Flowers in Transitions

FLOWERS IN TRANSITION BY MASTER PHOTOGRAPHER SUSAN MICHAL.

THE COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS THE LIFE CYCLE THAT FLOWERS TRANSITION THROUGH IN AN EXPLOSION OF COLOR, TEXTURE AND DETAIL. THE IMAGES BEAUTIFULLY SHOWCASE THE DELICATE AND OFTEN MISSED NUANCES OF EACH BLOOM AND ARE SO LIFE LIKE THAT YOU CAN ALMOST SMELL THE FLOWER AS YOU VIEW THE IMAGES. ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF ONE OF GOD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL GIFTS TO THE EARTH, THE FLOWER, AS YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE, THROUGH THE EYES OF SUSAN MICHAL.

I have always loved the amazing and complex beauty of flowers.They speak to me! I can literally spend hours photographing a flower and not know where the time has gone. I especially love the transition a flower goes through during itʼs life. Daily I find myself dropping everything to photograph a flower when I see it change into an interesting
state because I know that ten minutes later it may look completely different.Recognizing that small window of opportunity and having the discipline to act on it, has been key to the success of the flower images.

I am very aware of the short life that flowers have, and have been very interested in photographing them as they transition through the stages of bud to full bloom and
death. As flowers transition through different stages colors change drastically and the textures become intense. Many of my favorite images are of blooms well past their
prime.

In the beginning of this project I was more interested in finding unique flowers to photograph, but very quickly I began to experiment with more common flowers and realized that every flower was an incredibly interesting subject to photograph. Some of my favorite images are of flowers I found along the roadside blooming wild, or in my studio garden.

When you look at a flower through the camera lens you see things that you may never have noticed when viewing them with the naked eye. I love the complex textures the intense colors and the unexpected shapes. Some are soft and gentle in their beauty,
some are bold, many are funny and some are just strange, proving that God has an intense sense of humor and a strong imagination.

Going unplugged is the newest wedding trend!

There is a reason brides and grooms are asking their guest to UNPLUG

I happen to channel surf by Fox and Friends today and catch a few minutes. I stopped and watched because I saw they were talking about wedding photography. There was a photo of a number of guest blocking the bride as she came down the aisle and the professional photographer had taken to Facebook to complain about the guest getting in his way while he tried to do the job the couple hired him to do.

I found it interesting that the Fox host took the opportunity to talk about how staged professional photography was, how long it took to get your images after the wedding and other disparaging remarks. They went on to say that at least now, the wedding couple could see their wedding images posted on FB right away. I guess that could be true! But, if the images are terrible, as most are, the couple could be very embarrassed by how bad they look. Sadly this is often the case. Recently, a bride told me how she thought the FB pictures her friends had posted made her look fat, and how it had runined her wedding day for her.

The value of having a Professional Photograher at your Wedding

Nobody at Fox seemed to recognizing the value of having a professional photographer at the wedding. Guest with cell phones can ruin the very moments they were talking about. There is no way to stage a bride coming down the aisle with her father towards the groom! That’s a completely candid moment, and when guests get between a professional photographer and the bride they can ruin that moment for the groom, and the couples parents, as thier veiw is often blocked by the standing guest. Not to mention the lost opportunity of a professional image of what is surly one of the most important moments of a wedding service. It would seem, that everyone thinks they are a photographer now days just because they have a camera in their cell phones.

Should wedding photographers be afraid they will lose jobs to guest with cell phones? 

The broadcasters even went so far as to say the professional photographer was just afraid that he was going to lose a job because of cell phones! What a ridiculous statement! While trying to capture a moment of your friends wedding with your cell phone is understood, it should be said that you’re not going be expected to bake cupcakes and bring them instead of a wedding cake nor are you expected to help the bride design and sew her wedding gown! Let’s certainly hope you are not expected to help cook dinner or serve it even though I expect most guest know how to cook! Can you imagine walking into the kitchen during a wedding and whipping up a few of your fave dishes for the other guest? Of course not! Why then, would you expect to help take the pictures?

Ok maybe this is a bit of a rant … But come on! As a professional wedding photographer, I know the value that these images bring to my clients after their wedding, and while I certainly don’t mind people using their cell phones occasionally during a wedding, there is a reason the biggest trend in weddings these days is going “unplugged.” This is when guest are asked to put down their cell Phones and enjoy the event!

Rant of a worried photographer, or just plain common sense, you decide! The host on Fox and Friends apparently have no idea what the true value of a professional wedding photographer is. The truth is most cell phone photos look about as good as the Betty Crocker cake a guest could provide would taste! To insinuate that a guest with a cell phone can possibly do the job of a professional photographer is just plain… well silly!

Arbus Art and Business magazine of North Florida

It is really exciting to be the featured artist on the Cover of this months Arbus magazine
in association with Unity Plaza and the opening of my “Flowers in Transition” show, October 29th at the Trasher Horne Center at St.Johns State College. The show is the official introduction of my Fine Art flower photography to North Florida.

The show will be exhibited in the beautiful Jack Mitchell Gallery located in the Thrasher Horne Center. The show is open to the public during Box office hours. The public meet the artist reception will be October 29th from 7:30 PM until 9PM

Dancer in the Utah Salt flats

I have always wanted to visit the Salt Flats in Utah. I recently spoke at the Inner Mountain Professional Photographers Convention and got a chance to visit the Bonnyville Salt Flats. I was fortunate to be able to have a beautiful dancer make the two hour drive out to the flats with me.

Even though Utah was technically in a drought situation the flats were not completely dry. Have you ever walked on wet salt? It’s an interesting feeling. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of the very first available Canon Mark 5s camera’s with it’s amazing 50MB file. What a great way to break in a new camera! Wet salt and a dancer! My good friend Drake Busath helped me out with one of his photographers and another dancer went along to help with ideas and posing.

The light can be very harsh on the Salt Flats, much like photographing on the beach, and this day was no exception. We ended up photographing until 10:45 at night. The later it got the more romantic and beautiful the light got. I think it is important for photographers to get outside of their box and try new things. The flats were defiantly a challenge, But we ended up getting some amazing images.

Inspiration

My friend Peter Lik is a world renown landscape photographer. In 2014, as President of Professional Photographers of America, I got to meet Peter while working on the presentation of his Lifetime Achievement Award, awarded him by Professional Photographers of America. We got to know each other and became friends during the process. I was so inspired by Peter. Not only is he an amazing photographer, he is a brilliant business man. His passion for the art of photography is unparalleled. It is pretty cool to be inspired by such a creative person. Throughout the journey of discovering the flowers and moving forward into a fine art genre, Peter has been so supportive and encouraging! We all need someone pushing us to take on a challenge and get outside our box, and Pete has been that for me! If you don’t know Peterʼs work you need to check it out. His landscape photography is absolutely amazing!

Find him at www.lik.com.

Susan meets Peter Lik

Hanging out in Las Vegas, meeting the keynote speaker, Peter Lik, for PPA convention, IUSA in February. Peter is a world-renowned landscape photographer. How lucky am I that he took a selfie of us?

Meeting your Mentors

For years I have admired the beautiful wildlife photography of George Lepp and Art Wolfe. They are two of the most well known photographers in their field. Many of you would be surprised to know that I LOVE wildlife photography and my biggest dream trip would be to Africa. I’ll make it there one day. Last night I had the pleasure of dining with these two gentlemen along with Kathy, George’s wife, Greg, the founder of Moab paper and Canon rep Barbara Eden. It was a lovely evening. Tonight I will attend a seminar by Art Wolfe during which he will receive the Life Time Achievement Award.

Gen W

Unforgettable Events and Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany & Co. and Unforgettable Events hosted a Bridal Event featuring Jacksonville’s Elite Wedding Professionals
At Tiffany & Co. in the Town Center Jacksonville, Florida. The event featured Couture designs by Gabriella Arango.

The Unforgettable Event
Tiffany & Co.
Gabriella Arango Couture
Celebrated Occasions
Beachview Event Rentals and Design
Renaissance World Golf Village Resorts
Ritz Carlton Amelia Island
Ponte Vedra Beach Resorts
Sweet Wedding Cake Design
Susan Michal Portrait Studio
Matthews
Take One Productions
Y?Entertainment
Hammock Beach Resorts

Club O