Congratulations to MFA candidates, Ai-ling Chang, Steffanie Halley, and Jeff Rich. Their work will be included in a group, regional juried exhibition at The Beaver Contemporary Art Center. The gallery is located at 1535 San Marco Blvd., Jacksonville, FL, and the opening reception will be held Friday, November 9th starting at 7 pm.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Three MFA Candidates to Exhibit Work at The Beaver Contemporary Art Center
Congratulations to MFA candidates, Ai-ling Chang, Steffanie Halley, and Jeff Rich. Their work will be included in a group, regional juried exhibition at The Beaver Contemporary Art Center. The gallery is located at 1535 San Marco Blvd., Jacksonville, FL, and the opening reception will be held Friday, November 9th starting at 7 pm.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Mosch Squared: "Inside Outside"
Professor Steve Mosch and his partner in crime, Professor Deborah Mosch (Foundations) will host an opening reception for their 2-person show, "Inside Outside" on Friday, November 9th at the Pinnacle Gallery. The opening will be part of the SCAD gallery hop. Go!
Staying On Top Of It
Not being in NYC (yes, I admit I'm very New York-centric, but fill in the major metro area of your choice), it's hard to stay on top of trends in contemporary photography. When I lived in the city, I could spend a Saturday in Chelsea or Soho and feel pretty plugged in. So what's a girl (or guy) who finds themselves in Savannah, Georgia to do (besides envy the cosmopolitan Atlanta campus students)?
Typically, I check the NY Times for new exhibition reviews on Friday and again on Sunday for more extended articles on the arts. If you can afford to, get a subscription to the Sunday Times. The Magazine alone is worth the price. The Photo Editor of The Magazine, Kathy Ryan, has become something of a taste maker, and she continues to make innovative choices, especially in terms of hiring "fine art" photographers to do commercial, editorial shoots. Plus, the crossword puzzle is great. I can sometimes solve it, but it takes me the entire week.
If you get one subscription to one photography magazine, get Photo District News (PDN). I like it because it's ecumenical. There are articles about both commercial and fine art as well as technical pointers and equipment/software and book reviews. Other magazines worth looking at on a regular basis are Art in America, Artforum, and Aperture.
Lastly, the internet is a great resource. I frequently check the websites of galleries and museums, and if I ever hear a name I don't recognize, I Google it. Blogs are great too! "Power to the people," I say. I know that some of you will have some great suggestions for internet resources, so please post your comments!
Typically, I check the NY Times for new exhibition reviews on Friday and again on Sunday for more extended articles on the arts. If you can afford to, get a subscription to the Sunday Times. The Magazine alone is worth the price. The Photo Editor of The Magazine, Kathy Ryan, has become something of a taste maker, and she continues to make innovative choices, especially in terms of hiring "fine art" photographers to do commercial, editorial shoots. Plus, the crossword puzzle is great. I can sometimes solve it, but it takes me the entire week.
If you get one subscription to one photography magazine, get Photo District News (PDN). I like it because it's ecumenical. There are articles about both commercial and fine art as well as technical pointers and equipment/software and book reviews. Other magazines worth looking at on a regular basis are Art in America, Artforum, and Aperture.
Lastly, the internet is a great resource. I frequently check the websites of galleries and museums, and if I ever hear a name I don't recognize, I Google it. Blogs are great too! "Power to the people," I say. I know that some of you will have some great suggestions for internet resources, so please post your comments!
Joanna Knox Asks, "Digital or Analog?"
Alumna, Joanna Knox (MFA), asked that I initiate a discussion about analog vs. digital prints. Her comments follow:
I have been showing my work recently in some galleries in the DC area and I have heard a lot of mixed opinions. One well-respected curator told me "I would certainly hope that no digital prints would be shown on the walls here." On the other hand, collectors seem to be fascinated by the fact that I still create traditional c-prints. It's like I am some sort of analog freak! Is the traditional c-print becoming a hot item to collectors because it has become rarer? Or do collectors favor digital prints? Or is it just my imagination? Regardless, I have decided to build a traditional color darkroom in my basement. No joke! After you leave SCAD, where the heck do you print?! The rental darkrooms are certainly disappearing. In the DC area, I have to drive two hours away to find one. My secret plan...I have a used CP-51 Fujimoto sitting in my basement, and I am going out to buy ventilation piping tomorrow. If everyone is starting to print digitally, could I have some sort of special niche just because I print traditional c-prints?
I want to know what other people think.
I have been showing my work recently in some galleries in the DC area and I have heard a lot of mixed opinions. One well-respected curator told me "I would certainly hope that no digital prints would be shown on the walls here." On the other hand, collectors seem to be fascinated by the fact that I still create traditional c-prints. It's like I am some sort of analog freak! Is the traditional c-print becoming a hot item to collectors because it has become rarer? Or do collectors favor digital prints? Or is it just my imagination? Regardless, I have decided to build a traditional color darkroom in my basement. No joke! After you leave SCAD, where the heck do you print?! The rental darkrooms are certainly disappearing. In the DC area, I have to drive two hours away to find one. My secret plan...I have a used CP-51 Fujimoto sitting in my basement, and I am going out to buy ventilation piping tomorrow. If everyone is starting to print digitally, could I have some sort of special niche just because I print traditional c-prints?
I want to know what other people think.
Alumni Update: Photo Editing Power Couple
I just heard from Julie Holder. She recently took a position as an Assistant Photo Editor at Tennis magazine. She also let me know that Alumnus, Bo Powell, is working as a Photo Editor for Bravo (television). If any old friends want their contact information, let me know.
An Interview with Alumnus, David Field
www.thephotofield .com
JK: When did you graduate from SCAD?
DF: Spring 2005
JK: Could you summarize what you’ve been up to since you graduated?
DF: After SCAD, I moved directly to New York City and became studio manager for photographer Joyce Tenneson (I interned with her the summer before). Simultaneously, I was working as a freelance assistant to a few other photographers. This was possible because I only worked for Joyce 3 days per week. On the weekends, I would try and shoot my own photographs for my portfolio. By 2006, I decided to quit working for Joyce and go 100% freelance. Since then, much of my income has come from freelance retouching work that I do on the side to support my beginnings in photography. I’m slowly weaning myself off retouching as my photography jobs increase
JK: How would you describe your style of photography?
DF: Conceptual, moody, and somewhat sinister.
JK: What was your favorite class at SCAD, and why?
DF: Probably Intro to Photography. Up until that point, I was intending to major in graphic design and illustration. The intro class (taught by Rebecca Nolan) really inspired me and is the reason why I’m doing photography right now!
JK: Besides me (of course), who was your favorite SCAD Professor, and why?
DF: Oh, this isn’t fair because they’re all so great for their own unique reasons. I loved David Mackie because he was such a genius. Andy Moxon was truly inspiring for his gung-ho attitude. Liz Darlington, Larry Dixon, ahhhh the list goes on and on!!
JK: Who are your favorite contemporary photographers?
DF: Eugenio Recuenco, Erwin Olaf, Nadav Kander, and Eric Ogden.
JK: Have you had any nightmare assignments? If so, tell us.
DF: Well, most of my personal shoots are nightmares. This is because I tend to think big and get in over my head. When I do client work, everything goes much smoother during shooting, but the nightmare element usually involves money. Every single job involves lots and lots of haggling because people expect so much for so little. Arguing over money can really damage the client / photographer relationship. Luckily, I now have an agent that can be the “bad cop”
JK: Are you currently making a living exclusively through photography? If not, how do you supplement your income?
DF: I wish I could say yes… Truth of the matter is that I make at least half of my money through retouching for other photographers. I treat it as my “bread and butter” and invest everything directly into my own photography expenses. It’s a hard balancing act—the money from retouching is so good, but I have to prioritize my shooting career. I just always make sure I limit the amount of retouching jobs I take on.
JK: What’s the best thing about living in NYC?
DF: Anything is possible. You have unlimited resources, and the sky is the limit.
JK: What’s the worst thing about living in NYC?
DF: Facing true disillusionment. You lose your ego in this town.
JK: If you had $10,000 to spend on gear, what would you buy?
DF: I guess it would be nice to actually own a camera for once! I’ve still been renting everything up until this point. Truthfully, if someone gave me an extra $10,000 right now, I’d probably put it towards promotion costs. Either that, or production costs (I’ve spent $10,000 on a single shoot). Buying equipment is low on the priority list.
JK: What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten from a teacher or mentor?
DF: I guess it was from Craig Stevens who explained the difference between “making” a picture and “taking” a picture. I apply this principle to my creative process every time.
JK: What advice can you give to current SCAD Photography majors?
DF: If your goal is to become a freelance photographer, realize that it won’t happen overnight. Starting any business requires lots of time and tons of money. It is very smart to begin assisting and working for other photographers. You’ll learn a bunch, and you’ll make lots of contacts that will be useful to you further down the road. Not to mention, you’ll actually make money to support yourself. It’s hard, but try not to settle down into a full time job. Once you adjust to a certain level of comfort, it’s very hard to go back.
Oh, and read these books:
Best Business Practices for Photographers by John Harrington
Starting Your Career as a Freelance Photographer by Tad Crawford
The Real Business of Photography by Richard Weisgrau
I'm Stuck! Four shots of WD-40 for the Brain.
Many photography courses require students to develop a final project or portfolio--several images that are conceptually, thematically, and aesthetically cohesive. What do you do if you can't come up with an idea? Almost any subject has the potential to be interesting, and this can be overwhelming.
Artists generate ideas and work in different ways. Some "do in order to know", whereas others tend to "know in order to do." Most go back and forth. They try something, they think about it, they listen to what others think about it, they try something else, and start thinking about it again. The "do in order to know" camp often describe their process as "intuitive", while the "know in order to do" people might consider themselves more "conceptual." Personally, I'm not all that interested in these binaries.
From my own experience and from working with students, it seems that most people go back and forth. Working "intuitively" sounds romantic, but ideas and motivations for making art don't just mysteriously emerge from nowhere. Despite those wonderful, seemingly "eureka!" moments, a great idea is the result of thinking and looking and being "plugged in" to the culture, the art world, a peer group, etc.
WD-40/1: Research. Look at magazines. Watch TV. Listen to NPR. Read books. Have conversations about photography, politics, shoes, killer whales...whatever you're interested in.
And that leads me to WD-40/2. Know what you're interested in. I'm obsessed with stacks of things. I love repetition. When I see a neatly stacked tower of bathroom towels it makes me really happy. In my art making process, I repeat things. I stack, and I think I know what it's about. In some ways it's about the capitalist "more is more" ethos; excess to the point of obscenity. But the higher the stack gets, the more vulnerable it is. I like that idea, too. I like the idea of something getting so big that it defies all the laws of gravity. What do you like?
WD-40/3: Try something silly. Get a stack of index cards. Write some random words on them (adjectives are good). Shuffle. Lay out a few. Now imagine what kind of a photograph you would make to illustrate that combination of words. Or, try playing the art "love child" game. What kind of work would the love child of Diane Arbus and Ansel Adams make? Hmm...freakish landscapes...could be kind of cool.
WD-40/4: If all else fails, just do it. Just shoot. Don't worry about what it means. Sometimes others can help you figure that out. And don't give up on a project if you don't get results right away. See if you can shoot and edit and think and re-shoot your way out of what might seem to be a dead end. If you're really really stuck, set a really narrow set of parameters. For example, only shoot one room in your house for a week or one person's face for a month, or one object every hour for a day. Ironically, sometimes the most innovative ideas can be generated from the spots that seem the tightest.
Please add your own comments and helpful hints!
Artists generate ideas and work in different ways. Some "do in order to know", whereas others tend to "know in order to do." Most go back and forth. They try something, they think about it, they listen to what others think about it, they try something else, and start thinking about it again. The "do in order to know" camp often describe their process as "intuitive", while the "know in order to do" people might consider themselves more "conceptual." Personally, I'm not all that interested in these binaries.
From my own experience and from working with students, it seems that most people go back and forth. Working "intuitively" sounds romantic, but ideas and motivations for making art don't just mysteriously emerge from nowhere. Despite those wonderful, seemingly "eureka!" moments, a great idea is the result of thinking and looking and being "plugged in" to the culture, the art world, a peer group, etc.
WD-40/1: Research. Look at magazines. Watch TV. Listen to NPR. Read books. Have conversations about photography, politics, shoes, killer whales...whatever you're interested in.
And that leads me to WD-40/2. Know what you're interested in. I'm obsessed with stacks of things. I love repetition. When I see a neatly stacked tower of bathroom towels it makes me really happy. In my art making process, I repeat things. I stack, and I think I know what it's about. In some ways it's about the capitalist "more is more" ethos; excess to the point of obscenity. But the higher the stack gets, the more vulnerable it is. I like that idea, too. I like the idea of something getting so big that it defies all the laws of gravity. What do you like?
WD-40/3: Try something silly. Get a stack of index cards. Write some random words on them (adjectives are good). Shuffle. Lay out a few. Now imagine what kind of a photograph you would make to illustrate that combination of words. Or, try playing the art "love child" game. What kind of work would the love child of Diane Arbus and Ansel Adams make? Hmm...freakish landscapes...could be kind of cool.
WD-40/4: If all else fails, just do it. Just shoot. Don't worry about what it means. Sometimes others can help you figure that out. And don't give up on a project if you don't get results right away. See if you can shoot and edit and think and re-shoot your way out of what might seem to be a dead end. If you're really really stuck, set a really narrow set of parameters. For example, only shoot one room in your house for a week or one person's face for a month, or one object every hour for a day. Ironically, sometimes the most innovative ideas can be generated from the spots that seem the tightest.
Please add your own comments and helpful hints!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Linda Wilson's "Sense of Self"
Alumna Linda Wilson (MFA) will be exhibiting images from her "Sense of Self" series at the Gallery in the Milburn Stone Theatre at Cecil College in North East, MD. A reception will be held on Tuesday, November 13th from 6-7:30 pm. For more information, call 410-287-1023.
Professor Gamber Interviews Professors Nolan and Truett
As part of the Atlanta Celebrates Photography festivities, Rebecca Nolan and Meryl Truett had a 2-person show, "You Can't Get There From Here," at the Stokes Gallery. A little trivia: the music that accompanies this video is by Billy Bragg. A Photography Professor who shall remain nameless was once signed to the same record label. She may or may not have discussed Communism with him in a tour bus. Kids, remember, your Professors used to be cool.
What I Learned On My Summer Internship
Come hear from a panel of your fellow students in the School of Communication Art who completed great internships this summer.
Thursday, November 1
7:00pm to 8:30pm
Student Center
Student Panel:
| Megan Cummins | Graphic Design | Departures Magazine |
| Alex Goose | Graphic Design | Target Corporation |
| Todd Hoppmeyer | Sequential Art | Cartoon Network |
| Mimia Johnson | Advertising Design | Grow Marketing |
| Shelley Laband | Illustration | |
| Melissa Marshall | Photography | Fashion Photographer Jill Watchter |
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