GARY RAY RUSH, NIKKOR 85mm Lens, NIKON FE Camera

Macro - Panorama Photography

Pigment inkjet print on Epson Professional Photo Paper

27 x 40 inches

Archival matting, white wood frame, art glass

2022

limited edition of 10

Artist Statement

I admire the talent, skill and discipline required of the great painters of hyperrealism. I’m drawn to the practise and as a photographer I’ve produced a series of portraits of objects over the years that I liken to hyper realistic paintings. I’m at it again with this composition of one of my favourite film cameras the Nikon FE. The final photography is made up of 4 macro (close up) shots and a new lighting technique I developed for this "portrait". After shooting I immediately began with the retouching, probably better described as digital painting, that I do to make the subject look iconic and commanding. It is probably not well understood how many hours a photographer can spend digitally painting something like this but it is many, and in my case certainly enough to give me a renewed appreciation of the great painters of hyperrealism.

The old beat-up lens in the composition is a favourite portrait lens of mine that I used back in the nineties to capture hundreds of Canadian actors, dancers and business leaders. I can’t turn on a TV without seeing somebody this lens was used on. I bought it used from a celebrated Canadian photographer. Imagine the adventures, tragedies, heart breaks and triumphs that are contained in the dents and bruises of this lens.