 | |
| | | Visit
us on Main Street this week to view new works by these artists: | |  |
|
Illusion I
by Anke Richert-Korioth
24" x
24"
Mixed Media on Canvas
$850 |
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| | |  | It's
finally hit 100 degrees in Scottsdale, but the weather couldn't be more
beautiful. Sure, the middle of the day is a little warm, but the
mornings and evenings are still gorgeous - April is a great time to
visit Arizona.
I am pleased to feature a number of talented artists in this week's issue of RedDot, as well as in the gallery. Anke Richert-Korioth has shipped a couple of beautiful little paintings to the gallery, as have Caroline Furlong, Silvana LaCreta Ravena, and Carrie Goldman Segall.
Bev Pettit is featured in the most recent issue of PhotoShop User Magazine.
Bev's powerful photos capture the beauty and grace of her muse, the
horse. View our full interview with Bev below and visit the gallery to
see her extraordinary photos.
J.
Jason Horejs
Owner
Xanadu
Gallery |
|
| | | | interviewed
by Karly Williams |
|  | | Painted
Flowers by Bev Pettit
21" x 24"
Photograph
$700 | |  We recently sat down with Arizona photographer Bev Pettit to talk about her work. Bev was recently featured in PhotoShop User Magazine.
Xanadu: Bev, your
photography distinguishes itself through being totally unique. The
starkness of several of your images creates an austere atmosphere,
which could reflect a somber stillness, but instead manages to capture
the majesty of the horse. Will you describe for us your inspiration,
and your process, in achieving this remarkable result?
Pettit: I find the
innate beauty of horses in general inspirational. But when creating my
images of horses I feel that before I can call a work complete, the
images must portray emotion as well. The starkness in some is intended
to isolate the animal’s beauty and draw the viewer in to
closeness with the horse that perhaps they would not otherwise
experience.
X: Your mastery of
light and shadow is extraordinary. Tell us how you use the
juxtaposition of these elements in your work, both in nature, and in
your "post production" procedures with PhotoShop.
Pettit: One area
that I pay special attention to in my work is the concept of contrast.
I feel that shadows and highlights are of equal importance. I focus
carefully on toning the image in Light Room 2 usually by either bumping
up the warm tones or bringing down the color to sepia or near black and
white. I do most of my post-processing in Light Room 2. However, final
tweaking is often done in Photo Shop CS3.
By
photographing during the “magic hour” in the
evening (one-half hour before and after sunset) I am able to get the
nice glowing warm tones that I love to incorporate in my images.
X: In your
autobiographical sketch, you share your desire to "capture the essence
of the horse, to reflect the image of his soul" through your work. When
do you know you have accomplished this feat?
Pettit: The eye is
the window to the soul. If an equine portrait shows an eye it must have
a “catch light” in it or portray emotion through
the eyes. If the eyes are not shown then the horses’ body
language must portray the majesty, character and personality. Then I
know I have captured the essence of the horse.
X: How
does your respect, admiration, and enthusiasm for these animals shape
your work? How do you bond with your subject/subjects?
Pettit: I have had
the good fortune to have been around horses most of my life. We
currently have five horses on our ranch in Arizona. My respect and
admiration for these animals has progressed as my exposure to and
understanding of them has increased. My enthusiasm becomes greater and
greater when I see how willing horses can be to learn and how much they
want to be with people when handled and treated with understanding and
respect themselves. It is easy to bond with a horse when he trusts you
and knows that you care about his best interest. There is no finer
sensation when this happens.
X: One can almost
hear the thunder of hooves and feel the breeze created by the dynamic
motion of the galloping horses. These photographs exude great energy.
What factors play into the process of capturing "real life" in "real
time"?
Pettit:
Horses are unlike any other animal. I believe that they are more
challenging to photograph because the allure of the horse shows best
when it is moving. Capturing their gripping beauty in a blink of an eye
takes an understanding of the horses’ behavior patterns and
an anticipation of how they are going to react to different sounds,
people, environment, weather and even light. Photographing herds of
running horses takes time and patience. And wild horses are not as
trusting as the domestic horse. So a number of things must be
considered when photographing herds of running mustangs. First, your
safety; one can’t get too close to these animals. The family
bands consist of one stallion and any number of mares. The stallion is
very protective over his harem so you should keep a distance and
leverage telephoto lenses. Sometimes I use trained assistants in these
situations that move the herds in directions that are safe, yet allow
opportunities to capture the herds running freely together.
X: The sense of real
life in real time also resonates in your wonderful rodeo scenes. Tell
us something about the process of setting up those shots.
Pettit: At ranch
rodeos one needs to be very careful when photographing the wild horses
and broncs. These animals are running out of fear and will not stop for
a photographer in his path. I often place myself as close to the action
as possible but still in as safe a position as possible which requires
understanding and predicting equine behavior. Hearing the roaring
snorts of these powerful animals bucking wildly while running full
speed toward me, experiencing flying mud pelting me as it the rain
pours down, and fighting the resistance to pull away before the action
gets too close can be quite exhilarating. A zoom telephoto lens is a
must in order to follow and frame the action as it moves wildly about
in mere seconds.
 X: What does one do
to commission a portrait by you? Do you do destination photography for
your clients?
Pettit:
To commission a portrait clients could contact me directly or contact
Xanadu Gallery to set up an initial meeting. I would meet with the
client at their location to discuss their wishes, visit the site to
decide on the best setup for the shoot, and meet the horses and people
wanting to be photographed. We would go over the contract, schedule a
time and date for the shoot and I would leave them with pointers on how
to prepare in advance. I almost always schedule portrait work in the
early evening but early mornings are also workable. A contract of
intent is signed and a deposit is rendered at the time of the initial
visit.
X:
How do you compose the various elements of your flora shoots to render
such vibrant color and exquisite detail?
Pettit: The flora
images are a personal favorite of mine. I enjoy setting up floral
arrangements to shoot at my home, always using natural light. I play
with different shutter speeds, use of motion and zooming with a variety
of lenses, using different backgrounds, creating rain and other effects
for unusual treatments for a variety of flora.
X: What photography
project are you currently most excited about?
Pettit: I have two
future projects that are extremely exciting to me. First, I will be
furthering my wild horse photography by attending a photography and
creative art workshop in California this June. Here I will have the
opportunity to spend a week following and photographing bands of
mustangs in their natural setting over a 300 acre area at a wild horse
sanctuary. Second, I look forward to spending more time with my 4x5
large format field camera to photograph the spectacular country right
outside my ranch doors. The summer rains, mountains, boulders and flora
near my home are just begging to be captured on film. |
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