art in real-time

so, we live in an interesting time. its bad enough that we blog in real time about events from hotel wifi connections while we nurse the sunburn and mosquito bites from earlier in the day. but when you're teasing your contemporaries with incredible shots like the one of Zinn here, its just plain abuse of technology!

zinn and i started planning this trip down to the Outer Banks in North Carolina a couple months ago and i really wanted another photographer, billy monday to come along with us. the chance to collaborate with other photographers always proves to be inspirational. and billy probably would have brought another model with him that i was really looking forward to working with. but alas, for various different reasons, billy couldn't make it and i was disappointed, to say the least.

however he asked us to keep him informed on how things were going and said he would have to experience the trip vicariously through us. so, we continued to goad him to come down by sending him shots like this:

his only response was, "Man, that hurts...those shots are beautiful! Have a beer for me, but don't stay up too late..." we laughed with the delight of getting such great stuff and rubbing it in without him. but the goal was really to encourage him to drop everything and join us, regardless of the obstacles. these photos are obviously fully edited on my laptop while sitting in our cozy efficiency in Cape Hatteras, NC. its a wonderful place, really, to shoot art nudes. you can find seclusion if you really look for it. and surrounding yourself with new environments really keeps the creativity flowing.

but the real-time feed back provided by all this technology is amazing. we're posting completely edited photos of our work here to community sites before we even get back. getting the satisfaction of sharing the amazing adventures we're on long before we even get back home. so, we'll see you all when we get back home, but you'll already know where we've been.

enjoy,
scott

Photographer's Forum Magazine!

yesterday when i left my alter-ego-day-job thingy, i checked my phone to see if there were any new emails. there was a new one from Julie at Serbin Communications. they are the publishers of a few, small, niche magazines, one of which i like in particular called Photographer's Forum its a magazine focused on photographers with layouts that showcase their works. the layouts are simple and uncluttered with single images per page. they don't talk about gear or software, they just present photos and allow their readers to absorb them as art.

well, a couple weeks ago i barely squeezed in to make the deadline for submissions for their portfolio issue where they feature several photographers and their portfolios. the email i received yesterday was to tell me that, "We have completed our annual portfolio review. After considering many excellent submissions, we are pleased to inform you that we have decided to publish your work in the portfolio section of the February 2009 issue of Photographer’s Forum magazine."

wow. i mean, WOW!! i was floored. i let out a hoot and yelled, "fuckin-a yeah!" then i realized i didn't believe it and had to re-read the email again to make sure i'd really read it right. it was true, but then i realized that i really shouldn't be driving and trying to read emails. i put down the phone, picked it back up again and called stephanie, candace, ken (voice mail), and olaf to share this great news.

i'm excited, really, for the models who will also have their works published. its not clear which photos they will use, i think i submitted 15. but hopefully they will tell me soon i will pass the information along here.

this is exciting!

Lehigh Valley Photo Club Talk

I will be giving a talk at the Lehigh Valley Photography Club on Thursday night. I will be discussing the production of my book, in the still air.

here's a press release that should be going out later on today...

Scott Nichol is a professional, published photographer whose works have appeared in American Photo and Photographer's Forum magazines and is a regular contributor to Lehigh Valley Living Magazine. Scott's fine art photography focuses on figurative work studied mostly in formal studio environments. Last summer, Scott took a step to move his figure photography into the great wide open. It was an adventure that found him in remote forests, lakes, and beaches seeking the seclusion of early mornings when the quality of light was good and onlookers were scarce.

From this series of photographs, Scott has produced a limited edition hard cover book of this work. The book will be produced in an edition of 50 signed and numbered copies. Pricing for this edition will be $125. Selected original signed prints from this series will also be available for $40 each. Orders for the book and prints are being taken at http://www.silverystars.com.

Scott will speak Thursday night about the process of producing the book from a photographer's point of view. He will discuss details of how the how the page layouts were created, how the printer was chosen, and show slides of selected plates from the book.

into the wild

The sea's only gifts are harsh blows, and occasionally the chance to feel strong. Now I don't know much about the sea, but I do know that that's the way it is here. And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong. To measure yourself at least once. To find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions. Facing the blind death stone alone, with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head.
- Alexander Supertramp, Into The Wild

this morning and last night i was just simply racked with self doubt. i was so happy with last summer's series of outdoor work, so pleased that i actually made a book of the photographs. and i had scheduled a shoot this morning with a wonderful model named susie b and was planning to explore shooting in the falls at Glen Onoko up near Jim Thorpe, PA. but to be honest, i was looking for a lot of excuses to just shoot some safe studio work with Susie and not make the trip. the reason, i think, that i didn't want to do this was simply because i had gotten it in my mind that i wouldn't be able to find the killer locations and bring that level of emotion back again.

in a way, i pushed myself through and decided that it wasn't raining hard enough to justify another safe studio shoot. i kept hearing the voices of my friends Olaf and Rick encouraging, practically begging me to go up there. i think they knew with that location, i could create some real magic! i got lost on the way to the location, re-established my bearings, and we arrived to find some of the most beautiful waterfalls in PA. hiking in with susie was a treat. she's an avid hiker and was so thrilled after coming in from NYC to be out in the natural elements. the miles of hiking snapped my mind back to where it needed to be and we worked effortlessly to create some truly beautiful pieces. i felt like i was back in my element, back where i want to belong.

i think the key is that you need to trust in yourself. its always easy to say, i'll never be able to do that again. but you have to trust that you already know how. i couldn't have been more happy with the shots we came up with and i'm glad to share one of them here with you. leave a comment, let me know what you think. enjoy for now, but there will be more to come in the weeks ahead!

scott