O’Brien will be the first-ever photographer to speak in the University of Houston-Victoria/American Book Review Fall Reading Series. His talk will begin at noon Oct. 13 in the Alcorn Auditorium of UHV University West, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. After the reading, O’Brien will sign copies of his latest book of photographs, “Hard Ground.” Light refreshments will be served, and the free event is open to the public.
I’m looking forward to being back at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and teaching a four day class entitled, “Portraits: A Personal Style”. The weather will be beautiful and the class will be a lot of fun. Below is the description of the class.
| Portraits: A Personal Style with Michael O’Brien October 26 – October 29, 2011
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Defining your personal approach to portraiture, refining and perfecting your own photographic vision and style, is a life-long pursuit for many photographers. The focus of this workshop is to help facilitate this challenging goal. Learning through doing is emphasized, with participants producing photographs on a near-constant basis. Michael shares his experience capturing subjects so they look right at home in their natural environment and his techniques for photographing people in a way that is real and without artifice. Since lighting is key, Michael demonstrates lighting methods for both studio and outdoor locations. He shows how his technique and aesthetic approach combine to create a successful photographic portrait. Michael discusses at length the relationship between photographer and subject, and as a class we explore the best ways to approach and conduct a portrait session. After these demonstrations, Michael works with students on an individual basis as they create their portraits. You practice helping your subjects get comfortable with the camera, helping them block out any distractions so they can be in the moment with the photographic process. Michael devotes mornings to edits, critiques, and lighting demonstrations. In the afternoons, he guides students in photographing on location, using the extraordinary New Mexico landscape as background for the workshop’s various models and subjects. |
For 25 years, I’ve kept my Nikon around the house loaded with a fresh roll of Tri-X film, always ready to photograph my three children. I’ve recorded the simple moments…just everyday life. The children are gone now, in various stages of launching. But recently, I’ve been going through years and years of contact sheets for a family project, picking out the better shots and making a hi-resolution scan of the negative. An image I came upon recently is one of my daughter, Owen, dressed in a tutu as a little girl, trying on a piece of jewelry at her mom’s vanity. Just a small moment.
Everyone always says time moves too quickly. The camera is my way to slow it down, to stop time and preserve and celebrate the moment. Owen is 23 years old now and in graduate school, worlds away from that moment, but this picture takes me back to the day when sunlight streamed through our bedroom window and Owen could pretend to be anything she dreamed.
Michael O’Brien will a featured author at the 2011 Texas Book Festival being held at the Texas State Capital on October 22-23.
Hard Ground is featured in an 8 page layout in the September issue of The Texas Observer. The elegant design was done by EmDash LLC, a talented Austin based firm run by Erin Mayes and Kate Iltis. The text was written by Dave Mann.
Photographer James Evans is exceptional in many ways. He sees with his heart. James fell in love with Big Bend in the late ‘80s and gave up his life as a photographer in Austin, moved to West Texas, and put down roots in Marathon.
James has been documenting Big Bend ever since, and his photographs are presented in his beautiful new book, Crazy from the Heat. What separates this book from others is James’s commitment to Big Bend. James takes us on his personal journey—sharing his vision of this other-worldly panorama.
James connected to everything…the dirt, the wind, the rocks, the people, the critters, the vast loneliness, the epic landscape. Turning each page is a delight–you don’t know whether you will see a hailstorm, a fried pie, a snake, a starry night or a gorgeous landscape. What you do see is James’s passion shining through each image in a way that is as original as James himself.
Michael O’Brien will present images from his new book, Hard Ground, at the American Book Review Reading Series on Thursday, October 13, 2011 in Victoria, Texas. The presentation will be at the University of Houston-Victoria, Alcorn Auditorium (UW 204) from noon-1 PM.
Michael will teaching “Portraits: A Personal Style” at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshop October 26-29, 2011. Since lighting is key, Michael will demonstrates lighting methods for both studio and outdoor locations.