Paris, France

How To Be A Successful Photographer

1. Be cheaper than anyone better than you.
2. Be better than anyone cheaper than you.
3. Remove your lens cap.

Occam's Razor

I first became aware of Occam's Razor as a method of scientific research (bored already? Hang with me here. It does have something to do with photography, I promise). The idea is that an answer to a question is always the most simple of all possible solutions. Sherlock Holmes used Occam's Razor: "Eliminate all impossibilities and what remains, however improbable, is the solution".

In photography, I use Mr. Occam's Gillette to help me make better pictures. It goes something like this:

Every photograph tells a story or elicits a feeling or reaction. I look at an image and determine what story it tells. If it does not tell a story I delete it. If it does, I begin to crop it. As I crop I ask myself, "does it still tell the story? Does it tell the story better? Have I cut too far and made the story incomplete? I keep cropping. As long as the story is still there, I keep going. When the image no longer provides enough information to tell its story, I know I've gone too far. I reverse one step and my picture is complete. (I'm talking electronic croping of course. If you're using scissors and crop too far, you're pretty much screwed).

Simple is better, less is more, minimalism, call it whatever you like, I think it works.

Above is an example, albeit an extreme one. I feel the cropped image of the model holding the teapot against her vintage dress tells the story I originally intended. As far as I was concerned, the rest of the image was distracting and, quite literally, clutter. You may or may not agree, but I bet you'll find it a worthwhile exercise for your images. It works for writing too. Eliminate that which is not necessary to make your point, and your point is made.

Simple things are the most profound.

Model: Elise

What a Great Time To Be In Detroit...

...at least if you're me. Not only is this weekend a long Labor Day break from the drudgery of nine-to-five, but I'll have a chance to flex my photography skills with two of my favorite pastimes (besides photography, of course).

This Friday through Sunday is the Detroit International Jazz Festival. It's the largest free jazz fest in the world. Some of the best jazz players alive will be performing at various venues; this year featuring players from Detroit and Philadelphia. Those that know jazz will know that these two cities have produced players that have changed the face of jazz music since King Oliver and his band, including Louis Armstrong, left New Orleans to spread the sound early in the 20th century.

On the same weekend is the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix; featuring roadracing sports cars (American Le Mans Series) and open wheeled racers (Indy Racing League). I will be covering and photographing the Grand Prix for a Canadian online motorsports journal; Race Family Motorsports (http://www.rfmsports.com/).

What do these two events have in common? Me, for one thing. I've been photographing motorsports since 1972 when I spent rolls of film shooting at the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. My best friend and I were so taken by the spectacle of open wheel road racing, we spent the next 8 or 10 summers running our own Formula Ford in Sports Car Club of America sanctioned events.

As far as jazz goes, I've been fascinated by it since I was 12 or 13 years old and I asked my dad for a Dave Brubeck album for my birthday (Brubeck, in his late 80's, is appearing at this years Jazz Fest).

Jazz and roadracing share other traits. Both require the ultimate in concentration and mastery. Both reward those best able to control their instruments as extensions of themselves, while improvising within a structured framework that tests both the right and left brain. Both reward their practitioners (and their fans) with the joy that comes from the supreme expression of what it means to go to the edge and dance on the precipice.

The choruses are straightaways, the verses are turns, improvise your way through them and I'll meet you at the bridge.

A Fashion Statement

This concept was originally done as a band promotional shoot for a Minneapolis rock band I knew 30 years ago! The statement is just as valid for the fashion industry as the music industry. To add to the irony, the models and the make-up artist are the opposite of fashion industry wannabe's. The models are art and artistic nude models of extraordinary skill and beauty. I never expected to have to persuade models to let me shoot them with clothes on, but they were both great sports and accomodated my request. Next time we shoot ladies, no clothes. I promise!

Plain Jayne Jones and Iris Dassault (check out my link to her "Women of Avalon" blog) were gracious enough to get up before dawn on a Saturday to drive many miles for little compensation to work with someone they'd not met before. What pros they are.

And a special thanks to Lee Radcliffe who was our MUA, wardrobe stylist and reflector holder extraordinair! Her enthusiasm for the project was as great as mine and I can't wait to work with her again. She's also a very talented photographer in her own right.

I got many great shots of this particular concept, but the one above was the very first shot I took. A tribute to the professionalism of these ladies. Nailed it on the first shot!!!