Slats ‘N Heads, MoMA, NYC (March 2012)

Tags

, ,

Share
Slats 'N Heads, MoMA, NYC, March 2012

Slats ‘N Heads, MoMA, NYC, March 2012

Click image to see large..



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

MichaelGraceMartin.com gets New Home Page

Tags

, , , ,

Share

It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally put up a new home page for michaelgracemartin.com!

New MichaelGraceMartin.com Home Page

New MichaelGraceMartin.com Home Page

The idea was to put a more portfolio-oriented front end on my website to showcase (and possibly sell) my photographic work in a way that makes it easier to share with galleries, publishers, collectors, and others in a manner they’re used to and expect.

The photos I selected were the result of an initial pass through my recent work. These will be changing, evolving and growing over the next few weeks and months.

So take a look and come back every so often to see what I’ve been up to! I’ll be sure to mention major updates here on my blog…:-).



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

Studio Light (Nov 2013)

Tags

, , , ,

Share
Studio Light (Nov 2013)

Studio Light (Nov 2013)

Click image to see against dark background..

(Inquiries)



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

Shadows & Mist (Nov 2013)

Tags

, , ,

Share
Shadows & Mist (Nov 2013)

Shadows & Mist (Nov 2013)

Click image to see against dark background..

(Inquiries)



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

Outrageous “Food Porn” Photography

Tags

,

Share

It’s good to keep an eye on all the different stuff that’s being done with photography out in the world.

Recently, I was made aware of a Tumblr site called “Fast & Furious Burger” that features outrageous photos (some manipulated, some not) featuring hamburgers in all kinds of strange & interesting scenarios and configurations.

The particular one I saw featured (not too surprisingly) was this one:

Burger Crypté

The Huffington Post called it “Food Porn“. Yep.

The Brunchger

Even though I’m a vegetarian, I can enjoy and be creatively inspired by the nutty photographic creativity going on at this website. But it doesn’t have to be “pornographic” to be good..

(note: “food porn” doesn’t necessarily require images of sex or large-breasted women; but obviously the proprietors of the Fast & Furious Burger website aren’t trying very hard to keep them separated..)



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

Aside

Transience of Elevation

Tags

,

Share
Abstract Driving (Jan 2011)

Abstract Driving (Jan 2011)

In most cases, an artist cannot give but a transient experience of sensory or cognitive elevation. The opportunity lies in the initial moment/exposure; then it is gone.



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

Sex and Art in Nude Photography

Tags

, ,

Share

The way a nude is photographed can have quite an impact on the way the resulting photo is perceived.

Now, I don’t want to get involved in the (soft) porn versus fine art nude distinction in this discussion. I just want to try to demonstrate how two photos of the same model in the same photo session can give off quite different visual “connotations” depending on various factors.

Exhibit A

Exhibit A (click image to see against dark background)

In Exhibit A, we have a fairly suggestive and sex-imbued image. The pose is fairly sexual (a twisting, pelvic thrusting sort of motion) and the low lighting and smoke add a hazy aspect that sort of emulates one’s perception being distorted by drinking, drugs, or just being sexually aroused.

Exhibit B

Exhibit B (click image to see against dark background)

In Exhibit B, the model’s upper half is actually slightly more exposed than in Exhibit A, but her lower half is covered (with black tights). More than this though, the lighting is brighter (more prevalent) and the model more clearly presented (e.g., without intervening smoke). Add to this that her pose isn’t especially sexual (it just looks like she’s goofing around dancing) and that you can clearly see this is all happening on a constructed photo set…and the sexiness of the image and scene is quite reduced!

Here’s a question: which of these is more like “art”?

Both seem to have been shot without “art” being the primary goal per se; but just play along with me on this…

At first, I thought: “of course its the first one, right?” But then I thought: “well, it is if you consider ‘art’ in the classical sense in which it should be simple, aesthetically beautiful and/or painting-like”.

The problem is that “art” is a pretty loaded word and it’s culturally and time period sensitive.

In our current culture and time period, the second one may actually be considered more like “art” because it could be perceived as making a cultural statement. Also, the sexual nature of the first one (Exhibit A) steers it away from being art-like toward being more soft porn-like.

Personally, I’m not interested in taking images of the type in Exhibit A (though I took this one). I don’t know what to do with them. I know there’s a market for selling prints of “home-grown nudes” (i.e., there are collectors of these); but that’s not where I want to go with my photography.

The Exhibit B photo may not be exactly what I’m going for either, but it’s closer than Exhibit A–i.e., the Exhibit B image is closer to conveying some sort of message and not mostly being (however beautifully) about a sexy woman/model.

If I’m going to feature a nude in a photo without a message that is just supposed to be visually stunning, it’s going to be about the surrounding scene as much as the nude within the scene….which a lot of my past work with nudes has been.

Addendum:
Just for a contrast, here’s a more “classic art nude” photo I took that is a close-up, but tries to downplay sexuality via: a) conversion to a b&w image, and  b) explicit sexual parts hidden:

Swinging in the Woods (Oct 2011)

Swinging in the Woods (Oct 2011)



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

Custom Mugs featuring Michael Grace-Martin Photos

Tags

, ,

Share

I wanted to offer *something* during the Christmas season featuring some of my photos that was useful and not terribly expensive. So what did I come up with? Custom mugs featuring some of my photos, that’s what!

Personally, I like having a variety of unique mugs from which to drink coffee, tea and hot cocoa. My photo makes it unique and fun, and the “mug” feature takes care of the useful aspect!

Here are the four photo designs I’m offering at the moment:

Bathroom Vanities (Oct 2009)

Bathroom Vanities (Oct 2009)

Fort Collins, CO (Aug 2011)

Fort Collins, CO (Aug 2011)

Swing Bum (Oct 2011)

Swing Bum (Oct 2011)

SoHo, NYC (March 2012)

SoHo, NYC (March 2012)

So go ahead and buy a mug (or two or three…or so forth…:p) and give yourself and/or someone else a jolly ol’ Christmas…:-).

(And to make it more explicit here is the store link again..!)



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

SoHo Rooftop (March 2012)

Tags

,

Share

I just saw this in a set of photos I took in NYC almost two years ago. Not my usual fare, but I like it. (See the “dinosaur”?…:p)

SoHo Rooftop (March 2012)

SoHo Rooftop (March 2012)

Click the image to see it larger..

(Inquiries)



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!

Able-bodied Mariner (Nov 2013)

Tags

, ,

Share
Able-bodied Mariner (Nov 2013)

Able-bodied Mariner (Nov 2013)

Click image to see against dark background..

(Inquiries)



Visit Michael's Art Photography Portfolio at SaatchiArt.com!