Destiny USA by Michael Grace-Martin

05 Saturday Jan 2013

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Destiny USA
(photos by Michael Grace-Martin)

Destiny USA is a six-story super-regional shopping and entertainment complex on the shore of Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, New York.

When Destiny USA officially opened this year (2012), it doubled the size of the original mall–which was called Carousel Center (featuring a prominent and centrally located amusement carousel)–to 2.4 million square feet of retail space. The mall’s new larger size made it the sixth largest mall in the United States.

Carousel Center/Destiny USA is located on land referred to as “Oil City” due to the numerous oil tanks that used to reside there. Cleaning up the environmental contamination caused by the oil tanks resulted in numerous construction delays.

When Destiny USA was proposed, there were concerns that such a “one stop destination” would kill business in Syracuse’s central downtown area and surrounding suburbs. Despite these concerns, the project went ahead as planned.

In June 2012, it was announced that any further expansions to Destiny USA (including the glass enclosed park, water features, hotels and technology park) were officially cancelled.

From Destiny USA’s Facebook page: “Destiny USA is a destination for local residents, tourists, and travelers worldwide; a place to bring together friends and family for events and entertainment, a place to shop for the holidays, or a place just to spend the day shopping and relaxing. With all amenities provided under one roof, Destiny USA is your destination.”

Gigantic malls are a uniquely American phenomenon and have gone way past being simply a place to go shopping. They’ve become one-stop destinations where Americans can get food, entertainment, and social interaction. No need to go anywhere else! I attempted to capture some of the energy and magnitude of this commercial-social spectacle in photographs.

Two options:
1. View the Photos as a vertically scrolling page
2. View the Photos as a full screen slide show (click first thumbnail below)



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

Free Signed Print Giveaway (Fine Art Nude)

01 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in MGM's Photos, Nudes

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I’m giving away some signed prints for the holidays! First up is an interesting 8×10 gelatin silver print I have that was made from a scan of a Mamiya RZ67 Polaroid that I took back in 2006. If you want a free signed copy of this, go to my Facebook photography page, “like” it, then send me a FB message telling me you’d like to have it.

If I get more than one person interested by the end of the day this Monday (12/3), I’ll randomly choose someone, get your mailing address, and send it to you! Note: must be at least 18 to win.

Chapeau by Michael Grace-Martin (8×10 gelatin silver print from Polaroid scan)



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

Cornell University “After Hours”

09 Friday Nov 2012

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I get a lot of paid photography work at Cornell University. When I finish a gig there, I usually still have a strong “looking for photos” mindset right after the gig (and of course, I’ve got my cameras with me) and so I end up taking random photos on campus. I decided to start a gallery here at my website where I’ll feature some of these “after hours” Cornell shots…:-).



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

Halloween 2012

01 Thursday Nov 2012

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A few 2012 Halloween photos for ya!…:-)



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The Devaluing of Photography

12 Wednesday Sep 2012

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With so much “photography” happening, it’s easy to think that photographs will (have) become totally devalued, making it very difficult for a photographer to make a living. However, if you look at photography as simply a (visual) language, it’s not the medium but the “story” that’s important; and that “story” should be as unique as the photographer him/herself, and as interesting as what the photographer has within him/her to say.

Has the overwhelming prevalence of speech and written language undercut the value of stories, speeches, history, or literature?



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

Grass Rootus Festivus

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

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Every July, Trumansburg, New York hosts the GrassRoots Festival at its fairgrounds. It’s four days of music, drinking, dancing, eating, body painting, camping, meeting new people, and general debauchery. For the first time this year (July 2012), I was able to attend the festival for more than just a couple of hours.

I took almost two thousand photos over a day and a half (I posted 140+ of them in a later post); but my perspective fluctuated somewhat. I captured a mix of candid and posed photos, and my visual sense alternated between picking out purely candid expressions to noticing more artistic (at least to me) settings and compositions.

Due to this dynamic and changing sense, I am able to assemble significantly different collections of photos from this large set with little overlap between them.

For this series, I focused on some of the more deadpan, enigmatic shots I captured. To me, these are analogous to the types of jokes (in the arena of humor) that you enjoy at an intellectual level, rather the ones that make you laugh out loud.

I hope some of these bring a smile to your mind…:-).



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

Self-portraits at 50

04 Saturday Aug 2012

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So I turned fifty this year (May 2012) and have thought about commemorating it (sort of) by doing a series of self-portraits.

Mike @ 50

However, I find myself with mixed ideas or purposes for this project.

One idea is to do a somewhat enigmatic, “tongue-in-cheek” series. The project would place me in a sequence of situations that would make sense for a 50 year-old man, though perhaps a bit skewed.

Mike @ 50 (enigmatic sample)

The other direction I was considering would be more narcissistic.

I’ve kept myself in relatively good shape for a man of 50 years old by visiting the gym a few times a week (for many years) and eating a mostly low-fat, vegetarian diet. So my thought was to do nudes or partial nudes taking advantage of this body in which I’ve invested so much time and care (especially before I get much older).

Mike @ 50 (nudity sample)

Mike @ 50 (nudity sample)

In any case, I’ll be attempting to do some sort of self-portrait project this year, and maybe–just maybe–I’ll end up with a cohesive series at year’s end!



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Bat Mitzvah Photos and Artistic Expression

19 Thursday Jul 2012

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Regardless of whether I’m photographing an event, a portrait session, or while traveling, I’m always looking for interesting photos that go beyond being of interest to only the participants. These are photos that seem to “elevate” past the specific context of the event.

Granted, some of the photos I take at an event are not very artistic. Most of my event photography is meant to candidly document an event using technical expertise; I believe this is the main deliverable a paying client wants from me. If I can find places in which to throw in some artistic panache, all the better–especially for weddings.

Here are a few from a recent bat mitzvah I photographed. I have photographed numerous bar mitzvahs. And though it had similarities to a bar mitzvah, it also had its unique qualities that you would only find at a party with lots of 12-13 year old girls!



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