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Author Topic: Peter Lik Declares Himself God  (Read 95101 times)

BradSmith

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #40 on: February 25, 2015, 01:31:54 pm »

from Slobodan......"You need dignity when you are poor, not when you are rich"

This is my favorite one-liner here in a long time!!!  Slobodan, I always enjoy what you have to say, but this is at the top of the list.
Brad
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #41 on: February 25, 2015, 02:00:08 pm »

from Slobodan......"You need dignity when you are poor, not when you are rich"

This is my favorite one-liner here in a long time!!!  Slobodan, I always enjoy what you have to say, but this is at the top of the list.
Brad

Blush :)

bokehcambodia

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #42 on: February 28, 2015, 03:43:52 am »

I think of his brand more as one of home decoration, luxury-priced but mass-market appeal. Postcards printed fine-art, no wonder he has galleries in travel locations...

Interestingly the 'world's most famous fine art photographer ever' advertises his prints on Nat Geo Traveler Contests...

One more new link:
http://news.artnet.com/people/what-are-people-saying-about-peter-liks-photo-sales-scheme-269596

And for a lol  :D on the image descriptions his team churns out...

"The only way I could capture this special moment of the weeping walls was after an incredibly torrential rain. I knew I had to get to a shallow portion of the river to unfold my tripod. I was drenched from head to toe by the falling water. Mist and rain covered the camera, but I fired a few shots. As I stood in awe of the scene, the sun broke through for a few seconds and cast God’s rays into the side lit waterfall."
« Last Edit: February 28, 2015, 04:23:44 am by bokehcambodia »
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Justinr

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #43 on: February 28, 2015, 03:31:37 pm »

I think of his brand more as one of home decoration, luxury-priced but mass-market appeal. Postcards printed fine-art, no wonder he has galleries in travel locations...

Interestingly the 'world's most famous fine art photographer ever' advertises his prints on Nat Geo Traveler Contests...

One more new link:
http://news.artnet.com/people/what-are-people-saying-about-peter-liks-photo-sales-scheme-269596

And for a lol  :D on the image descriptions his team churns out...

"The only way I could capture this special moment of the weeping walls was after an incredibly torrential rain. I knew I had to get to a shallow portion of the river to unfold my tripod. I was drenched from head to toe by the falling water. Mist and rain covered the camera, but I fired a few shots. As I stood in awe of the scene, the sun broke through for a few seconds and cast God’s rays into the side lit waterfall."



So the lad got his tootsies damp wading into a stream to snatch a snap eh! Jeez, do they give out medals for such selfless devotion to the cause, I mean, he could of ended up with a life threatening dose of athletes foot!!
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Plateau Light

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #44 on: March 01, 2015, 12:55:53 am »

Well having been in direct competition with him while I managed my last gallery with Art Wolfe and Robert Rotella, I can certainly say he has the balls to make aggressive marketing moves that most would never sleep at night if made. He also has a wonderful apparatus to tie up personnel so the competition can not benefit from his voracious appetite for going through employees. There are enough stories floating in town to fill several novels.

With that said I must say that I admire his ability to roll out galleries and hit huge sales numbers. I am struggling to make my second million $ milestone and he is on 420. Dam he is good at it.

Robert
Www.robert-park.com
Www.nevadaartprinters.com

Wayne Fox

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #45 on: March 01, 2015, 01:34:04 pm »

So the lad got his tootsies damp wading into a stream to snatch a snap eh!
Not to defend peter lik, but I've shot this particular location, and to do so in a rain storm would be a serious adventure and you will get more than your feet wet.  Just navigating the log jam through a rain storm to get there would be pretty hazardous.  your equipment better be seriously weather proof ...
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #46 on: March 01, 2015, 02:56:31 pm »

...There are enough stories floating in town to fill several novels...

Do tell.

BobShaw

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #47 on: March 01, 2015, 05:01:45 pm »

How many pictures did you all sell recently?   Rather than knock Lik, you might want to learn some of his business techniques if you want to sell your work.  He obviously knows what he's doing in a big way.  It seems strange to castigate success of a fellow photographer who's worked hard and dedicated himself.   
+1000
In Australia we call it the "tall poppy syndrome". The flower sticks its head above the weeds and the weeds try to chop it down.

I once commented on another forum about how much I had learnt about the business of photography from attending a Ken Duncan course. A "Facebook legend" piped in to tell me he was as good a photographer as Ken Duncan but that Ken had just had more luck. I guess luck comes from surviving driving your family around the outback for many years and not from posting blown out pics on Facebook.
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pcgpcg

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #48 on: March 01, 2015, 08:04:21 pm »

Not to defend peter lik, but I've shot this particular location, and to do so in a rain storm would be a serious adventure and you will get more than your feet wet.  Just navigating the log jam through a rain storm to get there would be pretty hazardous.  your equipment better be seriously weather proof ...
+1
Absolutely true. I would say that negotiating that log jam in a rainstorm is not just pretty hazardous, it's flat out dangerous. In addition, you don't want to be on the wrong side of that log jam when a flash flood arrives. I have shot there as well and when doing so I wear a wool sweater over a wetsuit and my gear is in a dry bag. Once set up in rainy conditions I've found it impossible to keep the lens dry.  Timing is everything here, not just for safety, but for visual effect as well. Everything must line up right to do this and then you really have to have your act together to do everything right in difficult conditions.

On the other hand, in the summer the biggest impediment to photographing there is the crowd of people that hike back in daily. When the logs are dry it's fairly easy to access.

My hat is off to Mr. Lik for the effort it took to be there at the right time and for demonstrating the skill to pull it off and getting a gorgeous photo. I've tried multiple times and failed. As for all the schmaltz, I say to each his own as long as we are not hurting or disrespecting others. I wish him the best.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2015, 04:37:46 pm by pcgpcg »
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Justinr

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #49 on: March 02, 2015, 03:49:03 am »

+1
Absolutely true. I would say that negotiating that log jam in a rainstorm is not just pretty hazardous, it's flat out dangerous. In addition, you don't want to be on the wrong side of that log jam when a flash flood arrives. I have shot there as well and when doing so I wear a wool sweater over a wetsuit and my gear is in a dry bag. Once set up in rainy conditions I've found it impossible to keep the lens dry.  Timing is everything here, not just for safety, but for visual effect as well. Everything must line up right to do this and then you really have to have your act together to do everything right in difficult conditions.

My hat is off to Mr. Lik for the effort it took to be there at the right time and for demonstrating the skill to pull it off and getting a gorgeous photo. I've tried multiple times and failed. As for all the schmaltz, I say to each his own as long as we are not hurting or disrespecting others. I wish him the best.


Lik say's in his speil -

The only way I could capture this special moment of the weeping walls was after an incredibly torrential rain. I knew I had to get to a shallow portion of the river

Would you say that is possible? Would there be a shallow portion of the river after torrential rain? Could you in fact get anywhere near it after torrential rain?
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Justinr

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #50 on: March 02, 2015, 04:40:25 am »

Well having been in direct competition with him while I managed my last gallery with Art Wolfe and Robert Rotella, I can certainly say he has the balls to make aggressive marketing moves that most would never sleep at night if made. He also has a wonderful apparatus to tie up personnel so the competition can not benefit from his voracious appetite for going through employees. There are enough stories floating in town to fill several novels.

With that said I must say that I admire his ability to roll out galleries and hit huge sales numbers. I am struggling to make my second million $ milestone and he is on 420. Dam he is good at it.

Robert
Www.robert-park.com
Www.nevadaartprinters.com

The fact that you made your first is pretty good going I'd have thought.

This thread has got me thinking  (always dangerous) about the whole print market and why there is hardly such a thing over here yet people can make their living in the states from it.

The first thing to appreciate is that there have to be customers to buy the items. So why are there buyers in the US but not Ireland, or much of Europe come to that? Who are these buyers in the states and where are they hanging the pictures? Are American houses bigger and so have more walls to cover, or do people move house more often and so need to redecorate more frequently? I also get the impression that house prices in the states are more a reflection of how the house is fitted out and its state of repair rather than the value of the bit of land it is sat upon, a major factor over here where there is less land available. Does this have an effect on how people decorate their homes? Maybe hanging photos in the smaller rooms of European houses just makes them feel cluttered and can be overpowering or distracting?

Then there are the psychological reasons for for folk buying landscapes, is it because they want to bring the great outdoors into their homes, extend the vastness of America into their houses, be reminded of what was wrested from nature, or maybe that that nature still has not succumbed?

The list of questions is probably endless but what is quite clear is that you cannot always take a business model from one culture where it is successful and transplant it to another and expect to flourish in its new surroundings. Lik certainly knows that, which is why he has only one gallery in Europe, in Venice, a city inundated with cruise ships carrying American tourists.
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Eric Kellerman

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #51 on: March 02, 2015, 06:56:39 am »

Mr Lik must be doing something right: He has just been awarded the Federation of European Photographers International (i.e. non-European) Bronze Camera for 2015.

http://www.europeanphotographers.eu/news/2685-fep-golden-silver-and-bronze-cameras-2015
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #52 on: March 02, 2015, 11:42:02 am »

... So why are there buyers in the US but not Ireland, or much of Europe come to that?

Nouveau riche. They are more nouveau and more riche here. Thus less cultivated. That is not to say that American rich can not be cultivated. They are, but they do not buy Lik. It is all those sport millionaire players, dot.com entrepreneurs, etc. that do.

Quote
...Are American houses bigger and so have more walls to cover, or do people move house more often and so need to redecorate more frequently?...

Yes and yes.

pcgpcg

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #53 on: March 02, 2015, 12:03:37 pm »

Lik say's in his speil -

The only way I could capture this special moment of the weeping walls was after an incredibly torrential rain. I knew I had to get to a shallow portion of the river

Would you say that is possible? Would there be a shallow portion of the river after torrential rain? Could you in fact get anywhere near it after torrential rain?
Yes, and that is the only time you will find sheets of water pouring off the walls as he captured in his photo.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2015, 12:43:01 pm by pcgpcg »
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NancyP

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #54 on: March 02, 2015, 02:29:38 pm »

American houses can be huge, so that's one big reason that print sales are higher in US than Europe. Americans do move more, but the decorations move with them.

I think people like bringing the outside in, so landscape photos are popular. And I don't know if this reflects a lack of cultivation or a lack of time in nature. Lik's color palette is a bit gaudy for my tastes. I live 2 miles from a good art museum (St. Louis Art Museum). I can see terrific art that I would never be able to afford. I would rather see some photos on my wall than reproductions. I don't commonly see fine arts prints from local artists that both interest me and are affordable, but then again I haven't hit the better galleries on a regular basis. The fine arts items  at outdoor art shows tend to be conservative in style and "pretty" - just not engaging enough.
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NancyP

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #55 on: March 02, 2015, 02:32:35 pm »

BTW, does anyone know the location of the moss-covered bluffs in that Lik shot? Interesting place.
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Plateau Light

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #56 on: March 02, 2015, 04:59:48 pm »

BTW, does anyone know the location of the moss-covered bluffs in that Lik shot? Interesting place.

I believe it is Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia Gorge

NancyP

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #57 on: March 02, 2015, 07:26:26 pm »

Thank you. There is a stereograph that seems to replicate the viewpoint in the Lik photo on the wikipedia site for the gorge: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneonta_Gorge
Gorge first photographed by Carleton Watkins. You want to talk about gutsy - not only wading into the river, but wading into the river with a 16 x 20" camera and glass plates!

Added to bucket list.
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Wayne Fox

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #58 on: March 03, 2015, 12:07:47 am »

The shot is just after getting over the log jam in the stream. Distance to hike isn’t far.  further upstream is a waterfall, but the water gets quite a bit deeper (more than waist deep when I was there and it wasn’t raining).  The log jam is not to be underestimated if wet, and don’t make the mistake I did of trying to keep my feet and lower body dry by climbing over it since once you get over, there is no choice but to walk through the stream.  Coming out was much easier because I wasn’t trying to stay dry. The logs are extremely slick when wet.  Don’t go alone.

And I will say despite Lik’s flowery description of the circumstances and not offering any opinions one way or the other of Lik and his operation, this is one magnificent image in person, I’ve seen it as large as 8 feet. The circumstances he took the shot in were daring and challenging, and like many of us shooting landscapes he also captured a fortuitous moment with the god rays from the sun peeking out. Definitely no postcard shot ...

I got an ok shot of it, one of my better images from last year, but nothing like his ..
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Plateau Light

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Re: Peter Lik Declares Himself God
« Reply #59 on: March 03, 2015, 10:11:51 am »


I got an ok shot of it, one of my better images from last year, but nothing like his ..
Yes it's a beautiful shot. Imagine the shock when I walk into my attorneys firm and see that they had just purchased a 40 x 60 of it. At first it feels like betrayal but then you take a look at it. It is really special and is my favorite of his.
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