Web Profiles

www.tonyapetphotography.com
Tonya Schabacker photographs pets. Mostly dogs it seems, although her portfolio clearly has room for more collections. Many of the vertical pictures are presented in pairs so the Yorkie and Min Pin are shown as photographed on the same pink background and in the same "up on two legs" pose. Some vertical images are accompanied with images of other dogs and one pooch is photographed next to a setting of three doggie cupcakes in the same pink as the tuque the dog is wearing in the photograph to the left. OK, so this stuff is unbearably cute. What's wrong with that?

The effortless style that Schabacker uses makes photographing dogs look easy, when anyone who's tried knows that it demands concentration, technical skill, and an inordinate amount of patience. To get studio photographs of animals this doggone good also takes talent, and Schabacker clearly brings lots of that to her sessions. I especially liked her high-key photographs of black dogs that from the thumbnails appear to be monochrome but when you click them you'll discover they are in full, lustrous color, containing all the many shades of the doggies' black coats. There are a few real monochrome photographs of her subjects on display and they work well, too, as true portraits of these animals, not just cute pictures of dogs. The clean-looking site design is powered by liveBooks (www.livebooks.com).

© 2007, Tonya Schabacker, All Rights Reserved

www.elson.cc
Paul Elson is a poet. There's no other way to describe his imagery, although he uses the words "Illustrations: Photo Impressionism" on his homepage. His website's simple design proves that it's the photography that ultimately gets my attention when selecting sites for Web Profiles. Start your visit by clicking on one or both of his slide shows--"American and Europe" or "Asia and Oceania"--and kick back and prepare to be amazed by his dreamy, interpretative photography. OK, sometimes he gets too impressionistic but his hits, especially the Texas and Nevada images and almost all his introductory Asian images, make statements of such beauty that will inspire and awe you with their power. The slide shows do not depict Elson's entire portfolio, such as "The Great White Way" appearing on Gallery Page 36.

Navigating this site can be a challenge but it won't make you crazy and by the end of the journey you will be rewarded with photographs of such striking originality that you will forget the circuitous route it took to find images such as "Surfcaster." What is surprising to me is that these images are available for purchase at most affordable prices. There's also lots of text sprinkled around the site so take some time to read his musings, especially "About These Images," for some insight on what Elson does and how he does it, along with a bit of his philosophy sprinkled in for seasoning.

© 2007, Paul Elson, All Rights Reserved