Green Photography

[ranemaka13]

I've held out long enough, so here's a brief update/preview of MORE things to come in the coming weeks (once this semester's over). These images are from my current project, Friends & Strangers. More on that later when I get the rest of the images ready:

Ashley Galbraith

Estella McCall

These two images have recently been awarded places on a wall in a gallery show in Marietta, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. It's not a big show, but it's the first show I've been accepted into (out of 3 half-hearted tries) that I didn't personally set up. If any one'll be in the area on May 2nd, lemme know and I'll be sure to give you some locational info.

That's right, I don't think I've told anyone about the other two shows this year. A couple of my friends and I earlier this semester had decided to attend a national photo conference in Denver, CO. The biggest challenge facing us would be money spent, and although we approached the school for help we decided to take matters into our own hands (which, evidently, was the best decision, since the school has yet to give us any form of reimbursement). We set up a print sale at school, arranged it in a Salon-style show and opened it to the public. It paid off handsomely. We three, in fact, hold the record for the most money received from sales at our school, about $1200.
Who says Art doesn't pay? =)
And this is more impressive once you consider just how little we were selling each print for. They ranged from just 5 bucks, to the normal print being $50. The most expensive print in the show, $100, was my own, and one that I never considered anyone wanting. This is it and it sold to a very excited gentleman who teaches Journalism at UGA (I think):

Willie Mack Hopkins - Greenville, North Carolina

The show was a success and afforded my friends and I the long drive to Colorado, a three day stay in Denver, at absolutely no cost to us.

Most recently, we held another show at the gallery I currently work at, and most of those in attendance were friends. It was a nice night and seemed a success.

So, this show I've most recently gotten into is different and quite a welcome change. It's good to know that I don't have to make a show myself in order to be in one.

 

[ranemaka13]

So, this is the fruit of this semester's labors: Friends & Strangers (So Far).

These are the images that went up for review recently, and two were posted previously (see above). I'm going to post them again, just for ease of reference and viewing.
While I passed the review (which means a graduation this december), there were issues that the profs brought up that I'd like to iron out before I ready the project for my Thesis Exhibition.

The idea behind these images, behind this project, is to illustrate the physical, psychological and (perhaps) emotional distances between myself and those respective groups of people entitled. It's quite a simple concept, really, and I wish I could've found the artist's statement that I submitted during the review to give a better idea of what they were looking at.
Those persons I call friends are as close to myself and the camera as focus will allow. The strangers are at relatively equal distance from the camera. Then there are those "in-betweens," for lack of a better word. These are friends from the past, people that I was once close to, but have since fallen out of touch. They've had experiences and life-altering events that I wasn't made aware of until I just recently got in touch with them for this project.

Let's move on to the images for now, and perhaps afterwards I'll give some of the issues that were brought up during the review.

Ashley Galbraith

Tim Maulsby

Joshua Camp

Estella McCall

Daniel Bowden

Wes

Tim

Steven & Lynn

Roger

Rob & Child

Mallory

Antonio

And these images aren't the extent of the pictures I've taken, but they're generally seen as the best of what I've done so far (from what I've shown). I have many more strangers than friends, but the latter is easily taken care of in comparison to the former.
One of the issues brought up (and the reason why I'm asking for this critique here) is that all of these people are strangers to the viewer. So, the question has become whether or not I'm communicating an openness and intimacy in those images of friends. Perhaps some of them are getting to that point, but some do not.

What are your impressions of these people? What kind of experience are you taking from these images?
I'd love to find out what exactly an objective view is like on this project. What's working and what's not?

Also, there's an issue with the titles. I thought that in order to differentiate even more the groups of people I'd include for those people I know their first and last name; for those I've met randomly on the street or wherever I happen to be, I'd include just their first name. Is this working at all? In the end, does it matter to you what their names are? Does that make a difference? Any titling suggestions?

I think that's it for now. If I've been unclear, please let me know. I'll attempt to explain myself a bit clearer.

Thank you.

 

[Aazealh]

One of the issues brought up (and the reason why I'm asking for this critique here) is that all of these people are strangers to the viewer. So, the question has become whether or not I'm communicating an openness and intimacy in those images of friends. Perhaps some of them are getting to that point, but some do not.

What are your impressions of these people? What kind of experience are you taking from these images?

It's pretty clear which are friends and which are strangers just from the fact friends are close-ups. Plus, most are inside and looking relatively at ease (what's with that haughty look Ashley?), while your stranger shots are outside, for some of them looking rather stiff. The names convey the difference quite obviously as well. That makes it easy to know Daniel Bowden is a friend, while otherwise it might have been a lot harder to differentiate (even though his attitude sort of conveys that he's a friend, plus the "inside" factor).

Also, there's an issue with the titles. I thought that in order to differentiate even more the groups of people I'd include for those people I know their first and last name; for those I've met randomly on the street or wherever I happen to be, I'd include just their first name. Is this working at all? In the end, does it matter to you what their names are? Does that make a difference? Any titling suggestions?

It's working for me. Combined with the close to/far from the camera aspect, it makes it easy to know who's who. Without the titles to differentiate I probably couldn't be sure whether Tim was a friend or not, for example. To be honest if I had to point out a default it'd be that it comes off as a little pretentious to me. Might just be my perception though, and since it's artistic photography anyway I guess it's not much of a problem.

 

[Griffith]

My favorite is Wes, by far. If he downplayed the whole janitor thing and played up the old Paul Newman angle, he could totally be a hustler.

 

[ranemaka13]

To be honest if I had to point out a default it'd be that it comes off as a little pretentious to me. Might just be my perception though, and since it's artistic photography anyway I guess it's not much of a problem.

Pretentious in what way?

I'd hate to have that applied to me, and I certainly wasn't trying to come off as pretentious.

 

[smoke]

It's really interesting. I'm guessing all the strangers you pic'd were pretty interesting people. They look like it, anyway.

 

[Aazealh]

Pretentious in what way?

I'd hate to have that applied to me, and I certainly wasn't trying to come off as pretentious.

I mean the titling, having the first and last name without anything else. It's just some vibe I get, I'm not sure it's rational or anything (got no problem with just first names). It could just be because it's not within the context of the whole project. Seeing them just like that, a part of me gets to think "what so these guys are supposed to be big shots or something?" But it makes sense to use those titles and I think they work well enough, especially since they're portraits, so you probably shouldn't care too much.