Testimonials
This is an essay written by Stephanie Shaffer. We have worked closely with her and her family over the past two years photographing them on different occasions. She has noticed that in the time since we’ve photographed her family in various stages that her little girl, featured in this writing, will no longer sit still for posed photography. She’s rooting for us to get some studio space and equipment so that she can use us as her primary family photography studio.
“Have you ever just looked at a photo and though, Wow? I think that every time I see photos taken by a specific photographer. I was at a local fast food restaurant recently when I saw a collection of pictures hanging on the wall. The restaurant was hosting an art show for a local photographer to try to help get his name out there and help sell some of his art. The company in which all the photos came from is the Die Strafbar Photography. The photographer is Dean M. Dorman. The interesting thing about Mr. Dorman is that he takes pictures that aren’t like any thing that you would ordinarily see. After seeing some of his art I was intrigued and I decided to contact him. I had a one on one meeting with him and he explained that he doesn’t like to pose anyone or anything because they don’t ever seem natural. He then went on to say that you can only really appreciate what the object or subject has to offer when you take the photo in a natural setting. That is exactly what all the photos that were on that wall looked like. Some of the photos were of the sky, the rivers, specific locations, and of most of the time random people around him. At the art show there was one photo that caught my eye. I couldn’t stop looking at the photo. The photo was called Emma with flower. When I spoke to him about the photo he stated that it was a picture of a little girl that he knew. Her mother wanted Easter photos of her in their back yard, so in May of 2008 he went to the child’s house and did a photo shoot. He reinforced the fact that he did not pose her for any of the pictures that he took of her and they all came out beautifully.
Out of all the photos that Mr. Dorman had on display I would have to say that I enjoyed viewing the picture of the little girl with the flower. There seemed to be something about her curiosity that draws me right back to the picture. The medium is a photograph. The picture is of a little girl, probably in her first or second year of life. It is bright and sunny outside and it appears as though it is probably either spring or early summer. Mr. Dorman seemed to catch the little girl with her increased curiosity. The flower looks as though someone could just reach into the picture, smell the flower and feel the texture of the flower. He seemed to be able to blend all the colors together and make the picture bright and very vibrant. The photo leaves a lot of questions. Does the little girl touch the flower, how does she react to the flower and the grass, and what does she do next. The more I look at the photo, the more I seem to see and ask more. It makes me want to know more about the child and her personality. I love how he blended the photo so that the little girl and the flower are up close but the grass and bushes in the back ground are not completely fuzzy but not so focused that you are distracted by the background.
I think that the subject of this piece of art is possibly spring time in the backyard or the little girl. It is hard to determine what the true subject of the photograph is. I think that the main focus is the little girl and her curiosity of the flower but there is nothing concrete to determine what the subject is.
This is a realistic piece of art. I know this because the little girl is real, the flower and the grass are real. If you think about it you can almost put yourself in the afternoon sun, relaxing and enjoying the warmth and the wonderful sounds of the outdoors.
I would have to say that I absolutely love this photo. Not only is it a great picture but it says so much about the artist. I think that it says that Mr. Dorman is a creative, inspiration, well adapted gentleman. I have had the pleasure in the last few weeks to view some of his other photographs and I think that he has a god given gift to capture things in a way that makes you think about things long after you have seen the photo. Many times I look at art and I think that there is nothing special about a photo. That isn’t the case when I see Mr. Dorman’s photos. He truly is an artist.”
