Photographic Gesture

I get guest suggestions on a very regular basis, and most of the time I actually do follow through on them. Unfortunately, I often don't get any response. Periodically however I not only get a reply, but we end up with a great show. That is the case with this episode, and describing my guest is going to take a bit of setup... A few days ago I received an email from a gentleman named Michael Ryno. I don't know Michael personally, but his email caught my eye. He mentioned a photo group that is near and dear to my heart, the Inland Empire Professional Photographers and Videographers, or IEPPV. I used to be an IEPPV board member, and still help them on occasion. Michael said he was an IEPPV member, even though he is from Colorado, and he is a regular listener / watcher of the show. He is also the President of PPC - the Professional Photographers of Colorado. At this point I was intrigued enough to look Michael up, and he is an amazing photographer - see for yourself. Then something unexpected happened, Michael - this amazing photographer - was writing to suggest someone else he knew. His email went on to describe Cheryl Moore to me, and he described her so well that I honestly thought he might be her PR agent. I tried to politely ask him if he was representing her in any way. That alone wouldn't be a deal breaker, but I wanted to know the motivation behind the suggestion, as I take the credibility of the show very seriously. Are you ready for this... Michael just wanted to bring attention to someone he truly respected as an artist. He was just doing the right thing. So refreshing. At this point I started exploring Cheryl's work, and it is stunning. I mean... it's blow your mind beautiful. Cheryl was a Media Specialist for the Colorado Department of Corrections, now retired - and is now a Wildlife and Nature photographer. She also owns a portrait studio, specializing in Senior portraits (which some might argue is still wildlife). Her husband Jim is a biologist by education, so she also has the benefit of his knowledge in wildlife and bird habitats. Having been published in places like Colorado Outdoors Magazine, it seems that 2022 has been a very good year for Cheryl. She has earned a number of awards this year, including: PPA: 2022 Diamond Artist of the Year 2022 Gold Medal in Photographic Open World Photographic Cup: Top 10 finalist “Best of Nations” for Team USA - with the finals happening in Rome in May, 2022 Professional Photographers of Colorado: 2022 General Photographer of the Year When Michael sent me the first email, he had attached one image he thought would be a good subject for a show. That image, "Dance of Light", has won a number of accolades: PPA: Image Excellence Grand Imaging Award (GIA) Nomination - Top 10 in the Wildlife Category World Photographic Cup: Top 10 in the Nature category “Best of Nations” for Team USA - with the finals happening in Rome in May, 2022 Pro Print Photo Labs Wildlife Contest: First Place Winner If you've watched this show at all then you know I tend to spend a lot of time browsing a guest's website. I like to look for common threads in their work, and with Cheryl one thing stands out - Gesture. Gesture is an important part of photography, and I'd argue it is often the deciding factor between an ok shot and an amazing image. Rick Sammon mentions it regularly, and Jay Maisel has a book about it - Light Gesture and Color. If you are not familiar with the idea of Gesture in photography, here's a great, short video of 'Jay Maisel on the Importance of “Gesture” in Photography' from PDN Online, and yes... even a wall can have Gesture. Join Colorado based Wildlife and Nature photographer Cheryl Moore and me as we discuss photographic gesture, and as we take a deep dive into the making of her award wining image "Dance of Light",  on this Behind the Shot. Connect with Cheryl - Nature & Wildlife Website: cmooreimages.com