About Michael McLane - Fine Art Digital Photographer, Irvine, Orange County, California Fine art photography has been a passion for Michael McLane since his time in college. Michael currently specializes in color and black and white portraits, but has a large body of work in architectural photography as well. His work is currently in over 50 private collections. He has also published two coffee table books of fine art photographs and is working on two new projects. All of Michael's works are issued in strictly limited editions and are autographed by the artist. All of his fine art photographs are supplied with a mat.
Education
AA – Art - Ceramics, Chaffey College
BA – Art – Environmental Design, Cal State Fullerton
M-ARCH – Master of Architecture, Cal Poly Pomona
Ariki Art interviewed Michael in September 2003. Excerpts from the interview follow:
We would like to thank you for your time today, Michael, to answer a few questions for visitors to ArikiArt.com.
We are very happy that you are joining our community of artists, by the way. How and when did you first get interested in art?
My earliest memories of art go back to about kindergarten. I have always enjoyed drawing and building things and by the time I was ten, I knew that I wanted to be an architect. Throughout my life, the drawing, the building and the art all became intertwined. My passion lead me to a lot of new media and ways of expressing myself. Drawing, ceramics, sculpture, woodworking and construction all played a part in how I see the world.Have you had any formal training in photography or the arts?
I first became interested in photography in college. I took a couple of basic classes and then moved on to learning by doing it on my own. Since my career goal in life was to become an architect, most of my photos were of buildings, still life and landscape shots.What media do you use?
Eight or nine years ago, my wife and family grew tired of seeing my photos that had very few people in them. At their urging, I started photographing people. It didn’t take long and I was hooked. Photographing the human form has now become my passion.
I have acquired a pretty extensive photography library over the years. Next to shooting photographs, looking at other photographers work is one of my favorite pastimes. You can learn a tremendous amount about photography by observing the work of the masters. You can learn even more by learning to see and simply practicing the art.
I have also been pretty fortunate to work and learn from some of the leading photographers of our time. Usually once a year, I spend a week or so in places like Santa Fe or Maine at photography workshops. Photographers like Arnold Newman, Douglas Kirkland, Theo Westenberger and Debbie Fleming Caffery have all offered their wisdom and advice to me.
Technology in photography is rapidly changing how we capture our images. I still prefer using film, but I now scan to digital to do what I used to do in the darkroom. I print with archival digital printers on various types of watercolor paper and etching board.We know that your photographs are becoming more and more popular and are now in the hands of over 50 collectors. Have you any other notable successes.
I still greatly admire the masters of the silver print. It’s an art that I hope will be with us for a long time to come. The silver print is part of our history and our photographic heritage. However, digital photography is allowing us to do things with our images that only we dreamed possible a few short years ago. Like pencils and paint, digital photography is a tool. The photographer’s eye and his mind are still what he uses to produce his images. Digital photography as well as other creative techniques like some of the Polaroid processes have blurred the line between photography, printmaking and painting. To me, the final image is the most important thing. How you arrive at it is important, but there are many ways to take a journey.
Lighting also plays an important part in photography. Whether you believe it’s all in the highlights or it’s the shadows that really make the difference, how you use the light is critical to the final result. I love studio lighting, but I am equally in love with using available light in my work. Lighting is also a tool that can be used many ways.
I have won a couple of first and second prizes in Orange County shows. I have self-published two coffee table books: IMAGES, The Staff of Taylor & Associates Architects and URBAN ARENA, Landscape Architecture and Planning. I also have two more projects underway: ROCK STARS, FASHION MODELS, ARTISTS AND FAMOUS ARCHITECTS, and MANY HANDS, The Construction of the East Tower.It certainly sounds like you're keeping yourself pretty engaged with your art and are currently preparing some pretty interesting work. It's hard to imagine how you manage to maintain your architectural work at the same time. Would you describe your style of photography in any particular way?
Photographing people is personal for me. One of the things that I enjoy about it most is the interaction between the person and me while I am looking through the lens and trying to line up the perfect shot. To me, the portrait needs to not only be an interesting composition but it also needs to capture that instant in time that tells a story about the person. A lot of people don’t feel comfortable in front of the camera. Not everyone is a handsome movie star or a glamorous model. Part of the challenge is to get the person to relax and open up to the camera lens. Part of my personal style is doing exactly that.Do you accept commissions for your work, Michael?
Yes. My studio is always available and I also will work on location within the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. I do limit my work to portrait or architectural photography work. I do not usually take on weddings or event photography.Thank you for your time, Michael, and all of us at Ariki Art wish you great success.
If you would like to request a commission from Michael McLane, please contact us with your request.
