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fotografia47 ::::::::::::::::::::::::
painting with the mind's eye
Friday, March 18, 2005 - 16:27
raison d'être
& vitae ::
photographer :: Donna Lee Michas ~ New York, New York
eMail :: fotografia47 [at] aol [dot] com
url :: http://fotografia47.my-expressions.com
url :: http://f47.foliophotos.com
philosophy ::
My photography is where all my optimism resides. To quote Jules Renard: “On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it.” Indeed. And over the past 37 years
I’ve tried to capture as many pieces as I can in order to share them with those who
may have missed some.
Though I choose not to record life’s misery and decay, concentrating instead on floral themes and unusual twistings of structure and form, I’m far from pollyannish. I know, perhaps too well, the darkness lurking in man’s soul. Art, however, is the supreme
human endeavor to rise above; to reach for the stars ... or at least to paint them
in all their glory.
That is what I try to do with my camera and mind’s eye. It’s a small attempt to
stop the world for one instant so that others might see it as I did; especially the
incredible ever-changing view from my window, which I’ve been blessed to enjoy
for over 31 years.
subjects/style ::
Floral close-ups, skylines, river views, urban landscapes, natural or man-made designs portraits and, occasionally, animals ~ mostly in color, sometimes in sepia or b&w.
Many of my digital color photos are solarized, giving the effect of a water color painting ~
a feature available on Sony Mavicas that must be implemented as the image is taken.
technique ::
Cézanne once said “The contour eludes me ...”, but for my entire photographic life it is precisely contour that most intrigues me ~ as well as color, shadow and light. Digital photography has allowed me to approximate an artistry to which I’ve always aspired
in a way my hands do not permit.
Almost all photos taken with the two Sony Mavicas are presented as shot (i.e., very rarely cropped, or colors altered, via software manipulation) and no filters are used. Shaping images into circles, or elongating them into ovals upon printing, is my biggest reliance on computer-assisted design.
I tend to crop more on photos taken with the Sony Cybe-Shot, however, since it only has a maximum 7x Optical lens. But with 8x megapixels I can zoom in, post image, and get the shot I would have taken had I still had the 10x Optical. Additionally, I'm more inclined to use post image manipulation vis-à-vis color balance, brightness/contrast and saturation / hue with many of the newew shots. I've also begun experimenting a bit with the different effects, such as kaleidescope and enamel, that are available in Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8.
The compositional skills showcased, however, are entirely my own and it is ‘my eye’ that rules every step of the way.
equipment ::
digital cameras
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3k ~ 10x/7 megapixel (from Spring 2007), Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50k ~ 12x/10 megapixel (from Spring 2007), Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1s ~ 10x/5 megapixel (from June 6th, 2006), , Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30k ~ 12x/8 megapixel (from September 8th, 2005), along with Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-f828 ~ 7x/8 megapixel (from April 29th, 2005); Sony Mavica MVC-fd95 ~ 10x/2.1 megapixel (almost exclusively from late January 2004 thru April 2005 and occasionally since then); Sony Mavica MVC-fd75 ~ 10x /less than 1 megapixel (exclusively from August 2001 to late January 2004 and occasionaly since then).
35mm SLRs
From summer of 1968 thru July of 2001 I've used an array of 35mm film cameras, in reverse order: Canon SureShot 120, Leica R7 w/100mm APO macro, Leica Minilux, Olympus IS3-DLX, Honeywell Spotmatic, Nikon F3 w/55mm micro, Minolta X-700, Nikon F2 and Olympus Half-Frame. Color or b&w film; only rarely transparencies.
Digital photographs are produced on an Olympus P400 printer utilizing state-of-the-art dye-sublimination technology ~ a printing medium widely recognized for its rich, saturated colors (16 million) and archival dye permanence with superlative luminosity. The print also has a final clear layer to preserve its integrity and extend its life.
a note about copyrights ::
I apologize for the distracting intrusion of copyright notices within each foto on my blog, but I have already sold many of my pieces and I cannot allow the integrity of those runs to become compromised by illegal reproductions. Obviously, the final prints do NOT have such notices within them.
[please read carefully the 'terms of use | copyright' page]
education ::
C.W. Post College of Long Island University ~ B.A., Philosophy | 1969
(Photography I & II, Senior year. Grades: A/A)
contests, etc. ::
5th prize ~
C.W. Post College Photo Contest, 1969
(image entered by my professor, without my knowledge, after I graduated)
Honorable Mention ~
Nikon World Photography Contest, 1975
(photo/name published in catalog)
#3541 www.hereisnewyork.org, 2001 ~
a collection of donated photos to raise $ for children of 9/11 victims
(name/picture --not photo #3541-- published in book of same name)
a personal note on collecting art ::
Should you be disinclined to buy a work of art unless you are assured it will eventually appreciate in monetary value, I suggest ‘tis a far, far better thing to acquire something your eyes will appreciate right now, because ART really is that important to the care and feeding of the human soul.
“If you have but two pennies left in all the world, buy a loaf of bread with one …
and a lily with the other.” ~ Chinese proverb.
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