Art of the Day: That Yak

That Yak. Could not come up with a better title. This particular one lives on a ranch in the Ogden valley. And it really speaks for itself. So powerful. Such an impression. People stop when it catches their eye. Just a very well-composed piece of art. Normally, I’m wordy. This one has at least 1,000 words to say on its own. So I’ll let it.

This one really wants to be a 3:4 ratio. Or is that 4:3? Anyway, it looks absolutely great on metal at 16 x 20 ($275) without a frame. I’ve got it in 11 x 14 in a barnwood frame ($125) and I think some of the impact is lost in the frame. But…people seem drawn to it nonetheless…and I might not be right. Whatever the case, it’s a stunner.

Art of the Day: ’56 Chevy Portrait

While the gallery is filled mostly with nature photography, I’ve noticed that I’ve been posting a much wider range than that…and can only think it’s to show the range of what’s really available.

Seems to me that every sub-type of photography is different. Landscapes are different from macros are different from candids are different from architecture, etc. And (to me again), no matter the technical skill with (and understanding of) the camera, there’s a learning curve associated with whatever subject (type) you’re shooting. And you have to find your eye.

That said, I wanted to learn to shoot cars. But, recall, I think I shoot portraiture, mostly. So…I see faces in cars. You might, too. And seems that each face has a personality. So in figuring out how to shoot cars – what my eye was, I naturally focused on the face – taking a portrait of the individual again. So here’s a result from my first outing. It’s a beautifully-restored ’56 Chevy Bel Air.

I shot it in June of 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. No idea who the owner is. To get the shot, I was on my back nearly under the front bumper. I used a really wide lens (not quite fisheye, but you get a bit of a bulge in the center) 21mm and I think I caught the essence of the thing.

It’s a 2:3 ratio and is quite striking. As a sidenote, people who buy art at festivals seem to have a thing for triptychs. So I tried cutting this one into thirds and it came out really well. Really three distinct parts – headlights and hood ornament/branding in the middle. I’ve ordered it in three 24×48 panels on 1/4″ ultraboard (foamcore) and that monster (four feet by six feet plus the two gaps) will be on the west wall of the gallery soon.

I decided to try the thin ultraboard for this one because it’s really the best bang-for-the-buck-for-square-foot-of-art medium. And it really does look good. (And I’m a little over budget populating the gallery). I’ll post a pic of the trip when it gets delivered this week. That monster trip will sell for $630. (By comparison, for that price you get a metal print that’s 22 x 33). It’s a matter of budget and taste. Of course, it’s available in any size, in trip or whole. Had a 12×18 that sold within minutes of putting it in my booth ($195) and it’s in a man cave in Colorado now.

A color version is also available, but I prefer the black car in black and white. Email me at steve@emmisoure.com to purchase or discuss size and medium and pricing options. It’s really a bold piece.

Art of the Day: Four Corners Three

I’ve had a lot of fun this year photographing wild horses. Mustangs. Apparently they’re to be called “feral horses” now which I see as a precursor to getting them off the range. Words matter. That digression aside, I usually shoot the Onaqui herd in western central Utah. (For reference, the Juab/Tooele county line on the Pony Express Trail is a good place to start looking for that herd.) Recently I took a trip to see the herd on Pilot Butte near Green River, Wyoming. And this shot came from the four-corners area on the Navajo Reservation.

It’s a family unit. And apart from being pretty compelling in the composition and the focus, one of the things that jumps out at me is that the foal obviously belongs to the mother. The shadows and light kind of highlight the shape of their heads (cranial morphology). And the little one’s is just about identical to mom. And that’s pop there in the background. He was being pretty protective of his band, but I was glad to get him in this shot.

Four Corners Three

I have this one in the gallery on a 30 x 40 x 1/4″ acrylic (with a French cleat for hanging) for $875. It’s a pretty powerful piece. It also crops well to a 2:3 ratio, so it can be 16×24, 20×30, 24×36, 40×60, etc. There’s enough image there to BOOM a 40×60 print. Look forward to seeing it that big someday. Already wishing for more wall space…

If you’re interested in getting this one – from an 8×10 matted print ($30) to that big 40×60 BOOM ($2175 – on metal), send me an email at steve@emmisoure.com. And, of course, please come in and have a look at it yourself. A quick peek on the phone just doesn’t do this one justice.