Michael Weishan
Fish Creek Shoreline #1; Photograph with Digital Filtering to Remove Fine Details; 24" x 16"
contact |
Artist's StatementI enjoy seeing and interpreting the scenes, patterns and textures in the chaos of nature and also relish the opportunity to watch and photograph wildlife from a blind, a kayak, or just sitting quietly. My photographs reflect my personal view of our natural world, a personal view that transitions to my portraits by photographing people in their intimate surroundings where they are most comfortable. While my subject matter has remained consistent, how I visualize and interpret these subjects has been evolving over the last several years as I distance myself from my engineering career and continue to develop my artistic side.
Some of my photographs are visualized based upon knowledge of an area or subject and some are “found” photos while observing the world around me. “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” (Confucius) When I see a possible image and explore the best way to capture that image, I’m considering what to include, the best shutter speed, depth of field, lighting adjustments, etc. When viewing a scene, I’m also considering how to best process the image and how the final product will look. I think about whether it is best to just perform minimum post processing before printing or whether it might look better as a black or white, or simplified by masking or filtering to eliminate unnecessary details. I review my decisions during the processing of the digital negative. As Ansel Adams is quoted, “The negative is the composer’s score and the print is the performance.” Some of my images are created in a studio environment. In one series of images, I select cut flowers and place them on an old small slide viewing light box. The light from beneath the blossom with the white plexiglass background shows the translucence and textural details of the blossom. I print most of my images as giclee prints on archival cotton fiber paper and mat them. However, some images are better rendered using other papers. I use a specialty provider for wrapped canvas prints. I also print note cards on canvas texture paper and a select series of smaller note cards printed on glossy paper and packaged in groups. The subjects and colors of my photographs can help create a mood at home or work by giving rooms a refreshing quality, providing a tranquil psychological impact, establishing a mood of happiness and optimism, stimulating creativity, creating excitement, or creating a feeling of sophistication. My goal is to continue to transform my visualization of subjects and create new images that reflect my interpretation of our natural world. About the ArtistI maintain a home-based photography business (dba Images by Michael) specializing in nature, fine art and location/lifestyle portrait photography. I value the diversity in nature, enjoy immersing myself with the patterns and textures in the chaos of nature, and love observing the interplay of wildlife. His interest in nature photography developed in 1970 after reading In Wilderness is the Preservation of the World (a book of photographs by Eliot Porter accompanied by selected passages from Thoreau’s Walden Pond). He furthered that interest after military service through a correspondence course on photography. He has attended seminars by Leonard Lee Rue, John and Barbara Gerlach and other nature and wildlife photographers. While a member of the Professional Photographers of the State of New York, he attended workshops and conferences. He continues developing his skills through workshops, seminars, publications and his association with other professionals.
My photographs have been selected for the Art Association of Oswego’s Annual Lakeside Statewide Juried Art Exhibition and displayed in the Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University, the Center Gallery at Jamestown Community College, the Cattaraugus County Arts Council Gallery (solo show). Some photographs have appeared on calendars, company and real estate websites, and in a travel brochure. I have exhibited in the Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University, the Center Gallery at Jamestown Community College, the Cattaraugus County Arts Council Gallery (solo show), the Surroundings Gallery in Westfield, Glass Arts Gallery in Mayville, the Mossy Bank Nature Center, and at several businesses. I enjoy sharing my interest and knowledge by presenting photography slide shows and instructional programs. At the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, he volunteers as a photo archivist digitizing Roger’s original images to make them available in their database. |
