A Video of Fine Art Photography from Guatemala

I did a presentation last year for which I created a video of my fine art photography of Guatemalan people and places.  Click on the little triangle in the video screen to watch.  If you enjoy it, please let your friends know.







You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com

Also you can use this code for a 25% discount on artwork from my website:  VCMYEX
The discount is for photographs and artwork only, and does not apply to framing, mats, etc.
The code is good until October 1.

From my Website to Bauhaus and Back!

Last week, I totally redesigned my website.  The idea was to provide an attractive, user-friendly gallery.  The site skipped the homepage altogether and went directly to the gallery.

My original homepage design is back!

After multiple questions about what happened to my old homepage, it's back!  The gallery is still new and far more user-friendly than the previous one, but the classic look of the original homepage is back.  I agree with the complainers:  the old homepage still works best as a gateway to the new gallery.

Let me know what you think.

http://www.tombellart.com/

From My Website to Bauhaus

I'll keep this post short.

I've totally redesigned my website. 

Please check it out and let me know what you think.

My website is at: http://www.tombellart.com 

Paintings of Antigua, Guatemala

I though I'd post a few more paintings from my recent trip to Guatemala.  You can click on the images for a larger view.  Navigate between the images with the left and right arrow keys. Press the escape key to return to the blog screen.

Agua Volcano from Antigua, Guatemala.

Cart, Hotel Quinta de las Flores.  Antigua, Guatemala.

Antique Chair.  Hotel Quinta de las Flores, Antigua, Guatemala.

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com

International Photo Award Honorable Mentions

I recieved word that I recieved four honorable mentions in the 2011 International Photography Awards.  Congratulations to all the winners and honorable mentions.  My honorable mentions are below.

One of five photos from the series "Mayan Women."

One of two photos from the series "Holy Cross Chapel, Slovakia."



One of five photos from the series "Views of Antigua."

One of one photos: "The Bus Esmeralda."

See all the winners at: http://www.photoawards.com/.

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com/.

2nd WPGA Black & White Awards

I was surprised to learn that I have received  First, Second, and Third place awards in the Worldwide Photographic Gala Awards (WPGA)  2nd Edition B&W Photography Awards.  Additionally, there was also a Special Mention of the Jury.

 Loyal readers of my blog will remember the very first photo I ever published on this blog back in November of 2009.  In my first entry Learning Photoshop and my Dog have a Lot in Common, I wrote a sort-of-true story about my dog, Mr. Watson. The photo posted along with it was the one that won first place in the category of Animals and Wildlife.  Upon seeing the photo, a professional photographer wrote to me: "I feel I can communicate with this animal from his portrait."  Needless to say, you can see the intelligence in his eyes.  For more on that, be sure to read the 2009 entry.


Mr. Watson.  First Place in Animals and Wildlife category

The other two winners are a landscape and a street scene I photographed several years ago in Slovakia.  I waited until last year to process the images as black & white photographs.

Old Bratislava Street.  Second Place in Cityscapes and Street Photography category.

Holy Cross Chapel Landscape.  Third place in Landscape category.

The Special Mention of the Jury was the Arch of Santa Catalina in Antigua, Guatemala.

Arch of Santa Catalina, Guatemala.  Special Mention of the Jury (Cityscapes).

Congratulations to all the winners.  You can see them here.

My website is at:  http://www.tombellart.com/.

Children are the Best Photographic Subjects

Most of the time, I don't really want people staring into the lens of my camera.  With children, it doesn't really matter -- because you get an honest image that tells something about the subject.  My example is below:  Mayan Indian children at a rural school in Chimaltenango, Guatemala.  As school children, they are curious as school children should be.  Their curiosity is reflected in every face.  Who is this with a camera?  What is he doing at my school?  What is this all about?  Why is he taking our picture?

Click on the photo for a larger image.

I'm very pleased with the above photograph, not because it's technically a masterpiece or anywhere close -- but it tells a great story-- an after all, isn't that what photography is about?


You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com/.

Don't Forget Your Camera. You'll Be Sorry.

In my last blog entry, I mentioned a wonderful event to raise funds for the Hope for Tomorrow Children’s Home in Guatemala City. The event was held yesterday at the Orlandini Vineyard in Southern Illinois, one of the many fine vineyards on the Southern Illinois Wine Trail (If you’re not from around here, you probably didn’t know we produce some very fine wines in Illinois). I would say well over one hundred people attended and the event was well received. I drank some delicious wine, but I also had the opportunity to take some photographs (Yes, they were still in focus, thank you!).


The day started with me picking my 14 year-old son up from camp, an hour away from Carbondale. For whatever reason (I’ll blame it on the wine, although that came hours later), I forgot my camera, a Nikon D-90. Alongside the road, I noticed white flowers, the perfect subject for nature photography. I had loaned my D-70 to my son to take photos in camp. As we drove back, I took the older D-70 in hand, parked by the roadside, and spent fifteen minutes head -deep in weeds, photographing these beautiful wildflowers.

Wildflower alongside the road, near Vienna, Illinois. 

 If you know what this flower is called, please send me an email.

Click phototo enlarge.

Another wildflower.  Also, please email me if you know what this is.

Click photo to enlarge.

Three hours later, when my son and I were on the way to the vineyard for the fundraiser, I had the D-90 with me. I had never thought to stop and shoot pics of the local vines, but they were a great subject for photography.

Gape vines at the Orlandini Vineyard.

Click photo to enlarge.

Today’s lesson, don’t forget your best camera, even if you aren’t thinking of taking photographs.  Also, check out the Hope for Tomorrow Children’s Home. It will made you feel good to know you have helped someone in need.

You can view my website at: http://www.tombellart.com/.

Your Chance to Help Children -- Important Please Read

It is difficult not to take a good photograph when you are shooting children. Often they will ignore the camera and just be themselves. If not, they become the most cooperative posers on the planet. The subject for this particular entry, however, is not photography. Those of you who may occasion to read my blog know that the subject for most of my photography is Guatemala, and the photos are often of children.  Read below to learn how you can help children today.

A Guatemalan Child, fortunate not to be an orphan, Chichicastenango, Guatemala.

On Saturday, July 31, 2:00 – 5:00 PM, an event to help Guatemalan orphans will be held in my area (Southern Illinois). The Hope for Tomorrow Children’s Home in Guatemala will hold a fundraiser at the Orlandini Vineyard (one mile south of Blue Sky Vineyard, off Rocky Comfort Road) near Carbondale. Driving directions and a map are on the vineyard’s website. If you’re already in the area, it will be worth the trip. If you live several hundred miles away, it would be a great excuse to visit Southern Illinois’ famous wine trail and beautiful vineyards. Don’t forget your camera gear. If you can come, I will see you there.

If, however, you’re not able to attend, please consider a tax deductable donation to this very worthy cause. Also, consider sponsoring a child. Check out the Hope for Tomorrow Children’s Home website and you’ll understand the importance of the cause and also that this is a legitimate charity that will make a real difference in the lives of children. Information on helping can be found within the website.

You can view my website at: http://www.tombellart.com/.

A New Photo Exhibit

Creating a photo exhibition is as time consuming as anything you can do. Don’t plan on having a real life for a few months if you plan on doing it well.

For those of you in the Carbondale, Illinois area (or within driving distance), my exhibition Mayan Faces: Portraits from the Market opens this Friday, April 9, 7 - 9 PM at the Longbranch Coffeehouse, 100 East Jackson, Carbondale. I have more than forty prints, mostly from the past year. Also, there are a few photos and digital paintings from the past seven or eight years.

I hope you can attend. If not, take a look at my web site:  tombellart.com.

Photoshop World (PSW): Changes in Plan are a Lesson in Life

I have been looking forward to attending this week's 2010 Photoshop World conference in Orlando for months now. If you love photography and digital imaging, it's really about the best vacation you could have. I've told my friends that I won't be visiting the theme parks or the water worlds. Photoshop World really is that good.

Unfortunately, I won't be going.

My father-in-law had a stroke this weekend and is in intensive care. I was told this morning that he is in stable condition, and I pray that he will recover.

My wife, who would have been staying at home to take care of the children took off to be with her father. I will stay at home in Illinois with the children and take care of things on the homefront. That's the way things work. Sometimes plans have to change.

For all of you who can be at PSW, I wish you a great time. For those of you who can't make it for whatever reason, I hope that you, like me, will start looking forward to a future PSW that will meet and exceed all your expectations.