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Thread: $5,000 Postcards

  1. #21
    8x20 8x10 John Jarosz's Avatar
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    Re: $5,000 Postcards

    What those guys do for the astro part is take (6) or (10) 30 second separate exposures and then stack them to add the exposures together. There are also techniques to remove the base density at the black parts of the image. It's a standard astro photography technique. Like others have said, the tree and background was added later. It's really not photography, it's more like painting.

  2. #22
    Scott Walker's Avatar
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    Re: $5,000 Postcards

    Not sure what all the fuss is about I think it is a well composed well executed image.

  3. #23
    W K Longcor
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    Re: $5,000 Postcards

    [QUOTE=J. It's really not photography, it's more like painting.[/QUOTE]

    I disagree - this IS photography -- it is image making. And it is an interesting image. When I had a studio, I did lots of stuff like this -- all in the camera or darkroom -- pre digital days --. What I find fault with here is the really deep BS that he or his sales staff spreads. Don't make up stupid stories about how it was made -- just say "Tree of the Universe" Image by : * and be done with it.

  4. #24

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    Re: $5,000 Postcards

    The majority of the howls here are not so much that the image is a composite, but that he seems to misrepresent it.

  5. #25

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    Re: $5,000 Postcards

    Quote Originally Posted by Ivan J. Eberle View Post
    I think I can field this one with some authority since I worked beside astronomers at an optical telescope observatory for a dozen years. Stars remain pinpoint for about 2-4 seconds without any tracking, depending on magnification. So that's most likely a long telescope tracking exposure (tip off is the deep red hydrogen response.) And it's a composite image to get the tree. Common enough cheat, that to BS about it is pretty cheesy. Incidentally, it was astronomers who invented image-stacking, to get around noise issues with early noisy piezo-cooled digital sensors (they'd been using liquid nitrogen cooled ones, prior, to keep circuit noise down to manageable levels). It's so easy to stack exposures these days, that this might be dozens of images of the stars, too-- especially if shot with a relatively noisy DSLR tracking through or piggybacked upon a telescope.
    I agree. The only time I've seen anything close to this is from someone like Robert Gendler, who uses a remotely controlled 20inch reflector telescope and stacks images taken from an SBOG camera.

  6. #26

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    Re: $5,000 Postcards

    Have a look at Wally Pacholka's work, e.g. his False Kiva Image.

  7. #27
    Format Omnivore Brian C. Miller's Avatar
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    Re: $5,000 Postcards

    Quote Originally Posted by Wally Pacholka
    Pacholka said he employs simple techniques and does nothing extraordinary to get his shots. He uses a standard 50mm lens mounted on a tripod, and points a small flashlight on nearby desirable rocks and other land features he wants to stand out in the photo.

    He allowed that his digital camera has a light-gathering power that is in some instances more than 50,000 times greater than a typical daylight camera setting. Pacholka runs his exposures anywhere from a few seconds to a minute. But he doesn't consider himself a guru.

    "This is something the average person could do, absolutely," he said.
    Wally's photographs are much cheaper than Lik's.

  8. #28
    Consulting the pineal gland
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    Re: $5,000 Postcards

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Sawyer View Post
    The Thomas Kinkade of photography!
    In my opinion is he's more like the Milli Vanilli of photography.

  9. #29

    Re: $5,000 Postcards

    I get a kick out of watching his show. He is always on the edge of death and everything he does is so dangerous! Like walking for hours to get to the Eureka Dunes in Death Valley! Oh wait, the road ends right at the dunes. Minor detail. It is so ludicrous at times that it makes me laugh so I find it entertaining, although I doubt that is his intention. The entire show is full of exaggerations and half truths, but I guess he is trying to put on a "show".

    I was thinking about coming up with a drinking game for the show. You would have to take a swig every time he makes an exaggeration, references Australian colloquialisms, says he is in danger, acts like he is macho, and a full drink when he tells a photographic lie. In a half hour you would be freakin' hammered!

    Not to be a snob, but I was in his Miami "gallery" (in a shopping mall if you can believe it) a month or so ago and he lists among his achievements winning awards with PPA. Not exactly high on the list of achievements you are going for if you are an artist. I don't think he is in much danger of having his photographs collected by anyone who collects historically important photographs. He has pictures of celebrities and a list of them who own one of his prints. It is marketing madness to those who don't really know anything about photography. The Kincade of photography is an apt description. It looks to be about the same business plan.

  10. #30

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    Re: $5,000 Postcards

    Lots of snobbery here. I'd guess that many of us would be thrilled to have galleries all over the country selling our work. I don't like the work much either and I certainly don't condone the lies and half-truths about how it was made. But give the guy his due as a photographer - many of the photographs aren't bad at all, some would be quite good in fact if you can try to envision what they'd be like without the weird, garish colors and extreme saturation. But he's interested in selling his work, not winning awards for his art, and people like that fake saturated look. Otherwise we wouldn't have Velvia film.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

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