Visiting the MFA, with a camera (of course!)

Boston MFA

My daughter (the tiny human in the photo, left) and I recently visited the Boston Museum of Fine Arts together, a trip we’d been trying to pull off for a number of months.  Finally time and circumstance allowed us to make a easy drive into the city this past Sunday.

I love the MFA and have visited it many times before, almost always with a camera in my hand.   The museum is one of those enlightened establishments that allows unlimited hand-held flash-free photography in their museum.  It’s a very kind and egalitarian policy, especially considering that a large part of their profits must be made in their gift shop, which sells goods emblazoned with images of items from their collection. 

 One of my cameras, and Olympus EP-1 compact 35mm digital SLR is quite perfectly suited to this sort of photography.   First, it’s small, and light.  At least for me, the woman who is used to carrying around the grandpappy of Olympus digital SLRs with a battery pack attached!  I can hold it by the strap around the wrist effortlessly for hours with no fatigue whatsoever.  

The controls are extremely easy to use and customizing exposure and white balance is a breeze on the fly.   The shutter isn’t silent, but it’s quiet enough that I feel perfectly OK shooting off frames is a very quiet gallery.  

The zoom lens is sweet as pie, with little distortion and a beautiful zoom range.  It focuses quickly (if you know how to manipulate your camera settings!) and best of all—has image stabilization for those low light situations one will find just about everywhere in a modern museum.   

Then there is the issue that I discussed in my post just before this one (see below), about seeing more, and better, when I have a camera in my hand.  I tend to study the art more, looking at it from angles and perspectives that I might not otherwise check out.  I often include a reference shot to the work by taking a draft photo of the object and its nearby descriptive text, obviously helpful for recalling important information about a piece.  With my short term memory seemingly going the way of a cassette tape walkman (huh?), these nuggets of info are just about the only way I can retain detailed info about the work.   See? I don’t need to buy the book with their photo and caption, I made my own! 

I so enjoy being creative with the images, portraying them in a manner that would never be found in the official museum publications.  The museum’s photos are records, mine can be records, too, but can also be interpretations of the art, at least as far as how it appears within its environment, and the special, creative care applied to it.

Never would I attempt to profit from these images.  I fully understand that these are not my work to sell or profit from in any manner.  But I am able to make a lovely little postcard print for myself to place in a special spot in my home, or to share with a friend who would treasure the piece.   

I support the MFA by purchasing a family membership each year, supporting their special fund raising drives when I can, purchasing quality items in their shops,  and by encouraging others to go visit.   

Thanks to this great Museum, I now have lots of lovely memories of visits, beautiful books by my favorite artists and about standout exhibits, and my own little photo collection of their beautiful art!

Camera/Eyes

I have a camera with me at ALL times.  It may be the BIG professional machine, the nifty medium-sized beauty with the sweet lens, or my iPhone, which is always close at hand.   

As I navigate my days and nights, everything around me is a potential photographic scene.  Even if my camera is not in my hands, I see whatever is before me in at least two ways at once.

1.  I am there.  I see, hear, smell and take in the entirety of whatever is before me.  In the moment, i experience where I am, what is happening, and how I feel about being there.

2.  I am surveying the scene for angles, colors, points of interest, anything unusual or eye catching.    This can take time, or come in a "flash".  It's a dance of stepping back, stepping close, changing angles of view, and playing with and appreciating the details as well as the larger scale of the environment.

Although this happens whether I am with or without a camera, it seems to me that when I do have a camera in my hands, I see more.  I take more time.  The place, the item, whatever, or wherever it is, is in the beam of my attention, and I am not distracted.  

 Being attentive is one of the keys to good photography, and a good life.

Over-Prepared

I recently did a photo shoot at a restaurant, which included both environment and foodie shots. I had my trusty Olympus E-3 all set to go, with lots of kit, in order to be prepared for any circumstance. I carried lots of spare batteries, as I always do--"spare juice" is practically my mantra.   

     

I shot a dozen or so images when the battery died, and ALL of backup batteries were inexplicably dead.  I always, always have spare juice with me, and in this case, I had two full sets of charged batteries in my bag.  I could not imagine how I managed to end up with dead backup batteries, but wondering wasn't going to get the job done.

The last thing I wanted to say to my client was "We'll have to reschedule the shoot, because, er, I don't have any power for my camera".  It would have been totally mortifying, unprofessional, and ridiculous all at once!

Luckily I had, at the very last minute, thrown my new and nifty little Olympus E-P1 in my bag "just in case", but figuring that it would not be used, as I had every little thing I needed.  I even just about changed my mind, thinking it was folly to bring it along.

Once things went awry with my pro camera,  I whipped out that little life-saver, and stuck my huge FL-50 flash on top, which is normally used with my big camera (so it looked twice as big as my fall back camera!), and proceeded to do the bulk of the assignment with the E-P1, with my client looking at it curiously. "Not to worry", said I, "it packs a wallop even though it's small." The shots came out great, no issues.  I was so relieved to not have to walk away that day with my tail between my legs.

The lesson, as if I had to learn it again, is that being OVER prepared often means merely "prepared".

The reward was not only satisfaction that I could get the job done,  I also brought home two fantastic dishes from the shoot for supper that evening!

Polaroid, 1982 --- Fauxlaroid, 2009

In the early eighties, I worked as a manager in a camera store in Harvard Sq, Cambridge, Massachusetts. I had lots of photo pals and access to the latest equipment, plus cheap photo processing and a discount on all things photographic. I was only 22 years old and I was having a blast.

Here comes the bit about Polaroid. My boyfriend (now husband) worked for Polaroid at the time, and was able to borrow equipment and get free film on occasion, which we would enjoy over a weekend, creating a visual chronicle of events. You can imagine how much I enjoyed the use of the camera, and sharing the results at work and with our friends. Polaroid was still in full swing back then, doing very well in annual sales.

Here comes the bit about Polaroid. My boyfriend (now husband) worked for Polaroid at the time, and was able to borrow equipment and get free film on occasion, which we would enjoy over a weekend, creating a visual chronicle of events. You can imagine how much I enjoyed the use of the camera, and sharing the results at work and with our friends. Polaroid was still in full swing back then, doing very well in annual sales.

 The photo on the left features my old photo pal, Jennie, with my boyfriend, Rick, and me on the right. We're in my store, Underground Camera-you can see lighting displays and camera bags, etc, on display behind us. I loved being there. Ask me about the time a Cambridge Cop saved me from being accosted by a thieving, crazed street person. Speedy response saved my you-know-what.

Now I shoot with a Polaroid Spectra, purchased about 8 years ago, originally to be used at community theater auditions for on-the-fly head shots. I like to bring it along on vacations; it evokes carefee summers and fun times for me when I use it. These images are from last summer at our rental in Truro. Great retro feel to these, I think. Brings me back to summers on the Cape way back in the 60s.......

My passion of late is creating digital "Fauxlaroids". I use digital photo software which can be found on theweb, (often for free), or an iPhone application called"Polarize", or I make it from scratch in Photoshop. It's a blast to play around with the software, using my own images, and manipulating them into retro and grungy works of art. Both of these images are digital files originally shot on my 35mm DSLR; the left was taken in a hotel room bathroom in Amsterdam, the second was taken in Waltham, MA, of a back porch directly adjacent to my school's parking lot.

If you've got a Polaroid camera around, pull it out and see if they still make film for it, QUICKLY. Polaroid has stopped making many of the standard films that have been available for the past decade-plus. Run some film through it for old time's sake. If you are into photography, jump onto one of the links above and try one of your images out as a Polaroid. You may very well get hooked.

Nature as Artistic Restorative

We hit the trail this afternoon, despite the 83 degree heat and the 55% humidity.  Sometimes you've just got to get out and feel the earth beneath your feet, no matter the weather.   We went to a woodland not far from home, but new to me.  After a bit of scrambling up a rocky slope, and making our way through hundreds of blueberry bushes, we took a breather to enjoy the quiet, the scene, and to take some photos.

The ground cover was most interesting; it was very mossy, and dotted with all sorts of mysterious fungi. I am always a pushover for a well formed mushroom shot, admittedly, but there was something so compelling about the nearby 'shrooms today.  Most of them were smallish, and almost sweet looking.  There were red ones, fetid ones, and cute ones with little ruffles around their edges.   I could hardly take a bad photo--they were that wonderful!

      

        See the rest of the set from our walk on my flickr page

One of the best parts about it was that I was excited.  Creative juices were flowing, and it didn't feel like a chore. Sometimes, even when I am motivated, shooting does feel like a chore.  I have been shooting for over 25 years, have sold cameras, worked in labs, worked in darkrooms, shot for papers, and much more more. needless to say, one can get weary.

It's important to keep finding the big and little things, especially in nature and in the simplest moments, that tickle our fancy and make our souls dance.   It makes us feel alive.  It makes us happy.

Calling all cards....

While I was writing about camera bags yesterday, I recalled that I have a nifty little pocket in my bag that is placed in a very handy spot, meant to hold business cards. I actually DO place business cards in that spot, and also have them in my personal bag, in my car, and tucked inside pockets of jackets, jeans, etc. It's amazing how many cards you will hand out *IF* you actually have them at hand.

I have several different cards, tailor made to highlight different aspects of my work. In my case, one card simply isn't enough. There is one just for my mandalas, one that keeps things simple and lists mostly the vital details, and many sets of MOO mini cards.

MOO minis are far and away the crowd favorite, and the most fun to hand out. They come in sets of 100, and measure just 28x70mm. The entire set can have one image placed on the back, or you can select a different photo for each of the 100, or you can mix and match images in any proportion that you wish. I often offer a short stack of them , turned upside down, so that folks can pick any card they wish, at random, and be surprised. It's uncanny how often the selected image is just perfect for the person who chose it.

Obviously, the cards are fun and useful for professionals, but they could also be even more fun when put to other uses. I shall have to put my thinking cap on, 'cuz these cards are just too cute to be only for business.

 

In any case, carry plenty of business cards with you at all times. It makes a greater impact, and is more likely to be saved, seen, and shared if your cards are unique, and are truly a reflection of you and your work. If you need some help putting your business cards together, please do let me know. I love creating them and have lots of ideas for affordable printing options.