Oz John Tekson's photostream  

Art Director (in Advertising) and Professor, MFA, PhD

I am not a full-time professional photographer. Though, I took photography classes (six semesters: fundamental and advanced photography including darkroom and studio) at the university. I worked in the advertising industry in big companies e.g., Bozell Worldwide, Euro RSCG, and Publicis as an art director. This gave me the opportunity to work with high-class photographers. I've learnt a lot from them. Thank you guys! And, I keep my eyes open to see what other people do today—technically and artistically. Simply said, I enjoy taking photos semi-professionally, and sharing them.

On the one hand, I respect and appreciate the classical approach; a path opened by masters of photography carved by light, which entails a perfectionist vision, technical skills, and experience; on the other hand, I find it exciting what the digital technology offers us. Eventually, it starts and ends inside one's head.

Photography is a language, it has its own reality; its result is not what we perceive and as we perceive the world around us. One has access only after having learnt it (to be able to see)—as has been proven by studies. I don't understand why some people are so conservative/scant about the restrictions of the camera as it delivers the image. Unless one has a photo-journalistic duty (testifying a real moment that has happened) it is not a necessity at all. On the contrary, it can be more valuable if one adds his/her own visual interpretation to it. In that respect, I find photography (except the photojournalism) closer to the poetry rather than the prose. This is what opens up the possibility for photography to be able to enter into the realm of art. Otherwise, it is just a technical application, just a craft.


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My page on Modelmayhem:
Model Mayhem

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Other interests: Painting, music (bass player), tennis, scuba, reading (no bestsellers).

By the way, I mark the locations, where the photos were taken, on the Flickr's map—if anybody is interested in a location for taking a shot from a different point of view.



AN IMPORTANT REQUEST:
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If you have time feel free to write couple of meaningful sentences other than expressions like "I like it" or "nice shot", for no one benefits from your comment unless you explain why this is 'good' or 'bad'—I mean; please try to say something that has a communication value rather than a blank and barren expression of personal taste. I believe that there is a lot to learn from each other. This is one of the main reasons why we communicate, isn't it?
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FR — Bien que j'habite á Toronto (Ontario) je suis fier de parler Français. Et puis, j'apprécie la culture française comme mon grandpère qui étudiait á Paris. Alors, j'accepte les messages en Français aussie.

D — Es ist mir egal, daß jemand seine Kommentar auf Deutsch schreibt. Ich habe ein deutsches Gymnasium besucht. Es ist viele Jahre gewesen, aber ich verstehe immer noch was geschrieben oder gesagt ist.

A REMARK ON SELF-CENSORSHIP:
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I do not click and comment on photos which are subject to self-censorship with a noise-textured screen. If you don't feel comfortable and are not proud of your own work you'd better not post your piece of shame. If a viewer has a problem, especially with human flesh and is not capable to appreciate an artistic vision this is h/er problem (of ignorance or imposed mental pre-occupation). S/he is responsible for this mental bug in h/er own head, not you. Be civilized and say "NO" to hypocrisy, say "NO to SELF-CENSORSHIP".

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PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT :
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Cameras:
DSLR: Nikon D4, Nikon D300s, Nikon D80
SLR: Nikon F301, Minolta SRT-101
TLR: Mamiya C33, Yashica Mat124G, Lubitel 166B, Brownie Hawkeye
Rangefinder: Canon QL19, Ansco Viking 4.5
Polaroid: Landcamera 210, Pronto B
Large Format: Crown Graphic 4x5 - Graflex

Lenses:
Nikon 70-300 mm VR (f 4-5.6)
Nikon 70-200 VR-II (f 2.8)
Nikon 85 mm (f 1.4)
Nikon 85 mm (f 1.8)
Nikon 24-70 mm (f 2.8)
Nikon 50 mm (f 1.4)
Nikon 18-55 mm VR (f 3.5-5.6)
Sigma 10-20 mm (f 4-5.6)
Tokina 70-210 mm (f 4)
Tokina 28-70 mm (macro)
Bower 8 mm (fisheye)
Lensbaby Composer
Lensbaby Sweet 35 mm
Lensbaby 0.42X (super wide angle)
Lensbaby Edge 80 mm
Canon 500D (macro)
Nikon TC-17E-II AF-S teleconverter

Speedlights: Nikon SB900, Nikon SB16 (2), Nissin Di622, Vivitar 728AFC
Studio strobes: Alienbees B1600 (2), B800 (2), Neewer 300 DI
Wireless radio system: Radiopopper JrX studio, PocketWizard Flex TT1 & TT5

Filters: Cokin, and Hoya

Softwares: Adobe Lightroom, Camera Raw, PhotoShop; Photomatix; PortraitProfessional Studio, Topaz Adjust, Noise Ninja