My motivation for creating this series is a desire to share the beauty of nature. In my artistic work I express this by capturing line, shape, contrast, pattern, and light. I enjoy photographing flowers because they are beautiful all by themselves.
All of the botanical images were made with a Nikon D7200 camera. For images made in the studio the camera was affixed to a tripod, at ISO 100, connected to a 105mm Micro-Nikkor macro lens, and illuminated with a strobe inside of a softbox. Other images in the series, such as the magnolias, were made "en plein air" - subject to the whims of the prevailing wind and ambient light.
My overall artistic influences come from: László Moholy-Nagy, Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Man Ray, Georgia O'Keeffe, Vincent van Gogh, Imogen Cunningham. My inspiration for this flower series comes from painters Vincent van Gogh and Georgia O'Keeffe, as well as photographers Karl Blossfeldt, Dain Tasker, and Imogen Cunningham.
Here I present close-up images of flowers, in color. I hope the viewer will experience peace and happiness when looking at them.
Daniel Ravel
My new 24 page photo book, BLOOMS! is now available at https://www.lulu.com/shop
BLOOMS! is about sharing images of beautiful flowers. My book reveals a series of detailed, close-up photos of nature’s splendor.
Enjoy!
Here are some images from the Vernissage for my art exhinit on 7. 5. 2023 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA.
This is my new Godox SL60W continuous LED and a snoot with 30 degree grid.
These items allow me to backlight still life images, and provide a nice hair light for portraits.
This is a my new 48 inch Octabox, shown with an Art déco chaise.
This large soft box provides very soft and diffused lighting.
It is perfect for still life and portraits photography.
I recently had another image of mine displayed in downtown Fayetteville, North Carolina.
It was an orchid plant whose actual blooms were no bigger than my thumb.
Thanks to a great macro lens, tripod, and right lighting - the results were dramatic.
Hopefully, many people will see and enjoy it.
Daniel Ravel
Above, we can see one of my sunflower images on display!
It "adorns" a traffic box on the corner of Gillespe and Franklin streets, in Fayetteville NC.
The original image is shown below.
Contact Information:
Daniel Ravel
513 Hilliard Drive, Fayetteville, NC, 28311
danielravel@protonmail.com
https://www.artmajeur.com/danielravel
Education:
I was born in Zwevegem, Belgium, and am the oldest of five children. After moving to the U.S. with my parents and two brothers at age 7, I attended grammar and high school in Chicago. I later graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a B.S. in Biology. I received a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from the University Of Illinois College of Dentistry in Chicago in 1979. Then I completed my Pediatric Dentistry Residency in Fort Meade, Maryland, where I obtained my Pediatric Dentistry Certificate in 1992.
I served as a Dental Officer in the United States Army for 23 years, where I obtained the Order of Military Medical Merit.
I have held the following professional positions: Pediatric Dentistry Mentor for the Comprehensive Dentistry Residency Program in Fort Hood, Texas; and Pediatric Dentistry Mentor for the Comprehensive Dentistry Residency Program at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Exhibition Record:
2019 - I won honorable mention in a juried photography competition held at the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, North Carolina.
Commissions:
2021 - One of my floral images was chosen by the Fayetteville Cool Spring District to decorate a large downtown traffic signal box.
Publications:
July 7, 2019 - Mittelbayerische Zeitung (a Bavarian newspaper) printed a full page color spread featuring eight of my garden and floral images.
I am celebrating the arrival of a new piece of photo editing equipment. It is a BenQ 16:9 IPS Monitor, 27 inches diagonal.
This post-processing monitor will help me continue to provide top quality images to all of my custotmers.
