Michael Stern

Biography

Since 1980, I have been working as a commercial, editorial and fine art photographer. I owned and operated a photo studio for 20 years. I work out of a home office now and accept location assignments exclusively. Most of my clientele are in the entertainment industry and I can say that Disney, Universal, Paramount, Warner Brothers and Sid & Marty Krofft have all punched my dance card many times each. For years I specialized in product photography requiring complex multiple lighting. I have photographed products, portraits, fashion, celebrities and a lot of very straightforward documentation of art objects. In 2000 I began creating Remnants, an image series where I use a desktop scanner to dramatically enlarge decaying organic and inorganic objects. Macro photography without all the expected and usual equipment.

I am a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and have been recognized by them as a guru. I also regularly beta test software for Adobe, Datacolor and OnOne and I review and edit technical manuscripts for Focal Press, a high-end boutique publisher based in England. My first book on the creative process of artists is due out later this year from Rocky Nook, Inc., I regularly post to my blog and have written over 20 Photoshop and photography related tutorials.

I began teaching in 1987 and since then have worked at a variety of public and private educational institutions in and around Southern California. Since 2004, I have written specialized curricula for the California Department of Education.

I earned a BFA from Art Center College of Design in 1979 and I currently hold two vocational education credentials from the state of California.

I have served on alumni committees at Art Center, I am a charter docent at the Autry Museum in Griffith Park and I am a member of the California Teachers Association.

For two years I appeared as "Mr. Pixel" at phototalkradio.com, the Photoshop expert. Unfortunately the show ceased production last year but all shows are archived on their website. My website is: CyberStern.com. My blog is: DigitalBeast.WordPress.com and some of my presentations are located at: SlideShare.net/Mr_Pixel.
 

Artist Statement

Remnants: A small part or portion that remains after the main part no longer exists. I am drawn to the textures, shapes and intrinsic design qualities of this decaying organic and inorganic material. Remnants reference the works of Irving Penn during the 1970’s and Karl Blossfeld during the 1930’s. By photographing this subject matter through a macro lens I am able to see objects differently than before. Remnants began as an exploration of macro photography of small pieces of natural detritus. Although I had taken many close up photos of plants and animals with film, I wanted to see these objects at a much higher degree of enlargement than traditional photographic methods offered. Scanners were the solution to this problem. Scanners are a special class of imaging device, but how best to use one? In the middle 1990’s I began studying how to convert my photography skills from analog to digital. During this time I began to understand that the quality of a digital image is predicated on how the numerical sequencing in a file is initially generated. The numbers define resolution, bit-depth, print size, color appearance and ultimately print quality. I was beginning to appreciate the differences between how a traditional camera and lens sees an object and how a computer, through a scanner sees that same object to make an image. All digital devices have limitations. The trick is to understand those limitations and learn how to work with them to maximize image quality. In 2002 I began producing a series of images that were founded on the idea of using a desktop scanner to create macro photographs without benefit of the traditional macro set-up. I wanted to explore my understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of digital imaging with a scanner. Could I produce images on par with the analog method I was used to? Although a scanner produces images with extraordinary quality, there are notable limitations. Depth of field, selective focus, camera angle, focal length and perspective are either limited or non-existent when using a scanner. Therefore placement on the scanning bed and angle to the light source are extremely important when working with this method. I do however have unprecedented control over brightness values, color, contrast, and print size. I am pleased with the results because what I am seeing in my head and what I am able to print onto paper match up quite well. The visual solutions I seek drive the technical decisions I make. I am thinking about the texture of the object and the texture of the paper it is printed on. I am thinking about the objects color and how well I will be able to translate that onto the printed page. I wish to make interesting and beautiful images that are colorful and rich in textures. I like to view these images frequently and always seem to see something new that I did not see before.

Art Education

CSUN: AA in gallery exhibitions.  Art Center College of Design: BFA in photography. Working as a professional artist for 30 years.

 

Awards

Society for Technical Communication. CTA Regional Competition. NAPP Photoshop Guru Award. International Photography Award.