A few years back I began making these photographs out the window of my car. I wouldn't look through the camera, just lift and snap. Whatever I got I got. Its not a new concept, Joel Meyorwitz has been doing it since the 60 and I'm sure it wasn't new then. This was one of my first and I am still doing them, only now I use my iPhone mostly. I found my original folder of these pictures and i really liked a few because they weren't shot or looking like the iPhone photos shot with hipstamatic. Might be re-thinking these again. Photograph by Richard Sayer.
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I have been a photographer now for 30 years. I'd say that it wasn't until I began working for The Meadville Tribune in 1997 that i was truly a photographer. I made some pictures before that and a few I would but in my 'book' if I ever put one out, but its working everyday documenting a community that really has helped me get better. For the paper I've probably had 10.000 published pictures give or take a few. I've probably taken a million or more. Each year I feel I become a better overall observer of my community and therefore a better photographer. Early on it was about catching the 'big' moments, but now its seeing when a small moment is more important to the story. I love what i do and love looking back on some older photographs to learn from them and inspire myself to keep improving every day. This picture was taken 10 years ago right here in Meadville. Meadville Tribune photograph by Richard Sayer. A few more of my newspaper images from 2004 can be viewed here. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.779044978786920.1073741862.519407448084009&type=1
A photo shoot with Brynn Sophia when she wasn't very old, maybe 6 months? One of the fun aside photos I try to capture as we're having fun making pictures. Photograph by Richard Sayer
Senior Picture time is here. Summer and fall is the time most senior pictures are taken. Be sure you know when your school needs senior pictures and what format they need them, i.e. 4x6 print, wallet or digital. I offer the yearbook picture with my session fee, but i need to know what means we're getting the pictures to the yearbook advisor. I'm booking now for summer sessions. Best to email me at [email protected] so I can email you back the package, fees and contract for you to see and decide. Here are some of my portraits of Tori from last year. I like to have fun making pictures and try to find a few different ways of making your pictures special for you. If you know anyone I've worked with before just ask them. Photos by Richard Sayer. other than breaking stuff and getting too out of hand, my philosophy when photographing kids is set up the situation and then let them be kids. You can't go wrong! Photograph by Richard Sayer
a couple of newborn photos of my dear friend Mary Crum's grandson Grif. We're gearing up for our next shoot out by a very old oak tree hopefully in the next week or so. He's grown quite a bit since these photos were taken. Photos by Richard Sayer
Its hard to make a true portrait of someone you just met, Its almost as difficult as making a true portrait of someone you're close to and have known for a long time--I'll explain that some other time!) We have to accept that we need to shut ourselves down a little to listen and observe our subject. And we need to understand our own personality is what we use to make our work our own, but to achieve a true portrait we need to put as much of that person as we can find into the making of the work. We all have our ideas about our own way of doing things. I, like everyone else, can get stuck in my ways and work on auto-pilot. I do a great deal of thinking about this and try hard to shake myself up when I can. But its hard to catch yourself just doing something that is comfortable and then get out of that. I preach trying to capture the essence of a personality and a moment that tells the story or partial story of the person. I realized looking at my pictures of Dixie that I made for her to document her incredible work getting and staying in incredible shape for a mother of adult children that I was going back into my comfort zone of making pictures and perhaps not really paying close attention to the vibrant personality of my sitter. I tend to like serious images and not so much smiling. I feel smiling in pictures can be very fake if not done right leaving the image of the person flat in meaning. Our goal was to showcase her great shape, but we also wanted something that went beyond just pictures of her bod, but pictures of who she is. I have tons of serious shots, but only a few that i feel captured her great bright smile. We did I think accomplish our goal, but I always want to do more than just accomplish, I want to take it somewhere unexpected. When she gets back I'm going to offer her a second session to really try to capture what we did in a few images more in others. And I want to find that unexpected but very cool thing that we both will go---yep thats it--thats something!. These are a few quick looks from the session that produced what I think are still pretty cool photos, just want more--always want more! Photographs by Richard Sayer Today is father's day and I was thinking about my dad today and everything he has given me. I am shaped a great deal by his lessons. In my taking up art as a direction I have had many people who have really helped me a long the way. The man in this picture perhaps more than anyone gave me the essential most important thing to have any degree of success in the arts. Confidence in understanding my guts and determination will be what gets me somewhere. He he were to chime in now he would start with a great laugh and say 'well it sure wasn't going to be my talent.' and then laugh some more before getting a serious expression as he explained it isn't talent at all that makes one an artist. Its using what you have to get your ideas across. Those with great ability do not always find it easy to use it. Those with ideas may struggle with how to accomplish something, but the ideas will find their expression as long as one has them. Rico saw me struggling away on piece after piece and he did two important things. He showed me a few technical things that he thought I might be able grab ahold of and perhaps understand, and with practice perhaps even achieve a level of competency. But its the second thing he did that was hugely important, he let me struggle. I think he was the first person, perhaps second that really looked at what I was doing and thought, that's something that can't be taught. Dogged determination in the exploration of ideas and a solid work ethic. I had other instructors who were so bogged down on my inabilities that they didn't allow me to explore. I'll always be thankful to Rico for this. Today I was looking for a picture and was surprised to find this picture in the same folder with a picture of my dad and wanted to give this portrait to the world on this father's day. I have been still experimenting with things so I used his portrait to try out some further finishing ideas I'm having for some of my commercial work. I'm still not sure what I'm after, but thought who better to experiment on than the guy who taught me to do just that!!! Below is a favorite funny picture of my dad and a few other experiments with this technique I may bring into my commercial work this summer. I get my ability to find just about everything funny from this man. And a thousand other lesson too! This layering of textures etc… needs work and care of image choice to be successful. But I think there is something there to find.
I made this portrait of a gentleman over 10 years ago. I had a print made and then put it on slide for my portfolio at the time(back then we used slides!) I had a few copies of the slide and the other day while thumbing through some old slides i decided to put two of them together and as i played i flipped on and got this image that I then shot with my digital camera with a micro lens. I will always do this sort of experimentation with image making because it is just downright fun! Photograph by Richard Sayer
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