Category: Richard Mack

The Trip You Want on Your List of Experiences

May 26, 2012
ItalyJill BucknerJill Buckner PhotographyMoroccoNew Booknew projectsRichard MackRichard Mack PhotographyRichard Mack's BlogtravelWorking with another photographer

Today we are leaving on one of those trips that are on your life list probably, at least for us it is. Really more like two trips in one. We fly to Florence, Italy and shoot for a week in Tuscany. The client is a tour company so we need scenes of the area along with people shots and we get to join the tour and shoot what they are doing as well. Then we spend two days on our own in Tuscany, yes probably shooting some more for ourselves plus relaxing in a Villa near San Gimignano. Then on Monday we fly to Casablanca, Morocco and will also visit Marrakech. This is for a possible book we are working on with a working title of Treasures of Morocco: A Sensual Feast of Color. This book looks at Morocco from the aspect of its bright colors, sensual food, and the combination they bring to the country.

The book is intended to bring people together from both countries as awe work on the book and the accompanying video and music for the eBook side. Jill has been to Morocco, albeit in College, so it will be interesting to see how much has changed since she has been there. I have not been to Italy or Morocco so I am especially looking forward to the experiences of both places.

We then return to Florence and spend three days exploring there before taking a train up to Venice and spending time photographing that famous city. We hope to have images to add to all of your homes after a gallery show sometime this fall!

We are both so excited about this trip and what it will bring to us – it is a trip of a lifetime. Keep watching this space for updates from overseas! We’ll upload a few images along the way as well.

Ciao,

Jill Buckner & Richard Mack

 

Starting A New Project – The Great Lakes Project

January 26, 2012
Great Lakes ProjectLake MichiganLake Superiornature photographyRichard MackwinterWinter Landscape PhotographyWinter photography

This year I am really focused on a new project and book on all five Great Lakes, currently titled Twenty/Ninety-Five, The Great Lakes Landscapes. This book will focus on the fact that 20% of the world’s fresh water and 95% of North America’s fresh water are held in these five bodies of water. Think about that. Twenty percent of all the fresh water in the world. Include all the lakes, ponds, streams, rivers and snow and 20% of the water sits in these lakes. And currently there are 42 million people who live along these lakes. Indeed mankind has lived on these lakes for thousands of years yet it is only in the last few centuries that mans impact has been felt in such great ways. I want to look at that impact and how we can insure that our children will have the same benefit of these lakes and natural areas. The book will look at the statistics on the lakes and focus on both the natural and wild areas in the lakes watershed and on some of the cities and industries which lie along the lakes, including how we use the lakes for recreation and commerce. I intend to blog along the way on this project. And since the first trip is upon me next month it is time to start. I hope you’ll join me on this voyage and follow my blog as I examine these great lakes of ours. Like most who live along the lakes for most of their lives I have not been to most of the 10,000 miles of shoreline. I will enjoy opening up my eyes to new places. I hope folks will share their thoughts of their favorite places on the lakes as we go along as well and I invite everyone to leave comments on posts they enjoy or with places they love. This is also an evolving project, one not limited to a book, but to the possibilities of an e-book with video, gallery shows of images and art installations, writings from those working to save the lakes and research the ecology of the lakes. Now a lot of folks who know me know I’ve been working on this off and on for the last few years, but now it is time to really get serious about it and concentrate on this project. So the adventure begins…

The other day a friend asked me, “So what did you do today?” My answer was complete with all the tasks we undertake during a day and also included my work on my next big project of photographing the Great Lakes. As I explained I was preparing for a trip around Lake Superior in late February she was surprised at how much planning I was doing. Yet to make sure you come back with images you can use and not just nice snapshots from your trip you need to plan. And planning takes time and energy.

I look first to the stars. Will the moon be full during my trip? If I want to have a chance at a full moon shot where do I think I want to be when it happens? Do I need to change my dates for the trip to get a better chance for being in the right place at the right time? What is my goal for this particular trip? Then looking at maps, books on the area, online websites you begin to make a determination for where you want to go. In this case it is even more challenging because I have not been to the Canadian side of Lake Superior and do not know what access I might have in the winter. Searching blogs and online sites gives me some idea. Certainly there will be a lot of serendipity involved in a trip of this kind, from the weather and the light, to the ice flows themselves and my access to the lake. All I can do is prepare myself the best way possible and know the maps and my own game plan. Will it change mid trip? Probably, but with proper planning I can know why and where to turn next. And then serendipity can play with me and I will be ready to capture those intimate moments because I had a game plan in the first place.

 

The trip is scheduled to start the weekend of February 25th. So for now you can see some of the shots I have done in the past on the Great Lakes using this link to a portfolio of images on my website. http://www.mackphoto.com/Creative/l-lakes.html (sorry this is in Flash so those with iPads or iPhones won’t see it until they use another way)

I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts on this project!

Peace,

Richard

 

 

Lighthouse Beach Poster now available!

June 22, 2011
Fine Art PrintsGalleryGreat Lakes ProjectLighthouse BeachPrintsQuiet Light PublishingRichard MackRichard Mack Photography

If it is summer in Evanston it means hitting the beach! And to commemorate this you can now get my new poster of 15 images from Lighthouse Beach. These images were done over a number of years as part of the Great Lakes Project and show’s the moods of all four seasons.

As part of this project I have spent a lot of time at Lighthouse Beach for many reasons. One, I live about a mile away and have been going to this beach since I was a kid. So for me there is a lot of emotional connection to this beach. It is where I have played as a kid, played with my kids and spent many hours alone looking out over the water. And for the last 30+ years have seen it through a photographer’s eye. The old pier, just to the north of the beach has provided many opportunities for images. Sometimes I am there at dusk alone, other times I might join another photographer or two shooting there as well. It has become a popular spot.

If you’ve been following this blog you know I have been trying to get a shot of the full moonrise with the pier in the frame. To date it has eluded me. Someday I shall prevail, I hope, and get the shot – which is so perfect in my head. Stay tuned.

In the meantime if you are a fan of the beaches around Chicago, and especially in Evanston or even Lighthouse Beach then you need this poster! Purchase it online at http://www.quietlightpublishing.com/ for only $45.00! The poster is 24”x36” and is printed on archival paper – the same as my fine art prints.

Enjoy!
Richard Mack

Putting together a Portfolio of Images…

May 24, 2011
Black & White PhotographsNew WorkRichard MackRichard Mack PhotographyRichard Mack's Blog

 

I was asked by an art consultant if I had Black & White images she might be able to use for some of her clients, which are both private collectors and corporate collections. I am known for my color work, but I have been shooting Black & White images since I first held a camera when I was 18. I think every landscape photographer wants to shoot those grand B&W images and delicate close-ups in B&W. There is often more emotion in a B&W image, I believe because of the tonality of a great print and the lack of color which takes it to a different, unseen level, from real life.

 

 

So, I went to the files, now all in Lightroom, and selected a few of my favorite images. I also converted a few of my color images I had always thought would be great in B&W as well, even though I love there color versions. I am honestly not sure which way I like them in some cases. Each has a different feel.

 

 

  In going through a series of images shot a few years, or in some cases, many years ago, it is always kind of fun as the memories of each trip come flooding back. This of course can be a hindrance when you are editing as your emotions of the shoot come through and you may include a shot you might not have chosen without such memories. Hence it is sometimes a good idea to have a friend who is either another photographer or designer, or even a curator, to look over your selections. I opted for none of the above this time since time was of the essence. There were some I thought might make my first cut which on closer inspection just didn’t cut it. Other images came to the forefront when I didn’t expect them. Going back over your work also gives you a perspective of your abilities over the years. Both the times you excelled and those when you didn’t. It also gives you a broader look at your style and how you work. I think this is something every photographer should do occasionally, for going back through your work to put together a collection of images is always eye-opening and gives you that broader look at where you have been and where you are headed. This provides several options from which you can springboard forward in your new work.

 

I realize this is just a small sample of my collection of Black and White images. But it is fun to share these for now… to see the select I have made for now use this link: B&W Work  

Enjoy!

Richard