Dog Days, Bogota

Alec Soth

I just stumbled upon this project recently and it is not exactly directly related to what I am doing this semester, but I could not not share it. 

I took my first black and white film class last fall introduced me to the wonders of analogue photography. I feel like I didn't shoot as much as I wanted to so I wanted to do something with my film camera this semester. Shooting film as film and not just snapping away like I would with my digital really makes me stop and think.

Intentionality has become a important part of my working process as I try to develop my skills in a more specific direction. Thinking about what I want to shoot and how to best shoot it was never really part of my process in the past.. I would just throw on an interval timer and jump on stage in front of the lens do the same moves I always do against a background then chimp the screen to see what I got.

If this project is about resetting for me then I would like to look into my photographic process and think about what is working what is not and how I can retain the good habits while weeding out the bad ones. I want to continue shooting film and people like Alec Soth inspire me to get out and photograph.

Eric Kim Street Photography

Eric Kim runs a street photography blog from his home in Berkeley, California. He teaches workshops around the world and is a prolific writer. He publishes all of his books open source so that anyone can read them for free. I love his approach to the genre and his willingness to share his own experience, whether it's distilling the tactics of an old master of photography or simply asking questions about one's own photographic journey. I have learned a lot from Eric's informative and reflective style of writing and admire his growth in street portraiture

Sometimes Eric breaks down his own photos to critique them and demonstrate principles of technique.

Christopher Griffith Foot Soldiers

Foot Soldiers is a photo series by Christopher Griffith that chronicles the hands of shoe shiners on the streets of New York. The exquisite details of their hands and shine implements make for striking manual portraits. The artistic choice to isolate the hands on a simple background really highlights the details and vibrant colors.

Margaret Zhang

Margaret Zhang is an Australian photographer/stylist/blogger who runs the website Shine by Three. She travels around the world writing about and photographing fashion and still makes many of her own self-portraits used on the blog.

Minh Ha Pham

I heard Minh Ha Pham speaking on a program on NPR and while I did not have time to read her book, it seems like something that would be particularly applicable to my journey of self-discovery and identity. I have always wanted to have my own blog... and if I had been writing instead of talking about it I probably would have something cool to show for it. But who knows? This could be it~ It's never too late. Personal style blogging is a unique way of expressing oneself and connecting with the world. Everyone wears clothes, but not everyone takes the time to care about what they're wearing says about them.

Do More, Wear Less

This is the motto of Ewan and Brianna Phelan, a husband and wife intimate lifestyle photography team. I was introduced to their work by my Event Photography professor and was immediately drawn to their style of boudoir photography. Their photographs have a raw sensuality to them that is empowering for their clients and striking for the viewer.

Guy Bourdin

Guy Bourdin cultivated his own aesthetic in the fashion world. His use of color and dynamic posing are imitated to this day. I spent more time using and getting comfortable with studio lighting this semester and I hope to continue honing my skills with off camera flash.