June 2009 Archives

Any time I am invited to be involved in a project from or almost from it's inception is exciting.  Most often my job is to create the images based on an existing project design and what my client wants the images to look like.  Ever so often a project comes to me in the just post idea stage.  The thrill and the creative challenge for me then becomes suggesting ways to use my talents to help this idea to become reality.  That's when it's more for me than just the photography.  It's personal.

A while back I got involved very early with a new showroom project for Snow Bros. Appliance.  A family run business competing with the big boys in a very competitive business.  When I got involved one of the family showed me the early construction site.  There was an energy, an excitement and maybe more important the sense of importance to the success of this family business in the description of what was going to be where.  This was a family idea, a totally new marketing concept for them that was becoming reality and they wanted my help to make it successful.  

There were publication deadlines and of course construction delays.  By the time I was able to get in I had very few hours to do the photography and to get the images to the designer that afternoon for the printing.  They say you only get one chance to make a first impression and it was my vision through my camera that was going to produce the images that 10's of 1000's of people would see first.  There would be no do-over, no re-shoots.   I did have one great advantage.  I knew the vision of this project before it was reality.  I knew what they wanted it to be before it was.  I wanted to use what was there to create their image of what was to be when they described what would be in place of the open studs that were there when I first saw it.

Getting contacted to do the food photography for a cook book is exciting all in itself but when I learned this cook book had a twist and at this point it was in the basic concept stage with the client not only open to ideas but welcoming them I got a rush.  This is more than the photography project for me.  This is about helping someone's dream become reality and that is a thrill.

    

Just 6 days ago, June 12,  I posted the addition of 3 of my new contemporary art/fine art photography prints, Douglas' Recent Contemporary Art Prints Additions.  These were new additions to a series of prints based on the belief, on my belief that "There but for the grace of God go I."

On April 29, knowing I had the images, the photography for these new prints but not being able to, or maybe ready to add these new images I posted an entry on my DOUGLAS Art Prints® blog titled, "There but for the Grace of God go I - Some damn ugly art".  I knew I wanted to get these new prints available for purchase and I knew they were of not only an ugly subject but were maybe, probably too real.  I sat on them for almost 2 weeks before I added them to my collection of prints.

Before I added these new prints I debated color -v- black and white.  Anyone that has seen my catalog of prints is aware of my "fondness" for not only black and white but stark black and white.  Originally I thought doing these prints in B&W lost some of what I believed was the power in these images.  I still believe that but the more I looked at them the more I realized that they were too real.  Last evening I knew I had to change them.

June 12, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - Douglas has recently added several new contemporary art prints to his collection on DOUGLAS Art Prints®.  The three we are featuring here are from his series of works based on being homeless and "There but for the Grace of God go I."

Ken from Mars

"In this print I do not see a wino or an alcoholic or a bum."

The print shown as it would appear in a 22.5 in. X 16.5 in. frame.

Larger View

June 11, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - Douglas, Commercial photographer and owner of DOUGLAS Photography, Inc.,  is searching for models for a new fine art project for new works for gallery shows and a pending new fine art photography book.

Douglas is looking for both women and men, real people, from the ages of 18 to 65.  Aspiring models welcome to build your portfolio for free.

All information, requirements and the submission process can be found at:  Model Search.