hello all!

So for the last few months I have been trying to figure out why people tell me my photos look dark, especially when they look (in my humble opinion) "kick-ass-sexy" on my computer. I figured it had everything to do with people's monitors being too low on the brightness at first. But after a lot of testing, calibrating, retesting, looking at my work on dozens of other monitors...etc. I figured that the only think i can do is change my monitors' brightness to match what i see on others and test it out. In order to do this, I had to but the brightness down to zero, and the gamma down to -50. Its not close to what i see on others. So what in the world makes my monitor so much brighter than others??

Please, i could really use some input on this. Comment, let me know what you think. Will be posting/updating my shots from Utah for this little experiment, so I could use all the feedback you can give me.

Thank you!!!
Joseph

This evening, I fly out to Utah to explore the Arches National Park, Canyonlands, and any ghost towns I can find. Its a short trip, but its my big trip for the year. Photos will start popping up shortly after i get back, wish me luck!

Hello all! After a long period of avoiding a much needed update to my website, and several weeks of gathering images and creating galleries, my website is finally done.

well... for the moment.

Check it out! there's a ton of photos i haven't put on here, and it'd be great to hear from you about what you think!

[link]

Thanks!!
Joseph Hawk

I felt compelled to share this with you, I hope the author of this article doesn't mind

Finding Your Audience
Tuesday, 27 November by: ”Surly” Amy Davis Roth

The original article was found here: [link]


So you’ve decided that you are an artist. Your desire to create supercedes your desire for anything else in this life. Whatever your medium may be, it is your life’s blood, your one true love, your passion. The decision has been made. You are going to dedicate your life to expression because that is who you are: an artist.



So now what?



Well, you draw, paint, write or create as much as you possibly can each and every day and night until your fingers bleed, you brain hurts and your eyes are a bloodshot red and you love every single minute of it… until something dawns upon you. What good are a million masterpieces if there is no one there to see them? You need an audience…you need people to express to. This is one of the hardest parts of being an artist…finding your audience.



I’m not going to even pretend that I have all of the answers here. There are way too many variables involved for me to speculate on what path the reader should take in this situation. I can only stress this: as an artist is extremely important that you do whatever you can do to expose your art to other people. Art is only valuable to the culture and can only have an impact if it is seen.




So get yourself out there and find galleries, underground art shows, websites, newspapers and magazines. Hang images of your work from a freeway overpass or staple it to the Hollywood sign or on the ass of someone walking by. Fax it to the phonebook. Publish your own book or zine. Apply for public art projects. Start up your own gallery (I did it in my 20’s, which means you can do it too.) Do whatever you can think of to get your work into the public eye and when you get sand kicked in your face, simply brush it off and try something else.



I’m not sure who originally said this to me but it impacted me greatly. “Every time someone pays for a piece of your art it their way of applauding.” Paintings and sculptures are like songs; patrons of the arts show their applause with dollars and cents. It is an interesting way to look at art and commerce. I am not insinuating that only art that is sold is valuable; we all know that is by no means the case but there is definitely no way you are going to hear the applause of the patrons unless you find an avenue in which to display your creations... and you are going to need to fund your projects somehow.



You have to try…starting now.