Altpick Library has launched! We are delighted to celebrate our members books. Here are some that were just added:
Lennette Newell’s “Welcome to the World” book is styled as a sweet and simple letter to newborn and introduces the first year splendors.
Brian Smith’s “Art & Soul” is a large-format glossy coffee-table book featuring intimate portraits of celebrities accompanied by personal testimonials from each artist expressing the importance of the arts in our culture.
Amanda Koster’s ” Can I Come With You” illustrates and explains what can be done as it takes the reader through some of her professional forays, photographing personal projects and the work of NGO’s around the globe. 59 photographs taken in Brazil, Kenya, Romania and Morocco.
Rudy Gutierrez illustrated “Papa and Me” about a boy’s special day with his father, recounting their adventures from waking up in the morning until they arrive home in the evening.
Sole possession of a clean towel for the duration of your workout.
Decent leg room.
A champion breakfast thanks to Bacon-of-the-Month. Hmmm. Bacon.
And now this: an Altpick membership. Your career awaits.
A few of the benefits include:
:: Annual membership fee $99.00 US. Unchanged for longer than we can remember.
:: Unlimited portfolio samples, images, video, flash and more. Go post-happy.
:: Up to 10 web links. Your mad creative skills are legend.
:: Change or update your images anytime, 24/7. Your outfit. Your choice.
:: Your news and calendar event posts show up on our front page. Headline, anyone?
:: RSS Feed for Updates, News and Calendar Events. For the in-the-know who wants to know. About you.
:: Stats on visitors. You want to know. Admit it.
:: Custom icons for your portfolio samples. Avatars for your stars.
:: New work you add appears front and center. Hello, homepage.
:: Visitors can save you to a list of favorites. They really like you.
:: Post to Twitter and Facebook right from your Altpick page. Save you a step so you can get busy.
And when you update your page we push a status update to Twitter. We do the same for news items as well. All great ways to stay visible.
This presentation will examine the concepts and wit behind Wexler’s altered or manufactured realities, and emphasize the creative problem solving behind the realization of his images. From the use of elaborate set fabrications, to the creative and practical decisions behind the integration of digital imaging editing tools, you’ll get an inside look into real secrets of the successful merging of vision and technology.
Photoshop & You
550 Sutter
San Francisco CA
Thursday, August 04, 2011 from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM (PT)
You have representation. But are you well-represented? It may be time to take another look at your icon. And ask yourself: is it the best me out there?
In this great big cyber world of ours, we rely on virtual us to be our calling cards. Our digital agent. It is the first image that a person sees of you. And sometimes, it is the only you they will ever see.
No small thing for consideration, is it? Be sure to choose one that represents you in the best light. In candlelight and under floodlights.
“Fear of failure,” here Glaser pauses, “… is a phrase that requires a little thought.”
Are professionalism and personal development intrinsically tied? Glaser’s professionalism is to have something that no one else has for that is how you make money that leads to success. Personal development is more about failure which leads to discovery. Which of these mean success to you?
You’re a professional. And a successful one. Are you a brand? Unsurprisingly, brand is one of his most despised words. It used to apply to companies and entities that are encased in brick and mortar. It then encompasses virtual companies with online presence. Now, we are all about personal brands.
Self-discovery in terms of personal development is learning that you are either good at something or you are not. Glaser uses a great master. Whenever Picasso learns to do something, he abandons it. His point is that once you discover something, you will lose interest. It’s that unrelenting search of creatives, isn’t it?
It is where failure lives.
Glaser says fear of failure is an inhibiting characteristic. It’s counter-intuitive to artists as it goes against the unleashing of great creativity. Just what are you afraid of? Inadequacy, criticism, embarrassment … all of which are too visible. To ourselves as well as others.
Self-criticism and ego are two oft familiar terms for artists. For failure is an acknowledgment that you’re not good at something. That you don’t really know what you’re doing.
The only way out, advises Glaser, is to admit what is. Find out what you’re capable of doing and what you’re not capable of doing. Subject yourself to the fact that you’re not as good as you think or hope you are or that others think or hope you are. Courage? Oh yes.
Ultimately, Glaser’s failure is a romantic idea: embrace the failure.
Photographer Bill Frakes follows Missy Koch Billingsley over a 25 year period through her leg amputation due to cancer to her current life in Italy with her husband and three children.
A great place to add books, magazines or merchandise that you’ve published or want to recommend. Just email us your link and thumbnail and we’ll post it for you. We’ll be making our official announcement to the industry on Thursday. Consider this your members-only sneak peek.
Oh yes, there’s more. We are in the concept and design stage of the 4th edition of The Alternative Pick Deck. We will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Alternative Pick with another beautifully designed deck of promotional cards. To be a part of this and celebrate with us, please email us to receive the media kit in a few weeks.
Have you read Bob Steven’s amazing story (“The Usual Suspects“) on the Altpick Connects Blog? There’s more in store in the coming weeks. Subscribe and stay in touch.
Don’t forget to update your Altpick page. Keep it fresh with your new images. We know you have some wonderful pieces sitting on your hard drive. If you need a helping hand, just give us a shout. We’re here for you.
Craig LaRotonda’s exhibition of new paintings opens at Last Rites Gallery in New York City this month.
Opening Reception: July 22nd , 7pm-11pm
Last Rites Gallery unveils it’s newly renovated space with opening receptions for two highly acclaimed artists, Chet Zar and Craig LaRotonda. This will be both artists’ second solo shows at the gallery.
CRAIG LAROTONDA: Craig LaRotonda creates captivating and mysterious images, influenced by classic paintings from 15th and 16th centuries. Loaded with deep emotion and superb craftsmanship, his ability to make ugliness, deformities, and oddities become esthetically magnificent is what makes his art so unique. In his own words: “My paintings explore the unspeakable nature of consciousness. I think reality is much more than what we perceive with the five senses. I’m captivated by the spaces in between, like the passage between life and death, which seems to play continuously in my work”. Craig’s extensive body of work as illustrator has given this artist broad recognition, and his fine art can be found in the homes of collectors such as Johnny Depp, Kirsten Dunst, Guillermo Del Toro and James Gunn.
Long nights of filming, man-made rain and screaming police with guns drawn. A typical Sunday evening. For Jeffrey Lamont Brown.
Tallgrass Pictures LLC announces the release of the teaser for Sunday Evening, a feature film adapted from a successful European stage play written by Zachary Karabashliev. Preview screenings have generated enthusiastic responses with many fans anxiously awaiting the full-length feature film.
Produced and directed by Jeffrey Lamont Brown and starring Camelia Dee, Catalina Maynard, Joshua Hershfield, Dave Rivas, Benjamin Mathes, and Stephanie Philo. Set in one of Southern California’s exclusive communities, this unsparing and unexpectedly funny film delves into the lives of two families sharing one street and one rainy Sunday evening. Beautiful realism unravels.
Nick is a successful stock broker, married to and still in love with his sweetheart, Rose. And he has just found out about her affair with a redneck.
Their next-door-neighbor, Stela, a film star from the 80’s, is now a face from pharmaceutical TV ads and a stay-at-home mom. When Stela’s confrontation with her daughter, Jenny, cartwheels out of control and intertwines with Nick and Rose’s clash, the film radically changes perspective.
Headed by Jeffrey Lamont Brown, Tallgrass Pictures brings a fresh, reality-based approach to advertising photography and filmmaking for clients nationwide. A true hybrid production company, Tallgrass is creating seamless content (still photo to broadcast) in their signature lush, authentic style. Drawing on deep experience in digital imaging and post production, Tallgrass’ tightly integrated team approach allows it to deliver multiple versions of a visual asset over varied distribution platforms rapidly.
Tallgrass Pictures is a broadcast and print production company with a simple mission: to make beautiful photographs and films for clients around the world. Nurturing strategic partnerships with companies that are creative, client-focused and place a high value on integrity is perhaps why they are listed amongst a myriad of “Best Of” lists.
Lennette Newell’s “Welcome to the World” book is styled as a sweet and simple letter to newborn and introduces the first year splendors.
Brian Smith’s “Art & Soul” is a large-format glossy coffee-table book featuring intimate portraits of celebrities accompanied by personal testimonials from each artist expressing the importance of the arts in our culture.
Amanda Koster’s ” Can I Come With You” illustrates and explains what can be done as it takes the reader through some of her professional forays, photographing personal projects and the work of NGO’s around the globe. 59 photographs taken in Brazil, Kenya, Romania and Morocco.
Rudy Gutierrez illustrated “Papa and Me” about a boy’s special day with his father, recounting their adventures from waking up in the morning until they arrive home in the evening.
The Pick 