One of my favorite photographers. Here are a few of my favorite pics of his...
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| "Bamboo" I actually bought this one a few years ago |
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| "Angels Heart" |
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| "Imagine" |
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| "Beached" |
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| "Ele Dreaming" |
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| "Tree of life" |
If you like his work you can check out his website at www.peterlik.com/photography
First of all the image Ele Dreaming is not and never was a Peter Lik image, he shopped it as his own and sold it to through his galleries. I have heard that he does not even give an honest percentage, if any to the actual photographer
ReplyDeleteSecondly all his worked is massivly photoshopped/clouds inserted or removed, pier ropes altered tree supports taken out completely - Peter Lik is not the MASTER PHOTOGRAPHER he makes himself out to be, mabey a MASTER ILLUSIONIST, but not artist. Would you acquire a Monet if the work was a misrepresented (no you would go out and look for a real Monet)
to each his own. I've never heard this about him and I will def have to look into it. Either way I have really enjoyed looking at his "work". I'm sorry to hear this news. Thank you for sharing your opinion!
ReplyDeleteand if he didn't take "ele dreaming" who did? Its maybe my favorite pic!
ReplyDeleteHe is my all time favorite photographer. Big fan.
ReplyDeleteHe has some amazing photos...been to his galleries in Australia, just awesome up close.
ReplyDeleteCheck out another photographer from Australia
Simon Beedle http://www.simonbeedle.com/
His work is stunning!
Ele dreaming was taken by his girlfriend. He only takes images of nature and not of animals so he directed his girlfriend Nikki while she was behind the camera. We almost bought the photograph last time we were in vegas.
ReplyDeletehello
Deleteit is a beautiful picture. is it possible to tell me how much you paid approximately, as i heard it is no longer available
I think the edition has sold out or there might be one or two left at astronomical prices. I have one (1.5M) and paid around $8,000 for it. Last time it was valued for insurance by the gallery it was valued over $40,000.
DeleteI called the gallery to value the same piece with the same size and they valued it at $12,500 last month.... boop
DeleteAnon1, exactly what makes you think that Peter Lik Photoshopped any of his pictures. And who the hell do you think you are to make the decisions about what is real and what is fake, ESPECIALLY when you are criticizing a world-renowned photographer such as Peter Lik. As far as I'm concerned you're not the all knowing Messiah of art and photography, but probably just some jackass who wants to make some people falsely believe that Peter Lik is a fake or who wants to spread a false rumor about a famous photographer just so they can be amused for a few seconds. By the way, why the hell would you even be looking at this blog if you don't even like Peter Lik. Just remember this little life lesson and move on with your life so you can stop criticizing and making false rumors about Lik.
ReplyDeletehere's why moron:
Deletehttp://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=3084.135.html
and here:
Deletehttp://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=3156.0
and here:
Deletehttp://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1080908/0
and here:
Deletehttp://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=1013657
how many more would you like, judas?
DeleteAnonymous sounds like a jealous idiot... don't worry some day someone will buy one of your pictures...
Deletei wish there was a link to like peoples comments....LIKE
ReplyDeleteI want Ele dreaming in our future house. Yeah suck it anonymous his photos are amazing whatever the deal is.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!!! People are actually agreeing with me. Thanks Brook.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI was in the Peter Lik Gallery in Maui and the sales rep told me the Ele dreaming was made by his (former) girlfriend. So that part of the story is true.
Mayke
Ele Dreaming was taken by his ex-girlfriend, who he did train and he now owns the rights to the photo.
ReplyDeleteEither way it is an amazing photo....would be a nice piece to have in my house
ReplyDeletehey!
ReplyDeletedoes anyone know where i can buy the "ele dreaming" poster?
Sorry, I don't know where but if you find out please let me know as I would like one as well!
ReplyDeleteI also saw "Ele Dreaming" at the Lik Gallery in Vegas. I thought his other stuff was cool, but I fell in love with "Ele Dreaming". I discussed with the sales person in the store how much I loved it and how different it was from his other work. They never let on that he did not take it and tried very hard to get me to purchase that or any of his works. They told me how quickly they appreciate and how people were already buying and selling some of his works on ebay but you had to be careful because some were passing copies off as originals. Needless to say I was disappointed when I discovered the photo was not taken by him and that they did not say so. I checked the pieces being sold on ebay and it looked to me as though there was a lot more selling than buying going on and I could not see that his works were appreciating in value. I could see buying them if you like them, but as an investment--I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteI saw the photo Ele Dreaming" in the gallery and was told a woman took it. And that this is the only photo Peter has in his galley that he did not take. This was in 2010 when I saw Ele Dreaming!
ReplyDeleteI actually purchased Ele Dreaming in the La Jolla gallery a year ago - I fell in love with it. They were very upfront that it was not Peter's work, but a "close" friend. When I was in the Soho gallery this weekend, they informed me it was his former girlfriend. I framed mine differently than the gallery does, and I prefer my framing to be honest. This has really appreciated in value, and I would be willing to discuss selling.
ReplyDeleteBTW - if you enjoy african animal photos, as I dom check out Nick Brandt - he is my absolute favorite!!
Thanks for sharing...I was in Vegas last week and saw Ele Dreaming in their gallery. I don't care who took it but I love it. You are lucky to have it...I'm sure the price has increased tremendously as the Bamboo piece i bought has more than tripled its value (said the curator).
ReplyDeleteAs for Nick Brandt, my fiance Brett and I are looking at his website right now and he is AMAZING!!! If you wouldn't mind maybe I'll put his pictures on my blog as well.
Thank you so much!
Good afternoon, are you still interested in the “ Ele Dreaming” I have 41/45 Artist Proof for sale
Deleteyou should definitely include Nick B's photos on your blog - they are beautiful! Happy to have shared with others that enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of Peter Lik's work is fakery, by which I mean computer generated or manipulated to the point where it is no longer truly representative of nature. Yet he claims it is in his vomit inducing spiel associated with each image. Stories that his work is going up in value are just that - stories. Told by associates to make people buy more.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, his new image Bella Luna is an outright fraud - described as a lifelong search for the perfect image caught by a single click of the camera. Bullshit. That image is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to capture in a single image.
He's also stolen several other people's work and passed it off as his own. He is a conman, a fraudster and should be ashamed.
Would you like a genuine piece of art or a rip off, regardless of how it looks?
Google him - it's widely known he is a charlatan.
Ele dreaming is by Nikki Venter his ex g/f. Bought frm Vegas, it's awesome piece.
ReplyDeleteI have four of Peter Lik's pieces that I bought from Caesar's in Las Vegas - Ele Dreaming being one of them :) My first time in the gallery I really liked Ele Dreaming, and so many others, and was told that it was taken by another photographer that Peter was training. We decided on two others that day, but then a year later when we made another Vegas trip I had to go to the Lik gallery and buy Ele and ended up with #4 as well that day :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't buy these as investments, I simply love the pieces and enjoy looking at them in my home every day. Say what you want, rant and rave about him being a fraud, post a ton of links, whatever - I would rather spend my time looking at the gorgeous scenery in my home, lol :)
ELE Dreaming is awesome, and I bought it over 12months ago in Noosa, not as an investment but because I liked it. From the first time I saw it, until the next time I bought it was around 12months and it had gone up in value, so I then decided to buy it because I fell in love with it. The price was high and whether I paid to much for it is not a problem, as limited edition pieces, are just that, limited edition and I didn't want to miss out on having it.
ReplyDeleteI am selling a 865/950 1 meter recess mount Ele Dreaming with genuine COA in pristine condition on Ebay. You can contact me at conga@hawaii.rr.com
ReplyDeleteIm also selling a 2 meter timeless land 279/950 via ebay: http://r.ebay.com/U9jueT
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in beautiful landscape & nature photography without the hefty price tag you can easily find it. Here is one place it may be worth starting from: http://www.aaronreedphotography.com
ReplyDeleteOf course Pete photoshops...I think all photographers do.Ansel Adams(or the people he had working with him)spent hours in the darkroom adjusting those black and white images to look as good as they do,what's the big deal? Final image is most important...go buy someone's Instagram if you want raw untouched photos.Ooops,I guess those are enhanced too! So what???
ReplyDeleteI've always admired Lik. Not so much for the quality of his photography but for his ability to market his work. The network he has created to perpetuate the myth associated with his work is second to none. It is pure sales. If you can convince people that a commodity is worth its value and will only increase, then people wil buy it to trade it. People will pay what they can afford, they will appreciate what they like and will make their own decisions. There are far better photographers, considerably better artists who put far greater time into the creation of their images. Many will put more time in behind the camera and less behind the editing software. At the end of the day it is the final image you are going to make your decision on. If you are purist then Peter Lik may not be for you. If you hate a hard sell and dislike smoke and mirrors then I'd look a little further afield. The fact that these galleries exist in places like Vegas says a lot. Ebay as proof of sales is bizarre. The sales are no doubt part of the business and used as proof of increasing value. Value is what real people actually pay for something. Not what someone tries to sell it at. Lik's operation is very clever, very smooth and it sits in a similar vein to David Copperfield. We also must remember that dropping vast sums on Lik's work for some is like dropping change on a movie ticket for others. There is so much talk of collectors paying millions but no surprise that the 'buyers' are always anonymous. :) I see others trying to utiise the same business model on the High Street, trying to create a faux sense of value to boost sales. It is quite easy to price a piece at say $5k and say it is a limited edition of 10. Most will enter your store looking to pay $50 but someone with deeper pockets may just drop the $5K because 'they can'. Ironiclaly when I see similar sales models being utilised the shop owners/photographers are all very much aware of Lik's business model. Ihave to say and of course this is very subjective I often see highly garish, faux looking work, over saturated in these establishments. I'm a landscape and coastal photographer myself and I know that it is often the 'other world', the 'loud', brasher work that catches the atention of the wider populace. Often the work that means the most to me, that has more of a message is appreciated by a more select few. I can certainly improve how I market my work but I'm not happy blowing smoke up people's backsides and not being true to myself as an artistic photographer. Bills ot pay though ;) We like what we like, we buy what we want and there is always considerable envy and jealousy out there. Almost everybody edits. Even in the days of film there were double exposures, filtration, dodging, burning in the darkroom. The darkroom tools are just better these days. What do I do when I shoot film? I scan the negatives and then add them into my digital workflow. This allows me greater control over the image. The issues arise to many when photographers claim one thing but have clearly done another. This is where the cries of 'fakery' and 'charlatan' come from and it has built up over many years. When people claim 'natural' results 'in camera' using the same equipment and film as others in the know, you'll find people crying 'foul'. Good photographers know what is possible naturally and what is not. It doesn't matter though if you like something and want to pay the price for it.
ReplyDeleteRich Clark, awesome insight you offered! Great piece. Thank you for your educated opinion.
ReplyDelete