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Michael Addario
Since I was a young boy I have had a passion for photography. It must be in my genes because my Grandfather was a photographer in Philadelphia in the 1930s and would take photographs of families having picnics in the parks. Back in those days cameras were the size and look of an accordion and imaging would be done onto glass plates.
After high school I worked in the Automotive Collision Industry. After many years I felt a need to follow my passion and attended Community College of Philadelphia to study photography. This was in the film days, before the proliferation of desktop computers and prior to digital imaging revolutionizing photography.
In 1987, I moved from my hometown of Philadelphia to the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue my love of photography. Originally I worked as an assistant for my photography Professors in Philadelphia, and then later in the San Francisco Bay Area for Photographers working for Macy’s, Hewlett Packard (HP) and other major hi-tech companies in Silicon Valley.
Lightning Image in National Geographic
My very popular lightning shot has been published in National Geographic not once, but twice. Many people have asked how I was able to capture this image. It is not as hard as it looks, if nature cooperates. I shot this image on Kodachrome film, the same way you would photograph fireworks. I stabilized the camera on a tripod, set the shutter to the B (bulb) setting, estimated the proper aperture for film and lighting conditions, and then held the shutter open until the lightning struck. This is not an endorsement to imitate this, just my experience. It is somewhat safer photographing from inside a house through an open window, but if you are reckless enough to try it, (as I was) Beware - lightning can be wildly unpredictable and deadly. It is much safer to purchase a copy of my print.
Most of my photography is planned, others not so. I like my photography to take the viewer into the image, to let them feel the wind, smell the air, hear the sounds and the warmth of the sun as it falls on your body.
To feel as if you are there.
Thank You for Supporting the Arts
Michael Addario
Photography, Film & FAA licensed Drone Pilot
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Inspiration
My grandfather was a photographer who would photograph families having picnics in the parks. He later became a Barber and I never remember seeing him taking a photograph.
Yet, I do remember when I was very young and after he passed away and the folks were cleaning out his belongings, seeing a box on the floor that looked to me like a small accordion.
In it was a smaller box with bellows and glass plates with images in reverse of groups of people. Much later I realized what I had seen as a small child was his view camera with glass plates negatives.
Glass plates was what Photographers used before film. I never did see that box again and no one remembers what happened to the box and its contents. Could of, would of, been historic.
For the last two years I have been experimenting with photography and films using drones. I found this to be a whole new area to explore my creativity. I also studied and passed the FAA Part 107 license to fly drones. In the last year I have been using FPV (First Person View) drones where you use goggles to see from the drone’s point of view. A more difficult, and demanding process but very immersive experience. You can view my FPV drone work on YouTube here.
Techniques
My first real camera was a Canon ftb camera. No auto focus, no auto exposure, no auto anything. Put the film in the camera, match two needles for exposure and hope for the best. Then I started to use Kodachrome film.
Kodachrome was a film with incredible sharpness, with such vibrant and long lasting color stability that folk rock star Paul Simon made a song about it: "Mama don't take my Kodachrome away." Since Kodachrome required a special and toxic developing process, they did take our Kodachrome away. Time moves on and digital came into its own. Yet, I along with many other photographers were very resisted for a long time, both for financial and technical reasons.
When I first came out to California in 1987 and worked as an assistant for Commercial Photographers in Silicon Valley they were using 4x5 view cameras. The kind of camera that my grandfather used decades earlier where you put your head under a dark cloth to see the image that is upside down and reversed. At that time it still was the best way a Commercial Photographer could do a still life, landscape or architectural photographs. We would go through 3 boxes of Polaroids to check for exposure, lighting and sharpness before we would exposed 4x5in sheets of film. Then we would shoot 8 sheets of film with a bracket exposure. Leaving 2 sheets behind just in case, we would run 6 sheets to the lab on a 1 hour rush, have lunch and not move anything on our "Hot Set" until we had the film back on the light table and all involved were happy with the results. Photoshop was still in its infancy so the idea of retouching was not an option.
Now that has all changed and been compressed with digital photography. Kind of sad but progress moves on and it is now much better for the environment and opened up photography to more who want to explore their creativity.
career highlights
Being able to capture my image of lightning striking the ocean was one of my early career highlights. Another was getting it published in National Geographic not once but twice, the magazine that all photographers aspire to be published in.
Leaving Philadelphia and moving to California opened up a whole new world for me. Here I had the opportunity to work with great West Coast Photographers and learn much about the skill and business of photography.
Another career highlight was joining the San Francisco Street Artist Program (SFSA). The SFSA program started in the early 1970s by a group of Hippies that wanted to sell their art that gave Artists a direct link to art buyers and tourists. I was in the program for a few years before I realized the trials and tribulations that these early Street Artists went through to be able to legally show and sell their art on the streets of San Francisco. I became involved in research into the untold story of the origins of the program and digitized many TV news films that show part of the history. I’m hoping at some point to have a documentary created to preserve this work that the early Street Artists accomplished. To see the SFSA playlist go to:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK_cRisfQPlPRdXX7nvIyVbOv7XX2hvva
Another highlight was working on a self-published film using my drone on the beauty of San Francisco. This I shot, edited and published on Youtube has been viewed over 60,000 times from people all over the world. The allure and beauty of San Francisco is in the hearts of many.
The Art Storefronts Organization, which means you can shop with confidence, and know that I stand behind the quality and value of my products.
