Present
Day Events
A lot has changed from my last update. Of course, I was supposed to update
my photos at the end of June but that fell by the wayside with these legal
problems, then a change in ISP didn't help at all. I was actually off the
net for a little while, but I'm back. I have received a lot of support
through emails from around the world, but there was one that really got
to me, which asked why should one remain in a place with those other guys
resenting my presence and trying to restrict my photo activity? Well, Spain
is a hell of a nice place and it's very hard to describe fully (where's
that picture and its thousand words?).
The lifestyle is great, the hours are carefree and the people are very
friendly. Though crime exists, it's nowhere the levels of what's in the
newspapers or television. Kids of all ages can stay out all night and parents
do not have to worry about their safety. The women are beautiful (okay
girls, the guys are very handsome also), and heck, it's just a different
world here. Oh, the wine is excellent and the seafood is outstanding!
I am now a legal business, collecting Spanish taxes (16%) and
paying social security each month (more than $200); after all these years
of freelancing, I'll finally see if my photography will "put me on the
map", or wipe me off the face of the Earth. I'll see if I have what it
takes to do this as a legit biz....
I still work in a town where several photo businesses are against my
back, and also a bad experience with a local TV cable station and modeling
agency in El Puerto de Santa María (why doesn't anyone want to pay
for good, quality service?) but that's another movie in the works. If nothing
else, I can go back to my Amiga computer and the Video Toaster.
So, everything is hunky-dory for now and hope everything lasts through
the winter. I still believe I offer a good, quality service that cannot
be matched by others in my area. Please feel free to email me to comment
on my style, photography or just give general opinions. I love photography,
and thence enjoy hearing from anyone/everyone about photography. I also
use Lightwave3D for 3D animations, so email me about that also. Thanks
for your past support and comments, and keep them coming!
Seeing Tones of Gray
I do not indulge in the art of black
and white photography because it is a gimmick. Black and white is a format
where one must view the world differently, unlike color.
Some say it is a more difficult media, while others see it as easier because
there are no colors, just tones of gray, white and black. I see it as something
very difficult to capture on paper, let alone film. If I succeed in capturing
that moment as I picture it and it evokes emotion in someone, I
have succeeded! If not, then I have failed.
My Life
I have been involved in photography for over thirty
years and considered myself honored by so many who have trusted
me to capture their emotions, their soul, their private
moments. These moments were shared with me in the hopes of freezing one
moment - no, not even a second of their lives so that others could see
that image and say; yes, I see your soul and your person
in that image. That is the Love of Photography
that is so strong that it cannot be a business because businesses cannot
waste that energy. Photography is my life; I do not live to breathe nor
to see just normal scenes in this world; I live to see the world
behind my camera and its lenses, and I have learned to see through my
eyes as if it were a camera, after all, the camera is fashioned after the
design of our eyes. And I have not always been successful; there are times
I have failed miserably in my quest to capture that moment. Other times,
I can say I did what I wanted to do and that is to say: in this image,
this is how I see you and others will say and feel the same
when they see this image. Photography is not always as easy as it is made
out in television shows or the movies. It's as hard as any other profession
though it has its benefits.
Background
As a youngster in San Francisco sketching in pen
and ink and later learning photography, those I associated with in our
little art world spoke, dreamed, and lived photography. Not many
people are in that state as it's now a very commercialized field. With
various cameras now available allowing everybody the ability to create
a good image, even to digitizing images, creating something not resembling
an image on magic paper, it's no wonder that love is gone. I still think
the quality, content and composition, and how the image is created, is
important not only to the artist but to the viewers. After all the glamor
and the hi-tech cameras, it is today's photographers who have to teach
the young and future magic-box artists the knowledge, techniques and quality
necessary of this media, and share the emotion WE feel to
love it just as much.
For you tech types, I've used Olympus,
Minolta and Pentax cameras, along with a C330 Mamiya
and a Kowa Six. I now own a Nikon FM2 (thanks ED!)
and a Mamiya 1000S 6x4.5 which I reserve for special photos.
All photos are created without benefit of a studio, nor photo
lights, flashes (have three flash units used rarely over 15 years), assistants
or help from a makeup stylist. All clients wear their own clothes
and apply their own makeup, proving quality professional photographic work
is possible without using assistants, lights and the whole sheblam!
Enjoy this gallery; please let me
know what you think. More importantly, if you don't like my photography
or have problems, tell me! If you do enjoy my photography,
tell your friends (send da female ones to Spain for a shoot) and I'd love
to hear your comments (or flames). If you do contact me, please let
me know how you came to my website (i.e. search engine, another
site, another photo site, etc.) and I'd like to know where you're
located in the world.
Hey! I submitted a B&W photo to Easy Rider. Since the mag is not
available in my area, I'd appreciate if anyone sees a B&W photo of
a light-haired girl sitting on a custom-built Spanish Harley, and emails
me to let me know it appeared! I've already tried contacting the mag and
they don't respond (tell me sumthin' new!).
Exhibitions
April 1977 - Fundacion Ruiz-Mateos in Jerez de la Frontera,
Spain
July 1977 - Casa Cultural de la Biblioteca Municipal in
Rota, Spain
June 1995 - Salon Cultural Teatro Magiko in Rota
September 1995 - Fundacion Alcalde Zoilo Ruiz-Mateos in
Rota
April 1996 - Casa de la Cultura in Alcalá de Guadaira
(Sevilla), Spain
Group Displays
July 1978 - Caja de Ahorro de Jerez in Sanlucar de Barrameda,
Spain
1987 - Group display of art work in Palma de Mallorca, Spain
I n P r
i n t
May 1977 - ARTE FOTOGRAFICA - Spanish photography
magazine
August 1993 - Lookout - Spain's Magazine in English
Works in Progress
Ongoing Internet Webpage project: Rota Motorcycle riders and their
hogs
Possible future travels: Morocco and northern Spain for landscapes
Two-Man photo exhibition in Rota, summer 1999
Site Design and Photography © 1998 Tony Lee
