Man and The Land

For a project I did not so long ago, I decided to explore the relationship between technology and the land. I think that the land is a very precious resource and think people should go to great lengths to take care of it while we're here. On the same note, I also feel that as an intellectual race we have no choice to embrace the advent of (most) technology and some times the two, technology and nature, are bound to interact with one another.

Elliot Erwitt

I was looking through my image library today and saw this photo from Elliot Erwitt.


© Elliot Erwitt

It's always been a favorite of mine. It's a prime example of the cliché, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Some clichés are indeed overused but in some instances they still hold true.

...like a fly on the wall.

I'm trying to get a new website together. I took a class a few months ago on building a website and it turned out ok. It's hard to build your own (professional looking) website in an 11 week course especially when you've got a lot of other things going on. So I found a template from a company that makes sites for photographers and am just waiting for them to get it to me so I can put my own content on it. Honestly, I'm really excited. Woohoo!

I've also just sifted through some photos I took while on vacation this summer in Chicago, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Photographically, it was a true vacation. I mean I just hung my camera around my neck and took snap shots of the city and fun stuff. I didn't over analyze; I just took pictures. My favorite one though was this:



While touring the 99th floor of the Sears Tower it started raining. Also, Chicago's notorious wind took hold and was blowing strong outside. I turned a corner to look at the city scape over Lake Michigan and low and behold there's a fly on the window. Not inside, mind you. It had flown up those 99 stories through the rain and wind and was stuck to the window. If that's not determination I don't know what is. Needless to say it was a memorable moment.

Busy as a....person who's really, really busy.

It occurred to me today that I haven't posted anything on my blog since...January! I started this as a class assignment and loved the idea. I made time for it every week because I was excited about the project. But since the class has been over I've obviously put it by the way side.

It's a challenge sometimes to keep all my ducks in a row and leave room for leisure or other personal pursuits. I work a full time job, take five class (which is 20 hours in a class room a week plus working on assignments) and I commute about 20 miles to get to school. And there's always that small detail of maintaining personal relationships with friends and family. Whew! It's quite overwhelming sometimes and honestly, updating a blog hasn't been on the top of my list. But today, Sunday May 10th, I think it's about time.

I am so excited about all the classes I have going on right now. One I'm actually surprised about is my advertising class. I never seriously thought about doing studio work as a passion but something about this class has got me thinking otherwise.

The most recent assignment was to create a visual metaphor for a specific client. Other than that the reigns on creativity were free. After sipping away on a raspberry tea Snapple I came up with this idea which I'm quite pleased with.

Rust, Dirt, Paint

I shot these images back in September 2008 and up until about an hour ago had completely forgotten about them. It's funny how sometimes we get so busy with "things" that we forget what we've done in the past or we neglect to take note of what is going on today. Anyway, I was reminded of these photos after taking a class from the same instructor I had for this assignment at the Art Institute of Colorado. The criteria was to utilize the zone system to create a series of three images.

I began with the idea of how man can overwhelm the environment with our "things" and how it reacts to our presence. I specifically was focused on the idea that we can destroy the world around us when we think in the "now" and when we seek to take over our environment. I find it slightly ironic that I had forgotten about this project when the ideal of it was to be conscious of the past, present and future.

Technically, I wanted to shoot close up to concentrate on the shapes, forms, and lines showing the abstract view of nature and man. All the images were shot on medium format color transparency and then the chromes were scanned to computer utilizing a hybrid work flow. I also wanted to unify them through bold or dominate colors and hard edges.


Rust on a light pole


Dried and cracked dirt


Paint on a curb

Portraits

This is a portrait I took using all natural lighting around sunset in the summer. The assignment was to shoot either pain or passion. For me this photo represents the idea that outward appearances do not always represent what is inside and beauty does not bring happiness.



Flash freaks me out! Well it did before I did this photo session. Until this point I hadn't used multiple stobes on location, only in the studio. For this portrait I used three strobes on location in December. I worried myself a little more than necessary thinking I wouldn't get the light where I wanted or I would miss something and later find I wanted to change it after the session was done. But in the end, I am more than pleased with the way it turned out and the lesson I learned was to just get started and do it.

If something isn't right than move a light and shoot it again. Move the subject and shoot it again. Shoot a lot even after you think you have what you want that way when you're done you have multiple options to choose from. Also, I'm still learning and still in school and I'm lucky enough to have so many people (classmates and instructors) to give me constructive criticism. So if it's not perfect I have resources to give me their honest opinions.

Flash has intimidated me in the past but I'm looking forward to pulling out the strobes and giving them a chance. The only way to get better at a craft is to do it again and again until you can do it with your eyes closed.

Thanks to my patient model, Shannon, who posed for the above portraits.