Monthly Archives: April 2020

Virtual Art Museum

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from the digital archives

In one of my previous careers I was a frequent traveler.

Since the early 1980s, business has taken me to France dozens of time. During my free time I’d often visit the extraordinary art museums of Paris.

Musee d'Orsay
Musee d’Orsay in Paris

In the early years I was able to photograph most of the artwork. However, a few years later many of the museums began to put a moratorium on taking photographs.

With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, none of us are able to visit these art museums so I’ve come up with an alternative.

Below is a small set of artwork that I have photographed and collected over the years. Most were taken at the famous Musee d’Orsay.

I hope you’ll enjoy this artwork as you take a walk through my virtual art museum

Also available is my Virtual Art Museum video for those of you who prefer to just sit back and watch the masterpieces scroll by.

[Click on any of the paintings to enlarge]

Vincent Van Gogh

Church at Auvers
Vincent Van Gogh

Thatched Cottages at Cordeville
Vincent Van Gogh

Dance Hall in Arles
Alfred Sisley

Footbridge at Argenteuil
Henri Matisse

Luxe, Calme et Volupte
Edgar Degas

Dancer with a Bouquet Bowing
Edouard Manet

Berthe Morisot with a Bouquet of Violets
Paul Gauguin

Yellow Haystacks
Vincent Van Gogh

The Siesta (after Millet)
Paul Gauguin

Vairumati
Paul Gauguin

The Red Dog
Vincent Van Gogh

Self portrait
Claude Monet

Woman with a Parasol
Gustave Caillebotte

Floor Planers
Claude Monet

Le Dejeuner
Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Grande nu
Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Portrait of Julie Manet
Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Young Girl Seated
Vincent Van Gogh

The Church at Auvers
Claude Monet

Les Coquelicots
Pierre-August Renoir

Bal du Moulin de la Galette
Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Dance in the Country
James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Whistler’s Mother
Claude Monet

The Boat at Giverny
Thomas Couture

The Romans of the Decadence

For those of you who prefer to view these artworks more leisurely, here’s the same Virtual Art Museum video.

Virtual Art Museum
“Here Heather” Music by Lee Bartley
Photos by Arnie Lee

Written by: Arnie Lee

What’s your POV?

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It pays to have a different point of view

Most everyone has an opinion – a point of view if you will. But in photography, the POV acronym has a special meaning.

Point Of View refers to the position of the camera when you click the shutter. By varying the camera’s position you can easily change the composition and “interest quotient” of your image. A simple change in the position of your camera can turn your photograph into a winner.

And of course you’re the key to making this happen.

Try moving closer or further away from your subject. Bend at the waist. Get down on your knees. Turn the camera from the horizontal to the vertical orientation. Lift your camera above your head. Point the camera downward. I think you get the point.

For some suggestions, check out a few of the examples below.

[ Click on any image to enlarge ]

Look Down

For these shots, I’m viewing the subject from above. I’ve filled the frame to emphasize the subject rather than the background. All of these are shot using a standard focal length.
Eye Level

Lowering your camera to meet the subject’s main feature gives a more intimate feel. Moving closer or further away from the subject changes the scale (size) of the subject. Just a few steps can make a noticeable difference. Kneeling or bending over may be part of the routine to get the shot.
Look Up

By shooting upward you can get a very different capture that alters the facial aspect in portraits. Doing so may also emphasize or exaggerate the height of the subject.
How Low Can You Go?

For a couple of these shots, we had to lay prone on the ground to produce a more dramatic view. Some of the newer cameras have a swivel viewfinder for composing low or ground level pictures.

After you’ve paid for your camera, photography is just about FREE. So get out there and show yourself and others that you have an interesting POINT OF VIEW.

Written by: Arnie Lee

Aircraft Nose Art

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Artists at Work

I’m lucky to have had several interesting careers. One of these was to develop flight simulation software.

Among the most enjoyable parts of our business was to attend the well-known summer Oshkosh air shows. At Oshkosh are acres upon acres of aircraft of all makes and models from vintage to classic to state-of-the-art to futuristic.

visitors viewing the warbirds at the Oshkosh air show

As a history buff, I love wandering among the hundreds of war planes covering the fairgrounds. Rather than show you the warplanes themselves, I’ve collected a series of artistic pictures that adorn the noses of these aircraft.

Enjoy the nose art that inspired our courageous airmen in years gone by.

[ Click on any image to enlarge ]

Written by Arnie Lee