Dear Friends,
Good morning and hello on this beautiful, sunny Sunday.
Happy Father’s day to all!
I am pleased to share Issue 12 of A Twenty Percent Creative with you.
I am interested in doing an “Ask Me Anything” in an upcoming issue. If you have questions for me, please enter your questions in this Ask Me Anything google form.
If this newsletter brings you value, please consider sharing it with others on social media.
Thanks and warm regards,
Jeff
URBAN COLLAGE
Friday was an absolutely gorgeous day here in Minnesota. I had the day off from work and took full advantage of the amazing weather. I returned to the city for a 4 hour photowalk. I was surprised but happy to see downtown Minneapolis full of people — some there for work but others just visiting and experiencing the city on a beautiful day. For the first time since March 2020, I felt safe walking around in the city. So much so, I moved to the one airpod approach so I could listen to my street photography playlist and still be reactive to people around me. The time flew by. It was a fantastic day and hopefully a positive forecast of great summer days in the city to come.
In this issue, I am sharing a series of photographs from Friday that showcase the overlap and juxtaposition of Minneapolis buildings seen through my Fujifilm 56mm f/1.2 lens (85mm full frame equivalent). This series builds on a larger body of work I have compiled over the years during dozens of photowalks in Minneapolis. I think of this series as an urban collage - a compilation of architecture and built structures existing in three dimensional space across dozens of city blocks that are layered on top of each other to create flattened, compressed, two dimensional images. This series came about organically but was initially inspired by the work of Angie McMonigal whom I have featured in the Inspirations section below.
I enjoyed the hard lines and feeling of minimalism in this scene. The repeating pattern in the foreground ceiling against the clear blue sky initially drew my attention to this spot.
This photograph was less about the urban collage and more about the pigeons flying by from time to time. I lingered around this scene for about 20 minutes and eventually captured some birds in flight framed by the buildings and the sky.
I enjoyed how the white building and its repeating windows dominated my attention within this multi-layered scene. I even resisted the urge to crush the shadows on the left side of the frame.
The yellow-green band of color and the shadows caught my eye. I really enjoy the variety of patterns and textures in this one.
GMAIL TIP
Does your inbox fill up with newsletters, blog posts, and other subscriptions that you want to receive in an organized way.
Do you wish that all of these messages would go to single place within your account for later review?
If the answer is Yes, a task-specific email address (living within your existing Gmail account) may be the answer.
Check out this support document from Google and this Youtube video called “Plus addressing in Gmail - unlimited email address!” to learn more about it.
I saw this composition from a pretty good distance away. This one has 6 layers and covers about 5 city blocks.
INSPIRATIONS
*****
ANGIE MCMONIGAL
I have been following Angie @angiemcmonigal on Instagram for several years. I first learned of Angie’s work through her Urban Quilt series. Angie is a tremendously talented fine art architecture photographer based in Chicago. Angie’s eye for perspective, scale, geometry, lines, shapes, and forms brings architecture and abstract views of built structures to life. If you are looking for thematic inspirations, you should start with the themes page on Angie’s website.
REUBEN WU
Reuben Wu, @itsreuben on Instagram, is a tremendously inspiring photographer and visual artist. Reuben, a Phase One camera ambassador gained worldwide attention a few years ago for his project, LUX NOCTIS, where he photographed remote landscapes at night using an illuminated drone to provide light to the scenes. You can learn more about Reuben via his website or the videos linked below. While you are on his site, do check out his FIELD OF INFINITY and AEROGLYPHS series too.
Here are some videos featuring Reuben and his photography
I can’t resist a look up street lamp in the sky point of view photograph, especially while waiting for a traffic light to change or a metro train to pass by.
NO REGRETS
“No Regrets” is a list of the actions I have taken since publishing the last newsletter. I include this section to hold myself accountable, push through my resistance and fear, and promote tangible progress as a photographer, business owner, and a twenty percent creative.
The results of the Street Photography International Photo Awards were announced. My submission did not receive any awards.
The results of the Minimalist Photography Awards are still pending.
I have continued to work on my posters. I printed a series of them with White House Custom Color to check color fidelity and print quality. I chose deep matte paper for the order. I really like the results. The colors are rich yet not overpowering. The paper has a nice weight and smooth, non reflective surface.
I am working through the instructions to set up an online store on my squarespace site. I am learning more about TaxJar, a plug-in that is included in the commerce squarespace plan. I also need to explore materials and programs that support product shipping. I have heard a lot of good things about ShipStation and how it can reduce the need to spend hours at the post office. I really want to sell, sign, and ship my photographs and posters personally rather than working with a company to dropship them.
I like the vertical layering in this photo.
Note to self: I should return with a wide angle lens next time to capture more of the scene.
**What are you working on? What’s on your mind?**
I would love to highlight your projects in future issues. Please reach out via email at jeff@jeffreymkarp.com or let’s start a discussion in the comments below.
The Foshay tower, built in 1929, is an integral part of the Minneapolis skyline. I am always looking for new vantage points to photograph this iconic building.
LEARNING LINKS
Drip Drop - An NFT photography collection by Dave Krugman
Screen Printing Photo Realistic Image - Brema on Youtube
Saul Leiter - The Art of Photography on Youtube
I enjoy how the roofline of the background building is subframed nicely by the arch of the foreground parking structure.
I welcome feedback about the newsletter. Please email me directly at: jeff@jeffreymkarp.com
Instagram: @jeffreymkarp
Great learning links as well as a set of bangers. Well done my friend! I tend to get inspired after reading. 📸🙋🏻♂️