Taylor Quinley Weekly Post #?

Hello everyone! As promised I have grabbed a few images from my camera! I had a blast in Daytona and I cant wait to explore photography in this environment more! I have a few shoots related to this in mind and set up, just working on dates. I will be doing shots for a NASCAR driver for his website, media and hero cards, within the next month. I will also be attending some of his practice sessions to capture more action type photos, which I want to experiment more with.

Please keep in mind I have not had a chance to edit these yet. Those of you that came to the Photo 3 mid way crit have seen these, but if you were not there (even if you were)  I look forward to ANY feedback you can give me!

Kerry Update Week 7 (I think!)

First, thanks to everyone for the feedback last week - it was much appreciated. With the idea in mind that I need to focus more on the history of First Landing and the people that have inhabited/been involved with the area, I went out today in the gloom and drizzle thinking that it would give me a more somber atmosphere to contrast with the photos I've already taken (which can illustrate, I think, the idea of the New World welcoming European immigrants).

There's a really interesting grave site near the ranger's station at the head of Bald Cypress Trail - it's where the remains of 64 Chesapeake Indians were reinterred back in the 1990s. It's surrounded by a fence, and visitors have left various gifts and trinkets on the fence posts. So I took a bunch of pictures of those, which I'll share once I've had a chance to download and review them :)

 I also checked out the educational display at the ranger's station and learned a bit more about the African American men from the CCC who helped build the park and scored a flier about the history of the park. So altogether a pretty productive visit. I have more ideas about how to introduce some of the themes we talked about during the critique, but I need to get a few more props.

Right now, like Michael, I'm concentrating on getting ready for SPE - got my business cards, postcards, copies of my books on the way, and a new set of prints of the "My Mother's Daughter" series (because 2 of the originals are headed to a show in Suffolk). Need to update the CV on my website, organize my portfolio, and keep up work on other projects! For now, though, it's time to chill.

Michael: Update #6

Doing some work on my website in time for SPE: slimming down my galleries, adding project statements, refreshing the CV.
The crap weather has sucked for photography - I'm sure I'm not alone there.
Had my camera (on the tripod in my car) topple over after a sharp turn last time I shot, but thankfully no damage sustained.
I think that my transit photos will likely stand alongside the home ones: the two overlap with shots of my house from the outside and they all follow the intent of reengaging with what is seen only peripherally.  Perhaps, in an exhibit that unites both bodies of work, the transit photos will be more numerous and smaller and the home ones fewer, but larger. 
In the meantime, a few more photos.

Taylor Quinley Weekly update

Hello All! This weekend I am finally headed to Daytona to photograph the Daytona 500! That means that next week I will finally have some photos to show you all! I am so excited to finally get started on this project!

Michael: Update #5

Oh, you know, plugging away. 
Anyone else believe that we're only a month into the semester?
Well, here's a few selections from the transit pictures I'm taking.  These are from four or so sessions I believe (being a ride to and from school, typically).  There's a few other angles I'd like to experiment with, I think.
Roughly, the intent here is to underscore the act of seeing the everyday environment around us when usually it only glances off our awareness.  Drivers, particularly in areas like ours, spend a good deal of time in their car and pass so much that would otherwise be worthwhile to observe more closely.  Parts of the car interior take up the frame, in part to fully situate the photograph as occurring during transit and, further, to serve the idea of curious surroundings and subjects withheld from one's perspective.

Kerry: Weekly update #6

Hi, all:
So I went out shooting on Sunday, which turned out to be a beautiful day for it. This time I took more landscape shots and experimented with adding old photographs to the mix of objects I placed into natural settings. It feels like I'm moving away from a nostalgia theme and into something different, although I'm not quite sure what yet. I'm liking the feeling of the images and the way they play off one another, and I'm starting to get a glimpse of ghostly presences in a place where so many people come today to enjoy the little bit of natural scenery left in our area. Anyway, here are some of the new images - they haven't been edited at all, so bear that in mind :) Feedback always welcome!

Crusade for Your Art pt.1

   The section that really struck me in part one was 'The Stages of Fine Art Photographers'. The author touches on the concept of "natural evolution from experimenting to creating with intent" which as photographers ourselves we understand this process well. It's easy to get into a funk within the creative process and just start taking photos just to take them, or when you're in the beginning stages to just photograph whatever you see. As you get a better grasp on what you want your body of work to mean, you understand more clearly the direction you want to go in. As a result, the photos you take gain meaning as their purpose is acquired by the project/body of work you're creating it for. It's definitely important to have a goal in mind, and as Schwartz talks about the way in which we feel "compelled" to take photos, these images are drawn to us because of the basis of our projects and the ways in which we view the bodies of work before us.

-NB

Hey yall

Alright...Hey ya'll.
Update on my work.
We know I'm doing civil rights era based work more or so focusing on the integration of schools in Virginia. Over the past couple of weeks I've been drowned in information from interviews with my subjects. I have not taken pictures of them yet because I wanted them to get comfortable with me first. A few statements that really stuck out to me from them:
"I never got a failing grade until schools integrated"
"In 7th grade I experienced my first walk out, I later found out the KKK organized all the white kids to leave school"
"My first white teacher gave me a 0 on a paper I wrote about slavery"
"At first they only sent white teachers to satisfy the integration laws"


Talking to these people made me realize we never learned about the black schools that were integrated. We know of the little rock nine who integrated a white school. But just a dinner conversation or car ride with my subjects I learned so much about the other side and I think I'm really pushing a topic that has been overlooked. A lot of people are in their 60's and lived in the South and they have a story.

Another thing that was said was "Im not saying all this to you so you can go run out and hate all white people, I'm giving you this knowledge so you can know your history"
I think thats a good summary of my work and what I want to do with my work.

Taking pictures this week ya'll.

I also want to go to the Virginia Pilot and check out their archives of this time.

Currently I have interviewed 4 people. Hopefully taking photos of two of them at the end of this week.

Michael: Update #4

Recently, I did some shooting with a tripod/release cable setup in my car while driving.  All in all some pretty cool results and it stokes ideas for more to do with it.  At the moment, I don't know if this could be merged with my home images or if the two would only exist as distinct series.  Whatever the case, I intend to put up some of these transit shots next week and for now I'll show you the rest of the selects from my home.
Feedback appreciated!

Kerry: Week 5 Update

So I got started a little bit this week on the new series, which as of now has no name (I'm terrible at titles unless they're really obvious, like the last one!). I've assembled some items from one of the antique stores I've been photographing, and had about an hour last Sunday to take some test shots - I'm trying to figure out what kinds of landscape shots and what kinds of images with the objects will work together to suggest a sort of missing narrative and evoke a feeling of nostalgia. I'm not there yet, but I'm starting to get a feel for what might work and, equally importantly, what doesn't! I'm going out again this Sunday and won't have the same time pressure, so I should get a better variety of images to play with. I'm hoping that, over the course of the next several weeks, I get a chance to shoot in a variety of weather conditions - I think it would be great to get some images from rainy days, for example. So, ironically enough, I'm hoping for at least one shooting day in bad weather :).

Here are a few of the better images from the test run. They've only been lightly edited, not cropped or anything. Would love to hear what you think.

Jasmine: update #3

I have more but I want to edit them first :)

Jasmine: update #2

NEW PHOTOS COMING SOON!!

Going back to Royal Mini Mart today brought back a lot of memories, but more importantly I felt more confident. For the first time I was very sure of myself and the series as a whole. Upon returning to the store I showed a lot people the book and they were thrilled; which warmed my heart, because these people and that community matters to me.     

My photos of the day of Royal Mini Mart will be posted no later than tomorrow.

Michael: Crusade for your Art, part II

Part II: Setting the Stage

Now we look at the presentation of one’s work and one’s self as a photographer, with suggestions both conceptual and practical as to how to go about this.  The first areas covered are pretty familiar to us at this point, being the sequencing of a series and the formation of artist statements.  I was particularly drawn to the quotes given here (which is altogether a nice entry in these kinds of books, to hear straight from a range of professionals who’ve been down this road):
Conor Risch of PDN mentions printing and hanging all the initial photos in a series and “living” with them for a while to feel out what belongs and what doesn’t; Katherine Ware, a curator, mentions that “your image has to attract an audience by itself, it’s true, but your statement can help viewers stay with the picture and enter its world.”

From this point on the areas covered are much more business-y: some are quite useful and others I found not as much.  Editioning and pricing are elements that I feel I haven’t approached yet, but no reason to be prepared sooner rather than later.  Having a brand and logo aren’t that important to me, personally, though could be critical depending on one’s occupation, of course.  The portion on websites is handy and key for us at the moment, for sure. 

Now the last bit on social media is problematic, but that’s to be expected for an area that is mercurial and for a book that is now five years old.  I don’t think Facebook, at present, is regarded with as much significance for independent artists; Twitter is likely more popular than Facebook, though I’m not sure how helpful it is to emerging entrepreneurs.  Instagram, though, got the real short shrift!  For visual professionals, certainly, I feel that Instagram is the key player here.  And Hootsuite?  I don’t know what the hell that is. 

The real takeaway, and element that has not changed in the past years, is that social media is important to us professionally, apart from however we use it recreationally.  So, again, with the section an overview that, perhaps because it attempts to cover a wide range of intentions, provides insight at least some of the time.  Who knows that the parts which don’t reach me today won’t be more relevant some day later?

Charlessley Rountree- Post 3

I found a graphic designer who is willing to help with my project. She is looking over my stuff and is making note of what i should change with the placement of text and image.

I also found a template for a website i like but i have so many images what should i  putt up there?

Taylor Quinley Blog Post #3

Hello all! So I will start posting about some photographers that I am researching as I am patiently waiting to head to Daytona to start shooting! I posted about this photographer on my Photo III blog post but I also wanted to post it here as well and elaborate a little more about this photographer. 

Nigel Kinrade- Nigel was born on the Isle of Man in the UK. This location was the home of the Isle of Man T.T. Motorcycle Races. During high school and college he traveled to Europe to photograph Grand Prix Motorcycle races and Formula One. He moved to the United States in the early 90’s. He spends more time with the NASCAR community than with is family, he has gotten the chance to work with some of the best teams and sponsors in the industry. 

Now as most of the NASCAR photographers, they tend to focus on the cars, drivers and teams more than the fans. His photographs give me a great insight on what to look for in photographing those specific categories. I have looked at a lot of NASCAR photographers and I will continue to share what I learn with you guys. 

Nigel's photography style is not really like any other NASCAR photographer I have yet to see. He photographs in a way that shows a unique perspective. His images are not always perfect, in fact sometimes he uses different equipment to alter the way a normal photo would look. For example he used a wide frame lens to shoot a photo of a child and a car, causing it to warp the car but still provide that unique perspective. His editing style is also very different. I have noticed a lot of the photos that I have seen recently he tends to crank up the clarity. Now I'm not saying that all of his photos are this way but many are. I found that researching Nigel has allowed me to see different styles and techniques that I would have never thought to use. I hope that I will be able to test out a few of these techniques when I head to Daytona!

I have also attached a link to a short video on Nigel and a little about a day spent at the track as a photographer. I tried looking for the rest of the video but I haven't been able to find it. If I come across it I will make sure to post it!

Link to short video

https://vimeo.com/25775261

Update

Hi all! For the past couple of weeks I've been trying to figure out where I want to go with my photography. After speaking with Greta last week I gained some good insight on how move forward, but it left me with some deep thinking to do on my end. Greta suggested that I look at my past series in photo classes to see if there is an overarching theme. Nature, kids, and death is what has been repeated. One series that I did (shortly after my mom passed away) centered on what we leave behind. From this series I had images with tree carvings, signatures and drawings on walls, dog tags, and letters.

I had a few ideas on what to shoot. The first was to just suck it up and expand on my series from last semester. Another was to capture the relationship between my dad and my son. This is really special to me because my dad stepped up to be the male figure in my sons life numerous times because my ex-husband was in and out of his life. My dad and son have a very special relationship that I just adore. The other idea I had centered on technology and kids and how it's addicting and takes them away from being out in nature.

After explaining my thoughts and ideas, Greta mentioned a possible overarching theme of how we leave our marks in the world. Parents/grandparents leave their marks on the younger generation, literal marks on trees and walls and there might be some tie into nature. I have been trying to figure out how to connect technology, nature and kids all together and what I am trying to say. 

So, yep, that's where I am at. 

Jasmine: Update #1

Hello fellow classmates,

My sincerest apologies for not posting as often as I should.

I have decided that I want to continue the "Thank You for Shopping Here" series; I intend on taking more photos tomorrow. I feel more passion behind this because I know that there are areas that I did not photograph, there's still some people I have yet to meet that I have not photographed. Understanding the story I wish to convey in a deeper way, I know that I can push myself that much further.

Also, I do have a website that I put together last year, it's nothing special but I would like everyone's feed back whenever you have the chance.

Here is the link: http://jasmineswift.wixsite.com/photographers-portfo

Michael: Update #3

I think I'm pretty much done with shooting my house, though I won't bar sporadic insights when they come my way, up until the deadline.
I'll put some more pics here and then maybe another post later, just so they can all get an eye on 'em at some point.
Honestly, a good amount of my photo time has had to go toward upcoming exhibitions/events, as of late, between the symposium, the juried show, and SPE, in March.  They don't necessarily fall into the purview of this class, but they are certainly relevant to us.
The symposium seemed to go okay, though I got the feeling that the art exhibit was the stepchild for the whole thing - I mean it's called a research symposium, after all, so maybe more traditionally academic pursuits are the real highlight.  Still nice to see everyone together!
Alright, later then.