Harold Davis's Blog, page 197

Vibrance Poster

I am pleased to announce a new Harold Davis poster from Editions Limited. It is called Vibrance, measures 24″ X 36″, and is shown below.

See related story: Editions Limited Publishes Two Harold Davis Posters (10/1/2012)

Art, Portfolios and Workshops

Art & Portfolios

I have two prints in the exhibition Timeless: The White Mountains at Photo Fine Art Photography, a gallery in Oakland, CA. If you are in the Bay area, please consider joining me for the opening reception on Saturday, September 7, 2013 from 2-4 PM (click here for more info).


Phyllis and I are very excited to have a new corporate sponsor for my photography. I am not allowed to tell you more about this until it is formally announced, but we are extremely pleased and excited.
On the book front, we are very pleased with the reception for The Way of the Digital Photographer, and excited to get an advance copy of Monchromatic HDR Photography. This is a unique and beautiful book that also provides a practical workflow for photographers seriously interested in extending the tonal range of their digital black and white. The formal publication date is in October, but you can pre-order it via Amazon.
In the course of this autumn I will be visiting Denver to produce an online course, Carmel and Big Sur for a workshop, Paris, New York, and Japan—where I plan to spend the most time in Kyoto and walking the old Kumano kodo trail—in all case for a combination of business, photography and pleasure.

Papaver and Iridaceae © Harold Davis

We are very pleased with the sales of my Botanique handmade artist book. It has been written up in Fine Art Printer, a leading magazine about the art and craft of fine photographic printing (click here for more info). There is only one copy left in the $1,200 price tier, after that is gone the price will be $1,900. Please contact the studio if you are interested this “luscious edition that oozes flower sensuousness” (as one collector put it). Orders are on a first come, first served basis; click here for more information about Botanique.
Numbers 4-6 of my Monochromatic Visions portfolio are available for $1,200. Please contact the studio if you are interested; click here for more information about Monochromatic Visions.
Advance copies (numbers 1-3) of the iPhonographie de Paris portfolio are available for the special price of $390. Please contact the studio if you’d like a copy; click here for more information about iPhonographie de Paris.

Workshops

Speaking of “one left” (we were, weren’t we!), there is one spot remaining in the Monochromatic HDR Photography in the Big Sur landscape workshop,sponsored by the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, CA, click here for info, curriculum and registration. The workshop is Friday, September 27 – Sunday, September 29, 2013. This won’t last long!
There are only a few spaces remaining in the Waves workshop on Saturday November 23, 2013, conducted in the classroom and field at Point Reyes National Seashore, click here for online registration.
The Photographing Flowers for Transparency: Two Day Workshop with Harold Davis is a unique opportunity to learn my techniques for photographing and processing flowers for transparency. Alas, the workshop is full,  but a waiting list is available. If there is enough interest, we might consider opening a second session.
Mastering Creative Photoshop: The Way of the Digital Photographer—This workshop covers developing a personal digital Photoshop workflow. Topics explained in detail include archiving and checkpoints, RAW processing, multi-RAW processing, HDR, hand-HDR, stacking, LAB color creative effects, monochromatic conversions, using backgrounds and textures, layers, layers masks, working with channels, Photoshop filters, and plugins from Nik Software, onOne Software, and Topaz—In Berkeley, CA, the weekend of January 25-26, 2014; click here for info and to register.

Church at Auvers © Harold Davis

Achieving Your Potential As a Digital Photographer: A Multi-Modal Ongoing Six Month Workshop–This workshop provides a platform for ongoing mentoring in the context of a supportive group environment. Customized individual assignments will be given. After the initial intensive two-day in-person session, we will keep in touch with monthly private group online webinars and individual phone or email consultations. A final dinner to review work and celebrate our progress will be provided at the conclusion of the workshop. Limited to 12 photographers. A portfolio review is required—starting the weekend of March 15-16, 2014, and ongoing; click here for info and instructions on how to apply.
Full Moon Workshop: Photograph the Golden Gate Bridge Like You Never Have Before: hands-on adventure with Harold Davis (April 15, 2014; click here for information and registration).
Photograph Paris with Harold Davis  featuring Paris at night, the gardens at Giverny, black & white, and more. April 26 – May 5, 2014; Click here for detailed information and itinerary, and click here for online registration.
Creative Flower Photography , June 27-30, 2014, Heidelberg, Germany. I don’t have a registration link for this workshop yet, which is being sponsored by a German publisher, but if you are interested please drop me an email, and I can let you know when registration is available.
Creative Black & White Photography and Monochromatic HDR , July 4-7, 2014, Heidelberg, Germany. I don’t have a registration link for this workshop yet, which is being sponsored by a German publisher, but if you are interested please drop me an email, and I can let you know when registration is available.
Photograph Barcelona with Harold Davis  featuring Gaudi, night photography, the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, black & white, tapas, and more. October 19 -26, 2014; click here for detailed information and itinerary, and click here for online registration ($500 early-bird discount applies before January 1, 2014).

Sacré Coeur Passage © Harold Davis

What folks have said about Harold Davis workshops and events (unsolicited comments):

 “A great artist and speaker!”—W. Anglin
 “Harold is genuine, generous, and gracious – He has a world of knowledge and expertise that he loves to share – his wonderful books show his monumental talents and skill set- his workshops shows the depth of his connecting with others in a very real and personal way.”—P. Borrelli
“Awesome! He patiently addressed questions from the audience which contained photographers of all levels , molding his answers to the level of understanding for each of us. His presentations covered a wonderful range of technical knowledge as well as emphasizing the need for images to have an emotional quality. The images he shares are breathtaking and he is generous in sharing many facets of how he captures such beauty.”—J. Phillips
“Not all photographers are good verbal communicators. Harold is someone who can DO and TEACH. A rare combination of talents.”—B. Sawyer
“Inspiring!”
“He was very giving of his talents and time. The course was very organized and thorough. Loved it! Learned so much! … I also wanted to let you know that I have more than paid the cost of the workshops I’ve done with you by selling some photos! I have sold three prints already.”—L. Beck
“Very creative and a marvelous instructor.”—Kay S.

Timeless: The White Mountains

I have two prints in the exhibition Timeless: The White Mountains at Photo Fine Art Photography in Oakland, CA (one is of the Distant Night Storm image shown below). The exhibition runs from September 5 – October 12, 2013. If you are in the Bay area, please consider joining me for the opening reception on Saturday, September 7 from 2-4 PM (click here for directions to the gallery and more info).

Distant Night Storm in the Patriarch Grove © Harold Davis

Advance copy of Monochromatic HDR Photography

I am very pleased to post the traditional photo of Katie Rose holding a fresh, still smelling of printer’s ink advance copy of Monochromatic HDR Photography. The publisher is Focal Press, and the formal publication date is October 22, 2013. I am very pleased with the way the book came out, and I think you will find that it contains some unique techniques and ideas, as well as my imagery.

Katie Rose and the advance copy of Monochromatic HDR Photography

Paris Dreams

No matter what palette you use (and this one is distinctly Marc Chagall), photographing Paris is a dream! Speaking of Paris, there is only one week left for the $500 early-bird discount for the 2014 Photograph Paris with Harold Davis workshop. This discount expires at the end of the month. To receive the early-bird discount, please make your deposit by September 1, 2013. Click here for the detailed itinerary and here for online registration for the 2014 Photograph Paris with Harold Davis workshop.

Paris Dreams © Harold Davis

Here are links to my other current workshop offerings that have availability:

September 27-29, 2013: Monochromatic HDR in the Big Sur Landscape (click here for registration via Center for Photographic Art, click here for the related Meetup group)
November 23, 2013: Photographing Waves (click here for registration via Point Reyes Field Seminars, click here for the related Meetup group)
January 25-26, 2014: Mastering Creative Photoshop: The Way of the Digital Photographer
March 15-16, 2014 and continuing:  Achieving Your Potential As a Digital Photographer: A Multi-Modal Ongoing Six-Month Workshop with Harold Davis
April 15, 2014: New Session, Full Moon Golden Gate Workshop
October 19-26: 2014 Photograph Barcelona with Harold Davis Workshop

I am offering these workshop with plenty of lead time to help with planning, but please note that my workshops generally fill up—so if one of these interests you don’t delay!

Expecting the Unexpected

Expecting the Unexpected is one of the articles I wrote for Photo.net in a series of columns about Becoming a More Creative Photographer a few years back. In the article, I noted that “the single most important trait of the creative photographer is that he or she has learned to put aside expectations and see ‘what is really there’ without preconceptions.”

Each of the columns in the series have a number of exercises to help readers internalize the points I make. I’m pleased over the years to find a number of photographers working their way through these. Recently Xavier Llora (his primary interests seem to be “data-intensive computing and genetics-based machine learning”) has been doing a particularly nice job of explaining his thought processes while doing the exercises (see Assignment 2: The Common Object and Assignment 3: Out of the Rut to get the idea of what I mean).

Good job on the thoughtful work, Xavier!

Hotel de Sully © Harold Davis

The other side of the “seeing what is really there” coin is when the artist intentionally misdirects. People looking at a photo expect to see “what is really there.” Of course, this is never actually true in a literal sense. But suppose something is added to the scene in a subtle way, as in the small-sized fractal-like view through the passage way in the Hotel de Sully in Paris, France (shown above).

If this is done without overt disturbing manipulation then, with luck, the unconscious mind of the viewer will respond to the expanded scene—and without knowing quite why will be ready to expect the unexpected, and maybe even to see what is not really there!

Working with Layer Masks: The Way of the Digital Photographer excerpted

Peachpit Press has published an excerpt from my new book The Way of the Digital Photographer: Walking the Photoshop post-production path to more creative photography. Click here to read the excerpt from the chapter on Working with Layer Masks in Adobe Photoshop.

Pipes, West Oakland © Harold Davis

Crown of Thorns

Every part of the Gothic cathedral had metaphoric significance. So it is reasonable to think that the summit of the less-photographed northern spire of Notre Dame was intended to represent the crown of thorns as an element of the Passion.

Crown of Thorns © Harold Davis

Exposure data: 105mm, 1/250 of a second at f/8 and ISO 200, hand held; processed in Adobe Camera RAW and Photoshop, selective focus added in FocalPoint, converted to monochrome using Photoshop.

See also: iPhonographie de Paris.

On the Dunes

Coming down from the highest parts of Eureka Dunes, located in a remote corner of Death Valley National Park, the last light of the day made a halo around the scrub brush in the sand. I positioned my tripod, and shot a manually bracketed sequence, with the idea of showing the contrast between the delicacy of the branches in the failing light and the fixed but grainy field of the surface of the sand dunes.

On the Dunes © Harold Davis

Exposure data: 95mm, five exposures at shutter speeds from 1/100 of a second to 1/400 of a second, each exposure at f/13 and ISO 200, tripod mounted; exposures processed and combined in Adobe Camera RAW, Nik HDR Efex Pro, and Photoshop; converted to black & white using Photoshop and Nik Silver Efex.

Lone Pine Sunset

Late in the afternoon on a chilly November day the sun peeked out east of the Sierras. Looking up, I could see patches of new snow that the autumn storm had left behind. Once again, I was reminded of the truism of Ansel Adams’s remark that you’ll never capture the storm clearing if you don’t go out in bad weather!

Lone Pine Sunset © Harold Davis

Exposure data: 44mm, four combined exposures at shutter speeds from 1/8 of a second to 1/160 of a second, each exposure at f/9 and ISO 200, tripod mounted; exposures processed and combined in Adobe Camera RAW, Nik HDR Efex Pro, and Photoshop.