FOCUS POCUS

QUICK PHOTO TIP - When shooting a close up of an insect, don't try to get the whole bug in focus. Focus on a critical area, usually the head, of the insect, then allow the rest of the subject to go soft. In the example above, I have focused in on the critical area. The rest of the insect is slightly soft. This subtly focuses (pun intended) the viewer's attention on the head area of the caterpillar. Larry Elkins - ELKINSPHOTOS

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO OF PHOTOGRAPHER LARRY ELKINS (YOURS TRULY) BY PETE LARKIN - I'm going to use this opportunity to just express some random thoughts concerning the subject of photography. I don't make a living from my photography. I don't even come close. In fact, for me, photography is a hobby, a serious hobby, that actually significantly drains cash from my already insufficient pension from government service. I would definitely be better off financially if I just shucked this whole photography thing. So, why do I persist in this seeming insanity? The answer is simple really. Over the decades I've been engaged in the practice of photography, it has become the focus of my life. And next year, I plan to completely alter my life largely as a result of my love of photography. I'm planning on relocating to Northern Thailand. One reason I'm doing so, is that it will allow me to live a comparable lifestyle a whole lot less expensively. But that's not the main reason I'm contemplating this move halfway across the world. The real lure is the opportunity to spend the next few years photo-documenting S.E. Asia. You may not be in the position I am in. But you may well be in a position to spend a week or two photo-documenting the Grand Canyon, or perhaps Yellowstone National Park. Or, how about photo-documenting your city; New York, New Orleans or say Des Plains Illinois. Or perhaps, your thing is to photograph cracks in the pavement that resemble peoples' faces. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that you pursue whatever project you choose with passion. We all recognize that the photographic universe by been forever altered by digital technology. However, I'm getting a little tired of listening to those who proclaim and complain that any untalented hack can now make great photos because digital cameras do everything for you. Well, this argument is absolute rubbish. Digital cameras are tools. The photographer's creativity and expertise are still the most important elements in the photographic process. Personally though, I do sometimes miss the darkroom experience. Overall though, I wouldn't trade the technology we enjoy now for film technology. And I do know this: The only constant in life is change. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY - LET PHOTOGRAPHY BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY.

KNICK KNACK

KNICK KNACK - This is a photograph of a kick knack that belonged to my mother. I particularly like the way the image is lit. The lighting is by existing ambient light. Sometimes that's what works. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY ISN'T.

I'VE RECENTLY RECEIVED TWO JOB OFFERS THAT ARE UNBELIEVABLE. AND I MEAN THAT QUITE LITERALLY. The first offer involved my shooting a party somewhere in the state of Georgia. The gentleman wanting to hire me offered to fly me to Georgia and pay my expences while I was there. How great is that? This gem of a guy offered to send me a check for Ten thousand dollars. This check would be made out to me by a friend of his who owed him the money. I was then to deposit the check in my checking account, keep $2000 to cover my fee and flight to Georgia. Then I would send him the additional $8,000 back immediately so he could rent the venue and hire the dancing girls. What a deal. Unfortunately, I had to decline his kind offer due to the fact that I still have a small but significant amount of grey matter between my ears. The second, more recent offer, involved a couple from England who were going to be relocating in Arizona and were just dying to hire me to shoot their 50th wedding anniversary. This one I didn't respond to. Could these offers be legit? Well, perhaps. If I toss a quarter into the air, it could land on its edge rather than heads or tails. And I might walk out onto my front lawn on a beautiful sunny day and get zapped by lighting. But it's not very likely. The moral of this story:If an offer, particularly one received online, sounds too good to be true, IT PROBABLY AIN'T TRUE. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

BIZZART GALLERY-BISBEE AZ

THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH I TOOK, IF MEMORY SERVES ME, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. THE PHOTO IS OF BIZZART GALLERY, AN ARTS CO-OP LOCATED ON BISBEE'S HISTORIC BREWERY GULCH, A STREET ONCE REPUTED TO HAVE BEEN THE MOST NOTORIOUS STREET IN THE OLD WEST. THE PHOTOGRAPH WAS SHOT AT NIGHT UTILIZING THE EXISTING LIGHT. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

NIGEL BARKER - A PROFILE

WHO IS NIGEL BARKER? Well, Nigel Barker is probably best known as a judge on the popular reality show 'AMERICA'S TOP MODEL' Oh, and by the way, he also photographs the models. For Barker, it's a good fit since he began his career as a model and subsequently gravitated behind the camera. His career began when his mother entered him in a popular U.K. model search. The young model spent the next decade pursuing a career in Europe and New York. In the mid Nineties, Barker changed direction and launched a new career behind the camera lens. He opened a studio in New York. His career quickly took off. His growing reputation netted him the spot on A. N. T. M. Today, Barker pursues his career as a highly respected fashion photographer while showcasing his talents each week on the highly popular Top Model. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH A GHOST

QUICK PHOTO TIP HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH A GHOST - Have a friend stand in a darkened room holding a flashlight under his or her face. Have the friend shine the flashlight upward toward his or her face from below. Automatically, this will create an eerie effect. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

SCENE FROM A JUNGLE RIVER

I took this photograph from aboard a raft floating down a jungle river in northern Thailand. I love the exotic flavor of this image. One problem with the rainforest (or jungle) is that the rainforest itself does not make a good photographic subject. You need to focus on a subject situated in the rainforest. This scene is quite compelling. It exhibits a subject of an exotic nature. I knew when I hit the shutter button that this would result in a very special image. Larry Elkins - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

THE PIN-UP PHOTO - AN OVERVIEW

THE PIN-UP PHOTO - AN OVERVIEW - The precursor of the pin-up can be traced back to Ancient time. From the Venus de Milo to the erotic graffiti adorning the walls of Rome and Pompeii, 'girlie pictures' were a staple of early civilizations. The most direct precursor to the modern (20th Century) pin-up was the French postcard, These risque postcards featured photographic depictions of unclad or scantily clad female models. The term pin-up to denote a mass produced image of a sexy (usually scantily clad) girl dates to the World War II era. Perhaps the iconic pin-up of all time was the photographic poster of swimsuit clad Bettie Grable that was taped to the locker of every American G.I. worth his salt. During the 1950's, Playboy Magazine was the pin-up king. The queen of the pin-ups though was a young brunette model with bangs and considerable bang who went by the name Bettie Page. Bettie did all the normal risque nude and semi-nude magazine layouts. However, Bettie also had a naughtier side. She was no stranger to whips, handcuffs and spankings. This raven haired pin-up queen doubled as the dark queen of fetish. In the 1960's, Penthouse Magazine upped the ante and moved to compete with Playboy by moving away from the more traditional pin-up tease into the world of pornographic imagery. By the 70's, Playboy was featuring more explicit pictorials in an effort to compete with Penthouse. Then Larry Flynt's Hustler Magazine entered the market, featuring hard core pornography, and thus seemingly driving the final nails in the coffin of the traditional pin-up. However, like the unsinkable Mollie Brown, the traditional pin-up proved difficult to keep down. In a world flooded with explicit sexual imagery, the pin-up is enjoying a new lease on life. Magazines like Maxim and S. I. Swimsuit edition are proving that more traditional pin-up style imagery can attract a huge readership. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

LOCK OUT MOISTURE

QUICK PHOTO TIP - MAKESHIFT WEATHERIZER - Always carry with you a ziplock or similar type plastic bag large enough for fit inyour camera and attached lens to fit in. slit the bag to create a hole large enough for the lens to fit through. Have a rubber band handy to wrap around the part of the bag covering the lens in order to create a weather tight seal. Voila. an instant (and quite inexpensive protective casing. Larry Elkins - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

WINDMILL

WWINDMILL - THIS IMAGE OF A WINDMILL IN EARLY MORNING SUN WAS SHOT FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMINO REAL, THE KING'S HIGHWAY, WHICH ONCE RAN FROM PRESENT DAY SANTA FE TO MEXICO CITY. The construction of El Camino Real de Tierra Adento was begun more that Twenty years prior to the landing of the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock. For over 300 years, this roadway served as the principle route from Mexico City to the present day Southwestern U.S. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

PROFILE OF EDWARD CURTIS - PART 2

In 1905, Curtis, desperate for money, corresponded with President Theodore Roosevelt, seeking advice on finding a patron to finance his proposed project documenting native American culture. In 1906, Curtis is able to arrange a meeting with financier J. P. Morgan who agrees to bankroll the project to the tune of $75000.00. Curtis' project not only consisted of photographs but was actually a complete documentation of American Indian culture and lore. In 1919, Curtis' wife Clara divorced him and was awarded his studio as well as his original glass negatives which Curtis and his daughter destroyed before she could lay claim to them. This was the beginning of a long downward spiral. In 1927, Curtis was arrested for nonpayment of alimony. Although the charges were soon dropped, Curtis' financial problems continued unabated. In 1928, still desperate for cash, Curtis was forced to seek further financing from the son of his original patron, J.P. Morgan. With the advent of the Great Depression, Curtis' problems further intensified. Only 300 volumes of his works were sold. By the time Curtis passed away in 1952, his name was but a minor footnote in history. It has been only in more recent decades that Curtis has gained renown for his outstanding contribution to the documentation and preservation of native American culture. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY