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Doors and Windows |
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Doors intrigue me not
only because of the rhythm of life that they've witnessed, but
because of the mystery that now lies within. Doors reveal
something of the personality of the dwellers. Doors and
windows beckon us to come inside and discover their secrets.
They tease us with a suggestion - a sentence that's started but
not completed.
The door is the focal point of a
home, and the home is the essence of our lives. The home
is the cocoon into which we retreat at the end of a long day.
It's where we love, laugh, cry, reflect, pray and go about the
day-to-day business of living.
If you could urge words from these
silent sentries, the stories they could tell! Yet they stand,
frozen in space and time, with a simple charge: to welcome, to
protect, to be a gateway from one world to another.
I've always seen myself as a curious
outsider - a nonconformist - so it seems only natural that in
my work, I should seek out those things that also do not conform.
When I search for doors and windows, I look for that soul, that
personality and essence of a structure, that is uniquely its own.
I seek out a story, told through color, through design, through
the minute detail.
I regret that through my travels
I've seen so much sameness in the world. As we become a
global society, as fads come and go, we're in danger of losing
the uniqueness of our architecture and our cultures. We
forsake individuality in favor of practicality.
My hope is that by capturing these
images, I will preserve their essence and beauty for all time.
Click here
to view the Doors and Windows Gallery |
Abstracts |
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While most of my work is very
literal, there is a side to me that likes to be playful and daring.
During my college studies, I took many courses in black and white
photography. While I appreciate the simplicity and the beauty
of black and white, I have to confess that I'm addicted to color.
The brighter the better! One day I recall going through
old boxes of prints and negatives, and stumbling across some of
my work in black and white. I found myself appreciating
the composition and subject matter, but noting that the images
could be improved if they just had a touch of color.
I wondered what would happen if I introduced complementary colors
by using the negative as a canvas and introducing a palate of
colored dyes.
As I soon learned, this technique
requires a great deal of trial and error. Once the photographic
dye is applied to the emulsion, you're at the point of no return.
The result is permanent. I boldly experimented over months
and years, dabbing the negative with paint brushes and Q-tips.
Over time, I perfected the technique that you see today, creating
images that appear to be abstract paintings, rather than photographs.
Don't be fooled into thinking that
all of my abstracts are painted though... I have taken nature's
own carvings and danced with the lighting and shadows that are
inherent and allowed them to manifest themselves on the film that
now makes your mind race. Is that a real photograph?
I trust that my abstracts will appeal to your playful and unconventional
imagination as well.
There is another chapter to this
story. I recently came across a treasure of black and white
photographs that were taken by my grandfather, Zoltan Karpati,
who was born in Budapest, Hungary. My grandfather studied
at the academy of fine arts in Hungary as well as "La Sarbona"
in Paris. At one time he was considered one of the top cinematographers
in Europe.
After immigrating to Venezuela,
Zoltan managed a movie theatre and opened his own photo studio.
Zoltan Karpati was inspired by the intense light and refreshing
landscapes of his new homeland. He died in 1956 in an accident
while doing what he loved, producing a film about Venezuela.
I have been so inspired by his work, I plan to turn some of my
grandfather's black and white photographs into abstract art, to
remember his contributions and to honor the gift that he gave
to his daughter's first born son.
Click here to
visit the Abstracts Gallery |
Scenics |
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My goal in photographing landscapes
and vistas is to take familiar subjects and present them in a
way that is breathtakingly unique, through use of light, color,
texture, foreground, and angle of presentation.
How many rolls of Kodak film have
been used by tourists from around the globe to shoot the Grand
Canyon? A frustrating task, to be sure...to capture the
beauty and immensity of such a landmark on a tiny negative.
How to photograph it in such a way that hasn't been seen before?
That is my challenge.
I do my best work when I take the
time to get to know a place. We've all seen tourists who
drive from overlook to overlook along the Grand Canyon, snapping
away regardless of time of day, invariably disappointed that the
result never quite lives up to the memory. They're so busy
shooting that I have to resist the urge to suggest they put the
camera away and just experience the view. Once you know
the subject, then you work from your heart. I will visit
the same place over and over again, at different times of day,
during all of the seasons, and under variable weather conditions.
This requires time, patience, and a hint of insanity. The
secret is to create opportunities for "magic" to occur.
That "one in a million" photograph
that I achieve is not just the result of dumb luck, though that
certainly plays a part. I'm more like a hunter, stalking
prey. I'll scour books, maps, and magazines for ideas.
Then I camp out near my subject, waking at ridiculous hours and
climbing trees or cliffs to find unusual angles or foreground.
I often return to my tent disappointed. But every so often,
the gods of light will smile upon me and reward my efforts with
a lightning bolt, a rainbow, an afterglow, or beams of light that
make my heart sing.
I sometimes have a sense when I'm
shooting that I'm capturing something really incredible.
Yet there are also countless times when I've waited to process
my film - full of anticipation like a child on Christmas morning
- and the results will be quite unlike what I expected.
The images that I thought would be good may be mundane, while
there may be one "sleeper" in the batch that is astonishingly
beautiful. Though I've been photographing for years, I find
that there is no formula for perfection. It truly is an
art, not a science.
I hope that you will be reminded
of the beauty and diversity of God's creation through my work.
I pray that this appreciation will lead to greater awareness of
our fragile ecosystems and to more efforts to preserve these wonders
for future generations.
Click here to visit
the Scenics Gallery |
New Images |
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This collection contains our newest images. We are excited to bring you the latest imagery from Louis' travels.
Click here to visit
the New Images Gallery |
Panoramics |
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Our panoramic gallery is the newest collection we offer online. This gallery presents a more striking look at what the artist's eye sees.
Click here to visit
the Panoramics Gallery |
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