Wednesday 21 May 2014

scotiabank CONTACT photography festival - "ReConstruction" at the Elaine Fleck Gallery, featuring The Contemporary Fine Art Photography of S. Vote and Gary Ray Rush

GARY RAY RUSH

The objects I’m photographing are utilitarian (useful) and as such are intended to be appealing to our eyes and to feel good in our hands.
The four items I selected to photograph for this exhibition each have their own unique story. One is the inventor(s) ability to imagine new realities and to originate new and innovative ideas, which through planning and effort become an object of their own invention. The other is the people that owned and used each of these inventions. For instance the Nikon F2 is the camera that I started my professional career with and was purchased from a friend and mentor.

I’ve coined the word “Macro-pan photography” to describe my photography process.
Macro: Photographing small objects using close up photography equipment so that the object can be printed greater than life size. From Greek makros meaning “large” as in macro photography.
Pan: Photographing several slightly overlapping sections of a scene or object by tilting or swinging a camera from one side to another or up and down. From Greek pan meaning “all, all-inclusive” as in the word panorama.

In my studio I’ll take many test shots in order to choose the angle and lighting that draws attention to the beautifully designed features of my subject. Once the angle and lighting are worked out I’ll shoot many close-ups of each facet of the object. I shoot each close-up using a macro lens and sized in camera to print sharp and render excellent detail at approximately 16x20 inches. Using Adobe Photoshop I then merge as many as twelve of these images together resulting in a file that can be printed up to twelve feet by fifteen feet with uncompromising detail at close inspection. Next in Photoshop I'll transform the image to bring the object back to its original perspective. Finally the retouching; often the objects I’m choosing are decades old and show tremendous wear and tear, my challenge in retouching is to leave the character that only use and age can produce while ensuring the original design elements shine through.  ~ Gary Ray Rush - May, 2014









S. VOTE

We all love stories, we are born for them.Art tells stories and these stories reveal the truth and affirm who we are as humans. We are drawn to stories, and we are drawn to art … that is how we make meaning of our lives.
Our lives are journeys; art and stories allow us to experience the similarities between ourselves and others.
Stories and Art are as vital as food and air and water and love. Our stories, our ideas, our passions and truth shape us.
Now; tell me your story.
S.Vote - May, 2014.