alb

Your First Impression Is Golden

May 30, 2018 by alb

It doesn’t seem fair that people first judge you by how you look. But they do. If someone tells you that they are not judgemental toward people they see or meet, then either they’re lying or just naive.

Very often in an online environment such as LinkedIn, Facebook or even a dating site, your photo, head shot, profile picture or whatever you decide to call it “is” people’s first impression of you. Call me crazy, but they will extract certain opinions or judgements about you in less than a second. They will judge if you are friendly, approachable or assertive, or bottom line; if they want to do business with you. According to new research at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey and Cornell University, our first impressions of people in photographs influence our perceptions of those people even after we’ve interacted with them personally. This should be a wake up call to action and fix the situation.

Your photograph is going to be different if you’re a corporate attorney than if you are a roofer or a dog sitter. A skilled photographer will know how to lead you in the right direction from colors to wear to what expression and backgrounds are best.

For those who have no photo on your profile page, you’re leaving money on the table. If your photo is terrible, unflattering or the background is unfitting, you’re leaving a very definite negative message about yourself… and that’s hard to recover from.

Memorial Day

May 28, 2018 by alb

It's a day to remember our military men and women who died for the benefit of our freedom during the many wars in our nation's short history.
The meaning of Memorial Day has changed for me throughout the years. As a kid and even into my teens, Memorial Day was just another day off of school and a chance to kick off summer at a picnic or a get together with family and friends. Today I am aware of what this day is all about: a day set aside each year to reflect on the incredible price paid for the freedoms we enjoy.
Memorial Day should be a day of reflection but also be a joyous day. The people who died, did so for a cause. That cause was so that the rest of us could live and enjoy our lives and our freedom to the fullest extent. To do otherwise would make their sacrifices less important.
I created this art piece as a reminder that our freedom was not free, and will always feel gratitude for those who died and will still die so that I can live as I choose.
"Thank You. We won't forget."
God Bless,
Al Buschauer

Exploring New Possibilities

June 29, 2017 by alb

The Kid In The Candy Store

Doing something new is usually fun. Doing something new that you're passionate about is ever more fun. Doing only one thing in your life can be like going to work at a job. And honestly, I haven't had a job since graduating from college.

Those who know me, understand that I'll often go out by myself just to photograph. Sometimes it's heading to the city at sunrise on a Sunday morning. Others times it's shooting pictures of nature, animals and now even still-lifes or antique cars.

The world has so many subjects begging for a camera and artist to lay it's eyes on, and it really is like "being in a big candy store."

Artist Meets Artists

August 25, 2016 by alb

Fun Creating Artist Portraits

At August’s Glenview Art Fair, I had the privilege of photographing several featured artists in this year’s show. While also participating as an artist with a booth, I did take a few little breaks, (thank you Savannah for manning the booth for me in my absence), to meet some of the artists whose work especially intrigued me.

The first artist featured here is Kerri Ann Branson. Having only picked up a paint brush merely four years ago, Kerri’s work demands the respect of artists many years her senior. Kerri’s vivacious, hard working and makes good use of her talents. From what I could observe, she sold several of her pieces.

Featured below, is James McArthur Cole a fine art and landscape photographer. I was taken by this large piece shot in Venice in 2014. I wanted to create this portrait to give the impression that I had photographed him at this location. James is a great guy. I hope to see him in the not too distant future as a portrait client.

Next in this series is oil painter Lidia Wylangowska, my favorite artist in the show, including myself. Lidia’s portraits of women are exquisite and sensual. I had a thoroughly great time with her and husband Christopher. Lidia is bright, warm and talented with a delightful sense of humor. Based in Crete, IL Lidia exhibits at several art shows a year.

The last artist represented in this collection is John Blowers. John’s work compels one to stop and take it in. Having made his living as an artist for 40 years, John and I had an interesting discussion about the evolution of art shows over the years. He remains steadfast in his commitment to keeping high integrity in any art show he participates in… a top notch artist and a great guy!

Haiti Trip

July 24, 2016 by alb

Where Do We Begin?

So where do I begin to tell you about this recent trip or the state of the country as a four day observer.

It's been nine years since my last mission trip to Africa so I think I went into this knowing that consciously or not, I'd be contrasting and comparing Haiti to Africa. In Africa for the first time, I mostly compared it to living in the US, and that was the biggest cultural shock ever.

There were certainly a lot of commonalities between Haiti and Africa to be found; extreme poverty, lack of housing, food, nutritious food, education, and water to name a few.

Haitian boy waiting for food — Boy waiting for food

Haiti boy with volunteer — Melissa and Owen

The things we take for granted like fresh water for drinking, cooking and washing is so difficult to come by and takes so much effort, time and energy. It's almost a full time job. Wells cannot be dug there because of the rocky mountainous terrain so residents of the villages have to walk down the mountain to a stream and back up again.

When you go to Haiti, you won't see many animals like squirrels, rabbits, deer raccoons or anything wild. And you won't hear many birds. They've been all used up for food. People can't plan for the future. They have to eat now and any food they cook has to be cooked with firewood. So many of the trees including fruit producing trees have been cut down to burn. The best way to describe the situation is desperate, and people live from day to day.

The last day of our visit we saw the most horrible of living conditions. Shacks as houses, with dirt floors, no place to go to the bathroom or wash up or brush their teeth. No electricity stoves, clothes washers no TV's, no phones (perhaps a blessing in disguise), and some no hope. Just one more day in hell on earth.

I had to bite my tongue a week after being back when our Wi-Fi went down for a few hours. What a person can do seems meaningless.. but it's really not. Kindness of any sort goes a long way to heal a family, a community, a notion and the world. Compassion brings hope and with hope real change is possible.

How Much Are Professional Portraits Worth?

June 28, 2016 by alb

The value of something like a professional portrait is intrinsic, meaning it has a value that cannot be measured in dollars and cents. I like to think of professional portraits as “priceless.”

In this age of digital selfies and social sharing, fine portraiture to some has taken a back seat. The thrill of posting a photo on Instagram or Facebook gives instant gratification, plus it’s free.

Sure it’s free but how valuable is it? How much thought has gone into making it a statement about that person? Would you be proud to pass it down to your grandkids as an family heirloom?

“From selfies to the mall… to the professional studio.”

I was telling my partner Savannah that this is going to be the “lost generation.” The pictures on your cell phone will stay on your cell phone till you drop it in the swimming pool or someone steals it. The pictures on your computer are most likely a big hodge-podge of photos you can’t find, are unsorted and will also be lost when your hard drive crashes. They are snapshots, have some short term intrinsic value but for the most part are not really thought about much.

To some, portraits means going to the mall. You might have to wait in line, will be photographed with a camera by a camera operator who will try to make your kid smile, and you can buy cheap prints. It’s certainly a step up from the selfie on your cell phone. At least it might hang on a wall in an 8 x 10 somewhere in your house. It will most likely be a fake smile shot on a blue background. So how much does that 8×10 cost? I’m not sure but my guess is less than $20. But you had to drive somewhere and probably wait in line. What is your time worth for the picture of your kid that looks like every other picture? Is this 8 x 10 worth the price?

Is $200 too much to spend on an 8 x 10 that you’ll love and has captured your child’s most amazing expression? I don’t know the answer to that question. It all depends on who you ask! Ask yourself if that portrait has the following attributes: Has the clothing been carefully thought out, does the background complement the clothing and does the cropping make a statement about your child?

Is the abstract artwork you purchased that hangs over the sofa worth the $2,000-$10,000 you paid? Probably, or else you wouldn’t have bought it.

Is your canvas family portrait worth the $1,000-$3000 you paid for it? Probably… and a whole lot more when you consider how important those people in there are to you, and how much you enjoy viewing it every time you pass by.

A True Story

Nobody likes to dwell on the negative for sure… especially me. But this story is one that sadly bears sharing. Last fall I photographed a young father with his one year old son in my studio. This man loved the portraits and ended up gifting several of them to his wife as surprise Christmas gifts.

Since she was pregnant with their second child, we’d also been planning a pregnancy portrait for the month of July or August. So a few weeks ago I emailed her to see if we could schedule a specific date.

The email I got back both shocked and numbed me… it read:

“Hi Al, I have horrible news. My husband died 3 weeks ago in a car accident.

Al I can’t thank you enough for capturing these beautiful pictures of him last fall with our son! This is all I have left and they will be with me forever!

I would still like to do our pregnancy shoot. I am 27 weeks pregnant now. I have no idea how I will keep it together during the shoot but I know my husband was really looking forward to them! I am sorry to have to tell you all of this over email. But I cannot thank you enough for capturing him and our baby. Oh Al! Thank you.”

Through the years, clients have related more sorrow filled stories with me, than I care to recall. Their words serve to solidify what I already believed: that portraits invested in now will ALWAYS have an intrinsic value that cannot be measured in dollars and cents. Creating meaningful portraits of people is the talent I have to share. Let me make you portraits that would be the first of your belongings you’d choose to grab on your way out of a burning building.