"no one's ever owned me. no one's ever going to own me. you can rent somebody, but you can't buy 'em."
I first learned about Burt’s full story and the photographer side to his history from Burt’s Buzz, a profession he was good at while working with Time/Life and The International Herald Tribune in the 60’s, taking iconic portraits and other moments in time while living in New York City. Then, he found his true calling. The cultivation and raising of bee communities, eventually turning it into a pure health staple in many homes as we know it and see on almost every counter or make up aisle all over the world. The problem with this phenomenon was, Burt was not comfortable being an office man or in the limelight for Burt’s Bees. He found his peace living off the grid in rural Maine. He lived his life his way with Rufus Golden & Pasha Golden as his canine companions and best friends. Gone at 80 years.
On the set of Burt’s Buzz produced and directed by Jody Shapiro
Burt shot an image of trash piled up on a nearby garbage barge in the forefront of the Statue of Liberty landscape. It was a catalyst for eco-consciousness in America. He was a freelance street story seeker. Shavitz shot an image of legend Malcom X during one of his speeches and another with poet-writer Allen Ginsberg. The image of the woman in the window was in his building and was the deciding factor to leave New York and head to Maine where he would live the rest of his life.
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It is wonderful that Burt allowed all of us to peek into his life at 76 being such a private man. Take a look at the trailer for Burt’s Buzz. A pretty incredible story of a man who became one with nature after his birth in New York City. Catch it on Netflix. Filmmaker Jody Shapiro
"I had no desire to be a upper mobile rising yuppie with a trophy wife, a trophy house, a trophy car. I was not looking for any of those things, I already had what I wanted, I had a canoe, a pony,a camp, land, bees and knowledge and that was all I really needed" -Burt Shavitz
To describe David LaChapelle in a word. It’s impossible. This is a man whom has fascinated me for years. To get in his head, you would be living in a world of full, vibrant colors. Your imagination completely off the hook. You would be listening to your introspective voice needing to be unleashed through meticulous artistry via your camera and much planning. You would produce art that is so complex and surreal that can only lead to the next must have in your repretoire. You live on the edge of prolific explanation, nostalgia with a twist, a floral explosion of fine art and naughtiness entertained with a sense of bravado.
In 2012 I was able to meet David in New York at the PDN PhotoPlus show where he was featured as a keynote speaker. It was incredible to watch him tell his story and reveal a lifetime of avant garde direction in photography and editing. His charisma was alive and well in a rare photographer crowd appearance. Image by Lori Patrick
David was first raised in Connecticut, born in 1963. At 15, he found his way to the world of artistic vision and photography after he ran away to NYC and worked as a busboy for Studio 54. He subsequently met Andy Warhol at 17 and landed a gig with Interview Magazine through him. Warhol gave LaChapelle some exceptional advice. “Do whatever you want. Justmake sure everybody looks good.” David went on to work commercially for many years, shooting portraits and other campaigns for several high profile magazines. He is well known and respected in the fine art world of gallery exhibition and has authored several books. David decided it was time to take a reprieve in 2006 when he abruptly left the scene and moved to a remote island in Hawaii, living off the grid and experiencing life differently. In recent years he has hit the gallery scene hard and he continues to create a sensibility for current social issue. Throughout the years David has been the mind behind several memorable music videos.
An in studio interview with VICE gives us a visual perspective of David’s playground.
An interview for LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS includes his Refineries exposé.
Mixed in old masters style painting inspiration and pop culture. David created an incredible series ‘Earth Laughs in Flowers‘ 2008-2011
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‘Recollections in America’ 2006 is a series that David took 1970’s retired images and gave them a new humorous twist utilizing photoshop, alcohol and weapons with an imagination looking into a time when the 50+ generation were discovering their worlds and shaping who they would become.
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A video series by MUSÉE Magazine sharing his advice to artist photographers. My favorite LaChapelle interview by Andrea Blanch.
Recently David made a commencement speech for the class of 2015 at UNCSA
“Every one of you has a different path, but just remember, it’s not about what you’re going to get out of being an artist, It’s what you’re going to give. The mark you’re going to leave on this world.” -David LaChapelle
I leave you his quote while we await the next beautiful, compelling, mind blowing work. He is leaving his mark on us as the most interesting artist of our time. I enjoyed making this retrospective for you. I am compelled to go create and crawl into my own head to see what I’ve got. How about you?
To see and learn more about Davids works, visit his website davidchapelle.com
Lori Patrickis producing an online workshop to be released this year. She is hosting on location events for content. If you would like a fresh headshot, you are invited to join. Lori recently held one in Central Park, NYC and will be in Hollywood on April 13 and 14 shooting glamorous headshots.
Please follow this event link from the Photo Communiqué page on Facebook for more information and to reserve a spot. You will receive a digital copy and a print mailed to you too. Lori will be gifting the workshop to those that help make this happen via free download.
She couldn’t help herself as she picked up her brush, opened some acrylic paint, spread out a big roll of paper and let it flow. Tamara Knight suddenly brought a full floral backdrop collection to life, full of romantic color and graceful strokes as she imagined a lovely subject placed in front, ready to be preserved in a portrait of lasting signifigance.
I watched the whole thing unfold, you see, it all happened in a little group of 20,000 + members on Facebook for glamour photographers I co-founded in January 2013, for students of Sue Bryce to learn together and become better studio photographers under her education umbrella. Named after Sue’s blog www.inbedwithsue.comThis group is InBedWithSue with members that mean business.
We run full circle with an array of topics. No, we don’t get into camera tech a whole lot, but we do love to talk about lighting, posing and well … styling. Styling is the subtle but intense difference in a lasting portrait. Sue reminds everyone to #existinphotos as an heirloom for their families.
Styling… from fluffy tulle skirts, how to make, where to source material, how much of it and beyond to paint colors for poly boards you purchase at a hardware store and strap to the top of your vehicle, a 4 x 8 sheet mind you, and when we buy one, usually it’s really 3. We talk endlessly about gowns and how to work with hair & make up. Then there is the furnishing … let’s see, apple boxes, white ottomans, chairs, sofas and then we have to paint some of these finds. We have researched together and learned how to paint an entire sofa. Yes, fabric too. And we have, many times. We are a glamour machine in this group…
Then the backdrops started and boy did they … It started with painting canvas in a triple layer of paints to create old masters looks. Within one month we probably had over 100 people creating them. Not long after, we had members making flower backdrops in any way they could imagine and playing show and tell. We had paper created ones, coffee filters and artificial florals. Then out of theblue, one of our long standing members showed a few images of herself painting lovely, large pink flowers on some paper. My first thought was Oh My! Now that is something. Tamara Knight then commenced to say soon after “I can’t stop myself” feeling every ounce of energy we gave her in our adoration as a group. Our members love to put it out there too, “I would love to buy one from you” started from many of the voices in her posting threads.
It begins
But how? Tamara quickly came to the conclusion she could photograph the work and bring the idea of a line to a good quality backdrop company. Aileen Treadwell of Baby Dream Backdrops had the instinct that these would fill a need for her client base and the Tamara Knight Collectionwas initiated, coming to fruition and on the market in less than 2 weeks with four different unique designs with more to be introduced.
From the artist: “It all started with the flower backdrop which was introduced by Sue Bryce. I wanted one, but I didn’t have the time to create it, I needed the backdrop for the next day. So I grabbed my kid’s acrylic paint, the roll of the seamless paper which I had for years, but never used and it all started. I painted my backdrop that night, used it and shared the results with ‘In Bed with Sue’ group. I was overwhelmed by the response! Such a supportive group! Soon after I created 4 more backdrops within a week and approached Baby Dream Backdrops company – one of the best in the industry, I am thrilled that they picked up my designs”.
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Any favorite equipment choices and editing programs for your work?
My 80mm 1.2 and 70-200 2.8 lenses. I use Lightroom to cull images and do very basic editing, but it is Photoshop all the way from there. I love working on composites for fun.
Who do you follow as an inspiration or education source?
Sue Bryce, Jerry Ghionis, Lindsay Adler to name a few. But the biggest impact was Sue Bryce and her teaching. I first discovered her on CreativeLive and now I own her courses which are brilliant! If you can only afford one course – get Sue’s 28 days! She is an amazing photographer and a teacher. Very sincere, she moved so many photographers around the world to strive for better. She is my biggest inspiration!
Tamara Knight Photography specializes in modern beauty, children and family photography.
IN MEMORIUM: One of our great light providers has followed his. Rest in peace Mr. Buff. You have helped create extraordinary work. Your legend will continue with photographers for years to come.
Read the entire story on Paul’s site. This spirited man will be missed greatly.
If anyone would care to submit images utilizing the lighting from Paul’s arsenal send to me stating what equipment used, sized at 800 long side.
Please email me at lori@photocommunique.com and I will include them on this tribute posting.
“Live long and prosper” He said that till the end of life, believing fully in the notion that we must live every day as our gift. Even in his tweets, he signed off with LLAP. Here is his final one.
To some photographers, it is a pleasant surprise to learn that Leonard was a photographer from an early age. His Spock persona and narrations were most popular but he truly had a deep side to his art, including poetry. Leonard shot primarily in B&W keeping contrast in specific realities.
We are talking about his work on his Full Body Project. Instead of elaborating on it, I am referencing his Artist Statement below. I chose to feature this project because the conceptual work of these two images are executed with superb attention and styling choice. It helps us get into his head upon viewing as he utilizes the Newton diptych inspiration.
“My dream concept is that I have a camera and I am trying to photograph what is essentially invisible. And every once in a while I get a glimpse of her and I grab that picture”. — Leonard Nimoy
Artist Statement as told to R. Michelson Galleries. Representing his photographs. See more of his work on the gallery site.
The Full Body Project Leonard Nimoy
“Who are these women? Why are they in these pictures? What are their lives about? How do they feel about themselves? These are some of the questions I wanted to raise through the images in this collection.
This current body of work is a departure for me. For a number of years, I have been producing images using the female figure. I have worked with numerous models who were professional people earning their living by posing, acting, dancing, or any combination thereof. But, as has been pointed out to me in discussions at exhibitions of my work, the people in these pictures always fell under the umbrella of a certain body type. I’ll call it a “classic” look. Always within range of the current social consensus of what is “beautiful.” In fact, that was the adjective Imost often heard when my work was exhibited. The women as they appeared in my images were allotted no individual identity. They were hired and directed to help me express an idea—sometimes about sexuality, sometimes about spirituality—and usually about feminine power. But thepictures were not about them. They were illustrating a theme, a story I hoped to convey.
These women are interested in “fat liberation.” They hold jobs in the theater, the film industry and in business—and together they perform in a burlesque presentation called
“Fat Bottom Revue.” The nature and degree of costuming and nudity in their performances is determined by the venue and the audience,which can range from children’s birthday parties, to stag parties. I wanted these pictures to be more about them. These women are projecting an image that is their own. And one that also stems fro m their own story rather than mine. Their self-esteem is strong. One of them has a degree in anthropology and will tell you that ideas of beauty and sexuality are “culture bound”—that these ideas are not universal or fixed, and that they vary and fluctuate depending on place and time. They will tell you that too many people suffer because the body they live in is not the body you find in the fashion magazines.
My process was simple, yet different than how I had worked in the past. I was initially interested in revisiting two works of female subjects by Herb Ritts and Helmut Newton: specifically Ritts’ image of a group of supermodels, who were posed nude and clustered together on the floor, and a Newton diptychwherein the two images are identical in pose, except one image showed the models clothed, and the other showed them unclothed. The models were shown the images by Herb Ritts and Helmut Newton and they were quite prepared to present themselves in response to the poses that those images suggested. I asked them to be proud, which was a condition they took to easily, quite naturally. Having completed the compositions that were initially planned, I then asked them to play some music that they had brought with them, and they quickly responded to the rhythms, dancing in a free-form circular movement with in the space. It was clear that they were comfortable with the situation, with each other, and were enjoying themselves.
With these new images, I am now hearing different words. Sometimes “beautiful,” but with a different sub-text. I hear comments, which lead to questions. The questions lead to discussions—about beauty, social acceptability, plastic surgery, our culture and health. In these pictures these women are proudly wearing their own skin. They respect themselves and I hope that my images convey that to others”.
This is a class where you are the model and photographer.
Lori will lead a discussion about capturing for intention, posing, cropping and more. We will then jump into grabbing a partner and take turns shooting each other. Expect to work with more than one partner. The more you do, the better you will come to understanding both sides of the lens. Lori will work the room to coach and view back of camera images and give direction. This will be fast paced. Switch sides or partners within 10 minutes. Like a school dance, cut in.
You want to then go home and edit these images for critique in a special file in The Headshot with Lori Patrickgroup on FaceBook by Lori. Feel free to share your images with your partners to use in social media. These classes are fun and new friendships are formed. Support each other.
Reverend
Model
What to bring:
Your DSLR and favorite portrait lens. Since bokeh isn’t the lesson in this class I will suggest a 50mm or 85mm. I would like to see you shooting at f8 as an average for crisp images. I will have 2 Westcott IceLights for demo purposes and portability and we will find natural light. There will be a few portable backdrops available.
Bring business cards to share with your shooting partners for sharing purposes. Those utilizing model releases, do so after the walk to save time.
Our class is early, 8:30 AM, so dress for the day, with a shirt or top that you would want your headshot taken in. Get your beauty / handsome sleep.
The objective is to learn directing, posing and expression for a client’s headshot intention in this class.
I look forward to our PhotoWalk. This is my favorite way to teach.
A special shout out to some supporting vendors.
Westcott for the loan of 2 IceLights for demonstration.
Fotodiox Pro for the loan of pop up backdrops for headshot shooting.
That is our meeting point. We will go to the location from there.
Here are some behind the scenes from a similar venue in October 2014.
In 1983 Lori Patrick began her studies and practice of photography with NYIP. Lori started producing headshots in 2006 for a newspaper covering arts and entertainment. She is a creator and community builder of some popular facebook teaching groups with over 25,000 in membership, including The Headshot with Lori Patrick. From this experience she has curated Photo Communiqué a working photographers education site. Lori believes that most anyone can use a good headshot these days as we are seeing the shift from print to fast paced online needs, everything from websites to LinkedIn and beyond. Due to this, we have an unlimited bread and butter client base that leads to great relationships which could turn into other specialty portrait needs by your studio. In her Hands On Headshot Classes, everyone experiences shooting and directing and then becomes the subject as well. Lori shares insight on how to find clients along with posing and getting the right expression for the intent of the session.
…we had no idea what impact it would have around the world for the evolution of so many. We have seen individuals open luxurious studios and turning out work of superior quality based on what Sue has given us and the support they find in InBedWithSue. With this group, they have a place to expand upon the education of Sue Bryce within a strong and respecting community.
If you are seeing a modern glamour studio in your area in the past few years, it is likely due to Sue’s love for women to exist in photos with the fire she ignited in her classes on CreativeLIVE.
These images we are making are heirloom quality for a lifetime. Our clients are finding beauty from the heart outward. We jokingly referred to this as a glamour revolution in the beginning. It came true.
We are nearing 20,000 members now with over 10 spin off groups offering service to other genres from newborns to males, headshots and bridal all in the great company of IBWS members.
We have now developed mentors for the glamour platform within IBWS and they are heading to California in April to train with Sue so they can help portrait photographers reach their fullest potential and get the education needed.
Working as the manager for IBWS groups is the greatest achievement in my career to date. It is such an important duty. I have put my own studio on the back burner to help others with their education.
Much more to come… just celebrating this milestone with you. It’s a big one.
a case study of the type of statements you may hear from a forum troll
We have all seen them at their best, getting the invalid point across to the last word. Needing attention. Bully mentality in fast forward. The important thing is, recognize that it’s starting and just bow out of the conversation. Don’t you ever let someone’s bad energy affect you and don’t kill him/her with kindness. It will never be effective. Just be still and the impending troll will remain hiding behind a screen just waiting for a new victim to scour. They do form a reputation, you know. People start private messaging to save a souls conscience from a left field attack you swear an alien bestowed upon you. Must be something out of this world.
"The kind of man who always thinks that he is right, that his opinions, his pronouncements, are the final word, when once exposed shows nothing there. But a wise man has much to learn without a loss of dignity". -SOPHOCLES, Antigone
I have been managing portrait forums since 2013 and learned a strange side of human nature. If you too run a chat-room or forum on FaceBook, LinkedIn, or for a company / franchise. Carry a no tolerence policy and live by it. It is a privilege to belong to a forum, not a right. Protect your members and keep the environment positive for learning. It’s vital to the forum’s success and I would prefer my members sleep better than a troll on any day.
Hit the ban member button and move on with the good stuff. That’s why your members came in the first place.
"You may not have very much sense. But if you have enough to keep your mouth shut and look wise, it will not be long before you acquire a wide reputation as a fountain of Wisdom". -ROBERT ELLIOTT GONZALES
This poster was sent to me after a friend and I witnessed a troll experience today. I wanted to make a quick article for a while now and artist Woody Hearn has put it all in perspective here. When were you trolled last? Instead of having a tear or your blood pressure rise, come on back to this post and get a giggle instead. All in good therapy.
To find more of Woody’s comic work or commission him.Click here.
Photo Communiqué Featured Artist with Kathleen Clemons
Beyond Fine Art / Her work makes you stare in wonder.
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” _William Shakespeare
Before coming a photographer professionally I owned a flower shop for 16 years. Being surrounded by flowers daily I was in awe of the intricacies within the petals. They carry a life of beauty with every stage of opening to a specimen hard to forget. Color, texture and form. Kathleen Clemons / Master Photographer specializing in macro florals has created one impressive piece after another, thrilling the viewer. She has a place in the fine art community. I call her a flower whisperer. -Lori Patrick
Let’s start with your name and where you reside or work
My name is Kathleen Clemons and I live in a small town on the Coast of Maine.
Your line of work pertaining to the photographic community
I am primarily a Nature Photographer, my work is represented worldwide by Corbis and Getty Images. I have a degree in Education, and teach online classes at the Bryan Peterson School of Photography. I teach several location workshops each year as well. Combining my love of teaching with my passion for Photography brings me great joy.
What type of photography do you enjoy for personal fulfillment?
I love making all kinds of photos, from macro to landscapes to portraits of people, I am always happy to have a camera in my hand. I specialize in nature photos, and am known for my flower portraits.
I am a Canon shooter, and my favorite lenses for flower portraits and macro in general are my Lensbabies. I love selective focus photography, and my Lensbabies provide just the look I want for my flower images. Lensbaby recently called me the Georgia O’Keeffe of Lensbaby flower photography and I was truly honored!
What editing programs are your go to?
I edit in Photoshop, and also use software by Nik and MacPhun
Who do you follow as an inspiration or education source?
I love to see what my photographer friends are shooting and check their websites, blogs and Facebook pages often, and I find inspiration from artists of all kinds, not just photographers. I really like to try new techniques, and get very excited when I have come up with something new to try in camera, or in post-processing. I just started making textures for Macphun software, and am loving that process. Now that Lensbaby makes a lens for my phone, the LM-10, I am shooting more with my iPhone and am enjoying posting those photos on Instagram and seeing what other people are posting there as well. I always tell my students to ask themselves, “What would happen if…?” and to then go try it, and I try to follow my own advice and do the same as it keeps my work fresh and me growing as a photographer.
Where can we find you online to see more or follow you?
