I made this image while preparing for an aerial shoot for a commercial job. I just couldn’t resist the beauty.
Aric Attas, Clouds At Sunrise, 2013
The Photographs of Ray K. Metzker and the Institute of Design exhibition at the J. Paul Getty
The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles recently held an exhibition titled The Photographs of Ray K. Metzker and the Institute of Design. Metzker studied at the Institute of Design in Chicago which was founded in 1937 as the New Bauhaus with László Moholy-Nagy forging the way. The highly innovative and influential school promoted an integration of art, technology and craft through its programs in architecture, design, art and photography.
From the J. Paul Getty Museum – “Metzker’s work is part of a revered tradition that emerged from the experimental approach of Chicago’s Institute of Design (ID), where he received his graduate degree in 1959. Inspired by instructors Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind, Metzker fashioned an entirely personal synthesis of formal elegance, technical precision, and optical innovation.
His composite works hold an important status in the history of creative photography: at the time of their making, they were unprecedented in ambition and perceptual complexity. Metzker’s devotion to photographic seeing as a process of discovery is also deeply humanistic in its illumination of isolation and vulnerability.
This exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of Metzker’s five-decade career, while also providing examples of work by instructors and fellow students at the Institute of Design in Chicago, where Metzker studied from 1956 to 1959. Learn more about Metzker’s diverse forays into photography as well as the ID and its profound influence.”
Here are some images from the exhibition:
Special thanks to the J. Paul Getty Museum for permission to reproduce these images here.
Follow these links to learn more about the Bauhaus, László Moholy-Nagy and Chicago’s Institute of Design.
You might also enjoy these photography books from some of the photographers included in the exhibition.
Become More Creative By Cultivating Beginner’s Mind
Suzuki Roshi’s book Zen Mind, Beginner’s mind is one of the best introductions to Zen philosophy and a great way to inspire your creativity. In it he writes “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”
The quote below is part of a teaching on Suzuki Roshi’s book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Zenkei Blanche Hartman. It will help you understand the concept of beginner’s mind and how to apply it to your life and enhance your creativity.
“Beginner’s mind is Zen practice in action. It is the mind that is innocent of preconceptions and expectations, judgements and prejudices. Beginner’s mind is just present to explore and observe and see ‘things as-it-is.’ I think of beginner’s mind as the mind that faces life like a small child, full of curiosity and wonder and amazement. ‘I wonder what this is? I wonder what that is? I wonder what this means?’ Without approaching things with a fixed point of view or a prior judgement, just asking ‘what is it?'”
You can read the entire teaching here: http://www.chzc.org/hartman4.htm
I highly recommend Suzuki Roshi’s book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind not only as an introduction to Zen philosophy but as a way to cultivate your creativity though openness to the present moment.
Great Software App for Photographers
The Photographer’s Ephemeris is a great app for photographers who want to know where the sun and moon will be throughout the day and night at any location. This is great for planning photo shoots for the best light, especially if you’re traveling. The software enables you to search locations by name or enter the coordinates directly. Photographer’s Ephemeris will show you a satellite photo and map of your location with an overlay of the sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset information. You can also change the date and watch the direction of the light change to find the best time of year to photograph your subject. Super cool!
This tutorial walks you through the basics of the software and will probably give you some good ideas of how you can use it to plan your next photo shoot that requires natural light.
Looking for some inspiration for your photography? Check out this great book by Bruce Barnbaum to stimulate your ideas!
Posted in Photography, Software, Tutorials
Tagged apps, Photographer's Ephemeris, software
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Inspiring Quote On Art From James Turrell
Here’s an inspiring quote from Light & Space artist James Turrell to stimulate your creative thinking.
“Science strives for answers, but art is happy with a good question.” – James Turrell
To see some of Turrell’s work and read an interview with him visit: https://photonlab.com/2013/05/01/james-turrells-amazing-work-with-light/
Afrum (White)
James Turrell
1966
Projected light, Dimensions variable, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, partial gift of Marc and Andrea Glimcher in honor of the appointment of Michael Govan as Chief Executive Officer and Wallis Annenberg Director and purchased with funds provided by David Bohnett and Tom Gregory through the 2008 Collectors Committee (M.2008.60) © James Turrell. Photo © 2012 Museum Associates/LACMA.
Amazing Food at Citrus Grillhouse in Vero Beach, Florida
I recently had the opportunity to photograph some food at the Citrus Grillhouse in Vero Beach, Florida for Palm Beach Illustrated magazine. Scott Varricchio is an amazing chef with a true passion for food. Not only did the food look great but the flavors were complex and delicious. Citrus Grillhouse is a fantastic restaurant cleverly hidden in Vero Beach! I encourage you to check it out.
Food photography by Aric Attas for Palm Beach Illustrated magazine. Citrus Grillhouse, Vero Beach, Florida.
Follow this link for a larger view: Food Photography by Aric Attas, Vero Beach, Florida, Citrus Grillhouse featured in Palm Beach Illustrated magazine. The story is also in the May 2013 issue of Palm Beach Illustrated if you prefer print.
Posted in Food, Photography
Tagged Aric Attas, Citrus Grillhouse, Florida, food, photography, Vero Beach
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James Turrell’s Amazing Work With Light & Space
James Turrell is an amazing artist who uses light & space as his primary materials. He was recently interviewed by Harper’s Bazaar prior to the opening of three major exhibitions dedicated to his work this summer at LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Guggenheim.
“His aim has been not to make objects—a painting, a sculpture, or a photograph—but rather to challenge viewers to consider how we see. Many of the works seem equal parts basic science and intense mysticism: Turrell wants no less than to capture the way light looks when our eyes are closed, ‘suffuse and lucid.'”
Read the full interview here: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/g2667/james-turrell-interview-0513/
Here are some great art books featuring the light & space art of James Turrell:
Know your rights
The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) has some very interesting and useful information on your rights to photograph and videotape in public places. If you photograph in public or private locations I strongly suggest you read up on these. It’s important to know your rights in case you’re ever confronted and asked to stop taking pictures. Unfortunately this has become much more common since 9/11.
Here are a few major points to know.
- When you are in public you can photograph anyone or anything in plane view.
- When you are on private property your rights to photograph are determined by the property owner.
- Your camera and/or memory card cannot be confiscated unless there is a search warrant or you are being arrested.
- Police cannot delete your photos under any circumstances.
Get more information regarding photographers rights from the ACLU here: http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/know-your-rights-photographers
The Unphotographable At Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
This is a fascinating exhibition curated by Jeffrey Fraenkel of the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco exploring the concept of the unphotographable.
In his essay on the exhibition Fraenkel writes, “From the moment of its invention almost 175 years ago, photography has proven adept at depicting the photographable: the solid, the concrete, that which can be seen. […] But another tradition exists, a parallel history in which photographers and other artists have attempted to describe by photographic means that which is not so readily seen: thought, time, ghosts, god, dreams. A vast array of strategies has been employed to bring such pictures about, tactics that have intersected and enriched the strains of modern art.”
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The exhibition includes photographs by Adrien Majewski, Alfred Stieglitz, Christian Marclay, Idris Khan, Jay Defeo, Walead Beshty as well as a number of unknown photographers.
Special thanks to the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco for granting permission to reproduce these images.
Found Polaroid Art
We had a great time on Saturday visiting artists and galleries in Miami’s Wynwood Art District. I look forward to leading another Wynwood Art District Gallery Tour in the fall.
Here’s a great image I found while exploring the fantastic street art Wynwood is known for. Thanks to the photographer who shot it for leaving it behind!
