-
Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
I have endured many weeks of a particular nagging thought like one of those melodies that runs repeatedly in your mind over and over again and you are unable escape from its repetitions. It was not until I was leafing through my new book Ansel Adams at 100 did I decided to to shed this thought and ponder its answer. It really is not a thought, but rather a question of why. Why Moonrise over Hernandez? In particular, why was Moonrise over Hernandez Adam's most sold print?
I could think of a countless photographs from his body of work that are far more powerful and vivid then Moonrise over Hernandez. There is El Capitain, Aspens, Clearing Winter Storm, Mount Williamson, Heaven’s Peak, Autumn Tree Against Cathedral Rocks, Mount Mckinley and Wonder Lake, Wanda Lake, Lake and Cliffs, or Overlooking the Snake River Toward the Tetons.
So I pose this question to the intelligence of this community of artist photographers in hopes of finding an answer that will put my nagging thought of why to rest.
Why do you think Moonrise over Hernandez was Adam's most sold print?
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Stephen,
I think your question is fair – and I hope we can all acknowledge at once that “units sold” does not (necessarily) indicate “quality achieved.”
And like all good questions, yours quickly raises others that may help amplify it, including:
1) Was "Moonrise" promoted or sold any differently than other AA photos?
2) Has the long-lived popular taste influenced, or reinforced critical taste, and vice versa?
3) Might future popular taste for “Moonrise” decline, and taste for the other AA photos grow?
4) Have other master-photographers consistently admired one or two AA photos, like this one?
I don't possess a strong enough background in marketing (or photographic history) to address your question directly, but I do look forward to learning more from the best answers in this thread.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stephen Willard
Why do you think Moonrise over Hernandez was Adam's most sold print?
No idea, really. Maybe he sold it cheaper than anything else?
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
When seen as a 20x24'' print in the flesh, it really is truly spectacular. Just thought I'd say that:)
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stephen Willard
Why do you think Moonrise over Hernandez was Adam's most sold print?
It was? I remember that when I first learned of Adam's work, it were other photographs I saw. Only quite some time later I saw (a reproduction) of the moonrise. And yet later I learned that the moonrise was a "famous" shot… It needs to be said that it has a very "easy" appeal - you can't negate the "ohhh, a moonrise…" effect on the average viewer. Have to say it caught even me when I first saw it.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
There’s also AA’s thrilling story about taking “Moonrise” (he couldn't find his meter; see The Negative, Chapter 6), and I’m curious if that may have added to its “sales appeal” – did a promotional effort ever make use of this story?
Or maybe this is a case where sales are, simply, due to a magnificent photo w/ broad appeal.
That is, it may have “sold itself.”
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
It's always been my favorite image of Mr. Adams. It's just a gut emotional reaction. The one element that is so different about this image over his other work is the human element of the buildings and cemetery. For my answer it has to do with the presence of the human element, and the universal cycle of sunset and moon rise.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Why did Michael Jackson's Thriller sell over 100 million copies ? :)
There are countless reasons. You might say 110 million reasons. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Understanding this sort of thing, is like "understanding" the Stock Market. It can't be grasped.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
The (this) viewer is immediately struck with his own sense of mortality in a remote and indifferent universe. That being said I've always been tickled that AA's most famous photo was as much of a 'snapshot' as you can get with an 8x10 camera and decades of creative intuition.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
When I was a younger snot, I was stationed in Monterrey, CA. One town over was a little town called Carmel. Perhaps you've heard of it. In any case, in Carmel, there is a photography gallery that features his work. Back then, I could have purchased any one of his prints for $250.00 to $400.00. If I'm calculating inflation correctly, tha put them at around $1500.00 in 2010 dollars. On one particular visit, they had two different versions of that print exhibited side-by-side. One of them was a more recent print with the rich black sky and the moon that pops out at you. The other was a more traditional sky and the ground was burned in somewhat. They looked like two images of the same village, taken on different days. (Which, of course, begged the question--how did he get the moon to be in precisely the same spot and phase for both images?)
The purpose of my rambling is this. BOTH prints were spectacular. The earlier print was priced $250.00 more than the more recent print BECAUSE it was earlier. Guess that was the way it was done back then. As nicely as the gallery was laid out, the pair of prints still had the effect of drawing viewers immediately to them. I was in the gallery for a while and remember commenting to a friend that accompanied me that everyone who came through the door seemed to get sucked straight over the Moonrise twins. I will die wishing I'd had enough money to buy one of his prints.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
To address this question, one might consider what is actually different about Moonrise over Hernandez unlike the alternative images I noted in my initial question. Moonrise over Hernandez has a human foot print of mankind. It is about a remote modest community of crosses, churches, and dwellings. Hernandez is about an isolated group of people coming together as a tribe to fend off the unforgiving forces of the natural world. Hernandez domesticates the land. It tames the forces of nature for those who fear the land. The mountains are diminished while the tribal dwellings and its crosses become prominent. It makes the viewer feel safe against the elements by the divine light that warms the crosses.
This past summer I spent close to three months in the backcountry with my llamas and cameras living in isolation. I wrote many papers exploring where my place is as an artist, what purpose do I serve as an artist, what is art, about the emotional and physical stress I endure to extract a photograph from the land, and what it means to produce sellable art. Moonrise over Hernandez lies at the heart of many questions I have.
It is my belief it has nothing to do with marketing, but rather everything to do with its content. There is something in Moonrise over Hernandez that makes it more appealing then his other work. I have my suspicions, but at this point I am not willing to state them for fear of influencing the ideas and thoughts that my be posted.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Your error is in believing that your declarative statement (see below) amounts to anything more than opinion. That arrogation makes it almost impossible for you to gain a perspective on why others might see Moonrise as Adams' most moving work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stephen Willard
I could think of a countless photographs from his body of work that are far more powerful and vivid then Moonrise over Hernandez. There is El Capitain, Aspens, Clearing Winter Storm, Mount Williamson, Heaven’s Peak, Autumn Tree Against Cathedral Rocks, Mount Mckinley and Wonder Lake, Wanda Lake, Lake and Cliffs, or Overlooking the Snake River Toward the Tetons.
Moonrise's huge and enduring popularity is proof that there is something about it that evokes emotion in a great many viewers. I am only guessing here, but perhaps it is the relative scarcity of images that so coherently illuminate a night time scene, or it is the overwhelming sense of scale of the huge sky over the tiny community, or the tiny cross which has been insinuated as a powerful symbol in so many minds.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Michael Graves
...... The earlier print was priced $250.00 more than the more recent print BECAUSE it was earlier. Guess that was the way it was done back then..
The notion of "vintage" prints being more valuable than later renderings is still very much with us. The paradox (though not necessarily true for all photographs or photographers) is that later printings are often clearer renderings of an artist's expression than were their original versions. The mysteries of marketing and valuation remain obscure to me, at least.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
all those crosses. people are suckers for crosses.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
I've seen quite a few prints of Moonrise, both before and after the neg intensification. And for some reason, I too am one of those who is not really struck
with the image. I can logically understand why it's remarkable, but it just doesn't
hit me the way it's supposed to. But I was always more interested in the way Adams' handled light, and get a bit turned off when his images get too theatrical
(I'm sure someone will take offence to this - but we are all somewhat different in
our tastes). I seem to like it when his poetry is a litte more understated or perhaps
quiescent. The psychology of images is very interesting, with the way different
people do or don't respond to things.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
I first saw a large exhibit of AA's work at the Corcoran in DC. There where many breathtaking prints. There was also a 40x50 or so print of moonrise that I can say was nothing less than absolutely stunning. It's just one of those photographs that works on every level. We all know the type. People just react to it. It draws you in. It has that once in a lifetime vibe without even knowing the back story.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Just remembered something. One of the best AA retrospectives was here at the Oakland Museum shortly after his death. It obviously drew in a lot of folks who weren't photographers, and quite a few already heard that Moonrise was his most
famous shot. So I milled about close to that particular image for about half an hour;
didn't say anything, but just listened to other people's reactions. Surprisingly, most
folks had a scratch their head attitude. It was something they "had" to see but didn't
respond strongly too. Only a few people were awestruck or whatever. I just found the experience interesting. Different people have different buttons to push.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stephen Willard
[…] Hernandez domesticates the land. It tames the forces of nature for those who fear the land. The mountains are diminished while the tribal dwellings and its crosses become prominent. It makes the viewer feel safe against the elements by the divine light that warms the crosses. […]
I think I like the quick take above. It’s basically my reaction, too.
Yet, maybe what makes “Moonrise” so powerful & mysterious is its ability to provoke irreconcilable reactions. Not only among us, but in us.
If one looks at it again, one might feel differently about it:
“Hernandez dramatizes the land. It warns about the forces of nature for those who respect the land. The distant mountains feel bigger while the nearby dwellings and its crosses feel tiny. It makes the viewer fear the sublimity of the elements by the divine light that sweeps over the crosses.”
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Having lived relatively close to the site of this image most of my life and passing by the site regularly since I was in grade school, I have to say that the image astonishes me as much today as the first time I saw it (maybe in 1970?). The image is iconic of the Hispanic villages of Northern New Mexico landscape and the landscape they inhabit. That image has allot to do with why I became a photographer. In the 70's the site appeared much as it did when AA made the image and realizing the vision and expertise necessary to make that image possible from that site has always inspired me. For me it is a regular living example of the transcendent possibilities of b&w photography and will forever inspire me to not casually accept everyday light or lazy "performances" of my negatives in the darkroom.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stephen Willard
I have endured many weeks of a particular nagging thought like one of those melodies that runs repeatedly in your mind over and over again and you are unable escape from its repetitions. It was not until I was leafing through my new book Ansel Adams at 100 did I decided to to shed this thought and ponder its answer. It really is not a thought, but rather a question of why. Why Moonrise over Hernandez? In particular, why was Moonrise over Hernandez Adam's most sold print?
I could think of a countless photographs from his body of work that are far more powerful and vivid then Moonrise over Hernandez. There is El Capitain, Aspens, Clearing Winter Storm, Mount Williamson, Heaven’s Peak, Autumn Tree Against Cathedral Rocks, Mount Mckinley and Wonder Lake, Wanda Lake, Lake and Cliffs, or Overlooking the Snake River Toward the Tetons.
So I pose this question to the intelligence of this community of artist photographers in hopes of finding an answer that will put my nagging thought of why to rest.
Why do you think Moonrise over Hernandez was Adam's most sold print?
Because the most people like it..
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
By the way, it's not Moonrise Over Hernandez. It's Moonrise, Hernandez
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Because it captures something of the amazing light and feel of a little village in the land of enchantment.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Deane, shouldn’t that be “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico” ?
And a couple more questions about this photo have long haunted me. Now may finally be the time to ask the experts. One question about the sky in the print, another about the real sky in this region of New Mexico.
1) First, my reproduction of “Moonrise” in The Negative – like several other reproductions in the book – show tiny pinholes. Normally, my mind “edits” them out, and they don’t register. But in this photo, the “editing” is more difficult because they appear in the dark sky alongside the moon, exactly where one might expect to see stars! About 5 or 6 pinholes are fairly prominent in my book – and one even “bright” enough to twinkle, near the left side. Makes me curious if the people who’ve seen a real print of “Moonrise” noticed this at all? Or if this is a “book issue,” not a real-life “print issue”?
2) And a regional question about those blurred, surreal, mountain clouds. Since they’re distant, one suspects a long exposure might have created the other-worldly feel. Yet AA’s exposure was a “quick” 1 sec. @ f/32. Now, we all know that AA wasn’t out to transcribe reality, but I still have to wonder if those clouds look “natural” to people who live in the region. If so, is there a name for that beautiful formation? And if not, is there a darkroom process that’s responsible? Perhaps a question for Kirk, who’s traveled through the area so often.
:rolleyes:
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Heroique
Makes me curious if the people who’ve seen a real print of “Moonrise” noticed this at all? Or if this is a “book issue,” not a real-life “print issue”?
2) And I still have to wonder if those clouds look “natural” to people who live in the region. If so, is there a name for that beautiful formation?
:rolleyes:
1) I just had a good close look at my print (which hangs on the wall directlyabove this computer), and there's no twinkle, twinkle little stars.
2) The clouds are called stratus lenticularis, and while not common, they are not rare. I don't believe that I've ever seen them in the Eastern US.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Heroique
And a couple more questions about this photo have long haunted me. Now may finally be the time to ask the experts. One question about the sky in the print, another about the real sky in this region of New Mexico.
2) And a regional question about those blurred, surreal, mountain clouds. Since they’re distant, one suspects a long exposure might have created the other-worldly feel. Yet AA’s exposure was a “quick” 1 sec. @ f/32. Now, we all know that AA wasn’t out to transcribe reality, but I still have to wonder if those clouds look “natural” to people who live in the region. If so, is there a name for that beautiful formation? And if not, is there a darkroom process that’s responsible? Perhaps a question for Kirk, who’s traveled through the area so often.
:rolleyes:
Live a few hours away, SW Colorado and was actually within 10 miles of the Hernandez area today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MtJeffersonoregon.jpg
Mountains do weird stuff to clouds, the link above has similar formations.
The clouds in Ansel Adams shot are very believable for me.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Thank you, Bill and Mark!
I've enjoyed lenticular clouds up here in the PNW, but I've never had the pleasure to see them take that dreamlike form over Hernandez. :)
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
I think the essence of the appeal lies in the fact that the image depicts the hand of man on the natural environment. There is also a spiritual vein in the image that appeals to values beyond composition, tonality, and image quality.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
I have seen several different original prints of Moonrise over the years and it never fails to grab me. To my mind the photograph symbolilizes the harmony between man and the natural world, and the quietude that we all seek.
Happy New Year everyone,
-Preston
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Conceptually, Hernandez depicts a landscape that has been tamed and domesticated by the hand of man. It has a very famine romantic quality that is very soothing to look at. All those crosses light by divine light makes us feel safe from the brutal forces of nature.
On the other hand, El Capitain captures the raw untamed beauty of the land and lacks any presence of mankind. It is much more masculine in nature full of adventure, danger, and unknowns. It is a place were a mountaineer or warrior may go in persuit of conquest, power, and riches.
Can anybody characterize the type of person who make like Hernandez as opposed to the type of person that may be drawn to El Capitain?
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
It evokes a sense of mystery and he had a good story.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
I don't think the amount of time taken to take a photograph is what makes it a snapshot or not
the scene necessitated it being taken quickly
He took it because of his intuition telling him to
If you believe he had decades of practice leading to his great creative intuition than the photograph taken in an "instant" only more sells his photographic ability if the photo is seen as a masterpiece
I wouldn't be tickled Id be in awe that a guy driving down the road can see something and stop immediately knowing a particular scene/feeling in that scene would be a great photo and having the knowledge to get an exposure he would think is good enough only adds that much more to it
But that's how it always is ..for everyone trying to be creative
its all instantaneous
Have you ever had a photo get better just by standing there? Of course not.
Through practice your ability increases and your art gets better
I think the photo is popular -beloved by many
I dont understand "popular and critical taste"
because of the
earth/otherworldy
death/heavenly/living
the rural simpler life ideal
the clouds wow factor
the quiet moment ..its a very meditative photo with all those intriquing things that pop into your head
I happen to like a lot of ansels work that is way way less popular
Some you -general puiblic whomever- may be surprised to learn is even by him its so far removed from his dramatic sky/mountainscapes
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
I have my suspicions, but at this point I am not willing to state them for fear of influencing the ideas and thoughts that my be posted.
what a beauty
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Deane, shouldn’t that be “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico” ?
I think Ansel originally titled it Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941. The Ansel Adams Gallery now refers to it as Moonrise, Hernandez, perhaps for space reasons if nothing else.
I would assume that it would be most correct to refer to it as Ansel originally titled it. Of course many of us have shortened it to just Moonrise.:)
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
"I could think of a countless photographs from his body of work that are far more powerful and vivid then Moonrise over Hernandez."
Of course that's your opinion and kind of begs the question you're asking.
I've never given a lot of thought to it but I'd say one thing that makes it appealing is that it's unusual with so much of the image taken up with pure black sky coupled with the lovely clouds and light underneath. The normal "rules" would say to crop the print a little way above the clouds because large blank black spaces tend to be uninteresting. I'm pretty sure that if I had made the print I would have cropped a lot of that sky out (which is why Ansel Adams is Ansel Adams and I'm me). I think the primitive cemetery in the foreground, coupled with the beautiful clouds and light also add a subconsciously spiritual aspect to the print that many find appealing without necessarily knowing exactly why.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
The reason it is more famous or more loved and hence sold more is that "Moonrise" poses a larger question and supplies less of an answer. Viewers are allowed the option of making up many answers about what is happening in the photo and what the happenings mean.
"Moonrise" is open ended with plenty of space for viewers to interpret, to fill in the blanks to suit themselves.
Many of the other photographs supply question and answer all in one. Or maybe are completely "look at this amazing scene I saw" rather than "what is this thing I behold?"
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Brian Ellis
[…] "I could think of a countless photographs from his body of work that are far more powerful and vivid then Moonrise over Hernandez."
Of course that's your opinion and kind of begs the question you're asking. […]
Stephen’s opinion contradicts the question he’s asking – he means it to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Brian Ellis
[…] The normal "rules" would say to crop the print a little way above the clouds because large blank black spaces tend to be uninteresting. I'm pretty sure that if I had made the print I would have cropped a lot of that sky out (which is why Ansel Adams is Ansel Adams and I'm me). […]
This insight I've noticed, too – one might call it a “correctness” permissible to sacrifice for sublimity.
The longer one looks, the more sacrifices I think ones “sees.”
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
I'm not a big AA fan ... I tend to see Adams as an extraordinary technician. His prints are obviously gorgeous and near perfect in printing but they leave me a little cold. I appreciate his craft but usually not his vision ... or lack of it.
I like "evocative" images ... something that raises a response ... maybe a feeling or an emotion or sentiment or even just a memory ... but always something personal.
I love Moonrise ... a humble human outpost in a vast physical setting taken at perhaps the most reflective time of day .... just before night ... with evidence of beliefs and losses and continuing on. I think it is almost a perfect representation of the human condition. Maybe I read way too much into it ... but that's why I like it.
I would bet that AA saw the moon, clouds, light, and reflections and thought ... "Wow ... there's a picture" ... and never intended to evoke anything.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
The funny thing is photographers are usually the last to recognize an outstanding photograph as a piece of art. They are so hung up on all the technical stuff such as composition rules, cropping, tonal placement, focal length, film, SBR, etc etc and get all excited about trivial things that have nothing to do with creating something that resonates with a wider audience. Naturally if all we are doing is creating images for our own edification then who cares if we obsess over technical stuff, that's part of the enjoyment.
Now to answer the OP question. The reason it has sold a lot and maybe more than "photographers" may feel it deserves is because the general art buying public like it better.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Heroique
Stephen’s opinion contradicts the question he’s asking – he means it to.
Precisely.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Eric Rose
The reason it has sold a lot and maybe more than "photographers" may feel it deserves is because the general art buying public like it better.
Eric your getting close. My question was not why us photographers like Hernandez, but rather why the general art buying public likes it so much?
What type of patron would be inclined to purchase Hernandez? Would they be patrons that have a strong connection to the land? Would they be from an urban or rural environment? Would they more likely be women or men? If we can perhaps narrow down who they may be perhaps we could be in a better position to answer why Hernandez was so popular.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
I think it was seeing A.A.'s work that inspired me most towards large format. For me, Moonrise, Hernandez is his best work. There's a lot of complexity in that photograph, and these complexities somehow come together to form an absolutely stunning result.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
If you look at contemporary art photography, you'll see that there are very, very few natural landscapes (such as the Ansel Adams images that you find more "powerful and vivid") while a man-altered landscape such as Moonrise would fit right in. This might not be just a coincidence.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
QT Luong
If you look at contemporary art photography, you'll see that there are very, very few natural landscapes (such as the Ansel Adams images that you find more "powerful and vivid") while a man-altered landscape such as Moonrise would fit right in. This might not be just a coincidence.
I fully agree with this observation, and I also believe it is not buy chance either which tells me a lot about the demographics of who buys art.
Would any one care to speculate?
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Why do people in rural areas, or people in general, like security lights? Maybe the moon becomes a great security light, and with ansel's masterful printing, we can see there isn't any bogeymen to get us.
This is an interesting thread, and I can agree that maybe wilderness photos don't have the sense of order, certainty and comfort that a still life of domestic flowers would have.
Just my two cents,
Thad
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vinny
all those crosses. people are suckers for crosses.
Well yea-uh. What Vinny so glibbly put made me wonder how other cultures regard art which to us is significant. Does Moonrise sell in Jakarta?
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Just an observation -- I don't know what it means, if anything.
Put your finger over the Moon and it becomes a rather ordinary image. Crop off the village from the bottom and it is still an interesting picture as long as the Moon is included.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Thad Gerheim
Why do people in rural areas, or people in general, like security lights? Maybe the moon becomes a great security light, and with ansel's masterful printing, we can see there isn't any bogeymen to get us.
This is an interesting thread, and I can agree that maybe wilderness photos don't have the sense of order, certainty and comfort that a still life of domestic flowers would have.
Just my two cents,
Thad
Thad, I think you are getting close. I had never thought of the analogy of the moon acting as street lights. What follows is a list of words that I have plucked from this thread that were used to characterize Hernandez: secure, safe, domestic, romantic, crosses, quaint, community, divine, village...
What does this tell us....?
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
OK, now that I've my coffee. Maybe the simplest answer is that the general public feels, consciously or not, that there is a sense of hope. Is hope a hard thing to photograph? Please don't skewer me for this, but isn't that what Thomas Kinkade's art is about?
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
seems like it is "popular" because a lot of people can relate to it.
people like romantic images ...
the only people that really care about (the stories) of how images are made
are photographers and artists and art historians.
-
Re: Why Moonrise over Hernandez?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Thad Gerheim
OK, now that I've my coffee. Maybe the simplest answer is that the general public feels, consciously or not, that there is a sense of hope. Is hope a hard thing to photograph? Please don't skewer me for this, but isn't that what Thomas Kinkade's art is about?
Excellent observation. Yes, Hernandez embodies many of the qualities that Kinkade art does, and who buys Kinkada art?