Rick Allen Photography Blog

I called and accepted the position as Fall Artist  in Residence (AIR) for North Cascades Natl Park (or NOCA as their friends call it).  Cindy, NOCA’s Interpretive Specialist, gave me a much better idea of what the assignment will be like. 

Reading blog entries of other AIR’s (painters mostly), it initially struck me that I would be shootting whatever I chose - like conservation, education, recreation and esthetic beauty. In my mind, the emphasis was going to be Esthetic Beauty, which caused its own anxieties, as many others have stunningly documented NOCA from vistas and at times of year that I wouldn’t be able to match. 

Cindy put much of that to rest when she shared the Park’s need for a skilled photogrpaher to document eg interactions of Rangers with visiting tourists.  In the venacular of this photographer, I initially thought I was going to be an aspiring Craig Tanner or John Paul Caponigro to a wanna-be David Hobby.  Love Strobist’s work but how could I kick this up a notch?  You know something like Greg Gorman’s TSA images or Dave Cross’ stunning candids?  Not to be deterred, I wrote Greg, and magnanimously he instantly called me to share his ideas for the assignment.  “Easy…. prominent foreground element (people) with informative background, all from unique perspectives.  Stick with your 24-105mm lens to minimize distortions and to help with perspective.  Solicit an assistant and use your California Sunbounce MINI reflector to accentuate the sun and your Sunswatter and PRO silks to cut the hard light, allowing you to shoot any time of day.”  Great advice, but I don’t own a Sunswatter.  A little too pricey for me right now (maybe, they’d sponsor me for the shoot??).  And unique perspective, that’s easier said than done.  We shall see.

Rick

I got a call a couple of evenings ago from the Interpretive Specialist at the North Cascades National Park in Newhalem, WA, offering me a temporary position as Artist in Residence for this fall.

Wow!

Obviously, I applied for the position, so I knew it was a possibility.  But having been rejected for a similar position for the Northwest Hawaiian Islands earlier this year, I didn’t have that much confidence that I would be selected.  In retrospect, perhaps my artist goals are more consistent with the National Park Service than the environmentalist goals of the US Fish and Wildlife Agency.  Never having done this without expert comrades around me to encourage / critique will pose interesting challenges.

I have only a couple of days to decide whether I will accept the position.  Amazing all the questions that come to mind, that aren’t really entertained when I initially applied.  Already predisposed to accepting the offer, most immediately logistical issues come to mind…
- what is the optimal length of time for this opportunity and do I have the vacation time available?
- what will the weather be like?
- how rustic will the accommodations be?

Then it struck me that I will have to be pretty disciplined ….
- what objectives can I realistically pursue in 2 or 3 weeks?
- not having seen the place, it is hard to create a work plan
- how will this affect my recent objectives to take my portraiture work to a new level?
- can I create a similar set of advanced landscape objectives that serve both my own artistic education as well as the Park’s needs?

More to come.  You can see how erratic my mind is and I need to be focused to get to an answer this weekend.  Comment if you will.

Rick

A new video was posted on TMELive.com on Friday, featuring a terrific image from Abhi.  I posted comments of my own, complimenting the composition and simplicity of the image.  I also suggested that a slight movement of one major design element would further add to the dynamic tension.  Not all images garner a huge number of responses; as of this writing, this one post already has 14 responses.  What I enjoy so much about this kind of exchange is how differently people see the same image.  Retouching is a difficult skill to master, and understanding how others will respond to specific modifications is yet another educational process.

Here’s to all of those folks willing to stand up and offer their feedback to those brave souls willing to share their images.

Rick

One of the humorous and fun aspects of having a common name is that you can see your name used in ways that are unexpected.  A friend brought me a copy of a flier for another Rick Allen photographer who had an exhibition in northern MN last month.  Take a look for yourself.

Rick

I couldn’t resist an additional comment today.  After blogging this morning about walking away from a shoot because of anxieties about stereotypical shoots, I get two synchronicities within a single day.

Jan commented that there are stages to growth, and Chase says my photos are boring.  (nnnooot mine?!?!?) .  Make sure you read the comments in the previous blog and click on Chase to see his twittered entry as well.

Last Sunday was the first time I ever walked away from a shoot.  Fortunately, it was a group meetup and I was not even missed. 

I was to participate in a model shoot at a local car dealership.  In the days prior to going, I wrecked my brain trying to come up with a unique idea of how to shoot models at a car dealership.  I arrived on time (actually a little early), and started watching others shoot.  Unfortunately, nothing seemed to catch my fancy; worse, some shoots tweaked my anxieties around stereotypical photography.  At almost the exact correct time, I was saved by the bell (actually my cell phone).  A friend was calling to talk about a trip coming up, and it was the excuse I needed to step away from the other photographers.  A rationalization for sure, but an excuse nevertheless.    (Steve and Josh, is this called a synchronicity?)  I couldn’t resist looking online at the group’s images, and indeed there were a couple of quite unique shots.  In many ways, I wished I had perservered and found one of those unique images. 

The inevitable question: how does one find one’s own voice in a sea of well documented scenes?  I recall Micahel Reichmann with his camera at his side (as opposed to next to his eye) in the middle of Antarctica, with his inner voice seemingly telling him the same thing, all the while I was shooting like a madman.  Did I shoot anything truly unique during that time?  Probably not.  Michael had the eye to know what would work and what wouldn’t.

I wouldn’t be so bold to say that I “have the eye,”  but maybe, my eye is improving.  That said, walking away from a shot probably wasn’t the most productive.  I could’ve hung around and assisted others.  A realization and a lesson. Isn’t that what’s life is all about?

Rick

A couple of summers ago, I took one of Rich Clarkson’s photography workshops.  Certainly, amongst the best set of instructors to be assembled in one place, and Rich convenes similar groups of instructors multiple times a year.  My friend Syliva received some literature from Rich several months ago and recognized the key image as one of mine. 

Sweet.

I was surfing the net for workshops and I came across Rich’s website. and the linked page to the workshop.  What do you know, but the images used are one-and-only the same one Sylvia saw in the mailing. 

Sweet.

Sylvia, you’re going to love this one.  The image is nicely attributed to me, but it was taken the week before while I was attending a Radiant Vista workshop.

Sweet.

Rick

This has been a busy couple of weeks, trying to complete the infrastructure to RAPhoto.com. I’ve added several new components for ease of use and for addressing varying interests by Members and Guests alike.

The biggest change is the addition of the Image Submission page.   The idea is that Members can submit images they would like to see my spin on Retouching of their images.  I’m hoping that a few of you will dive in and start the process. 

In response to numerous questions about equipment for retouching, I created a side bar showing the equipment I use.  And taking advantge of the wonders of the internet, I can both provide a link as well as instantly show current new and used equipment pricing.  All links are to Amazon, because they have aggressively positioned themselves as the point of focus for internet sales.  Most people do not know that Amazon is the largest seller of electronics and TV’s in the US, second only to Best Buy.  And as much as I like BBY, they are losing share rapidly, because of Amazon’s prices.  Amazon has found a sweet spot on the net, good prices, secure payment transactions, excellent return/warranty policies, and incredible breadth of product coverage.  And I like their book selection.

I have also added new book recommendations (along the left side bar), an RSS feed button (along the top menu bar), and I’ve cleaned up some of the Member sign-up pages to facilitate that process (of course current Members will never see that page and new Members will never have seen the old pages).   I continue to tweak and modify the structure of the Home page.   It still looks too busy to me, but I am trying to make it conform to web-site best practices, meaning no more than 2 clicks to navigate to any page/area.  I would appreciate any and all comments. 

And, without content, no one comes to the site.  I have tried to consistently add 3 pod-/vid-casts per week.  This week, I elevated the humor level with a slide show from a recent model shoot and with the Japanese TV commercial for Fuji film.  And I thoroughly enjoyed recording the podcast on Beyond Design. 

As always, thanks for reading, listening, watching, and visiting the website.  I hope you to add any helpful comments or suggestions.