bias against photojournalism. Instead someone can copy his work, make millions off it, and have major museums display it. I think this is a dark moment for the Guggeheim. Richard Prince deserves a special place in artist hell for his exploitation. The idiots who paid millions for his work deserve a special place of honor as fools and they owe Sam a lot for his rightful work. Sam is rightfully amazed that Richard Prince can live with himself. Sam and I were taught that acts like this were immoral. Here you can see a bit of what Richard is doing with his ill gotten gain.

Many Kinds of Nothing Creates an Inviting Art Space

I recently wrote a post, Contemplative Show at Montserrat, about the exhibit, Many Kinds of Nothing, at the Montserrat gallery at the Montserrat College of Art, 23 Essex Street
 Beverly, MA. The show runs until October 26. Now I had a chance to see it and was impressed. Here are a group of artists taking chances and offering opportunities for reflection by their viewers. As the curator wrote, although most artwork prompts viewers to pause and reflect, this exhibit initiates an engagement of the body of space by offering new information from different angles.”

There is significant variation from Nancy Spicer’s large scale, Hanging Drawing (Half Drawn) with thick black rope on the white background to Liz Sweibel’s small wire and fabric pieces on a very large space. The latter invite you to come closer and seem to emerge from the wall like Michelangelo’s slaves emerging from their stones. I wondered what might be on the other side. This is especially true for the two wire constructions that occupy a very large wall. The addition of fabric in another set evokes a different response and, for me makes them more on the surface and the shadows are more pronounced. I think of Tibetan prayer flags torn a bit in the wind. They are titled “fragile as glass” and this furthers that image for me but the total experience remains abstract as the fabric has its own character.

Liz is quoted in the catalog on the viewing experience, it “pushes the point of paying attention.” I would agree. Cate McQuaid recently did a review in the Bosotn Globe, Nothing' is happening. She writes, “Any good work of art should wake you up. Some art objects do it more seductively than others.” She references Titian who makes a big splash. So do Michelangelo’s Slaves mentioned earlier. But what about “a scraggly piece of wire sticking out of a white wall? That's a tougher sell.” Cate thinks Liz succeeds here and I agree. She goes on to write, “They (the works in the exhibit) don't expect the viewer to make sense of them; rather, they invite you to engage and discover what the art provokes within you.” I already mentioned a few things that got provoked in me. Cate provides some of her associations.

I also liked Nancy Spicer’s large scale, Hanging Drawing (Half Drawn) because of the simplicity and the contrast. But it is an easier sell given the boldness and the generally winning combination of black on white. The smell of hay from Dan Senn's "Many Pairs Sounding,” was a welcome addition to the room and added more associations as you looked at the other work. The room works as a whole. It is also set in a nice context at the Montserrat College of Art. It was nice just walking through the cluttered halls with many images and then into the sparse white room that held the show. I recommend taking a drive up to Beverley to take it in. Then continue along RT127 all the way up the North Shore, It is one of my favorite drives.

Sam Abell Explores Photography and Life

Last week I had the great pleasure of speaking with the photographer Sam Abell. A few weeks prior, I did a brief review of Sam Abell’s new book, The Life of a Photographer – Sam Abell, published by National Geographic. Sam has been taking pictures for National Geographic for some time. I was very impressed with his book and pleased to have a review copy. My appreciation for the book and for his work is greatly enhanced by having the opportunity to speak directly with Sam.

I began our discussion by saying that I was struck by the dual nature of many of the photographs I see in National Geographic and especially the photographs in Sam’s book. When you first look at them they appear to be great illustrations of the concept in the article. Then when you look more closely, many are great works of art with close attention to composition. So I asked Sam about his thought process as he created the images in his book.

Sam said he attempts to make pictures that last. Many of the images in his book are from the 60s. 70s, and 80s. To achieve this goal he pays great attention to structure and design more than content. He does not ignore the content but it is not the major focus, unlike most amateur photos. Sam said that when he teaches photography, the first thing he focuses on with his students is the setting. He has them go out and take pictures of settings or backgrounds without a content focus.

Sam said he works from back to front instead of front to back. He goes after the setting first. This is based on his father’s idea to find a composition and then wait for the scene to unfold. Sam said that this philosophy also influences his life. He looks at settings and then he determines how best he can fit in. I mentioned that this was also the approach Henri Cartier-Bresson took with his photography. He looked for a stage and waited for the actors to fill it. Sam said that Cartier-Bresson was a big inspiration to him.

Sam went on to expand on this theme. He said that each photographer’s stage is different. Cartier-Bresson’s stage is complex and European. I think it is also often circular. Sam said he looks for a flat stage and strong horizon lines. This is influenced by his childhood in Northwest Ohio, one of the flatest places in this country. Many of his pictures are both strongly centered and contain a distant horizon. I was looking at his two views of a movie theater in Jordan Montana as we spoke. The design elements he mentioned were strong. The theater is center and flatness is evident. Even in the close up of the movie poster on the wall there is a strong horizontal line where the wood separates that bisects the close up and this line lies behind the poster. This horizonal sense can also be created in an interior shot such as the Plaza Boot store in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Here the horizontal shelf serves as the grounding point.

Sam took me to one of his favorite shots to further illustrate the points about composition. In the book he often contrasts two pictures of the same scene, like the movie theater in Jordan Montana I mentioned earlier. In this case, it is calf branding on Montana. On one side he shows a view of the complete scene. Sam said that he usually takes an overview of a scene as he approaches it. Then he decides on the focus. In this case it was both the horizon and a particular cowboy. The detail shot makes this cowboy the central figure but keeps the horizon in view. Both the top and bottom of the picture make for interesting compositions in their own right and the same holds for the left and right side of the photo. There are multiple layers and focal points but they do not fight with each other. The primary figure leads, then the other figures and interest points act as the supporting cast. This provides an increased sense of depth.

Sam said that as a kid his family had one of those stereo picture viewers and over 500 sets of photos for the viewer. He was inspired by this to create a sense of depth in his photos. We went into more detail about his experiences with his father and how they influenced him. When Sam was very young, his father took the family on many trips. He would always bring the camera and record the events in a non-intrusive manner. Sam always associated the camera with pleasant experiences. They went to the circus, watched trains and went to boxing matches. His father was a high school geography teacher who promoted a curiousity about the world. He felt that a large part of education was getting out and experiencing the world. When Sam was 12, his father started a camera club at the high school and Sam helped him in the dark room.

Sam said they subscribed to Photography Magazine, Life Magazine, and he also wore out the Family of Man photo book that I remember well. At age 15 he entered a national photo context and got honorable mention. Sam was the editor of his high school yearbook and took many of the pictures. This inspired him to want to get into publishing, as well as photography. He said that as a photographer you do not get paid a lot but you get your work out for others to see. Sam has also been able to explore the world through his photo work.

Sam sees photography as a way to be in life and better experience it. You can be better tuned to the flow of life and see the light, the atmosphere, and the cultural movement. You can be richly there and appreciate it. Sam wrote and produced this book to share his experience and to provide a teaching platform.

We spoke briefly about the power of blogs and other social media. Sam mentioned a YouTube video covering an interview he did, Photographer Sam Abell talks about Richard Prince that over 4,000 people have seen. It will be the topic of another post. I was really moved by my conversation with Sam and highly recommend the book. It is not only a beautiful work of art, but also a great education for any photographer. I already know it will change the way I take pictures.