Contest Blog! - Photographer's Forum Magazine

Today I entered Photographer's Forum Magazine's 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest!

These were the two images I submitted:





Here is the proof of purchase and receipt!:

Contest Blog! - Hearst 8x10 Biennial

I entered the Hearst 8x10 Photography Biennial!

The images I submitted:







Proof!:

Artist Lecture #6: Paola Antonelli 4/30/10

Paola Antonelli, design "expert" and Senior Curator for Moma's Department of Architecture and Design, came to lecture on her work in New York. Antonelli has a degree in Architecture, although she has never worked as an architect. I really appreciate that because branching out into different mediums in the art world can teach one (me) so much. I have so much interest in Design and this was the perfect lecture.

The crowd of this lecture reminded me a lot of the Amy Hauft lecture I went to last semester, consisting of older men and women, obviously with some establishment in the art world. But the format was different than most artists who lecture at VCU, as Antonelli spoke to us about the different elements of design instead of personal work. She has such a broad education in all sorts of design - like she has taught fashion classes too, and that just sounds like the most amazing job.

During her lecture, she discussed contemporary trends in design. Instead of sounding pretentious and New York-y, she was actually very encouraging and promoted her idea of an 'organic path', where one is to go with the flow, to accept and love your work and how you make it. She had a lot of good things to offer, and also stressed the importance of leaving your viewers wanting more, or at least wondering about the craft and design of your work.

I'm so glad I didn't miss this lecture, because it was refreshing to hear an established woman in the art world in New York who speaks well. I hope I make it that far in my career in this crazy world.

Artist Blog: Simon Procter

(posted in May from saved draft)

Raised as a child in a small village in the North of England, Simon Procter is now a successful advertising and Fine Art photographer with clients including Nokia, Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger and Marriot Hotels.

While living in Paris, Procter took a variety of odd jobs and serendipitously met James Kaliardos, a member of New York Visionaire. His first fashion image and job came from shooting dangerously 100 feet above a Dior fashion show. His career took off from there and the reputable Jet Root talent Agency in New York quickly picked him up.

Simon Procter, title and size unknown. Commissioned advertisement for V Magazine. http://www.jedroot.com/photogr/sp/procter-bio.php.

Simon Procter, title and size unknown. Commissioned advertisement for V Magazine. http://www.jedroot.com/photogr/sp/procter-bio.php.

Simon Procter, title and size unknown. Commissioned advertisement for V Magazine. http://www.jedroot.com/photogr/sp/procter-bio.php.

I love Procter's use of color! While browsing his protfolio, that's the biggest thing that stuck out at me. I've been experimenting so much with color in post-production for this semester's series, and I love to see such crisp and exciting tones.

http://www.jedroot.com/photogr/sp/procter-bio.php

http://simonprocter.blogspot.com/p/about.html

Artist Blog: Nathan Schroder

(posted in May from saved draft)

Nathan Schroder is a Photographer from Dallas, Texas who began his interest in the medium at a young age. It wasn't until he left school, though, that he started to take elements from his influences to infuse his work. With more time to spend shaping his vision, technical skills and image creation skills, he began to develop a full understanding of his interest as a Photographer.

Shooting both in the studio and on location, Schroder draws much of his influence from the space around him, sometimes creating an image based solely on a location. For his commissioned pieces, he states the first and most important step it to ask the client their vision for the project, and then to build a story around it. He creates his images, "as a way of telling stories and conveying ideas." He also stresses the importance of keeping his clients feeling confident that their project is understood and in good hands.

Candles, Nathan Schroder, 2008. size unknown. http://www.nathanshroder.com.

Nathan Schroder's philosophy is that Photography is 75 percent preproduction, 10 percent shooting and 15 percent post-production. So far with the work that I do, that's certainly true. However, after further investigating, I found he has a lot of terrible cliches on his website (ie. "The way he sets up a photograph to tell a story - to capture its essence - turns an empty parking lot into an elegant spacescape.") Capture its essence and spacescape? I hope someone else wrote that for him. I don't know how seriously I should be taking him as a conceptual artist, but he's got some great advertising images!

Prairie Vodka Advertising Series:

Wolves, Nathan Schroder, 2008. size unknown. Commissioned advertisement for Prairie Vodka. http://www.nathanshroder.com.

Schroder's Prairie Vodka advertisement series was one of my favorite portfolios on his website. The ad agency OLSON created the vodka's first-ever print campaign with the slogan "Let the Prarie In", and hired Nathan Schroder as their photographer. He was to create print ads of polished models in an elegant setting next to stuffed animals that represent the prairie.

The agency stated that,"when you explain the concept, models and stuffed animals, it can come across as a little corny, but Nathan got it right away and in fact had done some shots featuring taxidermy. He brought the sophistication and drama that we were looking for."

Bison, Nathan Schroder, 2008. size unknown. Commissioned advertisement for Prairie Vodka. http://www.nathanshroder.com.

I guess the real reason I chose to research this artist was to recognize the technical perfections of his sets. I think he has an amazing grasp on scene setting, and his lighting skills are the perfect mix of dramatic low light and well exposed image. I need to learn from him.

http://www.nathanschroder.com/

http://www.commarts.com/fresh/nathan-schroder.html

Contest Blog! - Anderson Gallery

(Posted in May from saved draft)

I entered the Anderson Gallery's 2010 Juried Student Fine Arts Exhibition!

I entered these 3 images:

Proof of entries:

(I only got two back because one got in!!)

Yep, that's about it. The Projection one was the one accepted!

Artist Blog: Alexia Sinclair

(Posted in May from saved draft)

Alexia Sinclair is an Australian fine art photographer and digital artist. Her style is recognizable and her images are always visual narratives. By combining pictures from different locations around the world, Sinclair creates multilayered images of imaginary worlds that present subtle contemporary notions of beauty and fashion.

I've made it clear before that I like to be in full control of my shoots, and apparently Alexia Sinclair does as well. "Motivated by her love and devotion for all things intricate and unusual,...[Sinclair] approaches her creative production by filling all of the roles, from designing sets and props, to makeup and costumes." (http://alexissinclair.com/biography)

Agrippina - The Poisoness (AD 15-59), The Regal Twelve Series. Alexia Sinclair, 2007. 25x25 inches.http://alexiasinclair.com/the-regal-twelve.

It's Alexia Sinclair’s The Regal Twelve series that I'm particularly interested in. She has combined hundreds of photographic elements and illustrations to create these pieces in recognition of twelve female European monarchs from over a 2,000 year span. Sinclair studied portraiture styles and the history of each of these varying rulers to stitch together certain elements and icons in order to present their story within each piece.

Isabella of Spain - The Catholic (1451 – 1504), The Regal Twelve Series. Alexia Sinclair, 2007. 25x25 inches. http://alexiasinclair.com/the-regal-twelve.

What I really like about The Regal Twelve is that it's a diverse series that recognizes the famous, the infamous and the unrecognized. It says on her website that Sinclair chose these twelve based on their leadership differences, on their "flamboyancies" and on their lasting influences on society. The article goes on to say that by "exploring the complexities of each ruler, The Regal Twelve celebrates historical realities within the guise of contemporary fantasy, a kind of conversation between the past and present."

I'm interested in what she does in post production. I'm trying to perfect my Photoshop skills and this is certainly what I try for. I love her imagery and narrative tone, of course. This was a great artist to stumble upon!

Christina of Sweden - The Androgynous Queen (1626 - 1689), The Regal Twelve Series. Alexia Sinclair, 2007. 25x25 inches. http://alexiasinclair.com/the-regal-twelve.

http://alexiasinclair.com/the-regal-twelve.

http://alexiasinclair.com/biography