Hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather- in January!

I post a lot of images on flickr & numerous groups in flickr.  My photostream can be viewed here

There are a lot of flickr wedding photography groups.   Recently, the boards were busy with a post from an angry bride on craigslist.

ATTN: Wedding Photographers

WHY is finding an amazing wedding photographer so difficult? :/

I am a Bride who is getting married this summer and have yet to find a decently priced, exceptional, amazingly talented, fun photographer.

WHY because the word “WEDDING” is involved photographers think they can change you $ 3,000.00 for wedding photos? Oh, because no bride is going to go without so they are going to pay it, because they HAVE to. They are ripping people off for all they have! Why when you want to get married it costs you AT LEAST 15 grand after all is said-and-done? Its such CRAP!! I love all you $ 3,000.00 photographers out there but i think your prices are WACK. All your doing is hanging out at a wedding taking tons of photos and editing them.. and thats owrth 3 GRAND!!! You’re making so much money its crazy. I just wish people would be more realistic. I mean the “average” persons salary for 1 freaking month is somewhere around 3 grand. (Thats making 19$ an hour) So you’re going to take someones WHOLE MONTH paycheck for one flippen day of photos? Just because you CAN!!?????? So that maybe they will not be able to feed themselves or pay any other bills they have, right? It makes me SICK!

I know im speaking for more than just myself right now. Alot of brides out there think the same thing. & I bet all you fancy photographers wont even read this. oh-well.
Maybe there are cheaper photographers that will read this and LOVE to take my photos.

More than a few wedding photographers responded to her post here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/weddingphoto/discuss/72157629051039811/

and

http://www.flickr.com/groups/startingaweddingbiz/discuss/72157629029792947/

If you are looking for a wedding photographer in Raleigh, I hope you take a few minutes to view the responses.

I have wrestled with the issue of trying to educate clients about my costs.  However, I am the type of person when I hear the word “educate” and “prices”- I run immediately.

While I am happy driving my Prius, I would love a more expensive BMW.  But I am happy with the gas mileage and do not need the extra horsepower or heated seats.  Heated seats and a fast engine cost more money.  I had a budget, and I stuck with it.

Just my two cents. 

 

Ryan

R. Fox Photography

(919) 645-8345

ryan@rfoxphoto.com

 

 

January 28th, 2012 by admin | No Comments »

True story:

Today, I tell my wife that I am “Going to use thick juicy washes in a painting, and then going to play with hot wax (in another painting)”.

And she tells me I am a pervert!

Not fair.

The August ’11 issue of Watercolor Artist  featured an article by artist Kathie George about watercolor painting on rice paper using wax resist.  Basically, you melt paraffin wax (commonly known as gulf wax)  and apply it to the areas you want to save as white (like masking fluid) on the canvas- the rice paper.  You continue to building layer upon layer and gradually add paint to the areas you have not added wax.  When you are finished with the darkest darks, you crumble the paper creating cracks in the wax, apply another layer of paint, and re-wax.  When you remove the wax, you are left with an image that has a weathered and distinct look.  I love the technique, and hey, I get to play with hot wax!   My table hates it.  It is a mess.

Here were the first two attempts at this watercolor technique:

January 14th, 2012 by admin | No Comments »

During the wedding off-season I have been painting as much as time permits.  Of course, with two children (one 4, one almost 4 months), this is easier said than done.

I am currently working on a series of watercolors based on the Khmer ruins at Angkor Wat.  I have visited Cambodia several times to photograph the UNESCO archaeological ruins of Angkor Thom (travel photographs are available  on my travel website).  The best known local within the city of Angkor Thom is the ruined temple of Angkor Wat.

Recently, I saw a youtube video of Mark Mehaffey using a mouth atomizer.  Basically, it’s a poor man’s airbrush.  Instead of using compressed air to blow the paint onto the canvas, you use your breath.

I composed 95% of this painting using the mouth atomizer and contact paper to build the values and colors.

(Watercolor of sunrise over Khmer ruins of Angkor Wat- Cambodia)

The remaining 5%   image was painted with a brush.

While I had difficulty controlling the spray (especially in the smooth gradations in the sky), I was encouraged by the results and will continue to use the mouth atomizer, a $6-7 dollar product, in future paintings.

Using the mouth atomizer was considerably different from my normal watercolor paintings.  Instead of painting light-to dark, I went dark-to-light.  The contact paper preserves your whites while you spray the dark colors.  Beware of cutting into the paper though as you remove the contact/frisket film

I photographed three recent paintings too:

(Watercolor painting of Eastern Gate to Angkor Thom)

(Sunrise at Phnom Bakheng)

For these  two paintings I focused on complementary colors (orange-blue).  Artistic liberties were taken with the photographs, and both paintings were composed of several photographs.

(Asura and naga statues at the Southern Gate to Angkor Thom)

The Southern Gate piece was composed of  sections of 4 photographs.   I concentrated on the  blue-orange theme, and used a computer to determine the values beforehand.  The original were shot with over-head noon light and the trees of the jungle as a darker value.  For this watercolor piece, I inverted the values of the sky and jungle to create a sunset appearance (the actual photographs were shot in the afternoon).

We were leaving Angkor Thom for our afternoon siesta.  Both times I have visited the ruins, I have driven our guides absolutely bonkers (you have to hire a taxi to visit the ruins) because I insist on being in the ruins at sunset (not a problem), or sunrise (usually a problem).

Sincerely,

Ryan

R. Fox Photography

(919) 645-8345

ryan@rfoxphoto.com

December 12th, 2011 by admin | No Comments »