Tuesday, January 5, 2010

New Land of the Stratus Photos in Progress


From the Series, "Land of the Stratus," Digital Captures/Archival Pigment Print, 30"x11.5", 2010 © Dennis DeHart



From the Series, "Land of the Stratus, " Digital Capture/Archival Pigment Print, 11.5"x35", 2010 © Dennis DeHart

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

In Memory of Water, Arizona, 2005

My grandfather recently passed away in Arizona. I am planning a trip to see my grandmother in January and have been thinking about the desert....


© Dennis DeHart, 6x7 Silver Negative (using a modified zone system) Phoenix, AZ, 2005. 

© Dennis DeHart, 6x7 Silver Negative, Houston, TX, 2005

© Dennis DeHart, 6x7 Silver Negative, Prescott, AZ, 2005

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Animated Views of Old Japan by T. Enami

My Buddy MarK recommended this website.
"http://pinktentacle.com/2009/10/animated-stereoviews-of-old-japa n/"

Monday, December 28, 2009

Reflections of a Work for Hire Photographer, Part 2

The importance of a using a digital work flow for commercial work became most obvious when Ivey Seright, a lab I used for over 15 years, closed in Seattle in 2008. Prior to Ivey closing, I considered using medium and large films formats, as a reasonable tool in shooting images for a work for hire context.  After Ivey closed, I quickly realized that film, except in select instances, was no longer a viable tool for much of my business. After locating another lab in Portland for my film work (it closed in 2009) I began developing a plan to move towards shooting predominately in digital. This included setting up a Digital Assets Management system (DAM),  learning software such as Adobe Lightroom, and upgrading my photo gear to include a "Professional" full frame digital camera.


Studio Stratus was commissioned by a client to photograph and create a book about the architecture and space of a series of buildings/developments she was involved with. Digital photo books are increasingly a popular way of presenting and compiling photos for a variety of contexts. Working with a digital work flow significantly eases the process of making well crafted, relatively inexpensive books. 

Both in terms of process and the "quality" of the imaging, moving to a complete digital workflow is both liberating and lethargic. It is liberating, in terms of flexibility and ability to get feedback instantly, for example. Shooting digitally can be lethargic in that the quality and quanity of images can contribute to a "gluttony of mediocrity." By this I mean that at and end of a shoot, one is often left with an excess of images. I personally have a hard time erasing most of these files, for the fact that unlike film, I have no backup in the form of a hardcopy, and hence feel compelled to keep a digital copy of everything, "just in case."  Shooting digitally has required me to reinvent how I work as a photographer, both as a fine art artist and work for hire photographer.

A good example of a change in my workflow is metadata. In a nutshell, metadata is "data about data." In creating digital images, one is manipulating data or media that essentially forms an image. Metadata in essence describes that characteristics of that data including the file size, date, kind of camera, lens type, f-stop, copyright holder, GPS location of the image, etc, etc. Both in terms of business (remember that maintaining copyright is critical) in addition to image management/organization, privacy, etc., metadata has become a significant part of working digitally. Lets say for example, you place an image on your blog and later down the road, that image ends up some place else (for example, a website, without your permission). With metadata, you can essentially "look under the hood of the image" to find out if in fact that image is yours and is being used without permission. Metadata hence gives you, the copyright holder, legal ownership in a clear manner.

© Studio Stratus, 2009, Ecotopian Project. Shooting the interiors for this project was an interesting experience. My assistant Meredith and I used a combination of HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging) along with studio strobes.


Metadata is an important tool in "creating data about data." The above images are an example where the images were commissioned by a client for a specific context, which in this case is a book. Metadata helps one keep track of the images and how they might by used in other contexts, and if so, if they are in compliance with the licensing agreement.


The tools one uses for creating photography is an important part of the quality and vision of that photographer. While talent, experience, and the skill of a photographer will set them apart, competition and the increasingly gluttony of images require that most photographers adapt to the increasing demands of the digital world. Studio Stratus prides itself in the fact that we have a solid background in the history and tradition of film based photography, yet it is not realistic at this point in history, to work in film, except in very selective projects.

In my next post, I will discuss some marketing strategies including branding and social networking for a  work for hire photography business.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Reflections of a Work for Hire Photographer, Part 1

Over the next several weeks I will take the opportunity to write and post several articles on the business aspects of a work for hire photographer. More specifically, I will discuss my own experiences and process involved with Studio Stratus. Each article will blend both personal experience, with useful information on developing a work for hire photography business. 


Shortly after arriving on Orcas Island in 2008, I decided to develop a work for hire photography business. After nearly a decade in Academia, both as a graduate student and Assistant Professor, it was the perfect opportunity to expand my knowledge and experience in photography. The first thing I decided upon was to separate my fine art photography from the work for hire business/services. I am still not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but at the time I thought it would be a safe way to enter new territory.  For my own organizational purposes, I decided to create Studio Stratus. My idea was to use Studio Stratus as an  umbrella for several of my photographic services. I chose the term Stratus, which is a "low cloud that forms in grey sheets" for both regional significance (I live in in the Pacific NW) and a personal reference.


One of my first work for hire projects. Client: Orcas Mandala. Yogi: Djuana. 4x5 Composite, 2008

As you may know, starting a small business is both easy and hard. Easy in the sense that you can get a business license in less then an hour on line, and difficult for all the rest of the reasons, including writing a business plan, pricing, insurance, taxes, and advertising. Not to mention finding clients, competition, equipment, space, etc.

I decided to start small. The first thing I did was buy ASMP's Professional Business's Practices in Photography, 7th Edition.  My first exposure to ASMP was while taking a professional development class in Tucson with MaryVirginia Swanson. Mary is a leading expert in the business of photography and inspired me in 2005, to begin exploring the business of photography more in depth.


ASMP's book is an excellent resource and I could not imagine having started Studio Stratus without it. If there was one single bit of information that both Mary and ASMP taught me, it is to control the copyright (usage) of ones images. It took a long time for this concept to sink it, but once it did, the core of what it takes to make a living as a photographer fell into place.

Next week I will continue writing about my experience developing a work for hire business. More specifically I will discuss my transition from shooting predominately film as a fine artist to working completely with a digital workflow. Below is sample project with a complete digital workflow.


Project: House Move from Seattle to Orcas.  Client: J. Jewell


In January of 2008, I was hired by a client to photograph/document their house being moved from Seattle to Orcas Island. The shoot took place over a 4 day period, with locations throughout Seattle. The initial move included the house being trucked several miles down Lake City Way, which was then loaded on a barge, and boated through Lake Washington to Lake Union, where the barge sat for a day. The house then went through the Ballard Locks and to Everett, where 1 of the houses was offloaded. Finally, the boat sailed for 1.5 days to Orcas Island, where the house was trucked about 1/4 mile.  Much of the shoot took place at night, including the first night the house was moved.  The initial night I shot for 14 hours, from 6p.m. until 8a.m. the next morning. I used a Nikon D700 both on a tripod and hand held with a wide Aperture, during most of the night shooting. 


Digital Photo, Photographed with a Nikon D700 in RAW, 50mm, 2.8 Lens / 3200 ISO. 2008

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Jane Hammond's Photo Collages

I came across Hammond's photo collages in Aperture magazines 2008 summer issue. A quote by Hammond:  " Searching, linking, all this stuff-its like a wave; its perfect for me to ride on." This is a quote where Hammond is discussing her work in which she "collaborates" with anonymous photographs and the internet to create the series Recombinant Wave. The series reminds me of Max Ernst's collages including the book Une Semaine de Bonté and some of Les Krims tableaus. 

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Fashion in Omaha


Sunday, November 15, 2009

Chris Anderson, Free: The Future of A Radical Price.

"On the one hand information wants to be expensive, because it is so valuable. The right information in the right place just changes you life. On the other hand, information wants to be free, because the cost of getting it out is getting lower and lower all the time. So you have these two fighting against each other. "

-Stewart Brand, 1984. Quoted in the book Free.

You can listen to Chris Anderson Book, Free, for free at:
www.hyperionbooks.com/free


Chris Anderson is the editor for Wired magazine. An interesting read. Like the magazine, you have to take it in with a smile and a bit of skepticism.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Deception Pass


Deception Pass, 4x5 Color Negative, 2008, © Dennis DeHart

SPE NW 2009: Reflex, Seattle, WA


Above is a page from the 2009 NW SPE conference catalog. John Laursen's lecture on the book Wild Beauty: Photographs of the Columbia Rive Gorge 1867-1957 was fabulous. As someone who grew up in the Columbia River Gorge, the lecture taught me a plethora of interesting information on the history and culture of this unique place. It was really quite spectacular to see photographs of the gorge prior to dams, and how the dams completely reshaped not only the river landscape, but the Native Americans cultural heritage. Wild Beauty also has a lot of photographs by Careleton Watkins that I had never seen. I highly recommend this book!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

A Series of My photos are included in Squeaky Wheel's magazine, The Squealer, on Sustainability, Fall 2009



Squealer 2009-07 Sustainability
Edited by: Dorothea Braemer 
Designed by: Steven Ansell

Monday, October 26, 2009

Card for Show at Workspace Gallery


Friday, October 16, 2009

SPENW at PCNW in Seattlle; (I) will be giving a lecture enititled: "Land of the Stratus"




http://spenw.org/blog/?page_id=216

http://www.pcnw.org/resources/spe-conference.php

Saturday, September 26, 2009

An Eclectic Selection of Current Exhibits and info of friends, colleagues, and family.






  • Devices
  • Exhibition Dates: Wednesday, October 14 – Saturday, October 31
  • Associate Professor of Photography Ellen Garvens exhibits her constructions, photographs, and drawings  which are of fragments of bodies and their surrogates as a reflection on the experience of touch, balance, and memory.  
    Underwater photographer and Jesica's cousin Marc Shargel will be showing work along with selling his new book and cards.

    I'm pleased to invite you to a reception for the opening of "The Otter Zone," a show of otter-related art in multiple media including several of my own photographs of otters, their habitat, their predators and food sources. The show is at the The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History from September 25 through October 24. Check their website for address and directions:  http://www.santacruzmuseums.org/ If you need further information, call the museum at (831) 420-6115.


    Tuesday, September 8, 2009

    Spent Shells

    Spent Shells, Archival Pigment Print, 13"x35", 2009, © Dennis DeHart

    Detail

    Monday, September 7, 2009

    The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

    I read De Botton's book The Art of Travel a few years back and enjoyed the his unique style and approach to writing.

    Recently I have been reading The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work which combines De Botton's unique style of prose and book formatting with the photography of Richard Baker.  www.bakerpictures.com

    Wednesday, September 2, 2009

    Twin Fall

    Cascade Falls, Summer/Winter, Each print 12"x36", Archival Pigment Print, 2009



    I was recently commissioned to do a "summertime" photograph of Cascade Falls to accompany the Ice Falls picture I made last winter. The photographs are comprised of about 20 digital captures each.

    Tuesday, August 18, 2009

    Blank Spots on the Map

    I generally shy away from books that delve into the "dark" parts of our nations political and military undertakings. Author Trevor Paglen even notes in his own introduction how writing on these kind of topics can often be relegated to conspiracists and sensationalists (my words).

    So anyhow I picked Blank Spots on the Map because I was interested in the metaphor of blank spots and also because Rebecca Solnit recommend it on the back of the book. Long story short, it is a really interesting book. Perhaps one of the most compelling arguments that Paglen bring up is the degree of secrecy around both the financial and physical activities of  the US military and CIA operations. Paglen writes in depth about how the constitution states explicitly that all government spending need be transparent, which of course is not the case. Blank Spots on the Map can be read on a number of levels and even if you don't buy all of Paglens arguments, it is an interesting read. 

    Saturday, August 8, 2009

    Snaps from Opening at Christina's

    Art Patrons Robert and Lynn Delman visiting from New York

     Jude
    Adam Farish 
    Christina's owner and host extrordinare, Maureen Mulleen 

    More Snaps from opening @ Christina's

    Valerie and her Alaskan friend 
    Tirza, Evan, new friends (another Orcas photographer, does anyone know
    her name?)
    Art Patron and Cleveland Cousin Marcia!

    Adam, Sara, and Dennis 

    Local friends with Jesica and Asher.

    Thursday, July 30, 2009

    Press Release for Orcas Island Show

    Bird Hunt, Archival Pigment Print, 13"x36", 2009


    Dennis DeHart, Fine Art Photography exhibition at Christina's 

    August 6-September 9, 2009

    Opening Reception, Thursday August 6, from 5-7, Wine and Appetizers will be served 


    Orcas Island photographer Dennis DeHart will be exhibiting his fine art 

    photography, which includes new work from the series "Land of the Stratus."


    DeHart's recent photographs include large format panoramic images that Diane Edkins, a curator at the

    Aperture gallery in New York City describes as " A classical approach to the western landscape and space, 

    which is both dissident and disturbing while functioning aesthetically and provocatively.

    DeHart will also be showing a selection of color prints that he created in the attic of his apartment while living in Buffalo, NY. 


    A Northwest native, DeHart and his family returned to the NW last year from New York. Dennis and his wife Jesica are currently involved in building a house on the island. They also own and operate Stratus Studio, which is a work for hire/commerical photographic business based on Orcas. 


    Seal Hunters (Orcas Pod), Archival Pigment Print, 13"x36", 2009

    Detail

    Tuesday, July 7, 2009

    Wild Beauty

    Read an interview with Terry Toedtmeier:

    http://blog.oregonlive.com/visualarts/2008/10/interview_terry_toedtemeier_on.html

    Q: What do these photos say about what's happened to the gorge area?

    A: It makes you look at the consequences of our decisions. The world has an awful lot of people living in it. We are at a point where we have to think about how we deal with our resources because it's conceivable that we could run out of air (laughs). That doesn't work real well. At some point, you know, what's good for all of us is what we all need to participate in. At the same time, the lights are on in this room because of the Bonneville Dam. So how do we look at those effects, and what do we use to gauge the quality of our judgments?

    Tuesday, June 30, 2009

    Invitation to 2009 Lishui, China Photo Festival

    Recently I was invited to exhibit my work and travel to Lishui, China for the Lishui 2009 Photo Festival. Unfortunately, the timing is bad for me and I will not be able to attend the festival. Lishui is the only city in China with a Photography Museum. 

    "http://www.lsphoto.org"
    A website about the city of Lishui "http://www.lishui.gov.cn/lypd"

    Keep your eyes out for this up and coming festival!

    Saturday, June 20, 2009

    Klickitat River. Mt. Hood in the Distance

    Wednesday, June 17, 2009

    Columbia River Gorge Bound

    Stevenson, Washington (on the Columbia River) Archival Pigment Print, 13x38,  2009 

    I am headed off to the Columbia river gorge with the two boys for some camping and visits with the grandparents. We plan to explore some places that I grew up in including Hood River, Stevenson, High Prarie, Klickitat, Lyle, and Portland.