Artistic Courage - Getting It Out There - Part II

     So it's  February. It's cold outside. There is a ton of snow on the ground . The front walk and stairs of my scruffy little home need shoveling from the last dumping of snow. It's way too early in the morning  and I'm sitting in what I laughably call my office, punching up another blog post. However in the midst of this grey, mid-winter, sub-zero misery I have some exciting news. My pictures have been accepted by a local gallery. https://tarenwhitegallery.com/  Subsequently, I have booked a four month show and sale there beginning March 1st of this year. It's early days yet. As of this writing, my prints are out being professionally matted and framed for display. Each image was carefully selected and printed, in house, on top quality Canon photographic paper through a Canon Pro series printer in full glorious colour. They look really good if I may say so myself!  Initially, it will be a small display of just four pictures. I'm testing the waters so to speak. However, each photo will be a first edition of a limited run of 50 prints in that size. It's all part of a New Year's resolution I made to myself for this year, ''Get the work out there!'' 

    This kind of ties in with the theme of my last post, ''Artistic Courage - Getting It Out There.'' https://refractivereasoning.blogspot.com/2022/01/on-artistic-courage-getting-it-out-there.html  That post kind of devolved into a story of how I dealt with a somewhat nasty critic of my stuff at a local art and craft show. But, the story served as a portrait of the worst that can happen with a public display of one's images. In the overall scheme of things it was kind of a nothing story. At best it can, hopefully, provide a method for dealing with unconstructive criticism. 

    However, dealing with invalid criticism is only one part of the experience of getting the work out there. Another aspect of the experience is printing and framing the pictures for presentation. If I could offer one piece of advice to aspiring photographers it would be this.

                                               ''PRINT YOUR DAMN PICTURES!''

    The two printers that I own are important tools in my photographic process. I value them just as much as any camera I might have in my collection of gear. At  art and craft shows where I've shown my photos,  I've had people comment on my work. ''Your pictures look great. Who does your printing?''  With a bit of pride, I repond, ''I do.'' 

    Back in the dinosaur days of film photography, before the advent of the internet and digital imaging, most  pictures were printed. In those days, photographs had value. Digital imaging and the internet have greatly desensitized us to the value of a photograph. We all have the attention span of a drunken butterfly! A friend or family member posts a picture to a social media platform. We look at it for about 10 seconds before scrolling on to the next thing. At best, we might hit a ''like'' icon or punch up a short comment of ten words or less. Less than an hour later, that visual experience is nothing but a vague memory. I know from experience that this blog post  you're reading right now will stop garnering any significant number of page views within 24 hours of my publishing it. It's almost not worth the effort!

    But a photographic print has value. It is no longer an ethereal collection of electrons digitally cobbled together to make a visual image. A print is a thing.  You can hold it in your hands. It might hold enough visual value that you might frame it and hang it on your wall to be appreciated for far longer than 10 seconds on a social media feed. From a functional standpoint, the object of photography is to make a photograph. Call me old school, but for me, that process involves making a print or having the image printed by a quality photo lab.

    I can remember getting ready for an art show. I was full of doubt and pessimism. Setting up a display for an art show is a lot of hassle for just one or two days of potential sales. Tables and display materials have to be rounded up. Prints have to be made, numbered, dated and framed. Transportation has to be arranged to cart this whole pile of  stuff over to the show venue to be set up for opening time. It's a lot of work for what is often a pretty meagre return on investment in terms  of time and resources. Why was I doing this anyway? Did I really think that my pictures are worth showing to anyone?

    I opened one of the containers of stuff that I had put together for the show. I took out a folder of pictures that I had printed up for show and sale. I layed out a copy of each  print on my bed and looked at them. There were more than a dozen of them. Each picture was a tangible, colour,  glossy 8''X10'' thing that I had created.The self doubt and pessimism I had been feeling vanished.  It was replaced by a strong sense of validation. The pictures looked pretty good.  At that moment, I didn't really care if the show was worth it or if I sold a pile of photos. I really didn't even care if people liked them or not.  

     All I could think of was, ''I'm a photographer. I make pictures. I show them to people.'' Enough said.

                             ...more later

As usual, if you like what you see here feel free to hit ''like'', subscribe or share to your favourite media platform. If you keep reading them, I'll keep cranking them out! 

    

    

     

   

     

      

On Artistic Courage - Getting It Out There

    A little while ago, I watched a YouTube video about how, as creative people, we tend to fixate too much on any negative critique of our work while dismissing any compliments or accolades we might receive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rlcIor_qEo&t=3s   The video was presented by Alex Kilbee on his YouTube channel ''The Photographic Eye''. One statement he made that stuck with me was, ''Being a creative person, putting yourself out there, is an act of courage.''  I have to agree with that statement. As a photographer, what I am doing is making images based on my subjective view of the world or whatever scene or subject is in front of my camera. Ideally, a good photograph is not just depicting the subject but is also communicating my interpretation of the subject within a personal context. Creative people are sensitive folk. The work we present, if it has any value at all, comes from a very personal viewpoint. An offhand rejection of that work is often perceived, by extension, as a rejection of ourselves. 

    The trick, at least to a certain extent, is to separate oneself from the work. The photograph, once made and presented, has a life of its own. It can be judged either favorably or not on its own merits. At best, all I can do, as a creator of that work, is to accept either the critique or  favorable response it might bring. 

    However not all critique has value. Nor should all critique  be accepted. For any critique to be valid, it has to come from a standpoint of an interest in improving subsequent work. Furthermore, in my opinion, the critique, if  valid,  should only be accepted if offered by someone who is producing work that is better or at least at the same level as the stuff I crank out. There's an old adage that applies here. ''If you don't play the game, you don't make the rules.''  For example, my woodworking skills are pretty basic. I can  build a very simple shelving unit or perhaps a sturdy work table. That's about it. It would be supercilious of me to critique the work of a master cabinet maker, considering my very moderate skills in that craft. Furthermore, my critique would have little (if any) value to said cabinet maker as I can offer nothing in the way of knowledge or skills to improve his work. So to separate  critique which has some value from that which simply comes from a place of antipathy, it seems to me that I should question the qualifications of the critic.    

      In actual practice it works this way  A few years back, I participated in an art and craft show  at a local market hall. A lady who I've seen about town, but whose name I don't know, stopped by the booth that I had set up. Perhaps she was just having a bad day, but as she browsed through the dozens of pictures I had on display and in my book, she had nothing good to say about any of them. ''Seen it, seen it, meh.. not that great...''  As she was making these comments  while browsing through my stuff, she at one point turned her head to look at me with a bit of a malicious glint in her eye. She just was checking to see if any of the stones she threw were hitting the mark. All I could think of at that point was, ''I bet you didn't have any friends In high school!'' But I said nothing and just let her browse and troll.

This is not the show where the nasty critique happened. I just happen to like the picture. My friend Kaitlynd, who helped me with the show is a very talented artist and designer. Check out her stuff here.https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=kaitlynd%20wilson%20-%20artist%2Fmuralist and here. https://www.instagram.com/kaitlynd_designs/   Hey, I just remembered that I built the two little wooden  easels on the tabletop. Maybe I have some woodworking skills after all!

    Finally she said something to the effect of ''You really don't have anything. It's all just local stuff.'' I acknowledged her point. '' Well I don't own a car so a lot of my pictures are of local scenes.'' I pointed out a nice blue hour shot. ''I took this one  in Chicago.'' Her response ''Meh, it's just a boat.''

    I pointed to another photo. ''This one was taken on Manitoulin Island. Her response, ''Meh, it's just a sunset.'' (Actually it's a sunrise but hey, I wasn't about to quibble.) 

    ''I know this one is just a local scene, but did you notice how the hoar frost covers everything? I remember that morning. I froze my butt off to get that shot!''  She just shrugged.

    Finally I said, ''You seem to have some strong opinions about photography. I was wondering where I could see some of your work. Do you have any shows coming up? Or maybe a website or Facebook page that I could look at?'' Her response, ''Well no, I really don't do photography.''  I pressed on, ''Well maybe you draw or do some painting? Anything in the visual arts?''  ''Well no, not really.'' It was my turn to shrug. ''Well, thanks for stopping by. Have a nice day!'' 

    Shortly after she left, I sold a print of the Chicago picture to a lady who fell in love with it. She and her husband had just moved to the area from Chicago and she thought it would make a unique Christmas gift for him for his den. I could tell similar interesting stories for almost every picture I sold that day. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet some very cool people.

    So ultimately, I have no problem with people who are critical of what I do. As long as they are creating stuff too and have the guts to put it out there. If not, they're just wasting my time. I mean, why should I listen to your critique if you're not creating anything yourself? Like I said earlier, ''If you don't play the game, you don't make the rules.''

    Well, I  gotta go now. I got a new camera for Christmas and there's pictures out there that need taking and stories that need telling. Besides, someone has to keep making stuff to feed the critics!

                ...more later 

     

    

    

        

    

2021- The Year That Was

     So Christmas is over for another year and I'm sitting in my office staring at a blank computer screen trying to come up with an idea to sum up the year that was. For the record, my ''office'' is really just my bedroom in my home. I call it my office because it really is more of an office than a bedroom. The laptop that I'm writing this piece on shares space on a work table with a large Canon Pro-100 printer. Behind that is a smaller Canon printer on a smaller table. To the right of that is a shelving unit loaded with boxes of photo paper and ink cartridges for the printers and various smaller bits of photo gear. To my left is my old wooden desk with a bookshelf and my older laptop, the hard drive of which contains more than 25,000 digital images which need to be edited, deleted or saved to an external drive. (It's an ongoing project!) My camera gear is stored in two Domke camera bags on a chair near the desk. https://refractivereasoning.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-camera-bag-conundrum.html A bedroom it is not. It's a photographer's office. It also happens to have a bed and a dresser!

     It's been a hell of a year. Like others I know, I've experienced some personal loss in my life. The covid pandemic is still with us with the potential for even more restrictions with the new Omicron variant. The effects of global warming are getting worse with various ''natural'' disasters occurring all over the world. Due to inflation, the cost of housing and just about everything else is on the rise. Billionaires are building rocket ships for trips to space instead of using their vast resources to improve things here on earth and.... well... oh yeah... I got a new camera body for Christmas. Excuse me for a moment while I quiet my conscience.

Conscience: ''WHAT??  YOU GOT ANOTHER ##@!!###!!# CAMERA??''  

Me: ''Yeah, but..... ''

    I got a Fujifilm X-T3 body. It's very cool! The X-T3 model was Fuji's first attempt at making a camera with some serious video capability. Long known for their appeal to still photographers and street shooters, Fuji cameras were always a bit lacking on the video side. The X-T3 changed all that. In terms of video, it put Fujifilm in the same league as the best offerings from Canon, Sony and Panasonic. It's a camera that lets me shoot video with the big boys while still retaining the awesome still photography stuff for which Fujifilm is famous. I'm heavily invested in Fuji gear for still photography, so the X-T3 fits in perfectly with my system. 

The two heavy hitters in my photo kit,
the X-T1 and the X-T3

    In addition to the better internal wizardry of the camera, it also has a few external features I like. Dual card slots let me dedicate one SD card for stills and one for video. Or I can dedicate the second card slot for backup if I'm doing a serious pro shoot where results are crucial. The camera is weather sealed. Although I can't go swimming with it, it's tough enough to withstand a light rain or snow when I'm out and about. I like that the articulating screen at the back works in both horizontal and vertical format. The X-T3 uses the same battery as the other cameras in my Fuji kit which makes things a little more convenient when I am travelling or just out and about. 

    The X-T3 camera model is about three years old and has since been replaced by the newer X-T4. As such, the X-T3 can be had, brand new, for about $500.00 less than it's newer counterpart as retailers clear them out. Also, one of the endearing traits of the Fujifilm brand, is that they don't leave  photographers already using their gear out in the cold when they bring out a new product. As much as possible, they offer free firmware updates that improve the performance of existing gear. I've already downloaded the latest firmware update and uploaded it to the new camera. As a result, the performance of my X-T3 is very close to that of the newer model for about five hundred bucks less. Bit of a bargain I'd say.  

Me: ''Take that Conscience!''

Conscience: ''(grumbling)''

    So I have a new piece of camera gear that should keep me going for a long time.

Conscience: ''A VERY, VERY LONG TIME!''

Me: ''Shut up Conscience! Well... Okay, I'll give you that one!''

    So as the year winds down, really all we can do is hope. Hope that this damn pandemic goes away or at least settles down enough that we can resume normal lives. Hope that the greedy bastards with all the resources realize that maybe everyone deserves the right to live with dignity and a degree of comfort. Hope that the powers that be realize that this planet is a beautiful place and maybe we should stop trashing it. I know. It's a tall order. But there's always hope.

    Despite everything, I have to admit that I'm truly blessed. I get to live in a beautiful community and create images of it. Thank you to all the people who hit ''like'' or comment on the pictures and blogs that I present. Creative folk can be an arrogant lot. We like to pretend that your appreciation and approval doesn't mean anything to us. It's a lie. If it didn't mean anything, why would we put the work out there in the first place? Thanks for your kindness and support. It means a lot to me. Thanks to all the creatives who continue to make amazing images and stories and share them. I can't help but be inspired by your passion.

Some members of the Paris Photo Collective
l-r  Haether Coombs, Gord Barker, Tammy Doogan, Ryan Eltham, Dean Ellis
Photo-walk Sept. 18, 2021
Hopefully, we can all get together a little more often in the New Year.

     Special thanks to all the members of the Paris Photo Collective. We might be the craziest little photography group on the planet, but damn, we crank out some awesome pictures! Keep the passion alive! 

    Best wishes to everyone for the Happiest New Year!

                  ...more later 

    As always, if you like what you see here, feel free to hit ''like'', comment, subscribe or share to the media platform of your choice. 

    

    

    

    

    

        

Cross Pollination

    Well, it's the end of November, arguably the lamest month of the year for outdoor photographic pursuits. I mean, most of the fall colours are gone. The temperature is getting colder and the winds are stronger and more relentless. Often my days off consist of weather that encompasses all the above conditions, along with grey skies , cold rain, sleet or snow. Despite all of that, I'm in a pretty good place creatively. In all honesty, I've never felt better as a photographer. Things are kinda happenin'.

    One of the things that I'm slowly getting into is video production. It's early days yet, but, I have been out a few times shooting some clips. The handheld stuff is pretty shaky but I do own a fluid head for my trusty old Manfrotto 190 tripod and subsequent clips are looking better. My son is an avid gamer and has been editing gaming montages for himself and his friends in that community. So far he has mastered colour grading, timing transitions and synching action to the beat of a musical soundtrack. He has also started shooting some live action stuff with my old Canon EOS M3. I will probably exploit his editing skills and in return, help him with some camera work. Some interesting collaborations may be in the works. You know the deal, apple....tree. Only in this case I'll be learning from him as much as he learns from me!  

 

My son, Greg. Looking every inch the street photographer.
Scruffy street style look.......Really nice camera! 

                                                                                                                       Never fear, however, I am and will always be first and foremost a stills photographer. In my last post to this blog, I talked about expanding my horizons a bit and pursuing a more open street style approach in my photography.     https://refractivereasoning.blogspot.com/2021/10/changing-it-up.html  I've found this newer approach to be kind of liberating. When the reaction of my viewers is no longer my first priority, I can explore any number of different approaches in creating images. It keeps the creative juices flowing.

 

    So it's the end of November and almost everyone is gearing up for the Christmas Season. I'd like to wish everyone all the best for this festive time of year. That being said, I've decided to suspend the ''Photographic Friends'' feature for the month of December. And, as the last Saturday in December is Christmas Day, look for my last post for 2021 to appear here 

Dec. 30, 2021.

     

                          ...more later

As usual if you like what you see here, feel free to ''like'' comment and share to the media platform of your choice.

 

    

    

    

Photographic Friends - Heather Cardle

    Heather Cardle is a damn good photographer! Years ago, an older photographer told me the  difference between a photographer and someone with a camera. He said, ''A person with a camera takes a picture and hopes it will work. A photographer takes a picture and knows it will work.'' Heather definitely falls into the latter category. I first met Heather at a meetup of the Paris Photo Collective. We were at a local coffee shop and she sat down  and put her camera on the table, a Canon 1DX with an ''L'' series 24-105mm lens. Some serious gear. Camera nerd that I am, I noticed the camera first. ''Nice camera.''  I then looked up and introduced myself to the owner of said camera.  What I found was a lady with a great sense of humour and a passion for photography that is matched only  by her passion for life itself. She truly digs what she does.

     Heather Cardle is a freelance photographer and blogger who currently makes her home near the small town of Tweed, Ontario. She shoots a wide variety of genres including nature and wild life, event photography,  portraiture and weddings,  architecture, commercial work and just about anything that catches her eye or peaks her interest. The remarkable thing is that she does it all really well. She has that enviable capability to capture the spirit or essence of whatever subject is in front of her camera.

Rural Scene
Photo by Heather Cardle, All rights reserved 

Canada's Hockey Dad, The late Walter Gretzky
Photo by Heather Cardle,  All rights reserved.

    Heather started in photography in her teens with a Miranda film camera, borrowed from her father, with which she photographed a trip to Scotland. However she didn't get into photography in a serious way until her mid forties when the craft proved therapeutic in helping her through some personal turmoil. Since then, she hasn't looked back. Mostly self taught, she took an online course and picked up knowledge from other photographers she met along the way. A member of the Paris Photo Collective, (We're claiming her, whether she likes it or not!) she also spent a few years in the Brantford Camera Club learning what she could and honing her skills.

    Heather markets her work online through her website and has had showings at various art shows and the Robertson Gallery in Brantford. Her work was selected for a critique by artist Robert Bateman as well as being used in a book celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Sanderson Centre in Brantford, Ontario.

Check  out out her website here. https://www.heathercardle.com/      

Check out her Instagram page here.https://www.instagram.com/heathercards/

     In addition to being a very capable photographer, she's one of the most prolific people I know. She publishes a photo feature, "ChicPicotheDay" daily on her social media sites. It started as a  365 project, where a photographer takes and/or publishes 1 picture a day for 1 year. But it has morphed into a commitment of almost 10 years and over 3,626 pictures! In addition to that she also publishes a blog every Friday. https://www.heathercardle.com/blog    I mean, damn! I love photography and blogging too, but I sure couldn't keep up with that kind of output!

    What else can I say about this dynamic lady? She creates images that make me go, ''Wow! I wish I took that!'' We both write blogs and make photographs. Although our styles are quite different we're kindred spirits in a way. I know that she has always been supportive of  me as well as other photographers we have met on this image making journey. In my interview with her I asked what aspect of photography brings her the most happiness. Her response, ''Taking the image, capturing moments, people I've met because of my love of photography.'' May that spirit keep her producing great images for a long time to come!

       ...more later 

    

Changing It Up

     This may be a strange post to write in the height of the fall colour season. Yes, I know that the fall colour season is actually winding down, but, due to an unseasonably mild autumn, the colours locally haven't really reached their peak as of this writing.

    I love the fall colour season. Scenes that I've photographed dozens of times  seem to take on a fresh dimension simply with the advent of glorious colour. Like the brilliant foliage that surrounds me, I too, am going through some changes.

    I once complained to a good friend that ''All I do is live in a pretty little town and take pretty  pictures.'' In retrospect, that statement may be a little harsh. But, to some degree it expresses a restlessness in the content of the images that I'm creating. For me, there's kind of a disconnect. Essentially, what I'm doing is pandering to the viewers of my work. I'm giving them what they want. Pretty colour pictures of beautiful scenes are what sells in marketing prints and postcards. They garner the most "likes" and comments on social media. I'd be a liar if I said that I didn't appreciate the attention they provide.   Another friend once asked if I considered myself an artist.  I just gave her my stock, self deprecating answer. ''Nah, I'm just handy with a camera.'' However, to my mind, that's not good enough. If I'm to consider myself an artist, or, at the very least, a student of the arts, I should be able to articulate something a little more substantive than ''Look at this. It's pretty!''

      For some time, I've been fascinated by the work of photographers like Garry Winogrand,  Robert Frank, Walker Evans, Vivian Maier and a slew of others. The power of their work goes beyond basic pictorialism to a more powerful expression of each photographer's view of the world they photograph. In exchange for  ''Look at this. It's pretty!'' one gets,  ''Look at this. It's interesting!''  The latter statement describes more  the direction I want to explore photographically. It's not necessarily a "street photography" aesthetic but a more comprehensive view that goes a bit beyond the "pretty picture".

    This is not to say that I'm abandoning whatever style of photography I do now. I will always have an appreciation of beautiful light illuminating a picturesque landscape or scene. Furthermore, I see nothing wrong with sharing the beauty of a sunrise or sunset with friends on social media. I just want to take a step beyond the conventional assessment of beauty. It's a new direction, not an abandonment of the old one. Stay tuned. This could be interesting!

                ...more later

         As usual, if you like what you see here, feel free to hit ''like'' and share it to the media platform of your choice. Also, stay tuned for my ''Photographic Friends'' feature appearing here in two weeks. It's going to feature a bit of the back story and some beautiful photos from the awesome photographer, Heather Cardle. 

 

    

    

Photographic Friends Dean Ellis

    On July 19 of this year, I sat down with Dean Ellis to interview him for this post which was supposed to be published on Aug. 15, 2021. Unfortunately some circumstances intervened in my life and I'm only now able to present the post. Although I've only known Dean for a few years, the ''interview''  was really just a long conversation between a couple of old shutterhounds. Dean acquired his first camera (an Ansco twin lens) from his grand mother at the age of 5. I bought my first camera with grocery store coupons (an Imperial Instant Load 126)  at the age of 9. Together, we have a combined experience of more than a hundred years behind the camera. That's a lot of memorable photographs, a whole pile of cameras and lenses and an even bigger pile of stories and crazy experiences to share.  I recorded our conversation on a small digital  recorder and the conversation ran for more than two hours! Yet, we still have  stories to tell, some  great photos to share and some even better photos to take in the future. Hell, we're just getting started! 

Dean Ellis Photo by Heather Cardle

    There are people that you meet in life with whom you feel an instant connection. They may be about the same age and have similar interests and experiences. In talking with them, you can completely relate to what they're saying. Case in point, when interviewing Dean for this  post, he talked about canoeing in Algonquin Park with a Mamiya RB67 mounted on a low tripod, in the canoe with him. That statement probably wouldn't mean much to most photographers these days. To an old school photographer like me, what Dean was talking about was impressive. To begin with, the RB67 is a beast of a camera! It is a large, all metal, medium format camera that used 120mm roll film versus the more common 35mm film format of the day. It made images on roll film that were 6X7 cm (60X70mm). By comparison, a 35mm camera made images that were only 24X36 mm. Weighing in at over 2kg for the body alone, (minus a lens and film back) the RB67 was one of the largest roll film cameras made. It was so big that, to make a vertical (portrait mode) image, you didn't turn the camera, but rotated the film holder at the back of the camera! Hence the camera name, RB (rotating back)  67(6X7cm image size on negative.)

    So why would anyone use such a large camera? Quite simply, the much larger negatives it produced required much less enlargement to create an equivalent size print. Medium format negatives could provide substantially better resolution and image detail in the final print. The fact that Dean used such a beast of a camera in a canoe is no small feat and is a pretty solid indication of his commitment to making high quality photographs. 

     When he told me that he had used an RB 67 in a canoe in Algonquin Park, that's all he needed to say. I knew exactly what he was talking about. When you've been at this game as long as we have, you can communicate in shorthand. 

     Based in Brantford, Ontario,  Dean is not only a photographer, but a prolific artist as well. For him, the camera is just another tool for creative expression.  Creativity runs through him like a primary component of his bloodstream. He is a member of the Paris Photo Collective and has had showings of his work at various galleries and venues including the Crawford Collective, the Robertson Fine Arts Studio and Gallery and the McMaster Art in the Workplace Exhibit at McMaster Innovation Park in Hamilton, Ontario. He also regularly has work on display at the Paris Bohemian Gallery in Paris, Ontario. You can see more of Dean's photography here. https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=dellisartphotographix                  You can also check out more photography and his artwork here  https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=dellisart%20studio

    Dean got his start in photography at the ridiculously young age of five when he acquired his first camera from his grandmother. Since then, photography has always been a big part of his creative productivity. His first influences were his mother and grandmother, both talented artists. An interest in art has been a constant in his life. He holds a degree in fine arts from the University of Guelph. Photographically, he has been influenced by the work of such notable photographers as Ansel Adams, Robert Mapplethorpe, Georgia O'Keefe as well as Edward and Brett Weston.

    Dean's own style in photography is eclectic. He photographs whatever interests him or catches his eye. He often will combine a series of his photos and present them as a collage.

    Formally trained in visual arts, he is well aware of the rules of composition and will use them if they suit his purpose. But, he is never encumbered by them. He doesn't pander to his viewers but allows himself complete freedom to create as he sees fit. In his words, ''A true artist doesn't really care what other people think about what they're doing.'' He will alter his photographs in post if it suits to enhance the mood or message he is trying to portray, but he is never heavy handed about it. He also has a fascination with other photographers making photographs.  If you're out for a photo walk with him, chances are there's a picture of you peering through a camera on the internet somewhere. Trust me. I speak from experience!

A recent get together of some members of the Paris Photo Collective
L-R;  Haether Coombs, Gord Barker, Tammy Doogan, Ryan Eltham, Dean Ellis

Me setting up the above shot.
I'm using my camera bag as a makeshift tripod.
Jim Domke would be proud!
Photo by Dean Ellis 

    In spite of his formal training and the accolades he has received as an artist and photographer, he is never arrogant about what he does. For Dean the joy is found in the act of creation. He is generous and helpful with his time and resources when it comes to helping other creatives. I can remember a couple of meetups of the Collective where we got into moving light photography. Dean walked patiently back and forth  dozens of times swinging a string of lights or spinning a flashlight on a string. The rest of us locked open the shutters on our cameras to catch the patterns of moving light. As of this writing, I still have a Russian made Helios 58mm f2 lens with a Fuji X adapter that he leant to me to try out. That should make for some interesting shots! If you're involved in doing anything that's visually creative,  he's a great guy to have in your corner. 

      I've noticed at meetings of the group or when we're  out making photographs, that Dean almost always has a smile on his face. He's like a kid. He's playing with stuff. He's trying out an idea, he's expressing a visual concept. He's creating. Even if the group meetup is nothing more than a bunch of us sitting around a table at a local café, the smile is still there.  He's in his element. He's talking with people who love creating stuff almost as much as he does. It's that intensity, that artistic honesty, that joy found in the act of making art that is the very definition of the man. The creative world is a much better place for having  a man like Dean Ellis in it.

...more later