Plus, as a blogger, it’s essential to always be ready to capture images of art projects and life events to illustrate blog posts. I call this, “living with a blog mentality.”

This became a lot more difficult when my camera broke late last year. I haven’t invested in a new one yet because I’m not sure if I wanna go cheap and portable (for the blog) or expensive and professional (for the fine art).

“Peaches & Cream” Giclée print, 20in x 15in ©2010 Nikolas Allen

Luckily, my current muse just got a camera for her birthday. I’m teaching her to treat it as an extra appendage, as in “don’t leave home without it.” She’s an artist, too, so she understands the importance.

She is also quite fearless and is willing to doff clothing at the first sign of a creative spark. This is great, ‘cuz with me, creative sparks fly often.

With photography, all it takes is a great shadow, a perfect block of sunlight, or a distressed texture to catch my eye and inspire a new idea, photograph or series.

“Drapes” Giclée print, 20in x 15in ©2010 Nikolas Allen

However, when I’m painting, I often stare at a blank canvas, paintbrush in hand, struggling to realize what it is I want to “say.” For this reason, I find photography to be an easier art form.

That’s not to say photography is easy to excel at. One still must possess a strong vision, a unique point-of-view and the ability to edit. By edit, I mean to notice the slightest detail that differentiates a good shot from a great shot.

Editing also means being able to pick the “hero” shot out of three dozen similar pictures. We’ve all seen Flickr streams from someone’s event that contain twenty pictures that all look similar. It’s far more powerful to present one or two strong pictures than a dozen mediocre ones.

“Sideline” Giclée print, 20in x 15in ©2010 Nikolas Allen

When I was working as an Art Director, I loved scanning the contact sheets from a photo shoot and zeroing in on the hero shot that would end up in the ad.

Early in my career, it felt a bit overwhelming and I often feared that I would pick the “wrong” one. Eventually, it got easier and I loved to challenge myself to see how quickly I could pluck the diamond from the goldmine. These days, I still shoot several frames, and now the hero seems to practically jump out at me as I scroll through the images.

“Sunrise” Giclée print, 15in x 20in ©2010 Nikolas Allen

The shots displayed in this post study the interplay of light and shadow, they examine contrast and shape, and they speak to my passion for abstract, graphic imagery. I notice these elements recurring in my work, especially my photography, and find it exciting to be able to spot the concepts, motifs and nuances that develop into a signature style.

Of course, these images also celebrate the beauty of the female form, which has been a popular subject of artists since the beginning of time. And, hey, I am more than happy to do my part to carry on this celebrated tradition!

I’ve noticed my photo collection expanding into a sizeable body of cohesive works. In fact, it’s even starting to rival my collection of Digi-Pop Art. I’ll definitely be staging a solo photography exhibit in the latter part of 2010, and look forward to sharing the details with you as they come into focus.

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YOUR TURN:
Do you have any camera recommendations? What role does photography play in your life? What’s your favorite subject to shoot?

Ol’ Stumptown made for a great subject, with a gorgeous mixture of brick architecture, vivid facades, raw street art and the lovely patina of urban decay.

I shot over 100 images, then edited like mad until arriving at the following collection. Enjoy!

“MINTBRICKS”

“TOW ZONE”

“REVOLT”

This was the first image I shot for the series and it seemed to get me started on the good foot. I like the urgent call to action by a tagger who is both idealistic AND artistic. Nice work, Young Man!

“EXIT”

This is one of my faves. There is just something sad about that lonely little “E” tucked away in the dank, urine-stained (yes, really) doorway. The sole survivor of a vicious attack or nasty accident.

“BIPARTISAN”

“CAPE COD”

This chilly color scheme made me think of a sea-battered shack on the east coast. Hence, the title.

“COONTAIL”

This one is just odd. A building had boarded up windows, and this one happened to have a hole with a log sticking out of it – Log Art! I’m not sure how well this fits with the rest, but I felt the need to include it.

“MOTEL”

I almost passed this one up. On the way to an appointment, I drove by the sign, ogled it, but kept driving. Half mile down the road, flipped a U-turn, knowing I would regret not shooting this awesome relic.

“EIGHTYSIX”

I love this shot! There was heavy sun glare on the viewfinder, so I quickly fired off two different angles. I didn’t even notice the ciggie butt until later, which turned out to be the perfect addition to this cool, minimalistic shot.

“YELLAPELLA”

The downtown warehouse district totally reminded me of Minneapolis. I love seeing old brick buildings with layers and layers of faded logos and advertisements painted right on the sides, from the days before billboards.

I’m in awe of the precision too. How did they do it? Freehand? Giant stencils? I wish the History Channel would do a story on this topic some day.

“RUSTIC”

I almost got run over shooting this one! I was in the street trying to line up the perfect shot and some guy in a Chevy Blazer was backing up, trying to park right where I was standing. But, I got it!

“B-CUP”

Seeing this cup reminded me of one of my fave shots from my San Francisco Urban Hues series, “EMPTY CUP”. So, I had to snap it as a recurring motif.

“FIREPLUG”

Curiously, the fire hydrants in Portland are orange instead of red, which made ‘em even more photogenic.

“GUTTERLEAF”

This shot captures the fragile, temporal nature of beauty. Plus, it’s a perfect dichotomy, which is a recurring theme in my work. Stopped in a random parking lot for a coffee break, noticed many a crimson leaf, snapped one shot on the way in – Bam – instant zen. Win!

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It’s exciting for me to see how this series evolves. Hopefully, I’ll get to do some more urban exploration this winter and stage a conceptual photo exhibit early next year.

My objective is to create a cohesive collection of visually compelling images that people want to hang on the walls of their home.

YOUR TURN:
I would love to hear your feedback on which images you could see working well in your space. Which is your ONE favorite? Which is your LEAST favorite?

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All photos are 20”x16” and available for purchase as framed or unframed prints. Please contact nikolasallenart@gmail.com for pricing and details.

Over the course of the weekend, I started shooting random bits of color that caught my eye throughout the city.

When I returned home, I realized that a new photographic series had developed: URBAN HUES

“CHRONIC”

“THIRSTY DOG”

“GRATE DRAIN”

“DEEPEETEE”

“BARRICADE”

“GIDDYUP”

“FOURSIXFIVE”

“CROSSWALK”

“SUTTER STREET”

“EMPTY CUP”

“BLUE STEEL”

“RED TAG”

“PLAYGROUND”

“GANG ACTIVITY”

While this collection, “SF09”, documents San Francisco, I plan to continue the series, shooting in different cities that I visit in the future.

Once the series expands, I’d love to produce a travel-themed exhibit in an unexpected, industrial location. I can also see these working as a greeting card series. Stay tuned for more on the evolution of “URBAN HUES”.

All photos are 20”x16” and available for purchase as framed or unframed prints. Please contact nikolasallenart@gmail.com for pricing and details.