As the summer equinox passes we are ushered into a season full of colors, landscapes and the lure of the country fair. The time when the bounty from a fruitful harvest is displayed for all to see. Crisp cool air mixed with the aroma of an apple pie. It is a special time fo the year that only a country fair can pull it all together. For those that enjoy street photo graphy a fall fair is a rewarding opportunity to get images of interesting characters. If your visual palette caters to rich color visuals there is an assortment of things to capture; everything from brightly colored amusement rides, vintage tractors, animals and the harvest of fruits and vegetables. Gallery

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.

Sooner or later many people will want to acquire some kind of art work to decorate their walls in their home or condominium. The art work could range from a highly commercialized print of a painting,a photographic reproduction or an original piece costing sometimes in the thousands of dollars. If you are picking up some decorative pieces from Ikea it is usually because you like them and it will fit in with your decor. If you are in the market for an original you probably have visited a few art galleries. Usually you will see an artist biography and sometimes accompanying artists statements or interpretations of their work. Below is an interpretation of the image in this blog. The image was done by a local photographic artist. 

Gallery Interpretation Statement

In one of his most meaningful works to date, Toronto based Artist Watson - better known by a select few under his artist 'nom de photo' Le Watson - continues to push boundaries. At first glance a picture of a bear would seem an obvious, even indulgent choice, barely worthy of note.

Yet closer study reveals an unexpected depth of irony and expression that gives this piece a maturity seldom found amongst 'fine art photographers'. Those familiar with his impressive oeuvre know he has a vast array of technical skills, all of which he must have brought to this 'tableau' to give it this mesmerizing illusion of lack of skill. By intentionally placing the subject matter in traditional composition, he mimicks, even mocks, those who believe photography is a science rather than an art, as is expertly proven here. And more so those who claim photography is about art rather than skill. The duality in this statement is truly electrifying.

This is indeed a very powerful, scathing comment on the current state of popular photography in the western world as a whole. It has been a long time since I have seen a single image that better depicts the anonymous, savage threat that the Instagram generation poses to our fine art community. Perhaps the cleverest pun is left for the knowledgeable among us; By using experimental techniques made popular by modern 'hipster', 'Lomo' and other 'fauxtogrpahers' Le Watson has turned his bitingly sharp picture of a charging black bear in his natural environment into what appears to be a technically completely inept snapshot of a generic bear charging through generic scenery with generic flatness. Turning a weapon of photographic destruction on itself. Truly inspiring and a safe bet for future investment IF you are lucky enough to get hold of one of the very rare signed prints on Fine Art Archival High Fibre Paper.

Fine art, bordering on Alchemy. Highly recommended viewing.

The Actual Interpretation by the Artist

NO, the fuzzy bear image is an astounding piece of crap. The real truth about the image was that it was taken in the Yukon territory. The photographer "Le Watson" was taking pictures of the bear when it became agitated by the chain saws of a hydro crew down the road. The pictures were taken paparazzi style as the photographer beat a hasty retreat as the bear had photographer butt in mind on the lunch menu. The real truth is nothing like the artistic statement prepared by the gallery. The fuzzy bear image is a terrible image with no artistic merit.

The point I am trying to make is; be sure that you like the piece of art for what it is. If a piece of art has to be framed up by words, artist statement or gallery interpretative statement then what you are actually buying. The artist biography or interpretive statement are quite often written and edited by a professional writer. Are you buying a work of art or are you buying an idea that is fabricated into an artistic statement by a professional writer unrelated to the artist. If you are after an idea then there are many other choices to reflect on ideas. Some excellent choices would be the Bible, Zen and the Art of the Motorcycle or the Library of Congress. 

A simple acid test before moving ahead with a purchase of art work.

1. Does the art work stand alone without the help of an interpretive statement or artist biography.
2. Ask the gallery about the technical quality of the finished piece. eg. Was it printed on archival papers that are intended to last a 100 years.
3. When viewing the image does it invoke any emotion, idea, have a distinct look or document something in life that you can relate to.
4. The final test is to sit down and view the image or art piece for an extended period of time. The point to remember is that you must like the art work because you will be keeping it for a long period of time. 
5. Are you considering the piece to be an investment because it was done by a famous photographer? eg. Ansel Adams, Annie Liebovitz, Diane Arbus, etc.

Don't be afraid to say NO, I don't like it, it is a piece of crap, it is not worthy of my wall space, the artists statement is complete BS or I am offended that my tax dollars are going towards displaying this in a public gallery. If you like it then let the artist know or purchase the piece.

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.

Street style in photography has always existed, but it was only examined and celebrated in the past two decades. It's early roots can be traced back to Henri Cartier-Bresson with his depictions of Paris street life in the 1930's and later through his extensive travels in Europe and Asia. His style was predominantly a photo journalist style. His work has been featured in many gallery showings and his work is a cornerstone of any photographic education.

Later innovators in street style photography like Bill Cunningham and Terry Jones took the photo journalistic style to concentrate on fashion in the street. Cunningham has been documenting the New York street fashions for the last 50 years. Using an old and beaten up Nikon camera, he travels by bicycle, taking images of street life and the latest fashions on the street. In 1978 he a picture of Greta Garbo walking  the streets and later Bill Cunningham submitted a portfolio of photos of famous people to The New York Times.

In 1980 Terry Jones leaves British Vogue to found a new magazine called I-D. It was a magazine that centered on “straight-up” photographs. These images portrayed regular people on the street dressed up for social occasions and the night life. Today these types of images are commonplace in celebrity magazines and web sites that specialize in documenting current street fashions worn by the common woman.

At the same time Terry Jones was bringing in the "straight up" style, the photojournalist Eric Kroll was experimenting with bringing sub-cultures out into everyday life. His work has appeared in major publications like The New York Times newspaper,  Vogue, and Elle magazines. The fashion world embraced the sub-culture fashions which resulted in lingerie being used as outerwear and fetish clothing was no longer taboo.

Today, street style fashion photography has changed into a variety of photographic styles, whether they are contrived by bringing studio equipment out to the street or by sticking to photo journalistic roots. In the gallery Street Fashion we have a local Toronto take on this genre of photography.

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.

Model: Markana

MUA: Kofo Owolab

Art Direction: Toni Wallichy

Studio: Pink Panther

Studio Assist: Maureen Littlewood

Location: Toronto, Ontario

Photography: Peter Watson

Post-Processing: Peter Watson

As the racing season comes to a close; we have a look at yesteryear with the 2013 vintage motorcycle races at the Mosport racetrack. The vintage races feature motorcycles like BSA, Triumph, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, BMW and many others. For a complete description of the motorcycle racing classes visit the VRAA web site. This year I have split the galleries between the two wheel races and the sidecar events. Two bonus galleries with still images of some gorgeous vintage motorcycles (pre 1950's to 1980's) and an update to racing life; an expose about life at the track. Galleries

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.

The heat of the summer brings out a classic race battle between Canada’s top motorcycle riders as they compete in a doubleheader points race for the national Canadian Super Bike Championship. This is the premier race of the season for motorcycle racing in Canada. The motorcycle classes racing in this years event are the Pro Sport Bike, Harley-Davidson XR1200 Cup, Amateur SuperBike, Amateur Sport Bike and the Honda CBR250R Series.

There have been many improvements to the track and the facilities at Mosport; including many safety improvements for riders. Will the changes at corners 2 and 3 allow the riders to push harder for the lap record for the Pro Superbike which is 1:21.084. There are many indications that this will be a record setting year at Mosport due to the track improvements and new spectator facilities/services.

Lets talk about some of the race bikes you will see in the gallery. First up is the CBR1000RR  from Honda. This bike has gone through years of refinement to its race pedigree and the engine now delivers a mayhem inducing 131 horsepower. The CBR1000RR is available now from your local dealership along with a hefty amount payable to your insurance company. The Honda will face stiff competition from the BMW S1000RR in the Pro Superbike race. To round out the gallery we have selected images from the amateur superbike, production, CBR250 and Harley Davidson classes.

Image Gallery

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.

American burlesque shows were an offshoot of original Victorian burlesque. The show consisted of three parts: (1.) songs and comic sketches; (2.) assorted acts such as acrobats, magicians and solo singers; (3.) chorus numbers. The entertainment was usually concluded by an exotic dancer or sporting match.

American burlesque flourished and developed an increasing focus on female nudity. Exotic dances increased as part of entertainment provided in clubs and cabarets, as well as music halls and theatres.

The transition from burlesque entertainment to striptease was gradual. At first soubrettes showed off their figures while singing and dancing in elaborate stage costumes. Eventually burlesque entertainment fell out of favor as female entertainers moved away from entertainment acts to acts that were centered solely on increasing amounts of female nudity.

In the 1940’s and 1950’s to increase their public popularity burlesque entertainers, strippers, glamour models and actresses started using photographic advertisements in the form of postcards, calendars and magazine images.

This led to the creation of the term pin-up girl. The popularity of pin-up girls exploded when Esquire magazine released a series of drawings and cartoons of the Vargas girls. The Vargas Girl cartoons were often transformed into images being painted onto the WWII bomber aircraft nose. This was considered to be a symbol of good luck to the airmen. An example of this can be found on the aircraft Sentimental Journey in this gallery.

The pinup era gained more popularity with Bettie Page who was a fixture in many glamour magazines in the 1950’s. This trend led to the eventual introduction of Playboy magazine. Today burlesque is making a comeback as a unique type of entertainment and the nostalgic look of the pinup girls is still being recreated by photographers to this day. Gigi Vanilla re-creates the original glamour of burlesque and the pin-up girl. Enjoy a nostalgic trip by visiting the Gallery.

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.

Credits:

Model: Gigi Vanilla

MUA: Kofo Owolab

Art Direction: Toni Wallichy

Studio: Pink Panther

Studio Assist: Maureen Littlewood

Photography: Peter Watson

Post-Processing: Peter Watson

The Le Mans and GT class of cars were on the packed lineup for the July race weekend at the historic Mosport track located just outside of Bowmanville, Ontario. The track has had considerable safety improvements made in the past year. In addition, numerous changes have been made to the track facilities; including a new visitor center and control tower, improved access roads and food/washroom facilities. Bravo, to the track management team for getting these changes implemented. Maybe these changes and a large sponsorship cheque may be the thing that will attract another high profile race event to the calendar.

The July LeMans Grand Prix weekend is unique as it features the different classes of LeMans style cars and GT cars. For a complete breakdown read the background material at ALMS.com. This race also featured the Canadian debut of the Delta Wing car which has a unique concept and design. For additional information about the Delta Wing car go to http://www.alms.com/teams/deltawing-racing. Unfortunately this car crashed in the early stages of the race and received a DNF. The race was eventually won by the pole setting Muscle Milk Acura HPD LMP1, piloted by Germany’s Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr for the fourth consecutive year.

Lemans Gallery           GT Cars

For those that have never attended a big race event, they just might be missing out on spectator sports. There is as much to look at both on and off track. You will see people from a vivid cross-section of American and Canadian society. Full of clichés and at the same time breaking down stereotypes. I have dedicated a special gallery called Racing Life. I will add to these images every race event.

Racing Life

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.

After a little bit of a hiatus from the studio, things are back in full swing again. This week something completely different. A fashion statement with an environmental look. A completely fresh organic look that takes us back to a simpler time. Back when symbolic things in life were firmly intertwined with nature. To bring this concept to life, Vanessa Fortune works her magic in the studio bringing the organic elements to life with an air of mystery and intrigue.

Earth Angel Gallery

If you missed Vanessa Fortune the first time, here she is in the Retro80s Gallery

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.

Credits:

Model: Vanessa Fortune

MUA: Paige Maiven

Studio: Pink Panther

Art Direction: Toni Wallachy