Arnold has been an avid amateur photographer since the early 1980s. He worked with black and white and color negatives as well as slides. He had his own darkroom for color or black and white and after attending the Continuation of the Ansel Adams course at Yosemite in 1986. Arnold has attended a number of photo courses and trips throughout the years, but has been fortunate enough to travel with his camera to numerous great locations with his wife. Arnold is a retired physician/Radiologist who put photos on the old X-Ray film to create excellent quality black & white transparencies. Photography remains a passion in his life.
In this episode, Arnold shares the story and inspiration behind one his recent travel photographs from Tahiti.
- Find Arnold at dermanmaster.com
- See the photo from this episode here.
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Transcription was done by Descript or Rev’s automated transcription services which means it’s an AI-generated transcript. The transcript may contain spelling, grammar, and other errors, and is not a substitute for listening to the episode.
Arnold Derman: My name is Arnold Derman and this is the photo breakdown.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Photo breakdown is a podcast where I talk with the photographer, sharing the story of a specific photograph technique or business. When I’m your host, Scott Wyden Kivowitz and this is the photo breakdown. Let’s break it down. Hello, my name is Scott Wyden.
Kivowitz your host of photo breakdown. And today I am talking with my friend Arnold. Hey, Arnold, how are you today? I’m doing great. So I like to ask my guests two questions that sort of help the listeners get to know the guest you in this case. And this is going to be unrelated to photography.
However, you could tie it into photography if you want. So if you could give your advice to your 16 year old self right now, what would it.
Arnold Derman: Pick up a camera. I really didn’t start till a bit later than that. But with today’s world, we have I-phones and you can capture so many things about you. You can look around at the world and see it because everyone has their own eye.
Everyone looks at things differently. And what you do will be very special to you and hopefully to many others.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Said can you tell me something that you think is true that almost nobody agrees with you on?
Arnold Derman: I sometimes go to photo exhibits that are in Manhattan because I’m close to there.
And I look at some of the exhibits and I really think some of them are really very mediocre. Whereas I will go and look at some other photo exhibits and think they’re magnificent. So everyone has a different perspective as to what’s important and what’s good. I think that each person is a bit different and there’s no answer as to what’s the best photograph or what’s the best, this, or the best that you have to find.
What’s right.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: 100%. Art is completely whether it’s a photograph or a painting or whatever it is, art is very personal to each person who’s looking at it. So you know the person who made the piece of art might think that it is one thing and everybody looking at it could think of something else.
It’s perfectly fine. Cause it’s all a matter of perspective and to each their own view on it, really. I can, I really agree with that before we dive in this episode is sponsored by my lead generation course for photographers called more leads more clients. Yes. If you would like to increase the leads you’re generating on your photography site, you can use the strategies I teach in my course, access it at Scott widen.com/leads.
With that, let’s break down the photo. Yeah.
We’re looking at a photo that is, so you’re going to share a bunch of actually what this is, but I’m going to just share what I’m looking at right now is a photo of what looks like a Villa on the wall. And you’re inside photographing out and you’re seeing this gorgeous, teal water and a beautiful blue sky with clouds.
There’s so much color in this photograph. And there’s a lot of detail in the wood and everything. It is beautiful. So I’m really glad that we’re talking about this one today. So first, where was this photograph? Captured?
Arnold Derman: This was captured in Tahiti. I was fortunate enough to go on vacation with my wife and spend some time there.
It was a beautiful, yeah.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: It definitely looks to be a beautiful area. It’s it? It makes you jealous that you want to I want to be there right now and jump in that water. It looks so inviting
Arnold Derman: the fish in the water diving in that water was magnificent, actually. Getting there.
I got to dive with Jacques Cousteau’s son, go scuba diving with him on the way, getting to date. Wow. It’s amazing. Amazing trip.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. Yeah. And you’ve been scuba diving for a long time, haven’t you?
Arnold Derman: Since, probably before you are. I started in 1962. I was traveling around the country. I was between my third and fourth year of medical school and I went down in Mexico and I saw a sign that said school bull with the C backwards.
And I said, how do you do this? And guide gave, gives me you put this on. I stepped on a sting, Ray. I beat up my knees on the Karl. I ran out of air. I said, this is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. And that was my start of school without me.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Nice. So did you do a photograph did you have, do you have an underwater camera that you photograph as well or
Arnold Derman: before I have one, but it’s not of the quality that, that we have now, I think do some photographing and bonding.
Underwater with a good quality camera and I’m taking some other photos are this, I took more just videos of of the fish swimming around and nothing really outstanding on this trip. Okay.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: What time of year is this that you were there?
Arnold Derman: I don’t even remember. It was it was probably, yeah.
In in in may I
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: think so. So why don’t you share the story about this photo? The what and the why? What what made you photograph it? Is this where you were staying? Can you share the story about this?
Arnold Derman: Yes, we were staying in the in the water bungalows. They just see in the back there and I roamed around the property and I looked at different areas.
And what caught me about this is that. When you’re taking a photograph, if you can join something special in the foreground or the background, then it gives you a little bit more feel. And I thought the texture of the wood on the railing that was right in front of that in case the bungalows, it allowed us to look at it that way and it draws your eye in different directions.
And I thought that made it very special. There was a warmth about the about the area. There are other areas that just had sand and other areas. I got pictures of just the bungalows, but that didn’t seem to mean anything. So I think it’s combining different portions of your background with the foreground.
That’s very important in photography.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Oh yeah. Yeah. So what you’ve basically accomplished is you’re giving people the viewers of this photograph. Exactly what it looks like when you’re inside of these bungalows looking out and you’re giving them the picture of what the bungalows look like.
So you’re seeing the inside and outside of this basically from both sides, it’s just a, it’s a really, exactly what you said. It’s a, it’s bringing the foreground and background together and doing it in a way that really shows you, Hey, if you go here, this is what you’re going to see.
From where you’re basically sleeping w in your, where you’re waking up every morning, this is what you’re going to see. You’re going to see this water, these mountains. You’re going to see these bungalows around you that are gorgeous, floating on top of the water practically, it’s really neat.
Arnold Derman: It was a very special experience, but everyone is different in terms of what they do. Some people will go ahead and spend the time to sit. On the dock reading. Some people will be in the water all the time, but I have to capture some of it and bring back the memories the very special time that we’ve had as well as the picture is, as you see it, because everyone sees things a little differently.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: Yeah. Yeah. You’re documenting not, you’re not just documenting for yourself. You’re documenting. Years from now, your children and grandchildren can see, this is the history. This is where they went. This is their travels around the world. And this is where they stayed.
And this is what they saw at this point in their lives and so on and so forth. And you’ve been doing this for so long. It’s amazing that you’ve got such a great collection of photographs from all of your different.
Arnold Derman: I’ve been very fortunate to do that. I’ve had a couple of photography trips with photographers as well, but but we’ve traveled enough certainly in the last number of years that got to see a good portion of the country and the world and hope to do some more when COVID eases up a bit.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: For sure. And I love the fact that like in this photo in particular you’re basically bringing your style of photography into it. And your methodology of capturing your travels is very visible in this because of the what you just mentioned before with the foreground and background.
This definitely portrays A lot of what you’ve learned throughout your time with photography. And it’s a very well done. And just the editing wise, it’s just gorgeous. It’s so colorful. It’s very clear. You can see all the textures in the wood and in that like curtain shade screen on the left it just beautifully done and it definitely tells the gorgeous story of your trip.
Arnold Derman: I’m very flattered. Because we do things photographs I do really for myself or for I do, my wife thinks that I should do more with them, but it’s really for me. And I’m my worst critic. I was told long time ago when it was looking at different cameras who is my worst critic. And I think it was critic should always be yourself a hundred percent
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: and encourages you to be.
Yeah, a hundred percent. Thank you so much for breaking down this photo with me. I really appreciate it. I appreciate you spending this time to, to share your photo, to talk about your photo. Where can our listeners connect with you online?
Arnold Derman: My I have a a website on Dermanmaster.com.
It’s on Zenfolio and it’s welcome to receive on the bottom of this. It will be a listing that you can access the photo that we saw. And one group of photos that is in that category. If you elect to see more of the photos, it does require that you put your email address in, but not for these. That’s just the way it’s been set up.
You’re welcome to and love to share my thoughts with anyone if you want. And it’s my email is a [email protected]. If anyone wants. Just
Scott Wyden Kivowitz: great. Thank you for listening to the photo breakdown for the show notes and to see the photo that Arnold shared today. Visit photobreakdown.com.
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