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Author Topic: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?  (Read 107881 times)

sailronin

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #20 on: February 06, 2012, 04:27:33 pm »

The photograph (graphic art?) is quite striking, I'm sure his audience (fan base) is thrilled with his latest "work of art".
I think the guy has a formula and it work great for him much like Thomas Kinkade and his production art. He'll never be an Edward Weston or Paul Strand or Ansel Adams, but none of them died rich.  He makes a fortune out of photographing what he wants, wish I could do the same.

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sierraman

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #21 on: March 09, 2012, 12:30:38 am »

(Peter Lik) This shot has eluded me my entire photographic career. I have spent years trying to perfect this image, there are so many variables you don't even think about. It's a really touchy image, but when it all lines up, the result is out of this world… literally. I have drawers full of transparencies that I have shot over decades that just didn't cut it. I tried all the variables--different lenses, exposures, compositions, times, then much to my frustration the results back from the lab were always disappointing.

The remoteness of Kodachrome Basin in Utah was an obvious choice to finally nail this elusive image; remote, clean air, and a selection of cliff tops to shoot from. I had been watching the phase of the moon and tonight the moon was close to full. I had a specific composition in my mind and I searched for days to line up this classic tree with the moon. Tonight I hope it all comes together. It was a long night but I knew at some point my perseverance would be rewarded.

I was white-knuckled as I set up the mammoth lens, filling the viewfinder with this balanced scene, the tree framed amongst the rocks and the low lying clouds added to the tension… this had to work. The desert silence was stunning, my pulse raced, I could hear the blood running through my veins. Then, I saw the horizon starting to glow. The golden sphere slowly rose in front of me. I was totally stunned. I couldn't believe it. So connected to this lunar giant that I was trembling. Such an impact on my life. I pressed the shutter, a feeling I'll never forget. The moon, tree, and earth.

I hope to share with you this amazing connection I had on this special evening with the moon, that affects our lives. It certainly affected mine.
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Michael West

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #22 on: March 09, 2012, 12:41:06 am »

 Id hazard to say that its the radical unfamiliarty of seeing a distant tree and horizon with that sort of magnification  

the juxtaposition of the moon to the tree and horizon are not what one would ever likely be capable of  seeing with the naked eye  

t

As I understand it the longer the lens the more pronounced the foreshortening which would account for the odd look" of the size of the moon tree and hill.

« Last Edit: March 11, 2012, 11:30:55 am by Michael West »
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LoisWakeman

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #23 on: March 14, 2012, 08:31:55 am »

A bit late to the party, but: it doesn't do it for me - shades of ET going home, and (de)motivational posters. Kitsch but not in a fun way. However, if we believe half what the guy or his PR agent says, he is onto a winning formula - and good luck to him.

I'm a bit of a stickler for some degree of believability in a landscape image. I know we can choose viewpoints and use lenses and post processing to see what the eye cannot - however this seems to go too far for my taste. But I am sure lots of people I know would think it was great - and that's' what's so interesting about humanity - we are all different, just like everybody else! (Now there's a slogan for a poster...)  ;D
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Rob C

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #24 on: March 14, 2012, 10:17:52 am »

I lead a sheltered life in exile; I'd never seen Lik on my radar before this thread. However, though not impressed with the Moon, I do like the River of Zen shot, the one with blurred water and rusty leaves. Perhaps that's because of the attraction of something simple, well done; much like a boiled egg, in other words. And I can't pick a fight with one of those.

Rob C

Justan

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #25 on: March 15, 2012, 11:54:31 am »

While I know naught about this fellow, according to Wikipedia he is a role model in how to succeed in landscape photography.

LoisWakeman

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #26 on: March 15, 2012, 12:12:18 pm »

Ah - but who wrote the Wikipedia entry? (Call me a cynic...)
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Justan

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #27 on: March 15, 2012, 12:29:33 pm »

^That’s a valid point but all the same, accordingly, he did get a million dollars for a print and has sold many many others for a princely sum, gotten more than a fist of awards, has or had 13 galleries, sold lots of books, has more yada yadas than most……..

Imo this makes him a role model for how to succeed....

sierraman

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #28 on: March 15, 2012, 07:29:36 pm »

Whikipedia quote,

"Peter Lik is a self-taught Australian landscape photographer.[1] While traveling in Alaska in 1984, Lik began to experiment with panoramic cameras. He is known for his limited editions and his work has been compared to that of legendary photographer Ansel Adams."

"Ansel Adams". Say what? ???
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PierreVandevenne

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #29 on: March 16, 2012, 11:10:41 am »

Here's what a moon that has just come over the horizon should look like

http://nationalgeographicdaily.tumblr.com/post/6661391061/full-moon-rising-photograph-by-stefan-seip-the

Notice something?

Also, yes, the starfields look _very_ fishy. Yes, there should be star trails with a long exposure. And there should be more stars, and more variation.

Also, even assuming this gentlemen has perfect technique, the moon image is amazingly sharp and crispy for something outside the atmosphere that's just above the horizon.

Also, assuming the sun set on the right of that image (ok, there isn't much sky to tell, but right is clearly more likely than left) what lights the moon? Now, if a full or near full moon rises at sunset, where is it located relatively to the sun? On the opposite side of course. Typically, a moon near the horizon at sunset following the sun obviously looks like this

http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/upload/2011/09/who_discovered_the_earth_is_ro/MoonMercury_zubenel_c800.jpeg

Very very lame composite.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2012, 11:13:49 am by PierreVandevenne »
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Justan

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #30 on: March 17, 2012, 11:49:47 am »

^It might be. It’s obvious that he was using an astronomical motion control camera tripod and related goodies, such as this one. That would eliminate most or all of the blur. But having never worked with this kind of setup personally, I don’t know if it could produce the results we see in the image. However, I have seen a lot of really impressive results when using this kind of tripod setup before.

If anyone is interested to find out if this is a composite, you can always contact someone who can provide a direct answer http://www.lik.com/contacts/

PierreVandevenne

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #31 on: March 17, 2012, 01:50:42 pm »


Thinks about it for a minute: yes, you can track the stars. But then the fixed background is blurred.
And anyone who has tracked and shot stars knows that they don't look a bit like they do here.

When is the last time you saw a round sun or moon near the horizon?

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JohnTodd

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #32 on: March 22, 2012, 12:52:00 pm »

...his work has been compared to that of legendary photographer Ansel Adams

Well, *my* work has been compared to Ansel Adams as well. In fact, I compared it just the other day, and I found that mine was vastly inferior!
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RSL

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #33 on: March 22, 2012, 02:31:26 pm »

^That’s a valid point but all the same, accordingly, he did get a million dollars for a print and has sold many many others for a princely sum, gotten more than a fist of awards, has or had 13 galleries, sold lots of books, has more yada yadas than most……..

Imo this makes him a role model for how to succeed....

How to succeed at what, Justan? Make money? If that's the objective, check Andreas Gursky's "Rhein II" which sold for 4.3 mil U.S. When you look at the picture be sure you're sitting down because you may fall asleep. Gursky didn't even have to push the color saturation. What he did was become accepted inside the "art world" as someone whose work would, in the future, by popular acclaim, rise in price (notice I didn't say "value.") Same thing with Cindy Sherman's incredibly blah "Untitled #96," which sold for 3.89 mil. What you're looking at is the "art market," which has damned little to do with art.
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Justan

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #34 on: March 23, 2012, 02:04:38 pm »

> How to succeed at what, Justan?

Previously answered, Russ. Post # 25. Try working on reading comprehension.

> … What you're looking at is the "art market," which has damned little to do with art.

A very revealing deflection, Russ.

It’s always a good idea to learn from people who are successful in specific fields.

Thanks for the chuckle.

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #35 on: March 23, 2012, 02:22:17 pm »

...Try working on reading comprehension...

Bad-hair day, Nancy?

Rob C

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #36 on: March 23, 2012, 04:38:58 pm »

Bad-hair day, Nancy?


Just the snap for this:

Rob C

RSL

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #37 on: March 23, 2012, 07:17:14 pm »

> How to succeed at what, Justan?

Previously answered, Russ. Post # 25. Try working on reading comprehension.

> … What you're looking at is the "art market," which has damned little to do with art.

A very revealing deflection, Russ.

It’s always a good idea to learn from people who are successful in specific fields.

Thanks for the chuckle.

Glad you had a light-hearted moment, Justan, but you didn't answer my question. Post #25 doesn't answer it. Successful in what way? Is Gursky's photograph fine art, worth 4.3 million? If so, what distinguishes it from the average tourist snapshot, which, if this is the standard, ought to be worth at least 4 million and change. How about Sherman's "Untitled #98?" What do you see in it that distinguishes it from the average family snapshot and makes it worth roughly 3.98 million more than a print you'd get for $5 from the local drugstore?

What I see is an artificial "art" market that, in many ways, is a lot like the Federal Reserve. The "value" of its product is accepted on faith. In one case the object is a dollar bill. In the other it's a photographic print.


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Rob C

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #38 on: March 24, 2012, 05:11:19 am »

Glad you had a light-hearted moment, Justan, but you didn't answer my question. Post #25 doesn't answer it. Successful in what way? Is Gursky's photograph fine art, worth 4.3 million? If so, what distinguishes it from the average tourist snapshot, which, if this is the standard, ought to be worth at least 4 million and change. How about Sherman's "Untitled #98?" What do you see in it that distinguishes it from the average family snapshot and makes it worth roughly 3.98 million more than a print you'd get for $5 from the local drugstore?

What I see is an artificial "art" market that, in many ways, is a lot like the Federal Reserve. The "value" of its product is accepted on faith. In one case the object is a dollar bill. In the other it's a photographic print.



And in both cases, there are frequent forgeries.

Rob C

JohnTodd

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Re: Peter Lik new release "Bella Luna", is this ok to you?
« Reply #39 on: March 24, 2012, 07:19:29 pm »

Having been in three of Mr. Lik's galleries in Las Vegas recently, I decided that I didn't care for the majority of his work, which is probably a fair aesthetic judgement. However, what really struck me is the emphasis in the sales pitch about the investment value of each piece, particularly the structuring of each release to maximise the ROI to the buyer. Boasting about the number of prints sold sight-unseen seems to take this work out of the realm of visual art...
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