My Final Project

My final project for Photo 1 was on abandoned houses. I decided to take photos of abandonment because I have always been intrigued by places that have been left. They often tell a story by the condition they were left in. Sometimes its foreclosure or a business that went under, but there is always a story behind why a building was left by inhabitants. I used to go to Kings Park Psychiatric Center frequently, and last year in my film photography class I shot a roll of film of the buildings and the ruins. It was one of my favorite rolls I had shot, so I decided to continue that in a new way, and with a digital camera. Overall, I am really happy with the outcome of my final project, and with the work I have done this semester. I have really improved with my photography throughout the course of this semester, and I am happy with the photos I have thus far.

Fashion Photography Fact Sheet

Fashion Photography Fact Sheet:

• There are many different ways to work as a fashion photographer, whether that is local, national, international, or you choose to be self-employed. In the U.S., the biggest fashion cities are New York City, Miami, and Los Angeles. Internationally, the biggest fashion capitals are Milan, London, Paris, and Tokyo.
• A college degree is not necessary, but it is beneficial.
• Addie Mannan got her start in fashion photography at two internships with photographers, as well as a portrait studio and a tester at modeling agencies.
• A typical day for Addie Mannan consists of editing, emailing clients, coordinating stylists and art directors, preparing lighting or backdrops for upcoming shoots, and going to locations for shoots.
• Pricing structures are dependent on client budgets, rights and usage for the photographs, how long the shoot will last, how many hours will be spent editing, if there is hair, makeup, models, or styling involved, the market you are in, and where you are shooting.
• Salaries can range anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 and beyond depending on the city you shoot in and the jobs you shoot.
• Beneficial professional organizations for fashion photographers to join include the APA, American Photographic Artists, and the PPA, Professional Photographers of America.

Reaction Paper 3: Gallery Visit

Last week I went to visit the faculty art exhibit at Gallery West. It was a really cool exhibition because there were so many different kinds of art. I really enjoyed seeing a compilation of paintings, etchings, and photographs, all by the professors at Suffolk. It was really interesting to see what our professors work on in their outside lives. We tend to forget that our professors have their own careers as artists so it was awesome seeing what they do outside of the classroom. I thought Professor Naideau's print of an old car on metal was super unique and interesting to look at. I also thought Professor Cyr's abstractions were really cool because they were all different next to each other. There were so many different aesthetics in the room, with paintings on pieces of wood and photos on metal. All in all, I am very glad that I went to the gallery because I really liked all of the work.

Interviewing A Professional Photographer

I interviewed Addie Mannan, a fashion and portrait photographer based in Portland, Oregon. I had a very good experience with my interview. Ms. Mannan was so excited and "honored" to be interviewed for my project. She gave me a lot of very valuable information for the career research project. In addition, she gave me some advice for the future. She said, " Learn to take criticism constructively and not take it personally.  There will be a lot of disappointment and learning curves in this business, but keep at it.  Experiment with different avenues and be willing to try different things with your photography, you might be surprised at what you find you are good at or that you enjoy doing. Collaborate with other artist, you can learn a lot from other creative people.  Look at other photographers as your colleagues, not your competition, [it’s] a smaller world in this industry than you think and having good relationships with other [photographers] leads to recommendations for work. " These are a few of Addie's photos from her website: Addie Mandan

Focusing on Light

This week's assignment was all about light. I tried thinking out of the box on how I can harness light in a creative way. I borrowed a prism because I was inspired by rainbows that come from them. I decided to experiment with the shapes and light patterns that are created by prisms. I also was inspired by shadows and the patterns that are created by things like leaves. This week I really like the way some of my photos came out, and I am beginning to think about what I want to explore with my final project!

Landscapes

This week I started shooting landscapes for assignment 8. I really liked shooting landscapes and I was very happy with how most of them turned out. I went around to a bunch of different parks and to local beaches. I actually got a few photos of decisive moments, like a previous assignment we did. This week I feel more confident about what I am submitting in comparison to other weeks.

Long Term Goals

In History of Photography today we talked about early fashion photography. This topic is very interesting to me, and I was looking forward to covering this part of history. I have a definite interest in fashion photography, and I have been considering a future career in it. So, for me, it was very interesting discussing the history of fashion photos. Then, in Photo Seminar, we talked about short and long-term goals. I began thinking about my long term goals, and where I want to find myself in the next 10 years. I would love to either pursue fashion or fine arts photography, and I see a definite overlap in these fields. As I continued to think about my goals, I have realized that I might really enjoy working for a fashion magazine. I plan to continue after Suffolk at FIT, and I hope that in the next few years I will find myself in the position of an internship, maybe even at a magazine.

Printing!

Last week in photo 1 we tarted printing. It was very exciting to finally be able to see my photos on paper instead of the screen. I started printing my 6 photos for our midterm assignment, and I'm excited to see my work from the semester all together thus far. It was difficult for me to choose the right photos I wanted to print, but I experimented a lot with luster and matte paper, as well as making adjustments on photos that I originally thought wouldn't look better. It has been a lot of fun this week and I am super excited to finally be able to show my family what I've been working o for the last 8 weeks.

Reaction Paper 2: Studio Visit

Today we went to visit professional photographer Jim Lennon’s studio. It was a very interesting experience, and I was excited to go. Before today, I had never been to a professional photography studio, and it was so cool going to see how a photographer actually works. When I walked in, I enjoyed seeing all of Jim’s photographs hanging up around his studio. It gave me an idea of what he photographs. When Jim was talking to our class, I noticed he always spoke by saying "we" instead of "I", and that made me realize how much he relies on the people he works with. It is a very big production doing what he is doing, and it was interesting to see that he doesn’t take full credit independently for his success. I thought it was a good experience going to visit Jim’s studio because we got to see what a school can’t teach, which is real world experience. I feel like I learned a lot about how things go on a daily basis from hearing Jim speak. I liked watching him take photos at the end of the visit; it seemed so natural and easy for him, and I hope to one-day feel that way too. I liked watching him set up all of the equipment because I didn’t know exactly what his set up looked like until he had everything ready to go. One of the best things I heard Jim say was how to react to consumers who think his prices are too expensive. He said that his response is, “Okay, what would you like to take out?” I think this is valuable because it puts into perspective for the client that the prices are for a reason; it isn’t just an arbitrary number that is being charged. I thought Jim had a lot of cool stories to tell from his own personal experiences. He said that he has changed business models multiple times, and that showed me how complex it is running your own studio. In all honesty, it seemed very stressful having your own studio. I'm glad that for me it is years down the road, because it was a lot to think about. However, I did think that it would be exciting to potentially have my own studio some time in the future. All in all, I had a good time learning about how to run a studio, and I hope to be able to see someone else’s studio soon.  

Being Resourceful

I decided to take photos for assignment 4 in my house. The problem was, I didn't have a good background. There were no blank backgrounds that I could use that were also well lit, so I decided to be a resourceful photographer. At first, I used a blue sheet from my old bedding as back drop, but the color was interfering with the look of my photos. Then, I decided to take the table cloth off of my kitchen table, which is white, and used that as a back drop. These photos came out much better and I learned to not let a small problem interfere with my ideas for taking photos. I was very excited about how these photos came out.

Reaction Paper 1: Gallery Opening

On Thursday October 5, I went to the opening of Maureen Drennan and Paul Gagner's joint gallery opening. It was a very interesting experience for me because I've never been to a real art gallery other than in a museum. It was very cool to see the actual artists there and to hear their inspiration as opposed to just seeing their art.
I enjoyed Maureen's photography because of the tranquility of the images. Even though the tone was often melancholic, there was a sense of peace in the composition and colors of her photos. The photos that I had enjoyed most were "Hair", "Waking Up in Sweet Home", and "Did Your Dream Drift From Mine", all off which featured her husband Paul. I liked seeing how a wife photographs her husband, and how it gives an inside look into the workings of their relationship. Maureen had talked about how her photographs of her husband had been influenced by his depression, and you can see how Paul was impacted in "Waking Up in Sweet Home". The use color in "Did Your Dream Drift From Mine"is very interesting to me because it makes the image very cool and moody, whereas a photograph of fire would typically be a warm image.
The interesting thing about Paul's paintings is the satirical and humorous take he has on being an artist, as well as his feelings towards himself. I enjoyed the series of "self help books" that he painted. The titles such as "No Skills? No ideas? No problem! Become an Artist!" and "Dr. Moseley's Guide to Hypnotizing Curators" were entertaining showed his tongue in cheek humor. It was interesting seeing some of his paintings that were self portraits like "The Portable Artist" and "The Artist, Rearranged, With Pickle" show how Paul views himself. It seems as though he thinks of himself as broken, but there is still humor in the picture, like adding a pickle.
All in all, I enjoyed the gallery opening. It was fun seeing the artists next to their work and being in a professional atmosphere. I would be happy to go to another gallery soon, and I hope that I have the opportunity to.