TonyWardStudio.com

A Life Left Behind

Posted on April 20, 2012

Photo: Errol Christian

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Errol Christian

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Many times, the most popular photos in sports are the photos taken directly after winning “the big game.” For example, one of the most popular photos in basketball is the shot of Michael Jordan laying on the floor and hugging his newly won championship trophy, while crying as he mourns the recent death of his father. In the Olympics, U.S. citizens will never forget the photo of Michael Phelps sporting around his neck the eight gold medals he won in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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Photo: Errol Christian

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These photos of achievement are what capture the eyes of the masses. However, what often gets overlooked is the hard work and dedication these glorified athletes endured in order to get to the ultimate stage. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell states that true success requires at least 10,000 hours of practice. How many shots do you think Michael Jordan had put up in an empty gym before he became the greatest player of all-time? How many laps do you think Michael Phelps has swum by himself before he became one of the greatest Olympians in history?

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Photo: Errol Christian

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Susan Sontag states “The history of photography could be recapitulated as the struggle between two different imperatives: beautification, which comes from the fine arts, and truth-telling…” Through photography, audiences are able to appreciate the beauty of Michael Jordan’s celebration and Michael Phelp’s eight gold medals. However, also through photography, it was my aim to capture the truth. The truth through repetitious practice in isolation – with no cheering fans, with no cameras, with no glory.

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Errol Christian: Self-Portrait 2012

About The Author: Errol Christian is enrolled in the MBA program: Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

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Editor’s Note: To learn more about Harvey Finkle’s photographs, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click the green icon.

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Posted on January 31, 2012 – Copyright 2012

Live Targets

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Ted Adams

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ARTIST STATEMENT

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I’m generally interested in what things look like (as opposed to any sort of inherent meaning), although sometimes events converge to create irony, humor or interesting juxtapositions. These usually happen by accident – I think that when you’re actually taking the pictures, you have to react to things in an immediate, visceral way – then something akin to “meaning” creates itself later when you’re looking at the negatives and deciding what to print.

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Cig Lady

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Barrier

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Picture-taking also has a psychological aspect which reminds me of going fishing or sifting through junk at a flea market: It involves an obsessive-compulsive drive to put your line in the water to see what you reel in – a subtle mood, an ambiance, a visual structure that tickles your brain.

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Double Hugs

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I’m also interested in photography as a way of cropping the world into rectangles, as a way of selectively taking things out of context – which often results in stripping the original meaning out of the subject matter, or at least in making the image open to interpretation. Kind of the opposite of photojournalism, whose intention is to create “narrative” and “context” rather than to discard them.

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The Saint

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Jesus Number

Photography is, in its very essence, the art of cropping – whether in the camera or in the darkroom.

About The Author: Ted Adams was born in Louisville, Kentucky USA. The artist resides and works in Philadelphia as an Art, Street and Documentary photographer. He is also Owner/Director of the Southwark Gallery, Philadelphia. To learn more about Ted Adams’s work log on: www.TedAdams.net.
Copyright 2012

Zoe Strauss

Posted on January 13, 2012

Hat

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Ted Adams

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ARTIST STATEMENT

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I’m generally interested in what things look like (as opposed to any sort of inherent meaning), although sometimes events converge to create irony, humor or interesting juxtapositions. These usually happen by accident – I think that when you’re actually taking the pictures, you have to react to things in an immediate, visceral way – then something akin to “meaning” creates itself later when you’re looking at the negatives and deciding what to print.

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Money

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Glasses

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Picture-taking also has a psychological aspect which reminds me of going fishing or sifting through junk at a flea market: It involves an obsessive-compulsive drive to put your line in the water to see what you reel in – a subtle mood, an ambiance, a visual structure that tickles your brain.

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Rose

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I’m also interested in photography as a way of cropping the world into rectangles, as a way of selectively taking things out of context – which often results in stripping the original meaning out of the subject matter, or at least in making the image open to interpretation. Kind of the opposite of photojournalism, whose intention is to create “narrative” and “context” rather than to discard them.

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Throne

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Photography is, in its very essence, the art of cropping – whether in the camera or in the darkroom.

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Love on the Rocks

About The Author: Ted Adams was born in Louisville, Kentucky USA. The artist resides and works in Philadelphia as an Art, Street and Documentary photographer. He is also Owner/Director of the Southwark Gallery, Philadelphia. To learn more about Ted Adams’s work log on: www.TedAdams.net.

Street 1

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Orville Robertson

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……….You have to be a real voyeur to do this passionately. You have to have this burning curiosity about people and the immediate world; the world surrounding you when you click the shutter. I also love using my old cameras. It’s an act of discovery that strengthens your understanding of life.

Street 2

Street 3

Street 4

Street 5

Street 6

Street 7

Happy Couple

………It is with great pleasure that we introduce to you part two of the photographs of Cuba by master photographer Eric Mencher. He’s covered regional, national and international assignments from 1987 to 2009 for the Philadelphia Inquirer, including the civil war in Chechnya, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda and the post apartheid era in South Africa. He is the recipient of numerous national and international awards including World Press Photo, pictures of the year.

Beach Scene

Swim

A Stroll Through Havana

Marina Hemingway

To learn more about Eric Mencher’s photographs log on to www.EricMencher.com.

Castro

Posted by Eric Mencher

Cuba is truly a country on the edge. It’s government, for 50 years the authoritative body over the island’s 11,000,000 people, seems forever on the verge of collapse. The people themselves live constantly in flux, with the promise of freedom one day or prison the next. In Old Havana, people lurk in and of the shadows and the sun’s constant glare seems to ask more questions than it illuminates.

Fishing Along The Malecon

Havana is a street photographer’s paradise. The alleys and streets are a constant swarm of human activity, and moments surreal or all too real unfold in an unending stream of live theater. In the five times I’ve visited the island since 1997, there remains one constant in Cuba: the love of life, whether it’s a couple in embrace on the Malecon or kids who seem to dance in the streets to the beat of the ubiquitous music.

Cuban Music

We can learn a lot from the Cubanos–in the face of a harsh living standard, they always seem to maintain their joy, dignity and spirit.

Young Boy Plaza Of The Cathedral In Havana

Streets Of Havanna

Baseball Field In Pinar del Rio

Cuba's Light And Shadow

To learn more about Eric Mencher’s photographs, please log on to www.EricMencher.com.

Wall Street

Posted by Orville Robertson

……….This was Wall Street when the workers were allowed to go out and get lunch. Now I suppose they chain them to their desks to squeeze out the last drop of blood profit.

To learn more about Orville Robertson’s work log on to www.newyorkstreetphotography.com.