X. Peace in the Valley & The Rise of Paul Dionisii

.
Art is about choices. And no matter the type of art - be it a photograph, be it a film, or what have you - as viewers, we are only given liberty to rely on the final collection of decisions that are ultimately put before us that have been made from those choices. No explanation to assuage our uneasiness; no excuses to give the creator a second chance. But no true artist ever makes a single mistake, as even the so-called missteps are a reflection of who they are, both in terms of the tools at their disposal and the measure of their soul.

The irony is that I am in the business of art, and it is the business that puts demands on my art beyond self-reflection. Or does it? We live in a nation of consumers with a niche mentality: people may most naturally gravitate towards the familiar but they are more than game for something new and unique as long as it is presented in a way that pleases them. I do not consider myself to be a traditional photographer, and that is great news. My work is as unique as my soul - a love for the cinematic, a draw towards moments and expressions that either ask questions or clearly say a multitude of antithetical things, and an empathy for individuals - so I have few worries. The challenge is ensuring that people do indeed see the real me in my work - or at the very least, see themselves - and that requires a constant assessment of the ever-changing complexities of my own soul and that of the world.

But isn't this kind of irony, this business-art duality, an example of the very definition of Crimson Fox? That dance we all play between apparently unlike things..that there isn't even a whisper of anything in this life of ours that is one-dimensional, or single-faceted? Duality: such as a mother so proud to see her only daughter get married but is frightened that this is yet another sign that her baby is all grown up...or like when Iron Man screenwriter Mark Fergus said, "Writers are egomaniacs with low self esteem," ...what a beautiful oxymoron, as many artists, both screenwriters and photographers included, are confident that who they are is interesting - the trouble is that we speak a different language than most people yet we long for you to know and appreciate, truthfully, in all facets of us, who we are.

As a photographer, I capture the moments I do the way that I do because who I am inside observes life uniquely. I let life happen and capture its essence for all that it is worth; posing is neither my forte nor my passion, as at most, I guide or kick-start activity then watch it move. I rest in place for sometimes minutes at a time, previsualizing, waiting for that rich image to appear before my eyes. Sometimes that previsualization is realized, sometimes it isn't...and sometimes, realistically, I must compromise and take the shot that's only halfway there. In such latter cases, I make no qualms...because the richness that I shoot for goes for those aforementioned questions - that "multitude of antithetical things." For me to expect every moment that appears before me to be an exact mirror of what I see inside of myself at that moment would leave me with nothing left to explore, hence self-reflection would be a rather irrelevant task.

Since I started Crimson Fox Photography, and most recently my foxprints line of signature wall art, my mission has been to capture and preserve life's moments in a manner that tells their full breadth of candor, story and emotion. To do this, I have to balance being true to you, true to the viewer, and, most importantly, true to myself. In Spring 2010, Crimson Fox will be reborn into a being unlike anything currently executed by any other Photography business that I know, and still, I have few worries. I worry not because its execution will be a reflection of my unique and interesting soul - an unclonable niche because no one can see the synergy of unlike things that I can see inside of myself and myself alone.

Truthfully, some of this interdependence - that elusive "Crimson Fox"-iness - I can not see clearly, but that is okay...because it is the exploration that matters...and sometimes exploration of the antithetical can be the very thing that opens doors of unchartered synergy. There's no guarantee, but in this life, we have to try. It is only when we assume and prematurely decide regarding the incompatibility of unlike things that we fail to do what we, as artists, are meant to do: I choose to create.

IX. Thousand Words of Light

.
Life a theatrical show,
Framed to and fro,
Invisible, painted the color of you.

Foxes in my head,
Crimson colored red,
Dreams, of my dreams coming true.


Pictures on my wall,
Billion worlds tall,
Visions, of eloquent empty space.

Charity for their plight,
“Thousand Words of Light”,
Musical lexicon, revolutionized by their grace.
_

VIII. Prodigal Sun, and the cozy eye of the Joneses

.
I remember my time in elementary school…there was something about teachers, people that worked behind counters at restaurants and stores, what have you..there was only a whisper of a thought in my child mind that these were people, too. It was as if their only purpose in life was to teach, to serve, etc. and any witness of them outside of those environments made for some confusing encounters. When we’re young, our parents influence us to be anything we want to be when we grow up, but they often leave out the ambitious stance that we may also be everything we want to be.

But what is to be said about one who recklessly tries to tackle many disciplines, not out of passion or need but, for show? Such behavior, while ambitious nonetheless, may shed light on nothing but how empty its source is. Writing is, effectively, a secondary discipline of mine, here, but my soul is anything but empty. Much advice out there states that a blog must be updated often in order to remain a vital part of a business. Maybe so, but I approach my writing the same way I approach photography: if the words that I write are forced onto the page as a part of any kind of mandate, then their quality will undoubtedly suffer. Same goes for image creation.

It has been over two months since I have written to you last, but my mention of such long absences will now be no more. Take a look at the previous blog entries I have put forth; I am not a writer, but despite such, I try to contribute rich texts that traverse the worlds of Photography and Philosophy with nuanced specificity. They are complex emotions on page, which once spilled, leave me relatively empty though only for a short yet indefinite while - ready to be filled with the life moments of mine that remain. If I purge of myself too quickly – too frequently – then the fruits of such cleansing will appear thin since I would be yet filled with new and unique feelings.

"I have a lot to say...which is exactly why I stay quiet most of the time. I'd rather speak in a manner other than words."
- Christian J Harris, Crimson Fox Photography

Nuanced words come out of me as an opportunity for self-reflection, hence a guide for what’s to come…the very lens through which I view the life that comes next. The photographs that my eye produces are equally self-reflective, so what you see is not simply a photograph of yourself but an image of me, as well. When pushed, the “me” in my work is skewed and sometimes even completely sacrificed…all for the trend-mimicing, visionary want from others. Yes, I encourage every client to tell me what they are looking for in a photographer and the kind of work they expect from me - thorough consultations are an important part of the process; plus, there will always be certain people that must be photographed within a certain amount of time and various other environmental limitations unique to each shoot. However, it is very important for you to put your faith in my technique and artistry in order for me to perform at my best. My eye and my heart know best when to shoot better than my mind ever could...only because I've listened to life far more than any efforts to dictate it.

VII. Life, Round Two…A Friend to Ledger Moses

.
Everyone who knows me knows that in spite of my passion for photography, movies, and the arts, I still work in the field of Engineering with a fair amount of belabored apathy. What a lot of people don’t know is that there was a time that I absolutely loved math and science, and photography was no where close to being on my mind. I went to a high school that specialized in math, science, and technology; I went on to college to major in Physics; I then went on to grad school to study Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science with a concentration in Biological Materials & Material Systems. Now, I stand before you today as I successfully build a business in photography and the preservation of memories. Was any of that education I received a waste of my time? Not a single ounce of it.

I discovered a love for movies and aspirations to make them someday right before my sophomore year in college; there’s something magical about creating worlds and characters that don’t exist, even the most mundane, and our human ability to be captured by their stories so genuinely. I will admit, there was an incredible amount of difficulty for me to continue putting my energy into sciences when I knew that my heart had shifted into the arts…but the path I was on wasn’t an easy one to break from. I even applied to film school and did not get in, but I chose to pick up an SLR camera instead.**

The shy kid who spent so much of his life staying quiet and observing the world finally had a chance to put the amalgam of those observations on film for the world to see. What I quickly noticed was that all of those movies I had watched began to filter into my photographic style: layered compositions, subjects off-center in the frame, soft natural light**, etc. I hadn’t picked up a single book nor asked a single question from anyone, including myself, about how to take a photograph; I simply did it and, more importantly, I kept doing it.

When I began to dig deeper into becoming a better artist, I was appreciative of how technical the art truly was and the balance needed in that duality. Even on the most basic level – apertures, shutter speeds, inverse square law, etc. – these technical things must be wielded in a manner that yields something that evokes emotions. All of that math and science that I had made my way through was coming into play, even if its execution was in a visceral, not literal, kind of way. However, the amount of scientific education was not overkill since its abundance was, and is, the very source of just how accessible the technical side of my artistry is. My sensibilities on things are specific (i.e., the scientist in me) yet open-ended...the very way of an artist. I do not believe that things must be done a specific way in order to accomplish a goal (e.g., a finished art), yet whatever atypical, perhaps even controversial, manner in which I choose to accomplish a goal is done with vision and specificity.

Rules come from a place of accomplishments that have most often risen out of a typical course of action, but accomplishments can take place by taking unchartered paths, albeit risky. There are no supposed to’s or must’s. On the edge of uncertainty is where creation is born, and it is diverse and thorough education that can best equip us to face that uncertainty. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but prudence is just as golden; no education – not a single class, textbook, nor life experience – is a waste of time. Our minds are muscles that must be exercised, which happens most effectively when we are young; and the more diverse that muscle has been built, then the stronger our foundation for applying it to a range of things that we either may choose or that come our way against our will. Schools up through grade 12 teach all subjects not simply because people should know “the basics” but because our foundations are built to give us options and help us discover where our strengths are.

I never thought I would own a business, but I did so to expand my opportunities to do photography. Yes, it’s old news that many people go on to do things that have little to do with their college degrees, but this is so rampant because everything we learn shapes how we think not just what we do. I’m an artist, but I am now a businessman as well. Chemical Vapor Deposition techniques and the Physics of photovoltaics might have nothing to do with how to take a photograph, but learning those things taught me how to analyze situations and solve problems. I learned both the mechanics of biological molecules as well as the poetry in the works of Walt Whitman. My grades took a turn for the better when I stopped caring about grades and started focusing on what the whole point was: to learn, no matter which class I was in.

Granted, these blogs that I write to you aren’t sweeping literary epics that will win awards someday; they have their flaws, but they do get the point across in a relatively nuanced way. Had I decided in high school that I was strictly a math and science guy like my passions and my test scores had depicted, (not only would Mr. Reich have kicked my hide for not paying attention in English class but) my abilities as a photographer may have never been discovered, and where would my ability to write to you now be? I write to you because I want you to know me, your photographer, beyond my ability to take a photograph because our connection to one another matters since it shows in my work. If I could not express all of the complexities of my thoughts and feelings on things down to their very niblets, where would that connection be? I am an artist, I am in business, I am your photographer and who knows what next…because I never questioned why I needed to learn. No matter your background, do whatever it is that you dream…because the rest of your life starts now.

Mill Graffiti TITLE CONTEST ($25 Restaurant Gift Card)

.
Anyone who comes up with the single best title for any given image in the Mill Graffiti 33-1/3: The Final Crawl photo album on Facebook will receive a $25 gift card to either Buca di Beppo or Va Bene Italian Cuisine Wine Bar. If you would like to participate and have an account on Facebook, simply become a Fan of the Crimson Fox Photography Facebook page to be given the ability to post comments. If you would like to participate but do not have a Facebook account or do not wish to make a Friend/Fan request, reply to this blog post with the number of the photo in the album and your suggested name.

Anyone within the Greater Phoenix area is eligible to win; entries must be completed by Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 5pm.

VI. Crawl This Way

.
I just wanted to send a quick note in anticipation of release of the Crawl photos. This was largely a marketing shoot (i.e., another avenue for me to get the word out to tons more people), so only a limited number of photos will be posted. In fact, some will notice that their physical presence is uncharacteristically sparse to non-existent in the album. The reason for this is that I placed most of my focus on people I had never met before over the more original crew, since the originals already know what I can do.

I’ll also point out that I took quite a few no-look shots this time. I do this from time to time just to tease people with my super-bright flash or make people think I caught them in an awkward facial expression. It’s all a part of engaging and further loosening people despite my normally candid style. It’s very rare that shots like these come out well, but it pays off in the end. If I took a shot of you like this, then worry not…my goal is to paint everyone in the most flattering light, and I trust that photos from this event, my last pub crawl, came out better than the last.

V. Together We Will Live Forever

.
So, after a long absence of blogging, I am finally back; my sole devotion to my Facebook profiles lately has been quite clear. Part of my delay in writing you today has to do with my sense of perfection and reluctance to write my next blog until I had it outlined properly in my mind. However, further talk of who Crimson Fox is will have to wait as I talk about something just as serious but less figurative.

I am most certainly humbled by the task that professional photographers such as myself have ahead of them now and in the years to come. Images in their digital form most definitely have their benefits, but the growing digital culture is an uphill battle that we, as professionals, must both fight and embrace in order to remain alive.

With any product or service in this commercial society of ours, a consumer pays for something that they find valuable. Tangible products are quite simple: you’re able to hold in your hand what you pay for, and reproducing it would cost you far more time and energy than its individual value. The more you pay the more you get, and any portion of it that you use or share with others, by its very nature, depletes. It’s like a built-in system of checks-and-balances between company and client. With intangible products and services, one benefits from a company’s esoteric expertise and talents that they themselves cannot, or choose not to, perform…otherwise, why make the hire? Here too, the more you pay the more you receive, but solely at the mercy of the company providing the service, not anything inherent to the item itself.

Photography is a service, an inherently intangible concept, but one which may produce either tangible and/or intangible products (i.e., prints and albums, or digital images, respectively). The problem is in those intangible, digital images…whose ease and convenience are the very potential dangers to running a photography business. Digital is more than simply technology, it is an entire culture that society has gotten quite cozy with, including myself, quite frankly. However, once professional, digital images are put in the hands of the consumer, checks-and-balances is no longer in play as the company is now at the mercy of the consumer (i.e., the roles are thus reversed).

Casually, people spend time with family and friends, take quick snaps amongst themselves, then either email or post those as-is images online the same/next day, then some who view the images decide to print them cheaply; very easy and no harm done, of course, because it’s all in good fun. But this has become so casual in this Facebook/Shutterfly generation of ours that some project their entitlement for it onto their expectations of professionals. I’ve heard stories of wedding couples who wanted digital copies of their professional photos the next day, understandably unaware of the multiple file backups and post-processing that must take place for hundreds of images and any other clients that the photographer must tend to.

The time and expertise for a professional photographer to create that image or those images, and the work that went into developing that expertise, should be respected by each individual who benefits beyond a simple viewing. My assumption is that couples such as this plan to take these digital pictures to share and print at their own leisure. However, via the same logic that film photographers would hold onto their negatives in the days of old, digital photographers today hold onto their files to ensure that any reproduction of the work is done with care. “Good enough” in the eyes of someone not in the business of image creation just isn’t good enough. Why settle for “Doesn’t that look nice?” when your memories can look even more spectacular?

Even beyond the care necessary to ensure the proper preservation of images and the memories they depict, there are varying values to the benefit of an image. An image may simply be admired by a single person, say a neighborhood client, or works wonders in multiplying a small business’ revenue as it is used in a local advertisement. While there is no guarantee that the image/advertisement will help to bring in money for that business no matter how striking the image is, its likelihood to do so is proportional to the number of people who will see it. Hence, the more popular the magazine the ad is in and the longer the ad stays in that magazine, then the more that accompanying image is worth...especially if the business owner receives validation that the image is indeed working to increase revenue. To make a healthy living, successful photographers charge not only for the service (i.e., time shooting and expertise/style) but for the value of the products as well.

There are industry-standard pricing structures available depending upon what the consumer desires: limited personal use of some digital images to unlimited personal use of all digital images from the event, limited commercial use of some digital images to unlimited commercial use of all digital images from the shoot, or prints/albums only (i.e., no digital copies) etc., or some combination, thereof. The key is that each of those categories should be priced accordingly and each category is only legally valid if such licensing has been granted in writing.

Even for an individual, like that neighborhood client I spoke of, who wants prints or other products, like canvas wraps, whether small or large, those products are like artwork. When someone passes their digital, professional photos to friends and family who each reproduce them, the collection of individuals are each benefiting from the value of artwork that wouldn’t be without the work of the photographer. Again, I recognize that the misconception that this is okay comes from today’s ease of using digital technology…and image sharing from our little point-and-shoots becoming ubiquitous and almost daily. This is why laws are in place to protect professional artists (i.e., photographers, musicians, etc.) from this type of copyright infringement. There has been a flurry of “professional” photographers who have taken the ease of digital as a means of inadvertently leading people to believe that they are entitled to have those professional, digital images and do as they wish – without any discussion of the caveats.

Again, there is nothing wrong with granting this categorical allowance, but the license should reflect so and that license should be priced accordingly…since once digital images leave the hands of the photographer, they’ve lost all control, including potential liabilities. Who’s to say that those images won’t make it into the hands of an unaware business owner, misled concerning the creator of the images hence uses an image or two in an advertisement to their highly profitable benefit? What guarantees does the photographer have that the integrity of their work, hence their brand, will be upheld? Even if the client agrees to uphold the integrity of the work and does so, who’s to say that when that client then shares those digital images with others that some or all of those people won’t present the work in an unflattering light? Who’s to say that those individuals won’t print or otherwise reproduce those digital images despite not being given written license to do so? The scenarios go on, but as a for instance to the latter inquiries, images uploaded to Facebook are automatically degraded in quality; if someone were to copy one of those images, not the high-res original, then make it into a jumbo print, say 16x20, it will undoubtedly look horrible…yet the photographer’s name will still be attached to it and unknowingly receive the blame, thereby degrading their brand/entire business.

So, this is the challenge that we as professional photographers face in this day and age, but our digital culture will only grow so we must embrace. Facebook has been a powerful marketing tool for me and I welcome the continued success it, and sites like it, will bring. This rant of mine is not about saying that consumers will never have or see my work in digital form; this is meant to make people aware of what’s at stake. We live in an age of people who begin to mistake that that which is done by everyone they know and easy to do is automatically ethical and just...a commercial threat to the work of artists that a company such as Apple has done such a beautiful job of subduing for the music industry. I would like to be a pioneer in doing the same for the photography industry, as well.

My artistic sensibilities for yin-and-yang - that Crimson Fox duality - must be brought to the logistics side of things to balance this powerful dance between the commercial threat of digital imagery and the full breadth of its awesome potential. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once wrote a beautiful allegory about a group of porcupines who, only over time, found the optimal distance to stay from one another to prevent harming each other yet still keep each other warm. I will continue to work to present my work digitally in a manner that does not degrade my business yet keeps myself and my clients happy; we must find that cozy symbiosis. Solutions include video slideshows and/or Flash images that cannot be copied but may be shared, tagged, commented on, and enjoyed on sites such as Facebook, …but I want to do even more. I will soon work with the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) to modify the existing standard or develop a new standard for seamless image protection (more on this later). Photos are a perennially important part of keeping our individual and collective histories alive; I only fight for ensuring that all of us work together to ensure that the industry remains in tact, no matter who you choose as your photographer.