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Gallery Ovo Exhibition of Heavy Like Rain by Michael David Adams
HEAVY LIKE RAIN + THRESHOLD
On Display at OVO Gallery was my Award winning series “Heavy Like Rain”. It was a wonderful experience to see this series in public view for a full month, along with selected oversized prints of my newest underwater series, “Threshold”.
In “Heavy Like Rain”, I wanted to create a visual that was not usually associated with being underwater, focusing on the starkness of a silhouette in empty space and the beauty of movement within the bubbles created by submersion.
My “Threshold” series is a nod to the imagery that I see every time I go underwater.. I see these visuals of dancing bubbles above me as I travel deeper, transforming into a creature that is not that same as I was when I was breathing air..
Collectors and Gallery Patrons
The show was a great success. Thank you to everyone who came, and thank you to all of those who purchased prints at the show, and privately.
Each Limited Edition print comes personally signed and numbered by the artist. The Certificate of Authenticity come signed as well, with official seal, and matching serial number.
CONTINUE TO THESE COLLECTIONS
One Camera One Roll One Day – Double Exposure
ONE CAMERA, ONE ROLL, ONE DAY
At Rectangle Studio & Gallery.
When I was approached by Lee Seidenberg of Rectangle Studio with his concept for this show, and his request for me to be part of it, I immediately said yes..
It had been quite a while since I used a film camera, and I had never used the Pentax K-1000 that he had purchased just for this show.
The premise of this group show was to have a number of photographers, all with different styles, take this One Camera, the Pentax K-1000 with no bells or whistles of the modern age, along with One Roll of black and white film for One Day only and shoot what ever it is that we wanted to.
I immediately settled on the idea of attempting to shoot multiple exposures, photographing my daughter as my muse, set in the backdrop of Brooklyn, where she was born.
The results are more impressive and touching than I had anticipated.
“My BRooklyn Girl”
We were then given the task to choose only one of the images that we photographed to become the Key piece to our part of the exhibit.
I chose this shot, while there were a few that caught my eye, this photograph epitomized the goal I was trying to achieve, and this series will become part of my Story-Teller Collection.
OTHER PHOTOGRAPHS FROM MY “ONE ROLL”
FROM THE SHOW
MORE FROM The show & OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS
Thank you so much to Lee and Rectangle Studio & Gallery for hosting this show, and all the other wonderful gallery experiences that you create.
To See more of Rectangle Studio, and their upcoming and Past events.. CLICK HERE.
Resource Magazine Interview with Michael David Adams
What and honor to be recognized and interviews by RESOURCE MAGAZINE about my Underwater Photography, how it came about and a bit of my insights on my work.
It was a pleasure to answer all of Robin’s questions, and revisit what brought me to the place i am, and a great vantage point on seeing where I want to go.
I will post most of the interview, but also include a link at the end of the article if you would like to visit it to read in it’s entirety.
Diving Into the Mystical Underwater Photography of Michael David Adams
Robin De ClercqMichael David Adams and his wife, Viktorija, have always had love and respect for the water, from the gorgeous, exotic beaches and the smell of rain to the vast allure of the sea. Growing up, Adams studied martial arts for 10 years, and to this day lives by a Bruce Lee quote he discovered in his youth: “Be like water…,” Lee said, because according Adams, “Water always knows what to do and where to go. It adapts and survives everything, it gives life, yet it also can take it away.”
Today, Adams is a New York-based photographer who showcases his love for water by combining it with his passion for photography. He’s shot for both international and U.S. versions of popular magazines, such as Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, and Glamour, and has led fashion and travel photo shoots around the world. We caught up with Adams to learn more about what it’s like to shoot beneath the sea.
Somewhere along the way, you apparently became interested in underwater photography, which is quite a niche area. Can you tell me about that?
On my honeymoon in Croatia in 2010, my wife’s friend from her youth, who is a scuba instructor and underwater nature and wildlife photographer, introduced me to underwater photography. She took us to an ancient shipwreck off the coast of the Omis, where my wife grew up. The depth was only around 10 feet, so we could easily hold our breath and get to the bottom with the help of a weight belt. The surface of the water that day was very choppy, yet when you got underwater it was calm and serene. It was there, standing on the bottom of the sea in the crystal clear waters of the Dalmatian Coast, a place where the human body is not supposed to be, with schools of fish swimming around me, that I became obsessed with taking my personal style of photography to the underwater world and making it a reality. Photographing for intentional results underwater can be very challenging, but the imagery you can achieve is unmistakable. Well-executed underwater fashion photography is beyond inspiring to say the least.
You and your wife, Viktorija, are also a husband and wife photo team. Can you tell me about that?
Viktorija and I started our careers independently, but we met early on and developed our skills, talents and vision together. Creating images and all sorts of things together has been the underlying theme of our relationship and is one the joys in our life. One main goal of ours is to always better ourselves, personally and professionally, so we have the respect and ability to be more honest with each other about our shoots and what we would like to achieve, or what we can improve on in the future, perhaps more so than other creative partners. Having been born on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, Viktorija has always had a love for water too, but it’s more me that had the desire to explore it as an environment for photography. We’re excited to work together on anything, and the thrill of water work is an added bonus.
Have you ever encountered any dangerous situations, especially working with models that are perhaps untrained, on underwater shoots?
When shooting underwater, safety is the utmost importance. Many things have the potential to go wrong or not as planned on any shoot, and working underwater raises the level of things to be prepared for. On my first shoot, I had a scare for myself, when in a moment of exhaustion, I almost couldn’t get back up to the surface when I needed to breathe. I was in only about 4 feet of water but was practically laying down on my back on the bottom and I had weights on my arms, as I hadn’t known fully yet the best places to wear weights. I didn’t realize how tired I was, but couldn’t get my footing to get up. I had a minor panic moment, but quickly realized I needed to calm down and just roll over to get feet and legs under me. So having experienced that myself, I always make sure the models and crew are safe and explain everything to them about the shoot requirements and safety aspects of working underwater.
I don’t always use compressed air to breathe when I shoot. It really does help, but if not everyone is using air, it can potentially be a little bit of a communication barrier between the photographer and models. If I’m the only one who has air, I still like to start out the day with the models doing breathing exercises for them to get the hang of controlling their heartbeats and breathing to keep them relaxed. It can be exhausting work and confusing at times, so communication is really important.
You’ve built an impressive portfolio of underwater work. Is there a particular shoot or image that stands out to you?
I’m super in love with the SnowDrop series I’ve just finished. I had a vision of depicting SnowDrop, which is the original title of what’s become known as Snow White, while she was unconscious in the forest after being poisoned. I’ve wanted to begin incorporating my underwater photography into our Story-Tellers project, so what better way to show a person in suspended animation then to be floating underwater.
I also really love the Breath from Another series, a story of lovers who depend on each other to share their breath of life. I enjoy working with multiple people, capturing the interactions or tensions between them. I definitely want to shoot more multiple people underwater in the future.
On your website, you say Story-Tellers is “a very special project by the husband and wife team.” What makes it so special?
This project is special for many different reasons. The first one is for our daughter who is 2-and-a-half years old. She has brought so many wonderful things to our lives, so projects like this take on new meanings and understandings. Viktorija, having grown up in Eastern Europe, was raised with a respect and teachings of fairytales and folklore that isn’t really taught too much here in the U.S. anymore. She was shaped by Hans Christian Andersen stories and various Grimm fairy tales, among other local folklore. Unfortunately, during the war in former Yugoslavia, that precious book was lost and she always had a dream of creating her own book as an homage to her childhood and others who grew up with fairy tales and legends as learning tools.
The project is our way of interpreting fairly tales and folklore in ways that visually speak to us, and ways that we would love to see. Our lives in the industry have always been about telling stories through photography, either in the realm of fashion or beauty or commercially in advertising. This project allows us to approach image-making from a more artistic side of the craft. Although we still love to incorporate fashion and the other industry specialties we have access to, this project is also very much about collaboration of artists and creative minds.
Can you elaborate more on some of the specific stories and tales you’re interpreting?
The concept of the project is not strictly stories that have been previously written or documented, for example, the first image we did is a vision of Viktorija’s, which she called “Rush.” She wanted to portray what it felt like when you’ve been emotionally frozen for a long period of time,
2016 Applied Arts Awards: Michael David Adams
My love of travel has taken me to some beautiful places around this amazing earth. But I have to say that I am totally in LOVE with Lisbon, Portugal.. The artistic vibe flows through the veins of the streets, the people, the music.. It’s truly amazing, and to have the opportunity to photograph a fashion editorial there, in and around those same streets, was certainly a dream come true..
To be awarded by APPLIED ARTS Magazine for this same series, is an honor as well,.. thank you so much!
We travelled from the hills to the water, photographing on so many beautiful streets.. From the famous Fado Mural, to the inspiring Party street called Pink Street.
These were the images that were chosen as winners of the Fashion and Beauty Category.
Follow the link to see the awards page.
2015 Applied Arts Awards: Michael David Adams
Thank you again to APPLIED ARTS Magazine, for awarding me for the Photo-Illustration Category.
This project was an exploration in mixing traditional water colors with photography.
BLOOM: full series.
Digital Photographer Magazine Interview
It was an honor to be approached again by the editors of Digital Photographer Magazine to give my input into their “Secrets to Success” Article.
IN THE BEGINNING THERE WERE MANY: – early in your career –
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“SCRATCH MY BACK” – be willing to do favors for the people that are giving you their time. You’ll be remembered for it and appreciated.. Having said that, be wise and use your judgement, there will always be people ready to take advantage of goodness.
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“HUMBLE PIE” – be aware that you (meaning the whole crew) are all in this together, its a learning process. The other individuals in your crew are starting out too, so try not to be too critical about them if something is not up to your perceived standards. Maybe in the beginning, you may not have it all together either..
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“THE PERFECT STORM” – Don’t wait for the “perfect storm”, or the ideal situations and circumstances to start shooting.. “Make it happen” with what you have in front of you.. My first studio was a large shed in my backyard.. i emptied it out, built a flat wall in the back, painted it and painted the floor, and with my terrible lights and lens that had a small chip in it, I started shooting…
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“BE TRUE TO YOURSELF” – If you focus on shooting what makes you happy and aim towards making the kinds of imagery that you are excited about, it will show in your work and you will be asked to do those jobs in return. You’ll be noticeably excited about your work, and the cycle will continue.
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“KNOW THE RULES BEFORE YOU BREAK THEM”. – Even if you are self taught, as I mostly am, it’s still very important to know the basic rules of your craft before you can go about breaking them. This way you know the core building blocks and can build upon them in your own way. Also, it’s good to be aware of the peoples work that have come before you, as opposed to revisiting an idea that has already been done in the past, all the while thinking you are the first one to do it..
7.
“REPUTATION IS EVERYTHING” – Always meet your promised deadlines, and be sure to thank everyone appropriately who has worked for you and given you their time.
PRODUCTION VALUE: – Pre, during, and Post.
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“BE SKETCHY” – Sketch out all your ideas for your shoot on actual paper and keep these sketches with you.. – A lot can happen throughout the life of a shoot, before and during, and your attention can get spread very far.. so keeping your ideas on paper, and close at hand, will keep your shoot going on track, and you’ll accomplish what you’ve set out to do.
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“BACK UP THE BUS” – Always have back up plans in mind…. for everything. Equipment can fail, plans can be altered due to circumstances that you have no control over.. So having backup ideas for all sorts of things will save you when the unthinkable happens, – because that unthinkable thing will certainly happen!
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“SAY WHAT?” – Clear communication is essential in all parts – don’t assume other people know what you mean, or know what is expected of them from you. Explaining exactly what you mean when asking questions of all crew is very beneficial. We photographers have our own language and often times we make sense to ourselves, but not to others… Furthermore, communication with your model is very important. (along with everyone else on set) As the photographer, we need to talk to him or her, or them (multiple models) like they are other humans working with us, not just something in front of your camera that has to perform for you.
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“WHERE THE #&LL”? – have an exact file system and workflow set up within your computer.. This will help you keep track of everything.. Try to include as many things into your routine as possible – especially when working with outside people. (retouchers, producers, etc..) you need to keep your files together. I have a Hierarchal Folder system set up, a Main job folder, with sub-folders that are planned for RAW, PROCESS, BTS, etc.. and all those with sub-folder for other specific things.. This way, I make a blank copy of the same beginning folders at the start of every new job, and never have to wonder where something is..
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“THE FINER POINTS OF LIFE” – Retouching… make sure that if you are not a great retoucher, that you find great retouchers to work with.. In this digital age, retouching is just as important, (or more depending on other issues, which sounds silly to say, but seems true sometimes), than the photography itself. – At the start of some jobs, this is always a big question. (and retouch the WHOLE photo, this includes background, hair, skin, clothing, color tone, etc… ) It can be a simple task some times, but don’t forget to look at everything.
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“HUH?” – Don’t be afraid to ask others to explain themselves to you.. For example, with estimates and rate quotes. Everyone is always trying to get as much money as they can for everything, so if a quote seems out of the ordinary, it’s good to speak up and ask about it. You can be sure that you’ll be asked to justify many many things..
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“AND I’LL SCRATCH YOURS” – Make sure everyone is taken care of on set.. Either do it yourself, or delegate to others, be it assistants, production crew, etc.. – water.. food.. prep…payments… – it’s all on you as the photographer… if a shoot goes bad or people in your crew aren’t treated the right way, there’s a good chance that you as the photographer will be remembered as holding responsibility for it. – When all aspects of the shoot are fun and nicely memorable, in turn, you’ll be remembered for that too.
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“CLIMBING THE LADDER” – Work with talented people that want to work with you and can work within your budget. But don’t be afraid to ask for favors.. people ask favors of photographers all the time… but remember to make good on those favors later.. also, when starting out in your career, work with other people that are on your same level, your peers… of course we all will reach higher in time.. but be realistic about who you are contacting to work with while you are building your book..
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“PRESENTATION IS KEY” – Make a standard for your final image presentation, Naming and Delivery system. Too many times, i’ve seen images from other photogs where their naming system is all over the place, and makes no sense… Images are crazy sizes and resolutions.. completely chaotic.. Make a great no-brainer system, and your clients and crew will love you for it.. (we hope)
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“AND THE AWARD GOES TO..” – Always give credit where credit is due. Stylists, Hair and Makeup, Crew, Models, Producers, etc.. as much as possible and in the proper places. We all want it for ourselves, so do it for others…
ITS GO TIME: the Shoot itself….
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“CAN YOU….” – Make sure you delegate responsibilities to your assistants.. this is something i struggle with myself.. I fall into the trap of trying to do everything myself.. Your assistants and production crew (if you have them) are there for a reason, give them things to do..
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“ROCK ON!” – You may love your own music, but everyone on set may hate it.. Just because you like to work privately to a particular style of music doesn’t mean it works well to shoot to.. – If your model and crew are miserable with your music selection, then you’re gonna have bad vibes on set, and a poor shoot..
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“CHECK 1..2..” – Don’t assume your camera has the correct settings.. – Check and double check before, and during the shoot.. on some cameras it’s too easy to accidentally change controls and dials. If you find yourself always nudging a dial the wrong way and changing f-stop without knowing, just tape it down.. it’s your camera, make it work for you.
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“STOP, CALIBRATE AND LISTEN” – Make sure you and/or your Digitech in on top of everything color wise.. Color calibration, color tone of prints (if you do during the shoot).. etc.. Wrong calibration can make your lighting different that what you think you’re doing and It will affect your relationship with your client if it’s off by too much and not noticed.. – If a client takes prints back to the office, and the colors are way off, the other people in the office won’t know why, nor will they care.. They’ll just see you as incompetent. The buck starts and stops with you, the photographer
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“TRUST” – Let the people you have chosen to work with expand on your ideas with ideas of their own.. Control is hard to let go of.. but you trusted them enough to work with them in the first place.. trust and allow their creative ideas as well.. you will grow with it and with them..
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“CHECK YOURSELF” – Keep an eye on the overall picture – the crew, clothing, clamps, hair, makeup, nails, everything.. These are all issues that ultimately the photography will be held responsible for if anything is wrong.. Watching all these things will lessen that amount of retouching to do later..
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“I ONLY EXPERIMENTED WITH IT ONCE!”- experiment with different lenses if you can.. each has it’s own characteristics, and you might find one that really has the tendencies that speak to how you want your images to feel. Maybe you’ll like lens filters? – and also play around with different objects in front of the lens.. You are creating a fantasy world (sometimes) and your identity, so have fun with it!
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“FIRE!”- It’s still a good idea to use light meters.. In this age with digital cameras and large monitors, we can get complacent with not metering light.. photography is all about light and it’s manipulation.. at some point you’ll find yourself without the ability to have a screen in front of you, and you’ll need to know how to read the light surrounding your subject. My favorite is the old trusty Minolta V-F, simple and does the job. Plus keep in mind, the small screens on the back of cameras are rarely anything you should really trust.
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“CHILL OUT MAN”
If your not shooting to a tower while tethered, and shoot to a laptop instead.. get a Fan cooled platform to go under it.. This will keep it cool, and keep you shooting at decent speed, and also protect the life of the computer.
CLIENTS:
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“YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?” Surprisingly, some legitimate top ad agencies from around the world don’t always ask legitimate questions or have honorable expectations of you. – on a recent occasion, an agency asked me to lower my estimate due to fears of it being too high for clients approval.. (this is not abnormal thing to ask).. but then after the estimate was trimmed, they proceeded to ask me if I would then add a hidden 10-15 % back into it, which would be then expected to be paid back to agency after paid to me.. REALLY?? – there’s many terms for this practice, pick one…. – needless to say, I didn’t do it and passed on the job..
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“DON’T TREAD ON ME” – don’t let yourself get walked on.. Don’t be an jerk about it, but stand up for yourself as a person and a business.
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“START AT THE BEGINNING” – educate yourself, know your industry, it’s ups and downs, current rates, etc., and be prepared for crazy requests, and others’ lack of knowledge. If a situation comes up that your client is not knowledgable about, it’s our job to educate them. If we don’t know our own business, how can we enlighten others?
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“AND IN THIS CORNER” – Portfolio presentation: I get asked about this a lot. We live in a world that is all over the place with preferences and options for portfolios.. Know that you will get a different answer from each person you ask as to what is the best option. Do what is right for you at the time and for your budget, and always aim higher with cleaner more precise presentation. No matter what format you pick, your images should speak for themselves, not how fancy your book is.. Also beware of sending iPads unless you are right there to show it directly.. Books are easy to open and read and don’t need instruction. Not everyone knows how to use an iPad, (or other devices) nor do they know what seems “simple to view” like you do on your own machine..
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“GET THE JOB”. Know your own boundaries of what you can live with.. It’s a cut throat business at times, so know yourself and the kinds of things you can live with doing to “get the job”
2014 Applied Arts Awards: Michael David Adams
Michael David Adams has been awarded in 3 Categories for the Annual 2014 Applied Arts Contest.
iNKT
Photo-Manipulation – Series
A series inspired by the power of nature, the silhouette of a woman, and the beauty and fluidity of ink.
Heavy LIke Rain
Fashion & Beauty – Series
Drenched in the solitude of light and contrast, we see the silhouette of beauty and form.
Fire in the sky
Fashion & Beauty – Single
Submerged in the Depths with silk billowing around her like an enigmatic jellyfish, her desolate surroundings come to life.
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