PROFILE OF EDWARD CURTIS PART 1

A PROFILE OF PHOTOGRAPHER EDWARD CURTIS - Famed photographer Edward S. Curtis was born in Whitewater, Wisconsin on February 16th, 1868. Curtis' father Johnson Curtis had served as an army chaplain during the Civil War. At about the age of six, Edward moved with his family to Minnesota, eventually settling in Cordova, Minnesota in 1880. Edward's father, who suffered from ill health resulting from his military service during the war, accepted a position as an evangelist minister. Edward built himself a camera at the age of twelve, and by the age of eighteen, he had become an accomplished photographer. In 1887, Edward and his father, and shortly thereafter, the rest of the family, relocated to the Portland, Oregon area. A short time later, Edward's father passed on. In 1891, Curtis and a partner opened a photography studio in Seattle. Curtis' first serious attempt at photographing native Americans involved portraits he made of Princess Angeline, the daughter of Chief Seattle. It was a chance encounter with two scientists, George B. Grinnell, founder of the Audobon Society, and Clinton Merriam, founder of the National Geographical Society, that set Curtis on the path that would become his career and life's passion. In 1900, Curtis joined Grinnell and Merriam on an expedition to Montana to study the Plains Indians. To be continued (PROFILE OF EDWARD CURTIS - PART 2). LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS

PHOTOGRAPHER'S CODE OF ETHICS

A PHOTOGRAPHER'S CODE OF ETHICS - IT WAS MY INTENT TODAY TO COMPILE A DEFINITIVE LISTING OF A CODE OF ETHICS THAT WOULD APPLY TO ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS. MY CONCLUSION: MUCH EASIER SAID THAN DONE. There are so many different species of photographer that it becomes esceedingly difficult (well nigh impossible) to come up with a comprehensive listing. Various organizations have, of course, come up with listings that apply to practitioners of specific photographic specialties such as nature photography or press photography. These lists are available online. Some of the points are no brainers. Press photographers are encouraged to make truthful images. Nature photographers are encouraged to impact the natural environment as little as possible. But when it comes to compiling an overall listing, the job becomes unmanageable. So I have decided to borrow from the medical fraternity. Here it is, the Photographer's Code of Ethics as compiled by yours truly: "ABOVE ALL, DO NO HARM." Well, it is all encompassing, if not very detailed. I guess if it works for brain surgeons, it should work (SORT OF) for photographers. lARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

CHUCK FEIL'S TAO OF PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

CHUCK FEIL'S TAO OF PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS - Upon my retirement three + years ago from government service, one of the neatest perks of retirement life turned out to be the opportunity to participate in Chuck Feil's Tao of Photography Workshops. I have had the opportunity of traveling with Chuck to Sedona Arizona, Chihuahua Mexico, the Pacfic coastal rainforest of Ecuador, the Andean village of Villcabamba Ecuador and the ancient city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Chuck, a veteran photographer shares his experience and expertise acquired during a career that has spanned almost a half century. Chuck, who describes himself as a workshop facilitator, affords the opportunity for each participant to explore his or her personal creative vision. I wholeheartedly recommend these extraordinary workshops. For a schedule of this years workshops, I would encourage you to visit Chuck's website PANTERRAGALLERY.COM for information on this year's workshops. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. In terms of transparency, I have received no compensation in exchange for my endorsement of these photography workshops. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

TERRY ETHERTON

TERRY ETHERTON: A PROFILE - Terry Etherton, owner of the Etherton Gallery in Tucson, AZ, is an internationally known dealer in photography and photography appraiser. Etherton's three decades plus career has earned him considerable respect in the art world. His list of clients has included the Museum of Modern Art, the Library of Congress, the J. Paul Getty Museum. the National Portrait Gallery and other equally prestigious institutions. Etherton Gallery has been voted as the number one gallery in Tucson for twelve consecutive years and is widely recognized as one of the top photography galleries in the United States. This coming November, Etherton will be jurying the First Annual (BIPS) Bisbee Invitational Photo Show to be hosted by BizzArt Gallery in Bisbee AZ. Larry Elkins - Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography

STOCKING STUFFED WITH A LENS

QUICK PHOTO TIP - NEED A SOFT FOCUS FILTER FAST. Fasten a nylon stocking across the lens with a rubber band. Easy and quick. Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography

SPECIAL ALERT

Watch for the upcoming profile on Tucson gallery owner- photography expert Terry Etherton on my next regular blog post. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

CARNIVAL GAME

CARNIVAL GAME - I rook this photo handheld at night using KODAK P3200 B&W film rated at ISO 6400. - Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography

BIZZART GALLERY TO HOST 1ST ANNUAL BISBEE PHOTO SHOW

PHOTO - COMPACTED CARS BY LARRY ELKINS - This post is directed toward our readers in the State of Arizona. On November 13th, 2010, BIZZART GALLERY, located at 41 Brewery Ave. - Bisbee, Arizona, will host the first annual BISBEE INVITATIONAL PHOTO SHOW (BIPS). This show will be open to all photographers in the State of Arizona (Cochise County Division open to Cochise County residents). This is an opportunity for both amateur and professional photographers in Arizona to submit their work into competition for cash awards and the opportunity to mount an individual show at Bizzart Gallery. Awards of $250 (1st Place) and $100 (2nd Place) will be offered in each of the two divisions. In addition, there will be a Peoples' Choice Award. Award winners will be announced at the November 13th show. The juror for this event will be Terry Etherton, one of America's most respected art experts. Mr. Etherton is the owner of ETHERTON GALLERY in Tucson Arizona. (Watch for my profile of Terry Etherton on my next ELKINSPHOTOS-BISBEE AZ BLOG POST). The entry fee for this event is $25 for up to five entries in either division (with an option for Cochise County residents to enter both divisions for $35). Up to five additional entries may be submitted at an ddditional fee of $5 per entry. BizzArt Gallery photographers Larry Elkins and Ann Widmann will co chair this event. For information and entry forms, contact Ann Widmann at ann@az-image-is.com or call her at 520-432-5174. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

SHAME ON ANDREW BREITBART

SHAME ON ANDREW BREITBART - There are lies of commission and there are lies of omission. Andrew Breitbart is a blatant liar. His main lie is a lie of omission. However, Breitbart also has told numerous lies of commission during the last few days. First, he lied about the NAACP. He stated that the reason he smeared Mrs. Sherrod and cost her her job had nothing to do with her but rather was in retaliation for the charge by the NAACP' that the TEA PARTY is a racist organization. Never mind that the NAACP made no such assertion. Mr. Breitbart isn't one to allow himself to be confused by the facts. What has any of this to do though with photography? Well, nothing actually. However, it has a great deal to do with blogging. and, as a blogger, I feel a moral obligation to address this gross lapse in ethics. And by the way, this also has little to do with ideology. What it does have to do with is the inexcusable actions of a corrupt 'journalist'. I could go on and on. But suffice it to say that Mr.Breitbart is an ethical pygmy. There is plenty of blame to go around here. Breitbart, however, continues to assert that what has happened to Shirley Sherrod was not his doing. He was only trying to wreak revenge on the NAACP. Sherrod just got caught in the crossfire.. To continue the analogy, AND IT'S ONLY AN ANALOGY, what Breitbart actually did was to place a weapon (his blog site) to Sherrod's forehead and pulled the trigger. SO, SHAME ON ANDREW BREITBART. - LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

WHO OWNS THE PHOTO?

I recently had a question from a photographer concerning photo ownership. Her employers, a law firm, have asked her to photograph The firm's lawyers for the firm's use. She want to know who owns the rights to the photos. My answer is that as I'm not an attorney I am not legally competent to advise. However, in her circumstance, I would assume that ownership would be with the law firm unless some agreement in writing is entered into by the parties that stipulates otherwise. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS

HOW TO RECRUIT A NUDE MODEL

HOW TO RECRUIT A NUDE MODEL - I'm going to attempt not to repeat information provided in the first and second posts in this series on finding and recruiting models. You should, however read or re-read those posts. Now, there are three basic options for finding and recruiting nude models. The first is family and friends. The problem is, it's a small model pool. The second option is to hire pro models through an agency or attend a workshop that provides pro models. The problem is, it's going to be quite expensive. The third, and probably most viable, option is to recruit amateur and/or semi professional models. Walking up to someone on the street, handing out a business card and saying "Would you consider modeling nude for me?", sometimes actually works, but don't count on it. If you use this approach, a better way of introducing yourself is to offer to meet with the prospective model and show her (or him) a portfolio of your work. Either suggest a public place for the meet and/or suggest that she bring a friend or spouse to the meeting. If you can, try to meet prospective models at an art or photography opening or at a photography class or workshop. This makes it a bit easier to approach the prospective model and to establish a degree of trust. An approach I have personally found yields a high degree of success is to attend a nude life drawing class. The models you access there are already comfortable with nudity. Of ten, they will be interested in modeling nude for a photographer. One caveat here. She's going to expect to make considerably more than she makes modeling for a drawing class or modeling privately for a painter. However the contact is made, the next step is to develop trust with the model. Be patient. This can take time. One smart approach is to initially recruit the model for sessions that do not involve nudity. Also, always give the model an option of bringing a friend to the session. However, discourage the model bringing her boyfriend. This can sometimes be a problem. Now, let's discuss a couple of important issues. First, ALWAYS make certain the model is of legal age. Don't just take the model's word for it. YOU MAKE CERTAIN. Second, be sure to get a proper model release. And, it goes without saying, SHOW THE MODEL RESPECT. There's not much more I can add. There's no magic formula. You'll need to learn by trial and error what works best for you. Good luck and best wishes. Larry Elkins - Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography