Monthly Archives: February 2016

Many Hands Make Light Work

Finger and Hand Study 1 © Harold Davis

Finger and Hand Study 1 © Harold Davis

Finger and Hand Study 2 © Harold Davis

Finger and Hand Study 2 © Harold Davis

Posted in Models, Multiple Exposures, Photography

Totem and Taboo

The title I’ve given this image, Totem and Taboo, is in part a reference to Sigmund Freud’s collection of essays of the same name. Freud combined anthropology with concepts of psychoanalysis to compare the states of mind of “savages” with those of neurotics. My image makes no such grandiose claims, but visually it does seem to represent animism and a totem (the pole that is, if not in the totemic animal sense).

Totem and Taboo © Harold Davis

Totem and Taboo © Harold Davis

Totem and Taboo is a single in-camera multiple exposure that the model and I choreographed. Although the model is different, I processed the image to pair with Gates after Rodin. If you are curious, my blog story about Gates after Rodin has a more detailed description of how this kind of image is made.

Posted in Models, Multiple Exposures, Photography

Comparative Motion

Dead Tree, Seascape, and Sunset is an exercise in capturing comparative motion over the course of a fairly long exposure (ten seconds). The surf was rolling in below the bluff, and the motion caused it to blur; while the dead tree was standing fairly still, and is shown in stark outline without the motion blur.

Dead Tree, Seascape, and Sunset © Harold Davis

Dead Tree, Seascape, and Sunset © Harold Davis

Posted in Landscape, Photography

Harold Davis Interview about Pixsy on the ASMP Business Blog

www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/2016/02/an-interview-with-pixsy-client-harold-davis/

Once I began putting my work up on the Web, it didn’t take me long to realize that I was on the horns of a very serious business dilemma. Everything I posted was subject to image “appropriation,” a polite term for people using my images without compensation or a license. On the other hand, if I didn’t post images to my blog or Flickr stream, then no one would know about me, and I would lose a large part of my assignment and licensing business.

With no better choice, I decided that posting my imagery and accepting a certain amount of theft, just as retail storekeepers accept some “spoilage,” seemed like the best of the two options.

In early 2015, I was approached by Pixsy, www.pixsy.com, which uses automated image recognition software to discover infringements on the web, pursues commercial uses, and splits the eventual license fee with the photographer. I have to admit that I was originally somewhat skeptical but after evaluating Pixsy’s offerings, I decided to see how well the service worked on a trial basis, particularly since there are no upfront fees, and Pixsy only gets paid if they recover money on my behalf.

Read more!

Water Drop Selfie with Camera © Harold Davis

Water Drop Selfie with Camera © Harold Davis

Posted in Photography