THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE

As you have most likely noticed, a lot of changes are taking place here on ELKINSPHOTOS-BISBEE AZ. The blog is over one year old now, and I thought it time for some upgrades. Because my intent was not to make this a photo blog but rather a blog about photography, I have heretofore shy'd away from posting very many of my photographs on the blog. I have decided to deviate from that policy in two respects. I will use photos, when appropriate, to illustrate posts, and I will, once or twice a week, post a photo with info on how the photo came about and-or how the photo was made. The second significant change is that I am using a new more sophisticated template. I believe both these changes will make the blog more attractive and fun to read. I hope you will feel free to comment on these changes and will let me know what directions you would like to see the blog take. Thank you for your loyalty. LARRY ELKINS ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

SHADES #2

This photo was taken on location. However, it was then extensively post processed. I believe that the processing has resulted in a very unique look. The hat and oversized sunglasses add to the distinctive look and feel of this image

TRAVELIN' MAN

I've recently been seeing a lot of ads for tutorials designed to teach prospective travel photographers how to shoot travel photos that look just like the images you see on commercial postcards. Well, guess what? Everyone's already seen the images on those postcards. If your potential customer wanted a 'postcard' image, he (or she) probably would simply opt to buy the postcard. Bottom line: As a travel photographer, you want to produce unique views of exotic locations, NOT POSTCARD IMAGES. That is, of course, assuming you're not working for a postcard company. As an example of what I mean, let's discuss one of the most iconic locations in the world. Are we talking Paris.France with the Eiffel Tower in the background? Or, perhaps, the Great Wall of China? Nope. We're talkin' someplace located less than thirty miles from my home town of Bisbee Arizona. We're talkin' TOMBSTONE - THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE. In one sense, Tombstone may be just a little podunk town in S.E. Arizona. On the other hand, I met a Thai woman while in Chiang Mai who, when she heard I was from Arizona, proudly related to me the story of her and her husband's visit to - where else - Tombstone, Arizona. Even Captain Kirk and crew members of the Starship Enterprise managed to beam down to Tombstone in the Star Trek episode 'SPECTRE OF THE GUN'. And that's about as iconic as it gets. So, you've traveled from Philly to Arizona, and now yer jest itchin' to explo'e th' Ol' West. Yehaw! You're walkin' down historic Allen Street at high noon on a Saturday. This is your one chance to shoot (with a camera) the town where the Earps and Doc Holiday faced down the Clanton gang. And your goose is not just cooked. It's cremated. Why? Well, the town is full of tourists. Your chance of obtaining an image that will wow the viewer, for starters one that does not feature modern day tourists, is about the same as your chances of flying to the moon by flapping your arms real fast. Take a look at my images above. What don't you see? Tourists. Why? Well, the images were made in the late afternoon on a weekday, maybe Wednesday, probably during the off season. Imagine the color version, colors most likely slightly more saturated, shot at a time of day when the shadow would not be there, and with the town crawling with tourists, and you have the image everyone else took. The sepia image, on the other hand, screams VINTAGE OLD WEST. Definitely a better choice. Now a photog friend of mine, Pete Larkin, took a nighttime photo of the same street, historic Allen Street. The photo featured, (quite prominently) a modern sign emblazoned with the words LOADING ZONE. Well. that ruined an otherwise usable image, right? That would have most likely been the case but for the Old West gunfighter leaning against the sign, LOADING BULLETS INTO HIS SIX SHOOTER. Okay, so you've got your establishing shot. Now you're gunning (pun intended) for interesting detail scenes. So, wow, you've stumbled across the old wagon sitting just off the street at the intersection. And what luck. You manage to include the Whole Monte in your composition. Your friend Jim, on the other hand, settled for a shot that mostly just included one of the wheels with some sort of bird standing by the wheel. He's out of luck. So why, back home in Philly two weeks later, is everyone oohing and awing over Jim's photo and avoiding yours like it stinks of cow pattie? First off, nothing says Old West like a bird, that is if the bird's a roadrunner. Second, the service station in the background of your photo screams "This ain't the Old West!!!", at the top of its lungs. It's called an anachronism. And sometimes anachronisms work, like when a gunman is loading his gun next to a loading zone sign. In your case though, it just sits there stinking of cow pattie. The bottom line on all this is that you, the travel photographer, want to make interesting, intriguing & UNIQUE images of fascinating travel destinations. Do that and your friends will stand in line to view your travel images. Bring back twenty five images of the Eiffel tower with Aunt Ethel Mae standing in front of it, or images that are virtually identical to Cousin Timmy's postcards he brought back for everyone upon his return from Paris, and those same friends will run for the hills, and not look back. Larry Elkins - Elkinsphotos

EIKINSPHOTOS TRAVEL PICS

BE SURE TO VISIT MY NEW PHOTO BLOG http://elkinsphotos-travelpics.blogspot.com - Larry Elkins - Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography

ST ELMO BAR

ST. ELMO BAR - This is a depiction of the saloon style doors of the St. Elmo Saloon, a 108 year old bar located on Historic Brewery Gulch in Bisbee Arizona. Brewery Gulch, at one time renowned as the most notorious street in the Old West, in its heyday, hosted over 50 saloons, a flourishing red light district and at least a couple of opium dens. Elmo was considered one of the rowdiest of the Gulch's many bars. During prohibition, St. Elmo officially operated as a soda fountain, although most likely a good deal of 'hard stuff' was dispensed from under the counter. At the time I photographed the doors, my intent was to create an image which would be more in the nature of a logo than a literal representation. I engaged in a good amount of digital post processing designed to achieve that effect. Multiple editing programs were used to produce an effect that I feel reflects the vision I had of what I desired this image to be. Larry Elkins - Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography

PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THE FUN OF IT

PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THE FUN OF IT - Why do I engage in the art of photography? The answer is simple. I do it for the money. I'm making a fortune from my photography. And if you believe that, I own a really nice bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. The truth is, the HOBBY of photography costs me loads of money. That's right. And probably most of you, unless you're commercial photographers, fall into the same boat, A LEAKY BOAT, AND IT 'S LEAKING CASH!!! So why do we engage in the art of photography? We do it because we enjoy it. It's fun - fun - fun. I spent ten days in Thailand in February of this year photographing elephants, hill tribe villagers and Buddhist temples. It was fun. I was recently accorded the privilege of photographing a Vintage Baseball game. It was fun. In 2009, I had the opportunity to shoot (with a camera) native birds on an island off the coast of Ecuador. Now that was fun. I know how to make money from my photography. I could invest in the appropriate equipment and set up a commercial portrait, wedding, events business. That wouldn't be fun. Sometimes though, we lose sight of the fun that is inherent in the HOBBY of photography. Perhaps we begin to experience pressures that we have largely placed on ourselves. We begin to take ourselves too seriously. We forget that our primary goal should always be to enjoy the act of making photography. So, unless you're a pro and making photographs equals making a living, then taking photographs ain't worth doin' if it ain't fun. So get your booty butt in gear, go out there and have fun. Larry Elkins - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT

PHOTO TIP - You're happily shooting on the pristine white sand beaches of Florida (and hoping to Hell you're lucky enough to finish up before the tar balls and oily sludge arrive) when you spot that magnificent brown pelican flying across the turquoise sky. You manage to get in one shot, you're totally psyched, and then you check the pic on your LCD. Oh s*#t! In your excitement, you forgot to hold the camera straight. Now what do you do? Well, in the digital age. the answer is simple. You can probably use the 'rotate' feature on your editing program to straighten the horizon. Your shot of the magnificent pelican in flight is saved. And just in time. Because a photo of an oil drenched pelican lying on the beach desperately fighting for its life doesn't make for a very attractive photo. Oh well, as Governor Sarah Palin would say, "It's just another disaster caused by those pesky environmentalists. If they had just let my friend Tony Hayward drill for oil in the Alaskan wilderness, none of this would have happened. Drill, baby, drill." Marie Antoinette would have been proud. Larry Elkins - Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography