Noreen Berman Photography

First Annual Cancer Sux Bike Run 2011

2011-08-07T07:33:00.001-07:00

I have to say that initially I was disappointed with the turnout, but having seen the turnout of other runs I wasn't surprised. THAT was my only disappointment!!! It became a small intimate group of people whose hearts were in the right place and were there for a reason. I had the support of my friends and made some new ones in meeting the people who showed up for this cause.

The ride was gorgeous, the stops were very friendly and the people along the way were supportive in our efforts. There was so much magic going on that only a few would notice but I noticed it all. I asked for help with the weather and got it. It didn't rain at all on the journey until we got to the last stop. It didn't rain much and when it did, it seemed appropriate to me. What would a run like this be without a little cleansing of the soul?

The band was great as usual. James and The Devil are the perfect band for a ride and cause such as this because they play with such energy and really love what they do. I met Mike..his wife died of cervical cancer and he so wanted to ride with us and support us. And he did just that. He was so grateful for the cause! The funny thing is, he was the one who won my dads limited edition photo print. It seemed so appropriate for the gratitude he had for coming.

I also met a lady (never got her name) at the Pioneer Inn who just recently got released from the hospital from cancer and was celebrating her birthday in the same exact place we were visiting. Maybe just a coincidence but also seemed appropriate.

All in all the ride was awesome, the company was great and the energy was fascinating. Next year I can only hope that more people whose hearts are in the right place, will consider the "love fest" that is the Cancer Sux run.

Shooting Events!

2010-06-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to shoot the Bolder Boulder in Boulder, CO during Memorial Day weekend. Now this is not the first time I have had the pleasure of shooting an event, but I have come to realize that shooting events is not always for the same purpose.

I have done weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, family get-togethers, art shows and bike shows. You name it, I have pretty much shot it. My most recent event being the Bolder Boulder, I was asked to do "client branding". I was originally going with the notion that I was covering the "event" though once arriving there, realized that it was going to be all about the client. (can you guess who that might be by looking at the photo?)

At any rate it was fun and I got to see the Bolder Boulder for the first time and I got to shoot for a high ranking marketing company out of NY for their client Nissan. The Nissan booth was a work of art. They had every interactive kiosk you could think of. They had a life size screen where they were interactively showing the customers their newest car (the Leaf is a 100% electric car), they had a photo booth with a green screen so you could get a photo of yourself on the cover of Runners magazine with Ryan Hall. If you don't know who Ryan Hall is, you would not be the only one. I didn't know who this man was either until he arrived for the signing (more on that later). They also had several computers up for their customers to enter to win a new Leaf. They had several cars on display and many staff passing out literature. They also had drawings for people to win prizes. All in all I was impressed with the diversity of the booth.

While I was impressed with their booth, I have to say that it wasn't my most exciting shoot. It was all about client branding where they only wanted pictures of their booth, their customers, people looking at their cars, reading their literature and anything "Nissan". It was a little more exciting the second day out because of the 10K run that was going on. I was ground floor privy with a press pass so I got to experience the very large crowd. It was unbelievable the amount of people at this event.

While shooting this event I met Ryan Hall. I had never heard of the man but in the runners world, he is an icon. His time of 2:08:41 was the fastest ever by an American at Boston. You can read more on him following the link above. It just amazes me that who appears to be an average Joe is an icon in the running world.

Anyway, my whole point in writing this is to inform photographers on the different types of event photography. This surely was a new experience for me doing "client branding" and while not one of my more fun gigs, it was a true experience in every sense of the word. So next time you photograph a gig for a client, be sure you know exactly what it is they are looking to capture.

Xposure Imaging and Charity

2009-11-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

During my time as a photographer, I have done several charity events. I feel in this line of art, that doing charity work or "pro-bono" work is a great way to get your name out there, meet new people and get the opportunity to mingle with people you might not normally meet in everyday life.

I had the opportunity in 2009, to photograph a motorcycle run geared towards raising money for child abuse awareness. This was the Katelynn Stinnett National Memorial Run. It was the first year this run had come to fruition and I'm proud to be a contributor to it this year as well. Last year I was strictly the "photographer" designated to shoot from start to finish, the entire run. It was quite the experience! Not only did I shoot most of my material from the back of a motorcycle, but I met allot of interesting people, saw many new places and experienced parts of Colorado I had never seen before. I have to say right here and now, that bikers are really great people! That could be a whole blog in itself but I just want to make one point: Many people typically stereotype "bikers" but being a bike enthusiast myself AND a photographer, I can tell you that they are some of the most charitable people I know.

Anyway...Xposure Imaging is contributing in more ways then one this year. The Katelynn Stinnett run has expanded to include two new runs in Colorado this year. There will be one in Northern Colorado, Central Colorado and Southern Colorado. This is sure to raise even more money to donate to charities in desperate need of help in family/children services. Not only am I going to be shooting the Central run, but Xposure Imaging is also doing website work, graphic work and networking as well. I feel proud and privileged to take on a bigger part in what could be a great national run. That is the best part about this run, it is NATIONAL. A majority of bike runs are usually local or state runs, but this could be one of the biggest "national" runs around.

What Makes an Artist.

2009-07-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

I have been photographer for years now but I can honestly say that I have never been part of the "art scene". I have been reading and looking and learning more about it everyday and during the week of July 13-17 I came across some articles about two artists who lost their lives. I came across them by accident and felt compelled to respond to what I read. The contrast between the two are so different that I asked myself "what makes an artist?" In the process of writing this blog I am hoping that anyone who reads it will have the opportunity to learn more about someone else they probably didn't even know existed. And like me, discover that there really is a certain respect for every type of art known.

I came across this article about an artist named Dash Snow (he's a scary looking dude isn't he?). I know I know...who the hell is Dash Snow right? That's what I was thinking and my curiosity peaked so I read on. Dash Snow was a 27 year old artist out of NYC. They labeled him as "Dash Snow—photographer, semen artist, graffiti writer". Yes you read that right...semen artist. Not to say that all his art was semen infested, but some of his art was. He was also known for his polaroids and graffiti art. Believe it or not, he was very revered in the art world of NYC. I'm willing to bet that it had something to do with being a DeMenil, which for those of you who don't know is art royalty in the NY area. Money and lots of it! He took a different turn and was the rebel of the family. Into drugs, in and out of jail, running from the police and unschooled. He chose the hard life. He founded the Irak Crew whom was well known for their sacer tags in and around NYC. You can read more about them (if you dare) here: IRAK.

I have put only a couple of his images on here. If you would like to read more about him and see many more of his images you can visit the blog of AlexSins here AlexSins

Many of the images are graphic and tell of his life of drugs and the street scene. I can only imagine what his life would have been like if he had taken advantage of his heritage and his talent and gone a different route. He is not my kind of artist. I personally don't see the art in it, but he was very popular among the NYC art scene and had his art shown in galleries such as the Saatchi and showed all over the world. You can read his full biography on Wikipedia here Dash Snow. Yes, he is on Wikipedia if that tells you anything about this man. It is very interesting and a shame that it ended so soon.

Now on to an artist that is closer to my heart. Julius Shulman was a world reknowned architectural photographer. He was born in 1910 and died on July 15, 2009, he was 98 years old. If you google his name Julius Shulman Images numerous pictures of his work will pop up and it is quite amazing. Many people don't consider architectural photography as an art form, but for me personally it is one of the finest of art forms in photography and in the 90's his works started a new appreciation for architecture in that way. This man had an eye for sure! Julius Shulman wrote many books, exhibited his works all over the world and made various personal appearances. He worked with architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Pierre Koenig and his pictures have been published too many times to count. His library of images currently reside at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

This is just a sample of some of his work. I picked out just some of my favorites. As you can tell, he did allot of his work in black and white which is one of my personal favorites. I envy the fact that he got to do allot of his work back in the 60's and 70's when architecture was at it's best. He felt that way too. I read somewhere (and for the life of me I can't remember where I found it) that he got fed up with the changes in the architecture and took somewhat of a sabatical before pursuing it again in later years. I found an awesome article on Julius that the L.A. Times wrote about him upon his death. I found it to be the most informational piece on him yet. If your interested in knowing more about this man you can visit the L.A. Times website. He too has a Wikipedia page Julius Shulman.

I just found this man to be phenomenal simply because architecture is one of my greatest pleasures as a photographer, and he made a huge career out of it. I will probably never have the opportunities that this man had in his lifetime but one could only hope. If I could achieve only a percentage of the notoriety that he achieved in his lifetime, I would be a very happy photographer.

So again I ask you, what makes an artist? Whether you love the dark and eerie side of a drug induced millionaire rebel, or the black and white images of architectural art through the ages. One can only appreciate the perspective of all artists.

Experiencing Art in Denver, Colorado

2009-07-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

Being a photographer new to the Denver area, I felt it was completely necessary to go to the First Friday Art Walk in the Santa Fe district in downtown Denver, CO. So I arranged to meet with my friend Pam Tanino and we ventured to the area.

While I am a photographer, this was my first real meeting with the art world. I have a dear friend who owns and runs an art gallery in Florida, but having only had exposure to that one gallery I didn't realize just how expansive art can be. I have never experienced so many different mediums of art in what seemed like blocks and blocks of galleries. The streets were crowded with people and the folks living in the neighborhood were hanging out the windows checking out the scene and partying on their balconies.

By many mediums of art, I mean MANY. We had the pleasure of experiencing live music on the street, good cuisine, and all things art! It has always amazed me what some people consider art, but after listening to people critique and getting different interpretations I have come to the conclusion that art is truly in the eyes of the beholder and I can now appreciate that. This also helps me in knowing that no matter what I shoot, there will always be somebody out there who appreciates and welcomes MY visions into their world.

My friend Pam is also an artist who is a master at the fiber arts with her sewing and bead work, she is amazing. I have several friends and acquaintances who are photographers like me, my husband is an artist in his own right as a motorcycle painter and master color matcher. I know face painters, jewelry makers, musicians, floral designers, painters and some who are all around “artistes” with a full plate of beautiful and visually stunning expressionism. Some people it seems that no matter what they touch, it turns to something magical.

Now moving on….Before we even got to the galleries themselves, we ran into some really cool graffiti art.

I have to first say that we did not get to finish our excursion all the way down Santa Fe St. There are so many galleries and so much to see, that it is difficult to get it all in within a three hour span; although if you have a whole day, you will have much more luck getting through it all. The part of the trek we did make, we saw some awe inspiring art and I am going to talk about just a few of my favorites.

The first gallery that comes to my mind in thinking about my journey, is the Reed Photo Art Gallery www.reedphotoart.com (go figure…I’m a photographer). This gallery was visually stunning with every type of photography you can imagine. Allot of the work within the gallery was by an artist by the name of John Fielder, who for the most part did stunning photos of Colorado landscapes and natural wildlife. After seeing his work, I am a fan.

The painter and artist that sticks out in my mind the most was a woman by the name of Brianna Martray who did what I interpret as sort of abstract art with brilliant colors. She definitely had an eye for mixing color palettes. I would describe her work as striking with the mixes of reds, yellows and oranges to the beautiful blues and greens that mingled brilliantly together. Her work was so bright that it instantly caught your eye the minute you walked into the room.

Another gallery that caught my attention was “the Event gallery” or 910Arts www.910Arts.com . They had a great mixture of mediums from photographs, to impressive paintings, fabulous wood working and pottery and they had the most awesome table being shown that I have ever seen. I so wanted to take that table home but had to settle for pictures of it instead.

The artist mentioned above (Brianna Martray) was also within the walls of this gallery along with a photographer named Anthony Camera that had a unique quality to his work. He had a mini studio set up with a frame hanging from the ceiling and a cloud filled backdrop, and he shot people posing within this frame. That was something I had never seen before and found truly unique.

We found this artist that was completely the master of the art of tiles. I mean he had furniture and vases made of this stuff. It was a sight to behold.

We found fiber art that looked like almost life sized, but beautifully colored voo doo dolls.

There was exquisite glass work.

The list goes on and on. You can view a complete slideshow of the First Friday Art Walk pictures I took of this wonderful journey and all of its “eye candy”.

For anyone who has ever had an appreciation for art or even for those who just want to experience something different, I highly recommend going to the First Friday Art Walk any chance they get. It is truly an eye opening experience and one that may just inspire you to take that first step forward in that artistic expression that you have always had an interest in.

Photos by Noreen Berman and Pamela Tanino