Behind the scenes

Digital Events Film G.Arroyo

Marketing

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Ask yourself, what is the difference between a famous photographer and an unknown one?

15 years ago did you know who Vivan Maier was? Why had you never heard of this now famous photographer?

It is all about marketing. The difference between a famous photographer and an unknown one is not about the quality of their art (not always) but about the people who get to see their work. Yes the dirty word in the art world, marketing. But in order to share your work, and have people know your passion you will need to market. Don’t be afraid to market your work. Professional, or hobbyist you need to market what you love in order to share your passion. read more

Digital G.Arroyo

Anticipation

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One of the greatest skills for a street photographer is the ability to anticipate. Picking out a stage, knowing who the players are and how the scene will unfold is crucial to capturing exactly what you envisioned.

For this photo in the old part of San Juan I noticed the girl walking from the right as well as the person walking towards the darkened hallway. I set the stage and anticipated when both players would be in the location I wanted to capture. (You can click on the image to see a larger version) read more

Digital G.Arroyo

Alone on a Bridge

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“Alone on a Bridge”

Sometimes I feel alone.
I am a Puerto Rican born in Chicago, I am a Chicagoan living in the suburbs, I am a hispanic living amongst anglos.
Where do belong?

Art is a look inside the heart and soul of the artist. Sometimes I feel alone.

“Alone on a Bridge” was shown at the May 4th Fridays at the Starline Gallery in Harvard.
The black wooden framed metal print totalling 23″x19″ is available for purchase for $250. Viewing in person is highly recommended, a monitor can not come close to showing the dynamic range nor reflective surfaces.
Contact me if you are interested in this or any of my other work. read more

Digital Film G.Arroyo

Post Birthday or Birthday Post

Posted on by gdotarroyo

I want to say thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, in person and via social media. I am grateful to have to have such awesome friends and family. I had a great day!

I wanted to share a couple of new things going on. I “borrowed” a record player from my father, a cool Micro Seiki that he will be upset to hear is playing great. Just as I seem to be turning more and more analog, I picked up a new digital camera a Fuji X-E1. The cool part is that I am adapting film camera lenses to it. I initially mounted up a Nikon Nikkor 50mm F1.4, but have now switched to a smaller Minolta Rokkor 50mm f1.7. The camera is much better balanced. I also have adaptors for my collection of Canon FD lenses. I am more and more impressed with the camera each time I use it. The shot above was taken at ISO 6400 and is still usable with the grain present. It is also neat to combine my love of the old cameras with the convenience of a digital camera. The little Fuji will be replacing my film rangefinders and Canon G12 as walk-around cameras.
That reminds me, I need to develop a couple of rolls of film. read more

Events Film G.Arroyo

2 Things

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Rolleiflex Automat Vivian Maier Style Photofraph 1
Self portrait with my Rolleiflex Automat.

I am very inspired, the next month is going a very exciting for me especially concerning film photography. Two big things are happening.

The first one is this Friday the 4th. I am heading to see the documentary “Finding Vivian Maier”. It opens in the Chicago area on this day and I’m taking a fellow Maier fan, my 8 year old daughter. I have been patiently waiting for this to come out for a few years. If (and I don’t know why you wouldn’t) follow me on Facebook you know how much I am a fan of Ms. Maier. read more

Events G.Arroyo

Critique

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This past Friday, I had one of the busiest days in my recent memory. From being on Michigan Ave. across from the Art Institute at 8 am to teach day 2 of an all day workshop. To jumping on the train back and being at the Starline Gallery and Studios in Harvard by 6:30 pm it was a busy day.

This effort was well worth it by the end of the night! But I’m getting ahead of myself. On to Simply Learn | Critique Night. After turning in my print, I received a clipboard and section in order to critique, what I believe to be, around 30 photos. I have never taken part of a written art critique, but found I was able to quickly get into the groove. After fighting off some hand cramps (I haven’t written that much in years) I was excited to hear the guest expert, photographer, Cesar Augusto critique selected photos in front of the group. After the first few critiques I realized that although I have never critiqued other’s work before I shared similar thoughts to Cesar’s. At the same time I realized that I may have been a little too focused on technical aspects of photos over some great artistic expression. read more

Film G.Arroyo

When I fail

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IMAG0161When I fail, I really fail.

Last week I posted about a shot I set up with my Rollieflex and using film (read here). Well when I developed the roll containing the shots I took, the entire roll came out clear. What I think happened is that my chemicals finally wore out and I fixed the roll before it developed. So I have ordered new developing chemicals and will be also replacing my fixer.

I’ve taught myself a few important lessons.
Don’t run your developing chemicals for too long.
Don’t wait to develop your film until a deadline gets close.
Always have a backup plan (I did and re-shot the photo digitally)
Don’t post about your film photos until after you develop the roll! read more

Digital G.Arroyo

Braving the cold

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Bald Eagle on the Fox
Bald Eagle on the Fox

Last weekend, my trusty assistant (daughter) and I decided to brave the miserable cold and try to see some Bald Eagles. Well most of the morning was spent in search of an eagle, but we never found one. With my camera and long lens still ready to shoot we decided to head south on the Fox river towards Elgin, and after a few miles I spotted one. We took some photos and above is one of my favorites. This was the first time I have seen a Bald Eagle in the wild and love the fact that our area is able to support such a large raptor. read more