james b norman
Veteran Member
i love photography, and have been lucky enough to do it professionally for the past 30+ years. my experience includes photographs in the permanent collections of some notable art museums, author of several books, and about a thousand 4x5 negatives in the collections of the Library of Congress. i would like to share a bit of my experience with some of you, if you are interested.
like almost everyone, you probably started out in photography by shooting everything in sight - sunsets, kitties, landscapes, nudes (if you were lucky), portraits, flowers, etc, etc. some people are content to continue like this, which is fine, since shooting photos is excellent fun all by itself, and you dont really need to satisfy anybody but yourself.
but there are others who recognize the ability of photography to explore not only the world, but also to explore your own mind. these people may benefit from some direction and assistance from others who have gone down that road before them.
here is my first small lesson for your consideration:
the first time i went to a real art gallery trying to get my first one-man show, i brought a selection of what i considered were my best images including - you guessed it - sunsets, nudes, portraits, street photography, landscapes, etc. all printed on glossy RC paper, and mounted in various colors of matting to complement the image. i proudly displayed my work to the gallery director and awaited his praise
he flipped through my portfolio in about 30 seconds and said, "you have some pretty good images here, but you have no focus and no direction. go back home and look through what you have done and pick out the one or two images that speak to you personally. take your time and develop each of those images into a theme and build a portfolio of images around those two themes. study the way art is presented in a real museum, and come back to see me in a year."
i was heartbroken and left in a most depressed mood. but as i thought more about what he had said, i realized he was not only right, he was giving me some really profound advice. i got to work and spent the next year doing exactly what he recommended. after one year, i went to see the director again, this time with two new portfolios, each centered around a specific theme. this time, the photos were printed on fiber-base paper, and consistently mounted with archival rag off-white matting with linen hinges.
again, he flipped through my work in about 30 seconds, but this time he said, "i will give you a show for either of those portfolios. check with my secretary out front to get your exhibit on the gallery schedule."
if that little lesson speaks to you, i am willing to provide some serious critique of your work if you are willing to listen and learn. you may post images here for public response, or you may email images to me for more private response.
i would also like to take this opportunity to thank DPReview for creating such a wonderful forum where people can share and learn - excellent job guys.
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jnorman
sunridge studios
salem, oregon
D2x, nikon 12-24mm ED-IF AF-S DX, 18-70mm DX
Cambo 45NX, nikkor SW 90/8, 135/5.6, 210/5.6
Graflex Crown Graphic 4x5 (1948 model)
like almost everyone, you probably started out in photography by shooting everything in sight - sunsets, kitties, landscapes, nudes (if you were lucky), portraits, flowers, etc, etc. some people are content to continue like this, which is fine, since shooting photos is excellent fun all by itself, and you dont really need to satisfy anybody but yourself.
but there are others who recognize the ability of photography to explore not only the world, but also to explore your own mind. these people may benefit from some direction and assistance from others who have gone down that road before them.
here is my first small lesson for your consideration:
the first time i went to a real art gallery trying to get my first one-man show, i brought a selection of what i considered were my best images including - you guessed it - sunsets, nudes, portraits, street photography, landscapes, etc. all printed on glossy RC paper, and mounted in various colors of matting to complement the image. i proudly displayed my work to the gallery director and awaited his praise
he flipped through my portfolio in about 30 seconds and said, "you have some pretty good images here, but you have no focus and no direction. go back home and look through what you have done and pick out the one or two images that speak to you personally. take your time and develop each of those images into a theme and build a portfolio of images around those two themes. study the way art is presented in a real museum, and come back to see me in a year."
i was heartbroken and left in a most depressed mood. but as i thought more about what he had said, i realized he was not only right, he was giving me some really profound advice. i got to work and spent the next year doing exactly what he recommended. after one year, i went to see the director again, this time with two new portfolios, each centered around a specific theme. this time, the photos were printed on fiber-base paper, and consistently mounted with archival rag off-white matting with linen hinges.
again, he flipped through my work in about 30 seconds, but this time he said, "i will give you a show for either of those portfolios. check with my secretary out front to get your exhibit on the gallery schedule."
if that little lesson speaks to you, i am willing to provide some serious critique of your work if you are willing to listen and learn. you may post images here for public response, or you may email images to me for more private response.
i would also like to take this opportunity to thank DPReview for creating such a wonderful forum where people can share and learn - excellent job guys.
--
jnorman
sunridge studios
salem, oregon
D2x, nikon 12-24mm ED-IF AF-S DX, 18-70mm DX
Cambo 45NX, nikkor SW 90/8, 135/5.6, 210/5.6
Graflex Crown Graphic 4x5 (1948 model)
