Photo Technique

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variations on the photographic arts Kenneth Josephson’s

Legendary Camera Work
A. D. Coleman
Master of
Romanticism
Kevin Then
Fast Track Photos of
Race Car Photographer
Jesse Alexander
CHRISTY LEE ROGERS
Underwater Magic
ARAS KARIMI
Light in the Abstract
JAMEY STILLINGS
The Bridge at Hoover Dam
Creating a Photo Essay
David Vestal
Dover’s History
Part IV
Bettina & Uwe Steinmueller
May/June 2011 Texture Masking
Uli Staiger
Extreme Fantasy
Collage
www.phototechmag.com
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Due to the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck on
March 11 and the subsequent nuclear disaster, northern Japan is facing
a crisis of huge proportions on every level imaginable. The devastation has
taken the lives of more than 10,000 people and continues to affect millions more.
These include our many friends and colleagues involved in every aspect of
the photographic industry whose offices and equipment manufacturing plants
were located in the devastated area. Let our hearts and hands reach out to offer
assistance by supporting any one of a number of relief efforts for Japan.
The Japanese Red Cross has a highly organized effort in place. The international community can also offer assistance through a
number of relief organizations that include:
Volunteer
Center for International Disaster Information
www.cidi.org/individuals/6-volunteering-after-a-disaster
Make a Donation
The American Red Cross
1-800-RED-CROSS
American Red Cross

PO Box 4002018
Des Moines, IA, 50340-2018
United States
www.redcross.org
To find a list of many other relief efforts for the Japan Tsunami, visit InterAction’s website at www.interaction.org/crisis-list
pg. 40
Feature Portfolios
28 An Interview with Kevin Then: 16 Jesse Alexander: Iconic Images
Redefining High-End of Motor Racing’s Heyday from
Wedding Photography a Master Photographer
A Hasselblad Master shares images and Getting up to speed with a legendary
techniques of his romantic style racecar photographer
Paul Schranz Chuck Graham
23 Christy Lee Rogers:

Commentary Speed of Light
4 Photographic Seeing: the Camera Rogers’ images of underwater
Work of Kenneth Josephson figures in a neo-baroque fantasy
Photographs that define visual thought Duncan Beebee
A. D. Coleman
40 Journey to the Bridge: the Story
of “The Bridge at Hoover Dam”
Perspectives Photo Essay
Taking a major photographic project
8 Dover’s History Trip Part IV from concept through execution
The final installment of a series in Jamey Stillings
which David Vestal gives insight into
historic photographs selected from 45 Light in Air
Great Photographs from Daguerre to Images by an Emerging
the Great Depression Photographer
David Vestal Aras Karimi
EDITOR’S NOTE:
May/June 2011 Vol. 32 No. 3
Publisher S. Tinsley Preston III

Intellect, Imagination, Passion and Editor Paul R. Schranz
Solving Problems
Creative Director Lisa Cordova
Copy Editor Bonnie Schranz
Photography has never been a game of f-stops and shutter speeds any more Production Roberta Knight
than the colors in a digital photograph are numbers of red, green and blue. All
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are a way to solve problems—a way to see a pattern of action. I remember Online Content Coordinator Bree Lamb
many years ago Ansel Adams had a book out on photographing Yosemite with Project Manager Norma Vechot
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News
21 What’s Important and Exciting
in the Field of Photography:
Books
Memorials
Workshop
Wendy Erickson
Innovations
38 Promote Control
A full featured time machine
I.P.S Inflatable Photo Studio pg. 12

Portable controlled lighting
39 The Digital Silver Darkroom
The new-fashioned route to real
black and white prints
PocketWizard: AC9 Strobe
Adapter & AC3 ZoneController
PocketWizard expands control of
portable flashes and studio strobes
Tech
12 Phantastomaniac: Building a
Complex Photo Collage
Steps to building a fantastic assemblage
with Photoshop and Cinema 4D
Uli Staiger
34 The Art of Texture Blending:

Photography Beyond Realism
Textures transform images from dull
to dynamic
pg. 38
___________________
COMMENTARY:
Polapan
Photographic Seeing:
The Camera Work of Kenneth Josephson
A. D. Coleman
A bare suspended lightbulb illuminates four black & white Polaroid prints of images
of (presumably) that same lightbulb, taped to a wall.
The reflection of a French mountain range in the roof of a car appears to sprout an
actual rock formation.
Another car, in Stockholm, leaves a perfect silhouette of its profile in a dusting of

snow on the pavement.
A crouching woman, mostly obscured by a little girl, makes a close-up portrait of the
girl’s face with an amateur camera. Attached to a black & white print of that image
with family album-style photo corners is a second print, presumably of the image
made by the woman at that moment, showing the child apparently reaching for the
woman’s camera.
4 photo technique M/J 2011
THE CAMERA WORK OF KENNETH JOSEPHSON A. D. COLEMAN
Stockholm
A black & white Polaroid photograph of a naked woman’s experience, to which he then applies analytical
pelvic area lies atop the dark dress of (presumably) that consciousness. What his photography exemplifies
same woman, positioned in her pelvic area. one might define as visual thought, in which per-
cept embodies concept.
A hand holds a postcard image of the summer palace
in Drottningholm, Sweden, taken in the warm weather, The quarter-century between the end of World
while the owner of hand and postcard confront the same War II in 1945 and 1970 remains a particularly
vista in the winter. fertile period in the history of photography, and
surely the least closely studied and most mis-
Kenneth Josephson’s photographic works do not understood. Kenneth Josephson’s oeuvre exemp-
reduce well (or at all) to words. In that way, among lifies the fecundity and complexity of the medium’s
others, they distinguish themselves from most con- field of ideas during that era; his elaboration
ceptual photography and photo-based art, which of them down to the present day demonstrates
often starts from an articulated or written premise the durability and substance of the questions he
and can equally often find satisfactory summation and others began asking—and answering, at least
in words to which the images, uninteresting in provisionally—as they explored the medium. That
and of themselves, serve as mere illustration or Josephson has only recently begun to become
demonstration. Concept dictates percept. securely positioned in the histories of photography,
conceptual art, and photo-based art speaks to his
Josephson’s work functions otherwise. His images decision to inhabit a largely unmapped territory in
fall somewhere between the visual puns of René the decades between then and now.
Magritte and the elliptical, labyrinthine conun-
drums of Jorge Luis Borges. He shares with both The several generations of photographers who
a spare, stripped-down aesthetic, a fascination came of age and entered the field committedly in
with layers and an inclination toward the recursive the United States during those 25 years constituted
and self-reflexive. His pictures begin as optical the first cohort to engage with their medium in the
phototechmag.com 5
COMMENTARY:
Josephson studied photography at the Rochester

Institute of Technology in a program headed by
Minor White, whose ideas (evolved from Edward
Weston and others) augmented those of Moholy-
Nagy, and whose teaching method proved no less
committed to a questioning of the medium, though
from a very different standpoint. He went on to
do graduate work at the Institute of Design itself,
under Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind. One
can see clearly the imprint of all three of these
mentors on Josephson; some of his early pictures
resonate as homages to them even as they extend
his precursors’ lines of inquiry. Yet by the end
of the 1960s Josephson had come fully into his
own, generating images that looked nothing at all
like theirs.
Anissa, Chicago The term “photographic seeing” had considerable

currency in the discourse around photography
college, university and art-institute context. More during that phase. As a catchphrase, photographic
than a few of them learned their craft much as seeing sought to pinpoint two significant distinc-
photographers had done for the previous century: tions−the first between the habits of everyday
autodidactically, from a hobbyist relative, by ap- looking and the active observational process of
prenticeship in various applied modes, in vocational seeing, the second between seeing as one does
courses in the military, via the avuncular amateurs with one’s own alert eyes and mind and seeing
who populated the still-thriving camera-club net- with the concomitant awareness of how camera,
work. But the combination of the G.I. Bill and the lens, film and then photographic processing and
postwar economic boom in the U.S., which poured printing could translate that reflected light into
funding into the higher-education system, created marks embedded in (most commonly, in those
an unprecedented opportunity−seized by many— days) particles of tarnished silver on emulsion-
through which one could opt for formal study of coated sheets of paper.
photography in either the polymedia environment
of the art school or the interdisciplinary milieu of Which is to say that these photographers−those
the liberal-arts college. who studied it, those who taught it and those who
then (like Josephson) went on to practice and/or
Whichever alternative one chose, at that juncture teach it in turn−did not have a naïve, uncritical,
in this country the curriculum most likely derived theory-less relationship to their medium. Nor did
from the model devised by László Moholy-Nagy they do their work in ignorance of what other
in pre-Nazi Germany and transplanted by him image-makers past and present pursued in other
in 1937 from the Weimar Bauhaus to Chicago’s media, or oblivious to the artistic and cultural
Institute of Design as Europe lurched toward cat- ferment that characterized their own time. To the
astrophe. Moholy-Nagy believed in laying out the contrary: they engaged fully and deliberately with
entire toolkit of the medium for students, requiring photography on both a perceptual and interpretive
them to experiment with and master numerous ap- basis, aware of its history and field of ideas but not
proaches thereto and consider it infrastructurally. constrained thereby, devoting themselves to the
He also emphasized photography as an ideational evolution of a relationship to the medium that took
process, and taught that the raw material with for granted its necessary existence within what one
which the photographer worked was not the phys- of their number, Carl Chiarenza, proposed as “an
ical stuff of the “real world” but light itself. integrated history of picture-making.”
Moholy-Nagy’s pedagogy became the foundation
on which post-secondary photography education No photographic body of work created in the
in North America got built. Not coincidentally, second half of the 20th century better demonstrates
THE CAMERA WORK OF KENNETH JOSEPHSON A. D. COLEMAN
Drottningholm, Sweden
these concerns than that of Kenneth Josephson− activities of this medium’s practitioners and few
although none, of course, can represent by itself have taken the trouble since then to inform
the breadth and complexity of the medium’s field themselves on that score. Photography commands
of ideas in that era. Like that of his close friend, center stage in the global art environment as we
the late Robert Heinecken, Josephson's project move into the 21st Century, but the “integrated
with its implicit challenges and provocations has history of picture-making” remains unwritten. Un-
reverberated in the awareness of photographers questionably, however, within that hypothetical
and others since it commenced its public life. account still to come, Kenneth Josephson’s name
These images of Josephson’s, individually and and accomplishment have already been inscribed
cumulatively, do not ignore or deny the existence and extensively annotated.
of the “real world”; instead, they insistently address
the act of photographic picture-making as a © Copyright 2011 by A. D. Coleman. All rights reserved.
means of knowing that world, requiring of maker By permission of the author and Image/World Syndication
Services, ___________________
imageworld@nearbycafe.com.
and viewer alike an attention to the implications
of that act, to the technological process that en- Ken Josephson’s images are presented with the permission of the
ables it and to the light that makes it possible in the Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago, IL. ______________
stephendaitergallery.com
first place.
A. D. Coleman has published eight books and more than 2,000
essays on photography and related subjects. His work has been
Photography as a creative medium and a respect- translated into 21 languages and published in 31 countries.
able tool for picture-makers of all kinds can be Coleman's widely read blog “Photocritic International” appears at
photocritic.com. Since 2005, exhibitions that he has curated have
said to have entered the marketplace for art opened at museums and galleries in Canada, China, Finland, Italy,
and the field of ideas of art-making activity circa Romania, Slovakia and the U.S. In 2010 he received the J Dudley
Johnston Award from the Royal Photographic Society (U.K.) for
1970. At that juncture, hardly any critics of art “sustained excellence in writing about photography.”
knew anything at all about the history (including To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online
the intellectual history) of photography or the Forum: www.phototechforum.com
phototechmag.com 7
PERSPECTIVES:
117. Wright Brothers Postcard, 1915, by Unknown Photographer (cut-and-paste collage, airplane added to Main Street photo)
Dover’s History Trip - Part IV

David Vestal
This is the final installment of a series in which David “Observe, Watson, the direction of the sun, as
Vestal gives insight into historic photographs selected shown by light and shadows on Main Street. The
from Great Photographs from Daguerre to the sun is directly to the left, is it not? Look now at
Great Depression, published by the Dover Press and the lower wing of the airplane. The shadow of the
used with their permission. upper wing that is seen through the lower wing’s
translucent tip shows that for Wright’s Flyer, the
117. Wright Brothers Postcard, by Unknown Photo- sun was above and behind. We do not have two
grapher, 1915. This is a booster postcard promoting suns that shine simultaneously from different pos-
the wonders of Springfield, Minnesota. It is a good itions in the sky. Ergo, the airplane was cut from
cut-and-paste job, a bucolic equivalent to the another photograph and pasted onto the picture of
montages of avant-garde art photography. It’s well the street. And what, pray, is an airplane, vintage
calculated to get our attention, but would not have circa 1909, doing just above the main drag of an
fooled Sherlock Holmes. alert community that boasts, ‘Wide awake and up
DOVER'S HISTORY TRIP PART IV DAVID VESTAL
118. Bucks County Barn, 1916, by Charles Sheeler
to date/No better town in any state’ in the year find that he made none. Some of his best drawings
1915? We miss, do we not, the large, dramatic and paintings are almost exact copies of his own
shadow of the airplane that would fall, were this photographs, cleaned up and, in some areas, made
scene wholly natural, upon the street and buildings more visible by changing the tones. Except for a
at the right of the picture.” large and lucrative job photographing Ford’s River
Rouge factory in the late 1920s, he made his living
“Once again, Holmes, you astound me.” mostly from the sale of his paintings. He was a
two-medium man. He would have liked to exhibit
“Elementary, my dear Watson.” Nice postcard, his photos together with his paintings, but his
though. otherwise excellent art dealer talked him out of it.
She wished he would quit photographing and stick
118. Bucks County Barn, by Charles Sheeler, 1916. to the painting that she understood. This photo
When this photo was taken in rural Pennsylvania, certainly stands on its merit and makes me wonder
Sheeler had lived for some time in an old stone about any paintings that he might, correction, may
house and had photographed and painted the have made from it, cleaning it up, making things
whitewashed rooms and stairway of that house. more visible, eliminating clutter.
He was well acquainted with old farm buildings in
Bucks County. I don’t know of any painting by him In many cases, though not all, I prefer his photos
based on this photograph, but would be surprised to to his paintings and drawings based on them.
phototechmag.com 9
PERSPECTIVES:
121. Armco Steel, Ohio, 1922, by Edward Weston 125. Prostitute, 1920s, by Eugène Atget
Photography records the small accidental things beautiful soft-focus photograph of a eucalyptus
that go a little wrong and lend conviction to a pic- tree in a mist; but at its foot is an unintentionally
ture. Judging from his other work, the matching comical young man with a bow and arrow. It’s a
paintings, if he made any, would be more impres- very funny photo. Weston then met wise women
sive, while the photograph is more true. who had a real grasp of art, and he learned and
learned. By 1922 he was making good unsenti-
121. Armco Steel, Ohio, by Edward Weston, 1922. mental photographs like this one.
At the beginning of his photographing, Edward
Weston was a kidnapper, as old-time photographers When he went to New York in the 1920s he
called those who went from door to door begging showed some Armco Steel pictures, among others,
to photograph babies and small children. It was to Alfred Stieglitz, who was encouraging. Weston
a selling job as much as a photographic one. But was not impressed by the interview. He said that
soon he graduated to the kind of artistic photo- Stieglitz had given the most praise to pictures that
graphy practiced by camera club kings. He did he, Weston, had outgrown— the ones that were
extremely well at that and won all kinds of medals “striving for effect.” He liked words like “strive;”
and ribbons. still, that was a good self-critical observation. And
this photo, which has no need to strive, is excellent.
In an old photo annual I saw a photograph,
copyright 1914 by Edward Henry Weston, that I 125. Prostitute, by Eugène Atget, 1920s. Probably
could not forget. Titled Toxophilus, it is in part a dry plate and gold-toned printing-out paper: Atget
DOVER'S HISTORY TRIP PART IV DAVID VESTAL
was old-fashioned. Title by Dover, fairly likely

true. Berenice Abbott captioned this picture rue
Mouffetard, but according to later scholarship, that
was the wrong street. To me this is a marvelous
picture, though I can’t tell why, so I’d better leave
it at that. Imagine putting those boots on; and
the almost vertical pavement at the left is amaz-
ing: good thing it’s fenced off. The place has an
air of very rich decay. The woman seems at home
and content.
131. Allie Mae Burroughs, wife of Floyd Burroughs, by

Walker Evans, 1936. I don’t know what Fortune, a
magazine of and for big business, was thinking
of when they sent Walker Evans and James Agee
to Alabama in 1936 to photograph and write
about sharecroppers, but unless I am dreaming, it
happened that way.
Evans took leave from the Farm Security Admin-

istration (FSA) to go on that trip with Agee. Fortune,
of course, did not print their story, and Evans and
Agee later combined their work in a book, Let Us
Now Praise Famous Men, that was published with
just 31 uncaptioned photos and a long, meandering
text, to very few sales, in 1941. The Alabama
photographs, of which this is one, are in the FSA
files in Washington, D.C., and like all FSA photos,
they’re in the public domain. Anyone can publish
131. Allie Mae Burroughs, wife of Floyd Burroughs, 1936, by Walker Evans
them, no permission needed.
The book worked out pretty well, though not at and starting over, learning the picture, but not
first. Later it was reprinted with more photos and with any certainty, until it became acceptable. I
sold better. I suppose the first edition must go for won’t call this print good, but yes, when the light
real money at auction, now that its authors are on it is right, it’s acceptable.
dead. Your price goes up when you die.
Great Photographs from Daguerre to the Great Depression
I can’t imagine what Allie Mae was feeling when presents “139 Royalty-Free Designs” in jpeg format in a
“CD-ROM & Book” as part of its large series, “Dover
Walker Evans took this picture. I’m sure she wasn’t Electronic Clip Art for Macintosh® and Windows®.”
comfortable. She has a tense look and faces the System requirements: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000,
camera with anxiety and determination. Maybe XP, Vista or Macintosh, all versions; CD-ROM drive.
the tight line of her mouth was meant to be a smile. The price of the book and CD-ROM is $16.95. To use
At her age she should have been a pretty woman, more than ten of these photos in one project requires
special permission from Dover.
but her life was too hard for that, or so it seems.
She is both strong and fragile, and the picture is
like that, too. David Vestal is a photographer, and teacher whose publications
include The Art of Black & White Enlarging (1984) and the Craft of
Photography. His photographs are exhibited internationally and
Printing it in inkjet was elusive rather than difficult. are found in numerous private and public collections. A selection
of his early New York photographs was exhibited at the Robert
The least bit too light or dark, and the least bit too Mann Gallery, NYC in 2010.
soft or contrasty, and it’s just wrong. I had to make
To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online
quite a few changes, going back to the beginning Forum: www.phototechforum.com
phototechmag.com 11
TECH:
Reichstag
Phantastomaniac:
Building the Complex Photo Collage
Uli Staiger
“Phantastomaniac” is a term that for me is the most tastic scenes and images from the worlds of science
powerful expression of digital retouching: the am- fiction. So it was a logical step to bring together
bitious post production and digital composing. photography and fantasy with Adobe Photoshop to
In order to make images look realistic, I follow the create my own zoo of unlimited possibilities.
law of logic wherever possible. It’s also very impor-
tant for the artist to have a sense of an image, so Believe it or not, the main trick, when it comes to
that it is possible for the viewer to find a meaning- planning a composition, is to divide the process of
ful interpretation of the content. To achieve both image creating into three parts. That also means
sometimes isn’t easy, because my images often that I have to create images not only once, but three
consist of several hundred layers that have to follow times. Before I grab the camera or switch on the
a master plan so that they appear as a completely computer, I develop the image mentally. The only
new scene. borders that limit this process are the borders of my
very own fantasy and apprehension. Both phantasy
My inspiration comes out of my own fantasy. I’ve and apprehension are very important tools when
always been fascinated by technical things and fan- planning a composed image.
PHANTASTOMANIAC: BUILDING THE COMPLEX PHOTO COLLAGE ULI STAIGER
When the creative brainstorming is done and the in many categories, including skies, waves, water
image is ready to leave my mind, the second step surfaces, plants and all kinds of technical structures.
follows: the visualization of the idea with paper and This means I always carry a camera with me; good
pencil. At this point of the process, it’s important to motifs are hard to anticipate. The key characters,
first create a simple sketch. I never use any digital which often are planes, space ships or other fantastic
equipment for these drawings, but just concentrate vehicles, are created or photographed specially for
on the idea without being bothered by any technical each composition, because I need the object I want in
issues. Of course, this usually does not lead to a
masterpiece, but a sketch that shows all of the objects
the image consists of in the right places in proper
perspective is good enough!
The third step, the work with camera and computer,

follows the sketch. The most important factor while
taking pictures is the lighting. Not only the intensity
of the sun, but its color is relevant. Is it neutral like
between 10 am and 3 pm, or rather orange like just
before sunset? Summer warm, or bluish and cold like
on a mid-January day? I plan all the shots necessary
for the image related to the position of the sun and
try to take all image components in the same light-
ing situation.
Besides the light, perspective is another issue I think

about before starting to shoot, because a change of
perspective is almost impossible when working in
Photoshop. That is the reason I photograph all image
components with the same lens. Themes all appear
in a very dynamic way because I mainly work with
lenses from 20 to 28mm. These short focal lengths
emphasize the foreground and make the background
look smaller than it is. This makes the image look
wide and gives room for the main subject, giving the
images a look that is both dynamic and full of energy.
In addition to photographic image files, I also use

computer generated imaging for some of the most
ambitious compositions. When it comes to fantastic
flying objects or imaginary vehicles, I use the 3D
software Cinema4D. This program is very com-
patible with Photoshop. For example, it is possible to
change the render settings so that light and material
attributes like shadows, transparency and reflection
get their own layers once the image is opened in
Photoshop. But even this advanced technology re-
quires more than a computer. The background and
the surrounding environment of the 3D model are
both based on photography− because nothing is
more real than reality, even if it is just photographed.
You’d be surprised to see my image archive because

it is relatively small. Images that I use frequently
in different sizes and perspectives can be found
phototechmag.com 13
TECH:
well-balanced light with a certain focal length scene. The cloth is thin cotton tissue without
from a clearly determined perspective −too many any design, which will work as the background
attributes for reasonable archival storage. material for the mapping later. I masked the studio
scene and combined it with the architectural
When all parts of the image are photographed or photograph and started to cover the real façade
rendered, I begin to combine the individual parts with parts of an old concrete wall. The concrete
and forge a new image that looks like all of one pieces were transformed and darkened by a levels
piece. Even the smallest things are important, be- adjustment layer where necessary.
cause nobody would ever think that it is necessary
to draw a shadow for a detail only three pixels in In the next step, I photographed the white hang-
size. But if this isn’t done, it would look fake! ing cotton cloth. After masking it, the image was
saved as a matrix. Then I used the displace filter,
There is still one of the most difficult things to which requires the matrix in order to know how
handle during the process of creation: determining far the pixels of the facade should be displaced.
when to stop. There is always something to im- The darker the pixel, the further the displacement
prove or to change, but looking at the entirety of of the pixel. I used a different closeup shot from
the image, it is necessary to say “No” in order not the façade and applied the same filter used for the
to lose control. cloths in the foreground.
Making of Reichstag Making of Sky Train

Like in most of my work, the topic for Reichstag The making of the Sky Train required Photoshop’s
was something I was thinking about for a long capability to handle 3D files. The background
time. How can I visualize the conflicts of politics? consists of two images that I took some time ago
On one hand, politicians have to act overtly as while visiting New York City. The lighting was
representatives of the will of the people, while quite diffused on that day, so I masked the backs
on the other hand politics could never exist with- of the buildings and darkened them using a dark
out behind the scenes diplomatic digressions. grey layer and the blend method “linear light.”
So I decided to take an architectural shot of the The train itself I built in Cinema4D, which can be
Reichstag, the building of the German parliament combined easily with Photoshop. Positioning and
in Berlin. After having shot the building on a nice lighting of the train both are accomplished with
evening in August, I photographed the studio Photoshop. Photoshop versions since CS4 handle
PHANTASTOMANIAC: BUILDING THE COMPLEX PHOTO COLLAGE ULI STAIGER
3D files pretty well, as it is able to add textures to the

train. Along with the color, there are transparent,
distorted surfaces (bumpmap surfaces) and reflections
that can be allocated to the meshes of the train. Using
Photoshop CS5, the render option looks quite realistic,
because the renderer uses ray tracing in order to imitate
real lighting.
The finishing of the image was also done in Photoshop.

The lightning is drawn, and a copy of its layer is
blurred with the Gaussian Blur to make it look even
brighter. The smoke is necessary for the atmospheric
impression. You can use just a simple brush tip, hard-
ness 0%, opacity 5%, or you load a cool brush set from
the Net. In this case, I used the xplosion brush set from
QBrushes.net.
Uli Staiger was born 1966 in Tailfingen, Germany. After completing

a photographic apprenticeship, he worked in New York and New
Jersey as a freelancer. Back in Germany, he attended art school and
in 1998 founded his own studio, "die licht gestalten," in Berlin. Staiger
specializes in creating hyper-realistic scenes, using both photography
and computer generated imaging.
To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online Forum:

www.phototechforum.com
Product Resources
Cameras: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lenses: Canon EF 20mm
1:2 8L, Canon EF 24-70mm 1:2 8L USM, Canon EF 70-200mm
1:2 8L IS USM; Studio Flash: Broncolor; Mobile Flash: Metz 45
CL2; Computer: Mac Pro 4x2, Macbook Pro; Software: Adobe
Photoshop CS4 & CS5, Maxon Cinema4D R12, Filter Forge 2.0,
QBrushes.
Sky Train
PORTFOLIO:
Jesse Alexander:
Iconic Images of
Motor Racing’s Heyday
from a Master Photographer
Chuck Graham
Strolling through photographer Jesse Alexander’s Carpinteria,

CA studio of black and white motor racing images is like
taking a step back in time to the sport’s infancy. Mostly self-
taught, Alexander has been a photographer since high school,
evolving into a photojournalist and fine art photographer. His
primary focus on motorsports began in the early 1950s, with
the birth of the sports car movement in the United States.
The walls of his studio are adorned with portraits of legendary

motor racing personalities and dramatic action imagery
throughout Western Europe and America. Racecar drivers
such as Phil Hill, Alfa Romeo, Johnny Neumann, Karl Kling,
Juan Fangio and Hans Herrmann were always favorite
subjects.
However, motion is prevalent in Alexander’s work, certainly

in a sport that thrives on speed and precision. Some of
Alexander’s most compelling imagery is captured on rain-
soaked racetracks like Le Mans, France and Monte Carlo and
through the course of his career, a throng of Grand Prix races.
Whether freezing the action of a race car at 150 mph, or easing
the action down with a slower shutter speed, the droplets of
water spinning off saturated tires captures the feeling of speed
as well as the risky nature involved in a dangerous sport.
“Action is captivating,” he says, “but portraits capture the

ambiance.”
Alexander’s work has been featured numerous times in Car

& Driver, Road & Track and Automobile. In 1967 his images
appeared in Sports Illustrated in a feature on motorcycle
racing. During the 1996 Summer Olympics, Alexander’s work
was part of an exhibit of sports photography. Scores of other
images that aren’t visible in Alexander’s studio have been
available in his books: Porsche Moments, Driven, Forty Years
of Motorsport Photography and Ferrari Grand Prix Moments.
From his neatly organized and elaborate archive that not
only fills his studio but also three storage rooms, Alexander
completed the painstaking task of selecting imagery that
appears in a new book. Inside the Archives was recently
published by David Bull Publishing. Many of the images have
never been seen before.
Now at the age of 81, Alexander shows no signs of slowing

down. The passion is still there, evident in his eyes even after
60 years behind the lens. When I asked him if he ever thought
of retiring, he scoffed at that notion, as well he should. “No,
are you kidding? I’m still very active.”
INTERVIEW WITH JESSE ALEXANDER CHUCK GRAHAM
Giacomo Agostini, champion motorcycle rider, is posing on his bike at a slow speed, shot from the back of a convertible FLAT, a perfect solution for capturing
the action and facial expression. The camera was a Leica and the shutter speed was probably 1/60th.
phototechmag.com 17
PORTFOLIO:
The Ferrari mechanic is holding the signboard to tell the driver his race position, and I hold the camera on him as I push the
button when the car passes. This is an example of a lucky shot when the image works. Shot with a 35mm Leica and a 50mm.
Shutter speed is probably 1/125th- perhaps slower, as the car is quite blurred.
His iconic images are currently appearing in galleries in- CG: When did it become a career?
cluding the Patty Look Lewis Gallery in Santa Barbara,
CA the Peter Fetterman Gallery in Santa Monica, CA and JA: When I went to Europe in 1954. I needed to earn
the Staley+Wise Gallery in New York. some money. I had a friend who had a car magazine, so
he wanted me to send him photographs from Europe. It
“I feel very fortunate,” said Alexander as we discussed began to steamroll from there.
his life’s work over lunch at Sly’s Restaurant in downtown
Carpinteria, where more of his work is prominently dis- CG: You photographed at Le Mans in 1965 for News-
played. “I’ve had a great life, and I’m still going strong.” week. What was the biggest challenge for you shooting
Here are some highlights of our conversation: that race?
Chuck Graham: What attracted you first, motorsports JA: It’s a 24-hour race, shooting at night. It’s a photo-
or photography? grapher’s delight because it usually rains, so you get
wonderful wet imagery and good action. There was a
Jesse Alexander: I’ve always been attracted to huge crowd there like a county fair.
automobiles. My dad had an old Packard. They were
awesome. CG: How did you go about choosing which races you
wanted to photograph?
CG: What was the draw to photographing motorsports?
JA: Back then I didn’t have to choose. I always had an
JA: I was photographing an activity which I really en- assignment. My favorite tracks are Spa in Belgium and
joyed. It was exciting. I didn’t really have any sense of a Nürburgring in Germany. Access was never a problem.
career, or any ambition of making a career out of photo- I worked for magazines who gave me a letter from the
graphy. It was fun just hanging out next to the cars. editor. Once one establishes a reputation, access is
INTERVIEW WITH JESSE ALEXANDER CHUCK GRAHAM
The drivers are running to their race cars in a Le The portrait of Sir Stirling Moss was taken in practice for the 1958 Italian
Mans type start at the 1959 1000 Kilometers of the Grand Prix at Monza. The camera was a Rollieflex, and the shutter speed
Nürburging. There was time for just one frame and was 1/125th. The Rollie was a great portrait tool – beautiful negatives and
then wait until the cars begin to roll to click another even more beautiful black and white prints.
shot to make a sequence.
never a problem. However, this is not true today, as the or her enthusiasm. Pictures taken from the grandstand
freelance photographer is up against stiff competition can often be as exciting as those taken from the pits.
from the numerous agencies. It’s a different world today.
One thing that's important is that I welcomed rain. The
CG: What kind of camera gear were you working with combination of a slower shutter speed with water coming
back then? off the tires was a natural. I used the Leica F Series
and Kodak Super XX at 400 ISO max. Kodachrome was
JA: Beginning in the 1950s, a Leica Rangefinder, and an wonderful, and you really had to pay attention to
old Rolleiflex Twin Lens medium format camera, which metering. After all these years, those slides still look
took beautiful negatives. Later on it was Canon SLR great today.
cameras. Film, I was using Super Double X, Kodak’s Tri-
X Film and Ektachrome. My last film camera was a Canon CG: You used to process your own film when you were
EOS 1N. I went to digital five years ago. Now I’m using a working with black and white negatives?
Canon 5D Mark II. I’ve used Canon equipment since they
began. The lenses are great. JA: In the early days I did have my own darkroom. I’d
airmail images to New York where the magazines were.
CG: What types of techniques did you use to photo- The result was archives of images. It’s very hard to throw
graph races? away stuff.
JA: Often times I did not want to freeze the action— CG: You are mainly a self-taught photographer, but who
shutter speeds are a creative tool. Speeds as low as a were some of your early influences in the field?
60th or a 30th of a second were perfect. Today the pros
use much slower shutter speeds. It all comes down to JA: Edward Steichen’s photojournalism of World War II
the creative skills of the guy behind the camera and his battlefields was great, as was Robert Frank’s post World
phototechmag.com 19
PORTFOLIO:
Sir Stirling Moss is practicing for the Belgian Grand Prix in the rain at Spain 1955. I am panning my Leica with a 50 mm lens.
War II imagery of America. I also enjoyed Eugene Smith

for his vivid World War II photos.
CG: Do you have a favorite car that you’ve photo-

graphed?
JA: That would be a 1955 Mercedes sports racing car,

a very famous car. They only made a few of them. I like
old cars, Porsches, Ferraris.
CG: In stark contrast to your motorsports imagery, a

small section of your website is devoted to bird
photography, particularly birds in flight. There’s a lot of
motion in your photography though, so in that sense
the two subjects go hand in hand.
JA: My wife and I bought a home on Sand Point Road

in Carpinteria in the early 1970s. We lived there until
2009. That’s where I discovered shorebirds. I love
________________________________________ watching birds. A lot of my best bird pictures were
taken there. Some of my favorite birds are the black-
crowned night herons, brown pelicans and elegant
terns. What can be more wonderful than capturing an
image of a beautiful bird?
Chuck Graham is a freelance writer and photographer living in

Carpinteria, CA. His work has appeared in Outdoor Photographer,
Shutterbug, Nature Photographer, Men's Journal, Backpacker,
Canoe & Kayak and The Surfer's Journal. To view more of Jesse
Alexander's images, visit www.jessealexander.com.
Forum: www.phototechforum.com
Product Resources
Cameras: Leica Rangefinder, Rolleiflex, Canon EOS 1N,
_________________________________
Canon 5D Mark II; Film: Super Double X, Kodak Tri-X,
Super XX, Kodachrome, Ektachrome.
NEWS: Wendy Erickson
Books
In After Photography, a Fascinating Look at the Perils and Possibilities of Photography in a Digital Age (W.W. Norton and
Company, 2010) author Fred Richin takes the reader on a journey observing ways digital imaging has affected and altered the way
people receive visual information. I originally took this book out of the library to read, but after a brief look, I realized I must buy this
book. It is best taken in small carefully read doses. Written in essay format, the book raises many questions about digital photography,
questions that require thought before answering. Fred Richin is former picture editor of the New York Times, professor of photography
and imaging at NYU, and the director of PixelPress. www.pixelpress.org
Studying Photography, A Survival Guide by Douglas Holleley (Clarellen, 2010) is just that. I wish I had had this 121 page paperback
when I was a young undergraduate photo student. The book is a manual for the student of photography, from navigating the ‘ways of
academia’ right up to good practices, copyright and the law. It’s written with humor and experience and illustrated the same way. What
type of student are you? “A Feedback Junkie” or maybe “The Eternally Disappointed” one? Go to www.clarellen.com and order a copy
for your favorite photography student.
Publish Your Photography Book by Darius D. Himes and Mary Virginia Swanson (Princeton Architectural Press, 2010) takes readers
on a journey to understand the process of producing and publishing a photography book. Covering the history of photo books through
marketing avenues and more, it offers a wealth of information and resources for photographers contemplating making their own photo
book. www.papress.com
Centerfold Team Brings

Workshops to Vegas
Shoot The Centerfold, the unique photographic enter-
prise formed by current and former Playboy photo-
graphers Arny Freytag, Jarmo Pohjaniemi and David
Mecey, will present a two-day seminar and workshops
at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas on June 4th and
5th. The event will feature Playboy centerfolds Ashley
Hobbs, Kassie Lyn Logsdon and Shanna Marie
McLaughlin, whom participants will photograph with
hands-on assistance from Arny, Jarmo and David.
The seminars will include presentations from each

photographer, explaining the techniques that have
made their work world-famous. Studio time will also
feature photo shoots by the three photographers,
discussing their sets, lighting and posing techniques
while answering students’ questions.
The price of the event is $995. Make reservations at

____________ www.shootthecenterfold.com.
phototechmag.com 21
NEWS:
included those entitled Native Americans, Yemeni,

Family of Miners and Appalachia—his photographs
truthfully narrate the lives of the people he met through-
out his lifetime.
Rogovin’s children Mark, Ellen and Paula, are collab-

orating on ways to get their father’s photographs into
classrooms around the world. Mark Rogovin recently
said, “My father was a social documentary photographer
and he made these photographs because this was
essential material—because these were images of
people who had beauty, did the tough work in society,
and that these images could be useful, and now 50
years later I’m starting to understand what he meant.”
Visit the Milton Rogovin website to view the portfolios

and learn more about his life in photography. Teachers
take special note: There are educational materials in-
cluding comprehensive guides in English and Spanish
with class projects and methods for teaching with
photographs.
Click on the Education tab to locate them. http://www.

miltonrogovin.com/
Hans Kuhlmann, 1939-2011

The former President of Consumer Imaging at Agfa
Corp died January 31, 2011. Kuhlmann was with the
Agfa-Geveart Group for 40 years. Other positions at
Agfa were National Director of Sales and Vice Presi-
dent of Sales. Born in Recklinghausen Germany, he
first came to the US as an exchange student in 1961
where he attended DePauw University in Indiana. He
later graduated Columbia University with a Masters
in Business Science. Kuhlmann was instrumental in
expanding Agfa’s US manufacturing.
He received many industry awards in his lifetime,

including Man of the Year from the Photo Marketing
Association, Lifetime Achievement award from PMDA
and Outstanding Leadership and Dedication award
from the United Nations’ International Photographic
Counsel. He was also awarded the top award from IS&T,
the Lifetime Achievement Award. Well liked by everyone
in the photo industry, he enjoyed photography—his
cheerful motto was “keep smiling.”
Camera Obscura Gallery

Closing
Sad news in the recent PFA newsletter announced the
Milton Rogovin Camera Obscura Gallery in Denver, CO closed at the
end of April. Hal Gould had been director of the gallery
for the past 30 years and has been a cornerstone of the
photographic arts in Colorado for half a century. He will
In Memoriam retire to work on his memoires, return to the darkroom
and organize his personal archive. Associate Director
Milton Rogovin, 1909-2011 Loretta Young-Gautier will return to her personal work
After once being blacklisted as “Buffalo’s Top Red” by the Buffalo Evening News, full time.
activist Milton Rogovin turned to making photographs as a way he could continue
to do political work. He was 48 years old when he began his serious career in Those who have been familiar with the Camera Obscura
photography. When he started, he knew his local subjects who he dubbed “The Gallery will miss visiting the home of some of the finest
Forgotten Ones.” photography on the planet and will recognize an end to
an important era in photographic history.
Classified as a Social Documentary Photographer by the Library of Congress,
Rogovin used his camera to capture social issues, culminating in 13 different
portfolios made from 1953 to 2002. His photographs of poor and working people
Christy Lee Rogers:

Speed of Light
Duncan Beebe
Knowing that light travels slower in water than air is the first step toward
understanding the magic behind the luminous photography of Christy Lee Rogers.
Rogers is a photographer and filmmaker from the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In her
hands the play of light, water, color, movement and optics combine in elegant
underwater photographs. Her new series, Odyssey, explores the quiet battle between
spirit and flesh, depicting inner adventures and couplings of mythological figures
drenched in color and frozen in time. Rogers’ methods have long been as mysterious
as her photography, but for the first time she is willing to share them here.
phototechmag.com 23
PORTFOLIO:
Rogers has been experimenting and pursuing this that would allow me to deliver the images I had already
process for over seven years. All of her images are conceived. But it had to be a way that wouldn’t dilute
created in camera and not by the use of post-production them or concede to the limitations of reality.”
manipulation. Instead she relies on the elegant physics
of water and light to aid in the creation of her other- With two major bodies of work completed, Rogers
worldly images, employing the light deviation be- describes her initial intentions for the work: the ideas
tween a body of water and the air above it. With which set her on this path. She wanted to express a
refraction as the foundation for her work, Rogers has sense of wonder and tranquility, to provide some solace
succeeded in crafting unique and mysterious images. for people from their occasionally hectic and relentless
This mechanism, which she has explored tirelessly, is lives. These motifs appear throughout her oeuvre. Her
deceptively simple: light moves more quickly through latest series has yet to be shown in its entirety. It’s quite
air than water. possible that Odyssey is it, the body of work that will
complete her own personal Odyssey.
Light bends when it passes from a substance of one
density into a substance of a different density—this is In an art world seemingly saturated with post-modern,
called refraction. Rainbows are caused by refraction self-aware, or process-based work, it is refreshing to
and reflection of the sun’s rays in drops of rain. Have meet an artist who believes in art’s power to penetrate
you ever tried swimming down to the bottom of a reality and inspire us, a Classical idea, which is at the
pool to retrieve something and realized that it was core of the work. Rogers firmly and wonderfully be-
not where it appeared to be from above? What you’re lieves that beauty can change man.
experiencing is refraction.
In order to achieve a sort of photographic mise-en-
Rogers utilizes this phenomenon of light as it passes scène, she had to find a new way to create her images.
from the air, which has a lower optical density, into the They couldn’t be fictitious, as that would undermine
water, with a higher optical density. In air light travels at her intent to demonstrate that there are still mysterious,
about 186,000 miles per second, but in water light travels impossibly beautiful things on Earth—not solely in our
only about 140,000 miles per second. She then causes imaginations. The work of a true artist lies in manifesting
subtle motions in the layers of the water or with her their inner world externally. To accomplish this she
subject to create her effect. There is a fine line between turned to water. “It became an obsession of mine to
disaster and perfection. If used correctly these effects communicate through my art that there was more to
can produce fantastic optical illusions: intensification man than a body controlled by the peculiar nature of
of colors, blurring, blending and a painting-like final the physical universe; that he or she was more capable
image. “I feel like a magician, except I’m not trying than ever imagined. I dedicated most of my time to
to trick or fool people but to open their minds to conceptualizing and planning how to communicate
something that’s not always visible to the eye.” The that message.”
combination of body and wind movement increases
the volatility of an already fragile environment. Rogers To accurately execute her latest body of work Odyssey,
accounts for this chaos and captures it in these moving, Rogers started by keeping notes of her ideas and in-
striking images. spirations in notebooks that travelled with her wher-
ever she went. During this period she scoured the
As light changes medium, its angle changes and its streets, beaches, forests and thrift shops for props that
velocity decreases or increases with fascinating con- would help animate her vision. She also began to search
sequences. Rogers’ mastery of this phenomenon allows for subjects. She met with many artists, musicians,
her to create sun-dappled figures afloat in dim waters, dancers and selected a group for their authenticity,
and figures whose clothes take on a Baroque complexity their willingness to improvise and experiment and for
and vibrancy. Through this very sensitive process, the way they inspired her to do the same.
she has found a myriad of ways to create images,
manipulating only water depth, light and movement. Months of planning and sketching would pass before
Despite the highly technical source of the effect, Rogers she felt prepared for her first Odyssey experiment. For
is only interested in the science insofar as it allows her this series Rogers used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and
to express herself through her art. “It’s a means to an a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, depending on the shoot.
end. I’m interested in whatever allows me to produce Working alone, she employed halogen spotlights and
my vision, and I had to search for and perfect a method any available light sources from the pool and above.
Star Crossed
PORTFOLIO:
Upon the Cheek of Night
“I need to work alone with my subject, in peace and Only a visionary such as Rogers could take refrac-
quiet with no restraints or distractions. The water is tion as a point of departure and from it create such
distracting enough and the process requires total evocative work. The unique environment, trusting
focus.” Rogers typically spends three to five hours models and ancient mythology coalesce into these
with her subjects, starting by preparing them for tremendously powerful photographs. Her endless
the technical difficulties of performing underwater, ingenuity has produced images which are distinctly
lightly discussing her process beforehand since her own and a style which accentuates the potency
there is very little time for her subjects to talk once of her work.
the shoot has begun, and most importantly, ensur-
ing that her subjects are relaxed and ready to open Duncan Beebe is a writer and gallerist in Santa Monica, CA. He has
written for such publications as Eyemazing, ArtLA and Fingernails.
up. “I don’t give too much instruction because He is currently writing his forthcoming novel, With Abandon, a work
I don’t want to overwhelm them. I want them to concerned with family, identity and loss.
experience the beautiful weightlessness of the water Christy Lee Rogers grew up in a family of musicians in the small
and to react naturally.” beach town of Kailua, Hawaii on Oahu’s windward coast. She is a
self-taught visual artist, indie-filmmaker, poet and musical lyricist.
Her work is currently represented by and on exhibit at Barclay’s
Each novel moment that her subject encounters Club in Monaco, outside of France; James Gray Gallery, Bergamot
Station in Santa Monica, CA; Laura Rathe Fine Art in Houston, TX;
during their exploration of the new environment is Graphite Galleries in New Orleans, LA and Cedar Street Galleries
an opportunity for Rogers to capture the portrait and Fine Art Associates in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Visit www.christyrogers.com
that she’s been seeking. With a carload of props and
fabrics, Rogers experiments with every possible Forum: www.phototechforum.com
object she can find, including tree branches, vines,
Product Resources
costumes, masks, flags, knives, body paints, ropes, Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark
yarn, Christmas tinsel, hula hoops and even toy III; Computer: Apple MacBook Pro; Software: Adobe
sharks. “Each color and prop, as simple as it may Photoshop CS3, Canon Digital Photo Professional
Software.
be, is an integral part of my character’s story.”
Break the Wall Dividing Us
An Interview with Kevin Then:
Redefining High-End
Wedding Photography
The Inner Side
Many wedding photographers work with an established scenario carried out in a predictable way.
Kevin Then, however, is a photographer whose work redefines the genre of high-end wedding
photography. Named Hasselblad Master under the Wedding Social category in 2008, Then has
continued to demonstrate aesthetic brilliance and command of the latest photographic technological
developments in fashion and design. The result is an international client base and invitations to
speak about what he does to raise the bar for excellence in wedding photography.
Some photographers, especially those whose work is recognized internationally, may find that a
particular style is associated with their name. Then has picked up the title, at least in a number of
online blogs, as the “Master of Romanticism.” It’s title he can live with, he said in a recent interview
with photo technique. What follows is what Then explained about creating the amazing images
that have built his international reputation.
phototechmag.com 29
FEATURE:
PT: What is the inspiration for your “romantic” style of photography?
KT: I think that the term “romanticism” does describe the intense
feelings I have always had while shooting. It later became my style.
Working to achieve an image that is both dramatic and majestic
turned out to be considered romantic.
PT: Is most of your work involved in shooting actual wedding parties,

or do you also do work in advertising?
KT: My work involves both wedding and fashion photography. My

clients include actual brides and grooms, but I also create images
for designers of wedding dresses and shots for magazine layouts
where I use professional models. My published work is found in
a wide variety of media sources, including newspapers and mag-
azines, on the Internet and my social network has helped to market
my products worldwide.
PT: You are also known for using Hasselblad equipment. Do you
have a formal relationship with Hasselblad?
KT: I’m involved in their promotion for the launch of one of their
newest models, the Hasselblad H4D-40. I’m proud to say that I am
one of three photographers chosen worldwide for this promotion
and the only Asian.
PT: As a Malaysian photographer, do you find that your work reflects

the culture of your country?
KT: I think I portray the culture of Malaysia through the models’

customs, actions, traditions and most importantly, the ambience
that can be felt through the settings of my photographs.
PT: You work in both a studio and on location. Which of these do

you prefer?
KT: I mostly prefer working on location even though I also do enjoy

shooting in the studio. I like working on location where I can exert
my creativity by wholly shooting outdoors. Furthermore, it is much
more challenging to be shooting outdoors.
Often, there are some undesired circumstances and situations oc-

curring, such as controlling the different brightness from the light
rays, and I do need to adjust the lens in order to capture the image
brilliantly and majestically. The advantage of shooting in the studio
is that I am able to control and adjust the lighting the way I want
it to be.
PT: When you create an image, is the concept decided before the
shoot, or does it develop during the shoot, or both?
KT: Well, I would say both. In handling each individual task involved
in the shoot, I always take the time to review the location beforehand.
This might be my principle responsibility for success in my job. While
I am at the location, there are some aspects that I have to attend to,
such as the lighting source, the view and surrounding environment
to produce the most brilliant and desired photograph.
PT: Who selects the locations—you or your clients?
KT: Mostly, I am the one selecting the location. Even though a site
may be suggested by my clients, I always look at the bigger picture
to see how it might work for them. In this situation, I do give my
opinion to them, in a way to let them have another option to consider,
Fantasy
phototechmag.com 31
FEATURE:
The Royal’s Romance
given my professional experience in photography. My PT: Do you do post-production work yourself?

highest priority in taking the photograph is to make my
clients look their best in a manner that most suits them. KT: Yes, for some certain projects, I do handle it myself.
However I also do have my own art design team.
PT: Please describe the way you work with lighting on
location. PT: What inspired you to become a photographer?
KT: For example, in the image of the model in the forest KT: My interest in photography and the enthusiasm and
Fantasy, my concept in setting up the lighting is using a satisfaction I get from my passion for photography has
main light source at a 45 degree angle in front and an motivated me to keep on improving myself, especially in
additional backlight directly behind the subject. For The my photographic skills.
Inner Side, there are equal amounts of lighting set both
behind and in front of the subject to create the desired
image. I also use available light as a light source. In fact,
that’s one of my favorite sources of light. I always attempt Kevin Then, born into a family of artists, received a degree in
Hotel Management from Stamford College, Singapore. He began
to make use of every source of light and element available photographing with his brother-in-law and was amazed and inspired
for the image during a location shoot. to make a career change. With professional partner Kenneth Lau,
Then has operated a wedding studio for almost a decade. Visit ___
www.
sgbridalhouse.com and www.hasselblad.com.
__________
PT: Do you work with a staff to help with the shoots?
Forum: www.phototechforum.com
KT: To me, a perfect well-captured shoot can only be
done with the help and effort of everyone on my team. Product Resources
In the same breath, it is just like a family working hand in Camera: Hasselblad H4D 40; Lenses: 150mm, 28mm, 80mm;
hand to produce a majestic image that every one of our Lighting: Bowen Travel Kit GM 500 with reflector.
team has imagined.
(Right) Blessing
phototechmag.com 33
TECH:
The Art of Texture Blending:

Photography Beyond Realism
Oak Tree
Adding textures to paintings and photographs is chanical process. Experimentation is key, and we
as old as these art forms. This article focuses on always try to get surprised. You will learn that
artistic aspects of Texture Blending, starting with a good textures are as important as your so-called
brief overview. main images. We create new textures all the time
by photographing, collecting from the web (always
Texture Blending Overview respecting copyrights) and Texture Blending of
With film, photographers created texture blended textures. It is not easy to get textures of a good
images by exposing multiple times with different resolution. Sometimes texture resolution does not
textures and the main images. It could also be matter, but then in other cases it does. Making
done by creating sandwiches of different negatives textures smaller is easy, but you cannot create
or blending in camera. Today the process is much artificial resolution.
easier to control by using Photoshop.
Photos and Paintings
The idea is to blend a picture with one or more Do we want to create images that look like paintings?
textures and let the result become more than the We don’t really think that way. But in some ways,
sum of the photos used. For us, Texture Blending our images have a certain painterly look. When
is always an exploration process. This is done pri- we work on our images, we think about enhancing
marily by utilizing Photoshop’s Blending Modes to their visual impact and not what painters would
blend the images. Texture Blending in not a me- do. We always think about the mood of the photos.
THE ART OF TEXTURE BLENDING BET TINA & UWE STEINMUELLER
In most cases, the base image is a very realistic Dreamy

image. It then gets enhanced using abstract patterns
(sometime we use simple collages). In the end we
may use techniques like painters, but we don’t think
in terms of painting.
Some Photography Myths

Photographers are often fixated on sharpness and
resolution. Texture Blending will actually often re-
duce the sharpness and detail. It is all about the
mood we want to create. We also do not care much
about “correct” colors. First of all, we would need
When we captured this girl at the beach, we liked the
to define what this is (except in the world of pure posture and the hippie-like skirt. But we were not too keen
product photography). Again, the color is a major about the shoes and the boring ocean surf.
element to create the mood we like. Dark colors
play an important role for us.
We often shoot in light many photographers would

avoid and not much at the so-called golden light of
the morning or evening. We love early morning
light and also some soft overcast. In the end, we
create some of the light with our Texture Blending.
The Art Of Texture Blending

All these images were created using our own Tex-
ture Blending technique and they demonstrate a These wildflowers shot at Big Sur using a long focal length
variety of reasons to apply Texture Blending. were not intentionally photographed to be a texture.
Now the photo looks more like how we felt while capturing the scene. The posture is the key element, the boring background gone
and the shoes well-hidden.
phototechmag.com 35
TECH:
Abstraction
We like the image because it is quite abstract. What we see is actually compressed cardboard at a local recycling yard. In this case, the B&W
conversion was created using our special B&W texture with frame. Both the main image and the texture image were taken with an iPhone.
Too Clean Surreal
These are the handrails of some stairs in Monterey, CA. We found We also like to create some more surreal looking images, like this one
the original photo “too clean.” In contrast, the blended photo based on a realistic photograph of the Contemporary Jewish Museum
invokes a more interesting “mood.” We used a photo of a dirty in San Francisco. Again the boring sky and the too clean look made the
wall for the texture. photo uninteresting, though we liked the framing. The texture this time
is a blurred version of a different beach photo.
THE ART OF TEXTURE BLENDING BET TINA & UWE STEINMUELLER
Skies Can Be So Boring
Near our home we have beautiful oak trees.

It is hard to do them justice because the skies
are most of the time just plain boring.
When the image is blended, the trees can On one hand, you have to photograph these trees against the sky to show their beautiful shape
show why they are special. and on the other hand, it is hard even to imagine the ideal sky.
Painterly Look (Etching)
__________________
This photo looks like an old etching. We had no intention of simulating an etching look, but
this was the result of our exploration process. The original photo was a digital infrared photo
taken with an IR modified camera. The texture used is a photograph of the metal fish container
surface in Monterey.
References
Digital Outback Photo
www.outbackphoto.com
German photographer Uwe Steinmueller and his wife and partner Bettina came to live and work in the
United States over a decade ago. They concentrate on taking photos for fine art prints, mainly nature and
urban landscapes. Owner and editor of Digital Outback Photo (www.outbackphoto.com), Steinmueller has
authored numerous books and articles about digital workflow.
To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online Forum: www.phototechforum.com
phototechmag.com 37
INNOVATIONS:
Promote Control
A Full Featured Time Machine
If you are a photographer who takes time-lapse photography or HDR sequences, this
is a camera timing device that fits your needs. This is far more than an electronic cable
release−this is a time manager. The Promote Control comes in a sturdy hard case with
two cables. There is an optional camera specific cable that really needs to be purchased
in order to fully use the capabilities of the control options.
The Promote Control offers time management in several ways:
First, you can focus the camera from the device, providing you use both cables. One
Shot Mode is pretty much what other cable release systems have. However, it is in the
other modes the Promote Control excels.
In Time Lapse mode, you can set exposure, the interval between images, the number of
frames and even set a delayed starting time.
After determining your mid-exposure through test shots, change the Promote Control
to HDR Mode. Set up the EV difference from 0.3 EV to 2 EV. Then set the number of
exposures. You can also set a Time Lapse repeat of the sequence. You have the option
of starting the sequence from the midtone, the lowest shadow or the brightest highlight.
Hit Start and Promote Control runs the entire sequence. For exposures over 30 seconds,
you need the camera-specific cable, as well (another reason its purchase isn’t really an
option). Promote Control will handle exposures up to 1/4000th of a second.
Promote Control also has a Hyperfocal Distance calculator. Set the desired hyperfocal
distance, select the focal length, choose a crop factor and Promote Control gives you
the correct f-stop. It will also reverse calculate by choosing the f-stop and then give you
the hyperfocal distance.
You can even do Time Lapse HDR creating a combination of HDR sequence exposures
and different HDR series at time intervals.
The unit runs on two AA batteries and costs $329.00. The needed camera specific cable
is an additional $18.95. For more information, contact www.promotesystems.com.
I.P.S. Inflatable Photo Studio

Own a Portable Studio for a Few
Months’ Rent
Need a studio for a controlled shoot on location, or
even better, multiple locations? The innovative Inflatable
Photo Studio could just be the answer. The inflatable
Studio comes in sizes from 20' x 15' x 13' to 30' x
20' x 15'. Each unit is made of 5-7ml thick UV coated
polyethylene and has a black interior and your choice
of white or black exterior. There is also an option for
a diffused white translucent ceiling. Units wrap up to
an easily transportable roll that weighs less than 100
pounds not counting the drum fans.
Simply unroll the studio, stake or tie down the bottom

and turn on the fan (two for the larger studios), and the
studio inflates in about three minutes. The fan is then
set at a lower speed that keeps the studio inflated
while letting air out the door slit to keep the floor from
overinflating and bowing.
The 30' x 20' x 15' Libertine model with two 24-inch

drum fans costs only $2,299.95. The smaller 20' x 15' x
13' Hooligan model is $1,879.95.
For more information, contact www.ips-studio.com
INNOVATIONS:
The Digital Silver Darkroom

The new-fashioned route to real black
and white prints
If you don’t have access to a darkroom or the skill and experience,
it doesn’t mean you can’t make a traditional black and white
print—high quality silver-gelatin black and white prints are only a
few clicks away, and you will never have to work under safelight
conditions or stand in front of an enlarger to achieve them. Using
your images, computer and Internet access, you already have the
tools available to make black and white photographic prints on
traditional silver halide paper. All ‘prints’ referred to in this article
are real black and white silver-halide photographic (not inkjet)
prints. With only a handful of labs in North America making digital
black and white prints on real photographic paper, one lab with a
real passion for black and white is Digital Silver Imaging (DSI) in
Belmont, MA. Owner Eric Luden shared information about how
his lab is able to make these professional quality prints.
How it works
A photographer uploads a digital file to the lab. The file is exposed
onto photographic paper at the lab using laser exposure in a
digital enlarger. After exposure, the paper is machine processed
in print processing chemicals, and the result is a digitally exposed
black and white silver-halide print. Although they look and feel
exactly like traditional photographic prints, the real difference lies
in the emulsion technology. These emulsions are panchromatic,
and optimized for digital laser exposure. Luden’s lab uses Ilford
Ilfospeed RC Digital and Galerie FB Digital papers and exposes
them with a Durst Theta 51 digital enlarger. This sophisticated
digital lab system uses a modified laser designed for true black
and white printing from digital files. Imaging is at 400 pixels per
inch, and prints may be made up to 20" wide and 15 feet long. The
paper is machine processed in standard darkroom chemicals,
then washed to produce archival silver images. Fiber base prints
get an additional wash to ensure the permanence of the prints. PocketWizard Expands
DSI offers sepia and selenium toning and protective wax coatings
as additional services.
Control of Portable Flashes
and Studio Strobes
When the lab does the conversions, a digital proof is sent back to PocketWizard has added two new accessories to their radio
the photographer for approval before printing. Files are RGB (not control Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 remote flash controls.
grayscale) at their native resolution. Uncompressed JPG, TIF, or
RAW formats are accepted. Luden’s team extensively uses NIK The AC3 ZoneController allows you to set up to three flashes
Silver Efex Pro 2 for color to black and white conversions. Well in separate zones and control both the lighting ratio and
known for innovative digital workflow solutions, NIK incorporated the power of the flash itself from simple dials on top of the
special algorithms in the software that translate into user-friendly camera. The three separate dials work using an Auto setting
darkroom-inspired tools. that controls E-TTL output for each of the three flashes.
Each flash can be changed from +3 to -3 power in 1/3 EV
When asked about comparing prints made in a regular dark- increments. Even more impressive is the fact that more than
room vs. using the digital enlarger, Luden said, “Even with the one flash can be assigned to a zone. The ZoneController fits
best of master printers in the traditional darkroom, there is no on top of a Mini TT1 transmitter and each flash unit needs a
way to reproduce a silver print exactly from print to print, and Flex TT5 receiver attached to each flash. In manual mode,
there is the beauty of that uniqueness to a ‘handmade’ print. the AC3 ZoneController can control actual flash power from
With digital printing, however, there are ways you can open up 1/64th to full. This unit works with both Nikon and Canon
shadows and control highlights in the file itself, so once you cameras.
have that, using digital workflow, you can get repeatability from
print to print. We’re able to provide something that isn’t available But there is more. PocketWizard has also introduced the
to photographers and that’s the traditional darkroom print—we’re AC9 studio strobe adapter that works with Alien Bees, White
helping people learn to see in black and white again.” Lightning, and Elinchrom RX studio strobes. The unit sits on
top of a Flex TT5 and attaches to the studio strobes via an
Resources: Ethernet cable. A plug is used to disable the optical slave unit.
Digital Silver Imaging, www.digitalsilverimaging.com; Durst, Using this system with the AC3 ZoneController allows you to
www.durstus.com; Harman Technology Ltd., www.ilfordphoto. control studio lights in up to three zones independently from
com; NIK Software, www.niksoftware.com
___ the top of your camera. The AC3 ZoneController costs $79
and the AC9 Strobe Adapter costs $62. The camera requires
a Mini TT1 or Flex TT5, and each individual flash requires its
own Flex TT5 receiver.
For more information, go to www.pocketwizard.com.
phototechmag.com 39
JOURNEY TO THE BRIDGE JAMEY STILLINGS
Bridge at Nevada Hairpin, July 28, 2010. The old hairpin turn on the Nevada side, the bridge structurally complete and the illuminated sky of the
Las Vegas metro area.
Journey to the Bridge:

The Story of “The Bridge at Hoover Dam” Photo Essay
Jamey Stillings
It is at the intersections of nature and the hand of man that found interesting was fair game. Thus it was one evening
the greatest visual, philosophical, environmental and political in March 2009 that we drove over Hoover Dam and
energy exists. At these intersections, we discover something encountered the bridge under construction starting its
important about ourselves and our relationship to the world. aerial journey across the Black Canyon of the Colorado
River. I had not previously known about the bridge and
Early in the first quarter of 2009, the studio phone went the Hoover Dam Bypass. Our immediate decision to
silent; no portfolio requests, estimates, or assignments. spend another day and evening photographing at the
Nothing. I have been through a few recessions and each dam and bridge has resulted in one of the fullest and
has presented a new and unique set of challenges. The richest creative experiences of my career.
Great Recession of 2009 would be no different.
The evolving bridge sparked my imagination. Watching
I decided immediately to capitalize on the slow period, the bridge’s construction, especially at night, was both
turn it to my advantage creatively, if not financially. “Let’s inspiring and captivating. I needed to find a way to re-
go on a photo road trip!” I said to photographer Mike turn to photograph the bridge. But how could I gain
Sakas, my good friend and first assistant. Anything we access? Headed by the Federal Highway Administration,
Arizona Arch Segment, April 28, 2009. Pre-visualized in March 2009.

phototechmag.com 41
PORTFOLIO:
(FHWA) responsible parties for the Hoover Dam Bypass politics of successfully completing a federal/state/private
Project included several federal agencies, the Arizona and infrastructure project ultimately prevented my access to
Nevada departments of transportation and several private make these portraits. In order to maintain the limited
contractors. Construction had been ongoing for years. No access I did have to the construction alignment, I needed
doubt, all their systems were firmly in place, including to follow policies, procedures and protocol meticulously.
policies and procedures for photography. The ultimate benefit of being road-blocked on two of
three creative directions was that I became free to pursue
I concluded my best bet was to secure an editorial assign- the landscape body of work with even more dedication
ment and felt intuitively The New York Times Magazine and passion.
would be an excellent fit. They might appreciate the photo-
graphic aesthetic emerging in the first few images and The bridge, Black Canyon and Hoover Dam became a
grant me the freedom to pursue this vision. With the help three-dimensional chessboard of sorts. We poured over
of Sharpe+Associates, my reps, we approached the mag- satellite photos to better understand the terrain’s com-
azine. As luck would have it, the pending architectural plexities. With the cooperation of the BOR, Mike Sakas
issue would be on national infrastructure. With a small and I scrambled up and down ridges and cliffs to scout
guarantee for first editorial rights and a letter of assign- prospective viewpoints in the summer’s 122º heat. We
ment, I made my plans. charted the sun’s path, thought strategically about im-
portant stages of construction and the best points of
I learned the policies, procedures and limitations of view. From this research a matrix evolved throughout the
photographing the bridge. Most of my ground-based ac- project to develop the photo essay by continually adding
cess came through proper permitting with the Bureau of interest, variety and insight.
Reclamation (BOR) at Hoover Dam. More limited entry
within the construction alignment came by carefully follow- A construction site active 24/7 and lit at night had a sur-
ing established procedures and protocol with the Federal real quality. The key was to photograph the bridge in a
Highway Administration. Six days of photography in two visually evocative and compelling way while respecting
trips culminated with a dawn helicopter flight over and personal aesthetic sensibilities. Constant technical care
around the bridge. and attention to detail was necessary for success. Anything
could prevent a photograph from reaching its potential.
The New York Times Magazine was very thin in June 2009.
Advertising pages were down with a corresponding de- Step one was to eliminate potential vibration during ex-
crease in editorial content. However, the newly redesigned posures. I needed to worry about wind, movement on
magazine included one full-page aerial image of the bridge scaffolding and the special requirements of long telephoto
as “Endpaper: Bridge to Somewhere,” along with nine lenses. I obtained Gitzo’s most robust carbon fiber tripod
photos in their online edition. The coverage was well re- and ball head.
ceived. Initial relationships and procedures were estab-
lished. In mid-June, I made the decision to pursue the Second, I needed to ensure accurate focus in low light
bridge as a long-term personal project, eschewing the scenarios. I switched to manual focusing using Canon’s
editorial support of other publications in exchange for Live View mode at maximum magnification.
complete creative freedom.
Third, I tracked my optimal primary exposure both
I wanted to create three separate bodies of work: a doc- aesthetically and using the camera’s histogram. Then I
umentary essay in the midst of construction, a “studio on bracketed exposures to allow for greater dynamic range
location” portrait series, and the continued observation during imaging work on the computer. In an ideal world
of the bridge within the landscape of Hoover Dam for nighttime photography, I would have utilized a four
and Black Canyon. I was not granted access for a doc- or five exposure bracket, but because the camera would
umentary essay on the bridge’s construction. Citing safety only allow for three exposures automatically, I chose the
and proprietary concerns, this option was taken off the expeditious route. My exposure bracketing varied from
table. For over a year, I actively pursued permission to +/- 2 to +/- 1 stop(s) from my primary exposure.
create the portrait series, even driving to Denver in a
January snowstorm to present a formal proposal to the Fourth, I butted up against the optical limitations of
Federal Highway Administration. But the complexity and some lenses. Lenses that are fine for everyday assign-
JOURNEY TO THE BRIDGE JAMEY STILLINGS
Aerial View, June 30, 2009. Morning clouds on the eastern horizon.
phototechmag.com 43
PORTFOLIO:
fresh perspectives and visual inquiry. The opportunity to

spend extended time with a single subject brought a depth
of visual understanding both to the approach and the
resulting body of work. It has been and continues to be a
great experience.
The Bridge at Hoover Dam is now an exhibition, which I

intend to travel nationally and internationally for several
years. To date, the work has been exhibited at the Las
Vegas Springs Preserve, Etherton Gallery in Tucson,
Arizona and photo-eye Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Phoenix Art Museum has scheduled the first museum
exhibition for August through November 2011. I have
been honored to see the work published in numerous ed-
itorial publications. And I am actively working to create
the best book publishing opportunity. Stay tuned.
How a structure and its creation are documented greatly

Colorado River Bridge, September. impacts how it is remembered in history. Construction of
the bridge downstream from Hoover Dam was unique
ment work, especially where corner sharpness is not both for its historical importance, by its proximity to
an issue, suddenly met their match when used for the the dam, and for its technical achievement, bridging the
task of documenting the bridge. I started testing lenses Black Canyon over the Colorado River with the longest
more critically and found myself moving back to concrete arch span in the western hemisphere.
prime fixed focal length lenses. During this time, Zeiss
began to issue its DSLR manual focus lenses for the Canon The bridge challenges us to examine the juncture of
mount. I tested several. Ultimately, a group of Canon and nature and technology on a scale that is both grand and
Zeiss lenses became my “prime” allies during the project. human. The overarching goals of The Bridge at Hoover Dam
are to acknowledge the collective talents and labors of
Finally came the challenges of quality aerial photography. those who built the bridge and to place the bridge within
It is easy to photograph in the daytime with high shut- the historical and aesthetic context of Hoover Dam and
ter speeds and lenses stopped down, quite another task the American West. Without the hard work and talents of
to shoot at dawn and dusk. I used a single Kenyon gyro hundreds who built the bridge, these photographs would
for all aerial work, but even this sometimes met its match not exist.
when shooting f2, 1/125 second, ISO 3200 out the open
door of the helicopter. Many lenses that are amazing for Jamey Stillings’ work as a photographer spans fine art, documentary and
portraits are not spectacular when focused at infinity. advertising. A passionate interest in people, world cultures, social and
environmental issues are the guiding forces in his photography and life.
Many lenses that shine when stopped down 2-3 stops Recent clients include The New York Times Magazine, Toyota, GE Global,
are less than stellar when shot wide open. Finding the and First Republic Bank. He was awarded the Director’s Choice Award, First
Place, 2010, by CENTER for, “The Bridge at Hoover Dam.” See
very best optics for aerial photography is still a work www.jameystillings.com and www.bridgeathooverdam.com
in progress. One definite change is that I will integrate a
To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online Forum:
double gyro system for future aerial work. www.phototechforum.com
Between June 2009 and January 2011, I made more than Product Resources
a dozen trips to the bridge, racking up almost 40 days Camera: Canon 5D Mark II; Canon Lenses: 17-40mm f/4L
and nights of photography in the process. The photo USM, 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, 24mm f/1.4L USM, 35mm f/1.4L
USM, 50mm f/1.2L USM, 70-200mm f/2.8L USM, 85mm f/1.2L
essay that developed from my initial encounter allowed USM, 300mm f/4L IS USM, 400mm f/4L IS USM; Zeiss Lenses:
me to meld photographic and aesthetic sensibilities with Distagon T 18mm f/3.5, Makro-Planar 50mm f/2, Makro-Planar
100mm f/2; Tripod: Gitzo GT5561, GT3541 XLS Head; Computer:
a reawakened sense of childhood curiosity and awe. The Apple MacBook Pro, Apple Mac Pro 2; Software: Adobe
bridge as subject has been creatively and technically Photoshop CS5, Adobe Lightroom 3; Other: Kenyon KS-6 Gyro
Stabilizer Kit, Tamrac Big Wheels Rolling Backpack-LP8, Tamrac
challenging, dynamic and transitory. Over the two years Aero Speed Pack 75.
of the project, as the bridge evolved, each visit required
THE SILENT & THE PLAYFUL: LIGHT ARIS KARIMI
The Silent &

the Playful: Light
Aras Karimi
My fascination with light started early in my life. When circles on the bazaar’s floor, reflection of colored
I was about five years old, I was sitting in a room by a windows in daytime and the last moments of a fiery
window with shuttered heavy curtains, leaving only a sunset in a Persian Gulf port where I used to live,
small distance in between them, where a miracle was I could see light declaring its inimitable splendor
happening: I could see the movement of dust in the over and over.
air. I was mesmerized, not just by seeing the dust, but
feeling something powerful and beautiful for the first That childhood fascination has paved its way to
time: light. be the central theme of my work as an abstract
photographer. But unlike the usual process in
I left the room, not knowing that for years to come light photography where light is the modest messenger
would keep stealing my attention. And from the light of a story, in my work light itself becomes the
phototechmag.com 45
PORTFOLIO:
storyteller and objects become the messengers let- the dominant subjects of the photographs. None of
ting light expand its playful presence on them. Light the viewers of my earlier photos had an “image”
is truly the “subject” of my works. It comes from my of light as my actual subject in their mind or any-
urge to share the way I see and experience the thing of that nature to compare my work to, or
world around me, a world full of light moving, turn- to feel the importance of light, regardless of the
ing, twisting and dancing on different surfaces and object in the picture. No matter how I would play
spaces with everything else in view as a background. with the contrast, color, brightness or sharpness
during photography, the results failed to com-
The process I use in taking photographs wasn’t municate the essence of what I wanted to reveal.
developed overnight. My earlier efforts to capture Therefore, my effort of giving subjectivity to light
light through photography were total failures. seemed impossible.
Although I was trying to record light, the results were
pictures of still objects such as chair, table or curtain; This struggle went on until little by little I discovered
I needed the objects to capture the reflections, that if I take pictures with longer shutter speeds
to use them as the medium. But somehow those and move the camera, shapes of objects start to
“preset subjects” could easily become the center of break and the border between them fades. They
attention of my pictures, and light would become are still there, letting the light reflect on them and
merely a tool to depict them. announce its playful existence, but the deformed
objects cannot dominate the attention of the photo
The cause of my dilemma is simple: light does anymore. I constantly try to dominish the objects
not create a distinct mental portrait. Potentially in my photos, abating their structural presence to
and historically, light has always been the modest magnify the qualities of light that is shaded on them.
medium for portraits of other people or things. And This opens the opportunity to see new things, feel
those portraits and their stories effortlessly become new things, an abstract ethereal world free from
THE SILENT & THE PLAYFUL: LIGHT ARIS KARIMI
structure, arrangement and definitions, filled with

brightening pleasure and liberating movements.
Recording light is like a chase for the untouchable;

patience and persistence become inevitable. I take
scores of shots to choose one that satisfies me with
its revelation of light, the unearthly mood, and the
aesthetic composition I want to create. And after
years of doing photography I can now imagine the
results better; I can better predict how the photos
will turn out with different camera movements in
my hand. My process has grown from absolute
experiments to a now more controlled technique.
I work only in digital format. I started working

with film, but I switched to digital photography
about seven years ago. It’s more convenient and
cost-effective. I can see the results faster. I move
the camera while taking the picture, and with a
digital camera that has preview, it is easier for me to
capture better composition.
This collection is dedicated to the reflection of

natural light on different surfaces such as glass and
plastic. None of the pictures is taken from dust,
smoke, or moving objects. The feeling of move-
ment in the photos comes from two sources: the
movement of light itself, and the turn and swing of
the camera in my hand with a long shutter speed.
Natural light always offers surprising twists and
turns, as well as the gradual matchless changes due
to the change of sunlight. I don’t use filters. Colors
result from the natural light reflection on objects,
or light decomposition when passed through glass. All of my works are reflections of my vision and
emotion at the moment the shot is taken. They are
In post-production, I use only two Photoshop tools: an invitation to re-experience light, an invitation
burn and crop. I use burning for higher contrast to a world where one can touch the mercurial
and to darken some elements in my photos to give presence of light, far larger than what we tend to
attention to other elements. Once in a while I use see in daily life.
the cropping tool to change the composition.
Born in 1983 in Iran, Aras Karimi began photographing at the age
of 16. He is an emerging artist based in Los Angeles with several
Like my other collections on light, the photographs awards on his resume, including 10 honorable mentions in the
of this collection are purposefully untitled. I like International Photography Awards in the past three years. He
studies fine art at Santa Monica College, CA. His work will be
to give viewers a chance to experience their presented by the New Art Center, New York City Nov 8 -29, 2011.
His website is www.ArasKarimi.com.
own emotions while they are interacting with an
expression of mine. And it seems unnatural to me To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online
to apply a rational meaning to something that is the Forum: www.phototechforum.com
opposite of a product of intellect. Ideally I would Product Resources

like my audience to see the photographs in large Camera: Canon EOS 10D; Lens: Canon 16-35mm
print format. I produce 20" x 30" inkjet prints on f2.8 II; Software: Photoshop and Lightroom 3; Paper:
Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl.
Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl Paper (285 msg).
phototechmag.com 47
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variations on the photographic arts Kenneth Josephson’s

American Red Cross

23 Christy Lee Rogers:

Publisher S. Tinsley Preston III

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. by St. Croix Press Inc.

I.P.S Inflatable Photo Studio pg. 12

34 The Art of Texture Blending:

Another car, in Stockholm, leaves a perfect silhouette of its proﬁle in a dusting of

4 photo technique M/J 2011

THE CAMERA WORK OF KENNETH JOSEPHSON A. D. COLEMAN

Josephson studied photography at the Rochester

Anissa, Chicago The term “photographic seeing” had considerable

6 photo technique M/J 2011

THE CAMERA WORK OF KENNETH JOSEPHSON A. D. COLEMAN

Dover’s History Trip - Part IV

8 photo technique M/J 2011

DOVER'S HISTORY TRIP PART IV DAVID VESTAL

118. Bucks County Barn, 1916, by Charles Sheeler

10 photo technique M/J 2011

DOVER'S HISTORY TRIP PART IV DAVID VESTAL

was old-fashioned. Title by Dover, fairly likely

131. Allie Mae Burroughs, wife of Floyd Burroughs, by

Evans took leave from the Farm Security Admin-

12 photo technique M/J 2011

PHANTASTOMANIAC: BUILDING THE COMPLEX PHOTO COLLAGE ULI STAIGER

The third step, the work with camera and computer,

Besides the light, perspective is another issue I think

In addition to photographic image files, I also use

You’d be surprised to see my image archive because

Making of Reichstag Making of Sky Train

14 photo technique M/J 2011

PHANTASTOMANIAC: BUILDING THE COMPLEX PHOTO COLLAGE ULI STAIGER

3D files pretty well, as it is able to add textures to the

The finishing of the image was also done in Photoshop.

Uli Staiger was born 1966 in Tailfingen, Germany. After completing

To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online Forum:

Strolling through photographer Jesse Alexander’s Carpinteria,

The walls of his studio are adorned with portraits of legendary

However, motion is prevalent in Alexander’s work, certainly

“Action is captivating,” he says, “but portraits capture the

Alexander’s work has been featured numerous times in Car

Now at the age of 81, Alexander shows no signs of slowing

16 photo technique M/J 2011

INTERVIEW WITH JESSE ALEXANDER CHUCK GRAHAM

18 photo technique M/J 2011

INTERVIEW WITH JESSE ALEXANDER CHUCK GRAHAM

War II imagery of America. I also enjoyed Eugene Smith

CG: Do you have a favorite car that you’ve photo-

JA: That would be a 1955 Mercedes sports racing car,

CG: In stark contrast to your motorsports imagery, a

JA: My wife and I bought a home on Sand Point Road

Chuck Graham is a freelance writer and photographer living in

20 photo technique M/J 2011

NEWS: Wendy Erickson

Centerfold Team Brings

The seminars will include presentations from each

The price of the event is $995. Make reservations at

included those entitled Native Americans, Yemeni,

Rogovin’s children Mark, Ellen and Paula, are collab-

Visit the Milton Rogovin website to view the portfolios

Click on the Education tab to locate them. http://www.

Hans Kuhlmann, 1939-2011

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