A Tribute to a "Peachy" Career

I recently completed a new commission for Commander Dennis Quick using my Mélange technique. The tableau was built using memorabilia from Commander Quick’s career and serves celebration of his 29 years of service in the United States Navy.   We shot it at his home just outside of Washington DC over the holidays where all of his memorabilia was located. To better understand all that goes into one of these pieces please take a look at the text and image below. It was an honor to create such a piece for Dennis and if you know someone who has a distinguished career, military or professional, I'd love to work with you to create an equally memorable image.  

1. Hat & Officer’s Uniform: Commander, USN - Highest rank attained while on active duty. 2. Medals: 7 medals representing various achievements. 3. Navy Officer Sword and Scabbard:  Required as part of Dennis’ ceremonial officer uniform. 4. Boot Camp Photo: Company 215, San Diego. This represents the start of Commander Quick’s Navy career. Dennis is the tall sailor in the middle of the back row. 5. Retirement Gift from NSASP Staff: Picture commemorating a large portion of his service including his, “I’m just freaking Peachy” quote which is, to this day, his standard response to “How you doing?” 6. Flag: A memento of Quick’s time in Brazil serving as the Navy Section Chief for the US Military Liaison Office, Brasilia, Brazil. It was flown over the US Embassy in Brazil in his honor 7. Wedding Photo: On August 1st, 1998 Dennis married Diane Bendixen in Rapid City, South Dakota. Quick was a Lieutenant Commander at the time enroute to Japan to serve as the Main Propulsion Assistant on the USS Kittyhawk 8. Master of Science in Applied Physics Diploma: Awarded to Dennis by the Naval Postgraduate School 9. Challenge Coins: Normally received from senior personnel for various reasons.  These are a portion of Dennis’ collection. 10. Retirement Ceremony Program: A souvenir from his retirement ceremony.  11. South Potomic Pilot Newpaper: Cover story featuring Commander Quick’s retirement ceremony. 12. Polaroid #1: Taking the Oath administered by rear Admiral Cohen for my promotion to Commander. 13. Polaroid #2: His wife Diane and Rear Admiral Jay Cohen, Chief of Naval Research pinning on Commander Quick’s new rank insignia.

Research: It's Time Well Spent

I began my career as a documentary filmmaker many years ago. My first gig was working on a documentary called “MGM: When the Lion Roars.” The film covered many decades of the studio and Hollywood history. I was responsible for finding and cataloguing all the archive footage needed to tell the story. This included newsreels, behind the scenes footage and other supporting film material. I spent months in the MGM film archive climbing ladders and digging through dusty old film cans watching footage that hadn’t been seen in decades. In a short amount of time, I became an expert on all things MGM.

Ever since that project I’ve enjoyed that process of discovery. I have researched many projects and have become well-versed in many subjects that I previously knew nothing about. Now with the internet and my interest in photography, I no longer need to climb ladders and dig through old dusty cans. I can (and do) spend hours in the comfort of my own home just looking at images from other photographers. It provides inspiration, spawns ideas for my own work and is making me a better photographer.

If you are interested in photography (and I’m guessing you are given that you’re reading this) I would recommend you do the same.

If you’re not sure where to start, simply google the following phase “Famous ______ photographs (or photographers) ” The blank could be filled with whatever interests you. By way of example, try “street” or “food” or “portrait” or whatever your favorite subject is. Then select “images” on the search results page and voilà! your research has begun. Using this search is a also good way to look back in time so you will also get a history lesson while you’re looking at images. 

You can also go to image libraries that provide photos for licensing. There are many but one of the biggest is Getty Images. Over the years they have bought up the rights to many smaller libraries and collections and it is now all databased on their site. It doesn’t cost to look and you will find a plethora of images which will in turn lead you to further investigation.

While this one may seem obvious, simply google “best photo websites”, or “best art photo websites” and that too should occupy the rest of your day. 

If you want to see what others are doing lately, a site that I like is 500px.com which you too can join and upload your photos. The images are simply amazing and there are a lot of international photographers on 500px so you can see how people around the world are shooting. 

Another of my favorites is lomography.com/photos. This is an art photo site that also sells products… some of which I use myself so it’s interesting to see what others are doing with the same equipment. 

So if you want to be a better photographer I would highly recommend a little research. It’s fun, inspirational and educational and without even getting off the couch you will become a better photographer. In short, it’s time well spent.

Learning to See: The 1% Phenomenon

My father shot pictures his entire life. That was back in the day when you only had access to 36 frames on a roll of film and it cost a lot of money to develop and print those images.

When I was a boy and started to shoot pictures, my Dad told me, “If I get 1 good picture per roll, I’m happy.” I quickly learned that didn’t mean that he was a crappy photographer, he was quite good in fact. His point was, the trick to getting good pictures, is to shoot a lot of pictures.

Now that we’re in the digital era where it’s easier and cheaper to shoot (you don’t get much better than an unlimited roll that costs nothing) I find that I typically get 1 good picture for every 100 I shoot. That doesn’t make me a crappy photographer either, just one who embraces the digital medium and what my father told me decades ago.

One of the wonderful things about digital photography is it allows you to experiment and shoot freely.  Exposure, aperture, focus, lenses, composition… it’s all there in the sandbox to play with.

And as for 99 less than perfect images, they are not just for the trash. Through the editing process where you find out what did work, you will also discover what didn’t work and can apply that knowledge to your next shoot. And on occasion, you’ll even find a “happy accident”. Sometimes that happy accident is your best pic of the day.

So next time you pick up your camera, have fun, experiment and don’t be shy with your shutter finger. It won’t cost a penny and you’ll never run out of film.

Happy shooting,

Rüdiger Poe

I'm ready. Bring it on 2017!

2017 looks to be a great year. Why? Because the time has come where I am finally going to focus on "my" work. I spent much of the past year shooting, editing and organizing my Artisan photography collections in preparation for the new year and beyond. I will of course continue to work with select clients on both photography and documentary projects but I am most excited about expanding my personal creative body of work. 

Over the past year or so I have shot literally thousands of images, developing a couple of different styles and techniques. I utilize tools from both the past and present to create my images including antique lenses to capture impressionistic images and my “Mélange” lighting and editing technique I created to shoot and digitally mix multiple exposures into beautiful, engaging images that simply cannot be created with a single click of the shutter. After two years of experimenting with different labs I’ve also finally found a lab that can do my images justice by making “old school” chromogenic prints that are actually processed with chemicals. All very exciting. 

I have applied to numerous juried art shows around the Southwest and as of this moment, have been accept into shows in Arizona, San Diego and Palm Springs and am awaiting a number of other responses, to which I am hopeful. Three people have ordered commissions for me to shoot in the upcoming months and if all goes well, my work will also be represented at a couple of well-respected art expos and galleries around the country later in the year. 

I have also decided to market my work using my full name Rüdiger which I have only previously used on a handful of select film projects for which I am most proud. And yes, I’m finally going to work hard to promote myself and my work using social media! To that end, I have a new website, facebook page and instagram account specific to this aspect of my work. If you’re so inclined, please check out rudigergallery.com and rudigergallery on Facebook & instragram. I plan on actually writing a lot this year to share my journey and work so we’ll see what kind of progress I make there as well. 

Bring it on 2017! I’m ready for you.

Thanks for reading and I wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year!

Cheers,

Rüdiger

To learn more about me and my work please visit:

Artisan Photography: rudigergallery.com

Commercial Photography: rudypoephotography

Film/Video: rudypoe.com