Artist’s Bio
Email: nawfalnur@gmail.com
Email: nawfal@smokephotographist.com
WEB: http://finegrain.wordpress.com/
WEB: http://smokephotographist.com/
Photographist – Portfolios: http://photographist.wordpress.com/
Photo-Blogs: http://finegrain.wordpress.com/ &
http://nawfalnur.wordpress.com/
“Behind the Lens” Photo-Journals
http://interpretationsofdance.wordpress.com/
“Interpretations of Dance“
Nawfal Nur
Artist’s Bio:
“Taking ordinary subjects and creating unusual images from them is my ideal photography exercise, or ‘photography-maze,’” says Nawfal Nur.
Nawfal’s background is not in photography or art, but he says he’s been a student of photography for the last 30-odd-years. He started his photography journey in his grandmother’s flower gardens, taking macro photographs of anything in that magical place, using his first SLR camera, a PENTAX K1000.
Nawfal graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, in 1990, with a Master of Community & Regional Planning. He spent some time working in City Planning and Computer Software while living in Lincoln.
In 1994, Nawfal and his family moved to Malaysia. “Most people think that moving across town is a chore; well, try moving you and your ‘stuff’ halfway around the world, that move for us was a gargantuan task!”
Abstract Expressionism is a painting style that Nawfal loves, and he tries to incorporate the feeling of this style when he does any Abstract Photography. Nawfal’s favorite Abstract Expressionist painter is Jackson Pollock, and in a way, Nawfal’s “Alien Water” photographic series is an extension of Pollock’s paint splatters.
Getting in close is something that Nawfal tends to gravitate toward. “I must fill the scene with the subject when working on macro photography – the closer the better!”
Nawfal has been inspired by many photographers, but New York Commercial Photographer, Carl Fischer, is the one that comes to his mind first. “I had no idea at the time, that many of the magazine photographs from ESQUIRE and LOOK magazines I marveled at in my youth were Carl Fischer’s,” said Nawfal.
“I fostered a respect for his professionalism and creativity as a photographer and his work was quite inspiring for me. I can probably attribute my fascination with Special Effects Photography to Fischer.”
Nawfal says that two photos by Fischer are especially memorable for him: Andy Warhol drowning in the can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup (1969); and, another important Fischer image is of world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in 1967, as the martyred St Sebastian. In the 60’s, these photos took 3-days to complete, and all done by hand – no computer manipulation: Totally amazing.
In 1998, Nawfal started shooting freelance: His first assignment was writing and photographing a story for Standard Chartered Bank’s gold card magazine, rightly called, GOLD. For this assignment, Nawfal had to become familiar with and compile an understanding of the ancient Indian classical dance, Bharatanatyam.
Over the years, Nawfal has worked on many photo-essays, focusing on Malaysian cultural subjects such as Malay weapons, antiques, jewelry and ethnic dance. Nawfal has published feature stories in GOLD, BLADE, Dance Teacher Now and Dance Spirit magazines. Nawfal has also shot numerous dance and stage productions for local dance companies.
Lately, Nawfal has been working on Still Life and Fine Art Photography and currently sell prints through Imagekind, ( http://nawfalnur.imagekind.com/), here you can see and purchase his Art Photography.
In 2007, Nawfal was a participant in the, “This Planet” Photography Project, where photographers from around the world took photographs in their region, all at the same time. For Nawfal in Penang, he took his photograph at 10:07 pm. You can see the preliminary website for this project, here.
In 2008, Rock & Roll Band, MILLION DOLLAR RELOAD (aka., Million$Reload, and M$R) contacted Nawfal regarding artwork for the cover of their new album. In Oct 2008, M$R cut their new album/CD, “Anthems of a Degeneration”, for worldwide distribution. You can see the album cover and hear some of their songs at their website:
http://www.milliondollarreload.com/
In April 2009, Nawfal photographed at a charity concert, capturing performance images of Malaysian artists, Mawi, Stacy, Ahli Fiqir and Mila. Some of these images can be seen here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nawfal_nur/sets/72157617335609102/
Nawfal published a Black & White photography collection called, SHELLS & SANDSTONE, on 11 March 2010. This is a photography collection of shells and sandstones that Nawfal collected from beaches around Penang Island, Malaysia. These photographs were created in 2009 and 2010.
On 30 September 2011, Nawfal published his soft-cover book, Ethereal Dreams & Hope: a Photographic Collection with Words to Boost Your Spirit. Nawfal delves into how chronic pain, such as arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) in his case, can affect your life. He also covers the basic principles and circumstances of Depression. Nawfal reveals how AS is linked to depression and ways depression has affected his life. The book has 136 pages, exhibits 34 of Nawfal’s Smoke-Art photographs, and includes inspirational hope quotations and Nawfal’s reflections and thoughts on the hope quotations.
In October, 2011, Nawfal photographed a dance review called, “Dancing to Connect,” featuring New York dancer, Sean Scantlebury, of The Battery Dance Company, and accomplished Malaysian dancer, Lorna Hoong. Through the photographs he created during that performance, Nawfal created the “Interpretations of Dance Thru the Lens,” photo-blog. Nawfal also created a dance eFolio also called, “Interpretations of Dance.” (October 2011).
Also in October 2011, Nawfal had several photographs published in a new book published by Lark Books (New York: NY), FOCUS: REFLECTIONS: Your World, Your Images.
On 4 November 2011, Nawfal published the Third Edition (eBook Version) of his Photography Art and ‘Self-Help’ book, Ethereal Dreams & Hope: a Photographic Collection with Words to Boost Your Spirit. This book contains 34 of Nawfal’s Smoke-Art Photographs, along with words of encouragement for those who suffer from Ankylosing Spondylitis and Depression.
Nawfal’s CLOUDS: COLLECTION ONE, eFolio was published on 16 December 2011. This is Nawfal’s first really serious look at Cloud Photography. This eFolio contains 13 Black & White images of clouds that Nawfal photographed in Penang Island, Malaysia. One of Nawfal’s main goals for this group of images was to capture full tonal ranges in each image: from the darkest blacks, to the brightest grays, and while still keeping some details in the bright highlights.
As a continuation of the CLOUDS series of images, Nawfal has just published a new eFolio collection of cloud images: CLOUDS – COLLECTION TWO. It is a new series of 15 black & white images of cloud formations. The main motivation behind the CLOUDS collections, Nawfal says, “Is to capture the clouds’ fleeting moments, capturing highly contrasty, stormy cloud formations that reproduce vibrantly in ultra-wide shades of gray.” All of the clouds in the two collections were photographed in Penang, Malaysia.
All in all, Nawfal, when he picks up a camera, any camera, his main goal is to create better photographs than the last time he picked up the camera, and that’s not such a bad goal to have.
Thank you for your visit!
Updated on 3 FEB 2012.
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