Dave Waite Fine Arts

I have published a new blog devoted to my Fine Arts Photography:

http://www.davewaitefinearts.blogspot.com/

Please take a look and leave a comment!

Enjoy,

Dave

"Impressions-Flora" Photography Exhibit by Dave Waite

"Impressions-Flora" an exhibit of the photography of Dave Waite

The exhibit "Impressions-Flora" by photographer Dave Waite will be opening Oct. 15th 2010 at Art! 200 First Street, Troy New York.

David Waite's long awaited show "Impressions-Flora" will be the first show to open in the "Featured Artist Room" at Art! 200 First Street Troy NY. This show has been a
project first conceived several years ago,and has finally come to the fruition for the artist David Waite. "We are very excited, said Mary Wheeler(Owner of Art!) to see an artists dream come true; and be able to provide a space to show it in. Art and dreams are what we are all about ." "I hope everyone will enjoy my gallery, the artists,art, and shows from now on, I am very excited for the future."















Artist's statement:

Look around next time you are outdoors. Unless you live in te most sterile environment imaginable, there is flora of some kind in sight through every season.
Crocus in the early spring, soon followed by blossoms of every imaginable color carpeting any spot fit for survival, and finally the fall colors so prominent here in the Northeast. We are surrounded by all of this on a daily basis, but except for an occasional bloom that causes us to pause to take in its beauty, we rarely ever really see what is right before our eyes.

For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by detail, especially detail in nature. My introduction to photography in my early teens offered me the ability to capture that detail and share it with others. With taking on adult responsibilities I set the activities of a photographer artist aside for a season. Seven years ago the desire to express myself creatively again came to the forefront. The greatest lesson that I learned during this time away from my art is that creativity is never really lost, and will be there when the time is right for it to blossom again.

I have often been asked why I create these images. The answer is not deeply philosophical or even complex - I love to explore. For me personally the eyepiece of a camera is an invitation to explore worlds that would often be missed by the naked eye. Add to that the creativity available through the photographic process and you have opportunities of creative exploration that are truly endless. I rarely set out to create a certain image, and quite often I am amazed at the results. I even feel sometimes that composition, balance and flow are offered to me by the subjects themselves and I am simply obliged to accept their gift. In fact, there have been times when I could instead use the word obligated, as if what is set before me has in that moment become my responsibility to record, my own person being simply a repository of what is set before me. I can truly say that in all of this I am blessed.

What follows is a look through my eyes at the world of the flowers, plants and trees that surround us. I hope that you find inspiration and peace in these images.

David Waite

The exhibit will run Oct 15th - Dec 31 at

Art!
200 First Street
Troy, NY

http://www.artgalleryllc.com/art/Art%21.html

Raindrops in the Garden

These were taken in a perennial garden the morning after some rain. I am not sure the name of the plant, so if anyone can let me know it would be appreciated! They were taken with a Sigma 70mm macro on a Canon XT in RAW file format. I desaturated the green / aqua on a couple of them to give a bit more contrast between the leaves and the water drops. In the last one especially the blue in the water stands out with those other colors desaturated. I just ordered prints so maybe they will be on display at my next show!

Dave

Creative Photography Workshop - June 29th

Hi all,

In April I had the privilege to speak at the monthly meeting of the Bethlehem Art Association on the subject of Creative Photography. At that time I had offered to do a hands-on workshop for anyone interested in learning and practicing some of the techniques we discussed that evening. My friends at the art association have taken me up on my offer, with the workshop to be held in Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary, Selkirk NY, on June 29th.

This free workshop will be for any skill level, and of course bring your camera! If you have a tripod, please bring that also, and I will bring a couple extra as well in case anyone needs one for the evening. We will be mostly out taking photos, with lots of opportunity to talk about techniques, perspective, visualization and other aspects of creativity with a camera. You do not need to have attended my Creative Photography talk to attend, or even be a member of the art association (though I highly recommend joining!) Please plan on being out for a couple of hours, bring water, snacks, bug spray, extra batteries and memory card / film too!

If those attending are interested, I will be offering part two of this workshop sometime in July when we will get together to look at the digital editing process using the photos that were taken at Hollyhock Hollow. Finally, it is my hope that we can have a part three sometime late summer / early fall that where I will teach matte cutting and give those attending a chance to cut mattes for their photos, especially for those from session one and two (there would be a fee to cover the cost of matte board, adhesive, etc.) There may even be an opportunity for these works to be displayed together in a group show later in the fall.

If you are interested in attending, please e-mail me at photoguy@nycap.rr.com.

Here is a brief description of Hollyhock Hollow from their website (it has directions if you need them) :(http://www.audubonintl.org/programs/asny/hhhsanctuary.htm)

The 138-acre sanctuary features unique karst geology, the Onesquethaw Creek, and hiking trails traversing woodland, pond, and stream habitats.

As of now our plan is to meet at 2 pm at the Stewarts in Feura Bush and then carpool to the sanctuary, but please contact me before the day of the workshop to confirm that!

Finally, many thanks to Allison of the BAA for her time and effort in making this happen!

Enjoy!

Dave

New photos from Christman's Nature Preserve

Hi All,

What a great weekend in Albany at the 60th annual Tulip Festival! I enjoyed getting a chance to share my photography with you and hear all of your thoughts, ideas and suggestions of new places for me to photograph.

My next scheduled show will be June 14th at the Troy River Street Festival, Troy, NY. I have applied also for the 2008 LobsterPalooza, Saturday, June 7th, again in Washington Park, Albany, NY, so hopefully I will be there also.

I am posting some of my newest photos, ones that I was not able to get together in time for this last weekend, but I will have them at my next show for sure. These were taken at Christman's Nature Preserve in Duanesburg, NY.

Enjoy!

Dave

My Spring Show Schedule

16th Annual
CHERRY BLOSSOM CRAFTS FESTIVAL
Congregation Gates of Heaven
Sunday April 27, 2008
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
http://www.cgoh.org/programs/brotherhood/

60th Annual Albany Tulip Festival
Washington Park, Albany New York
Friday May 9 - Sunday May11, 2008
11 am - 6 pm
http://www.albanyevents.org/tulip_festival/index.cfm

Troy River Street Festival
Troy, NY
June 14, 2008
10 am - 5 pm
http://www.troyny.gov/visittroy/riverstreetfestival.html

March 15, 2008 Art Show - Rexford Fire Department

My first show of 2008 will be indoors at a craft fair being held at the Rexford Fire Department March 15, 2008 from 10 - 4. I will have my full display set up and lots of matted works for sale.

The Rexford Fire Department is on Rte 146, between the Rexford bridge and where 146 takes the sharp turn to the East going towards Clifton Park. It is only 10 minutes from downtown Schenectady and there will be lots of food & craft vendors. Hope to see you there!

Dave

Latest Photos - March 18, 2008

This first photo is a Phalaenopsis orchid, taken with my Canon Digital Rebel XT and a Sigma 70mm macro lens. The exposure was 3 seconds at F11 & ISO 100, shot in RAW, processed in Adobe Lightroom and saved as a TIFF file. Before I converted it to JPEG I ran it through Photoshop 7 to adjust the contrast a bit. The lighting was late afternoon natural light coming in from the right, with a black cloth background and a white reflector about 6 inches to the left of the flower to fill in the shadows a bit. This small image does not do justice to the subtle detail throughout all of this shot, and even at much higher magnification it holds it's image quality quite well.




The next three photos are of Chiritas. These are a very attractive tropical plant in the family of African Violets standing about 5 inches tall. These were also taken with natural light using the Rebel XT. The lens was a Canon 18 - 55.

A visit to Jackson Garden

Date: August 12, 2007

Place: Jackson Garden, Union College, Schenectady New York

I always enjoy visiting the gardens on the grounds of Union College, especially when the Rose Mallow Hybiscus are in bloom.

Also, once again I will be participating in the Stockade Art Show in downtown Schenectady. This year it will be held on Saturday, September 8th. Hope to see you there!

These last two photos are from a friend's garden, taken earlier in the day.