Snapchat Adventures to, in, and from New Orleans

My snapchat adventures continued on my trip to New Orleans for the SPE National Conference. My mom and uncle tagged along, and, well, it was an interesting road trip.
Yo

 

We started in Michigan obviously and took a full day to drive through Ohio, Kentucky, and part of Tennessee. We stopped for the night in Nashville, ate at the Hard Rock Cafe (because tourism, duh,) and went to bed. We woke up, hopped in the car, drove about two hours and then had a four hour excursion through a ton of antique shops, because my mother and I have a problem.

I’m telling you, if you don’t go to antique stores, you are seriously missing out on some beautifully strange things.

Well, we finally left Alabama and got into Mississippi around dusk, and man… Mississippi is actually the worst state. Worse than Ohio. It smells funny, the roads are super dark at night, there are NO lights basically ANYWHERE, exits are few and far between, and when there are exits, the towns look so spooky you’d think Freddy lived there or something. So yeah, Mississippi? No bueno. If you’re from Mississippi, mad props to you, but sorry not sorry on my opinion of your poor, poor state.

But yeah, we got to Louisiana, checked into our fancy Motel 6, and crashed.

Only to wake up hella early the next day, because I had one day to do some sightseeing. So our marathon through New Orleans happened.

My adventures through New Orleans ended with an SPE related event, which was a lecture at the New Orleans Museum of Art by JERRY UELSMANN.

If you are unfamiliar with this amazing soul, go educate yourself.

He is one of the founding members of the Society for Photographic Education, and he is a charismatic speaker and has endless wit. I bought his book after and had him sign in, and he signed it TWICE. His reason? He didn’t like how the first signature looked. I love that man.

He asked if I was a student, and I told him yes. He said that he was too, and that it was important to never stop learning. I couldn’t agree more.

I went to bed on cloud 9 and woke up and spent the next 3 days above the clouds. SPE was incredible. I met some incredible people like Olivia Parker, Anne Noble, and faculty from Columbia College Chicago, Judy Natal and Ross Sawyers. It was a wonderful time, and I’m already looking forward to the Regional Conference this Fall.

And that was New Orleans. After a brief trip to the cemetery, we headed back to Michigan. In one go. Because we are insane.

Also, how creepy is that abandoned Toys R Us? It was down the road from our classy hotel accommodations.

And that is my snapchat adventures for New Orleans. I’m not traveling anywhere for a while, so the snapchat streak is coming to a temporary end. Thanks for browsing my selfies and bad jokes; I’m sure you weren’t avoiding anything important.

Happy Shooting!

Photographer of the Day: Graciela Iturbide

Graciela Iturbide

b. 1942

Today’s PotD, Graciela Iturbide, is a Mexican photographer who said one of the best things ever. She said that “there is always time for the pictures you want.” Keep that in mind, kiddos. Sometimes it’s hard to make work because we’re “too busy,” but remember the wise words of Iturbide, and put your excuses on the shelf and get snappin’.

Anyway.

Iturbide’s work is primarily about feminist causes. In the late 1970s she was asked to photograph the village of Juchitán de Zaragoza, which is a matriarchal community where the women are completely independent in just about every way you can think. It was this body of work that made her interested in feminism and informed the work she would create from then on to today.

But do not be confused: her work is not exclusively about women, as proven with her iconic image, Magnolia.

Magnolia

Iturbide’s work has been recognized internationally, and her image Mujer Ángel was used by the band Rage Against the Machine for one of their single covers. The Mujer Ángel was named after the title of the larger body of work, Mujer Ángel, which was Iturbide’s first series.

Mujer Ángel

Graciela Iturbide still lives and works in Mexico today, and has been a recipient of many prestigious awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship. Home gurl is hard core, like this iguana lady:

Nuestra Señora de las Iguanas

That is the face of a woman who is going to take the world by storm (iguanas optional.)

That’s all for this crash course on Graciela Iturbide. The next PotD will be ____ so keep an eye out.

Happy Shooting!

P.S.- I found this great article with words from Iturbide herself, specifically about Mujer Ángel, so check it out for more information on this amazing photographer.

New Orleans in 35mm

I went on a wonderful trip to New Orleans, Louisiana over my spring break for the national Society for Photographic Education conference. And, of course, I brought a few cameras with me, one of those being the camera I take with me everywhere, the Fuji Natura Classica.

So, here are some pictures from that wonderful 35mm film camera.

I started taking pictures in Nashville, and continued into Alabama, Mississippi, and of course, Louisiana. Getting down to New Orleans was quite the trip (because it literally was, y’know, a trip,) and I made sure to pull out my camera or my iPhone (do it for the snapchats!) whenever it was fitting.

I think some of the best places to take pictures are antique shops. We stopped at a few in Alabama (our butts were hurting from the driving, so we needed to walk it off and go on a treasure hunt in the process,) and man, you can find the coolest and weirdest stuff. I found a flashgun for my Polaroid Automatic 100 at one, so I’m looking forward to trying that out.

Actually, the southern United States are interesting in general. You should go if you’ve never been, and the rest stops are wayy nicer than they are in the north. They have security and everything, if you can imagine that.

Because rest stop areas are obviously the most important thing on any journey.

At least they are when you live in Michigan, and most of the rest areas look like a place where Freddy is hiding in the forest… Can’t really rest at those rest stops without sleeping with one eye open.

Well, that’s all for this installment of my trip to NOLA. Keep an eye out for some medium format prints, digital photos, and snapchats!

Happy Shooting!

Snapchat Adventures in Boston

Before I gush more about my trip to New Orleans, I have to gush about my trip to Boston (which was almost a month ago… I’m a bit behind the times here.)

And, of course, the best way for me to illustrate my trip is through snapchat.

 

My selfie game is gettin’ strong.

There were two things about this trip that were important: firstly, this was my first trip completely solo. No person traveling with me, no friends to stay with at my final destination. Solo~ Second, I was so sick and I thought I was going to die, so my time in Boston was spent in my hostel, taking Mucinex and sleeping so I would make it to my grad school interview not only with my voice, but alive.

They always say that it is about the journey, not the destination, and after this trip I can say that is very true. I spent 24 hours on a bus to get to Boston, including a 3.5 hour layover in NYC. While I was at Port Authority with every other poor soul who had to be at Port Authority past midnight, I met two incredible people. One was an Amish man from Maine, and we talked about Jesus and faith and all that good stuff. His love for others was clearly apparent, as was his love for his family, which he told me all about. It was lovely, meeting a kindred spirit.

The other person I met was a lady who lives in Maine but comes to NYC for her doctor appointments, something about not being able to get a doctor in Maine or something. The Amish man put her personality perfectly: “She seems like a well-to-do-person.” Her, the Amish gentleman, and I were the first in line for our loading dock, and we got to talking, because what else are you going to do at that time of morning while waiting for a bus that is three hours away? It was during our conversation she mentioned her health care dilemma. Apparently, she was an emergency response worker during the 9/11 attacks, and her lungs are all messed up from breathing in those harmful debris. I’m always so taken aback by stuff like that, and she said it so humbly, too. She did a lot of good on that day, and she’s paying for it with her health. Think about people like her, and thank them, because they are a special and rare kind.

But enough with my reflections. I hope my snapchats were enjoyable (I have so much fun making them on my travels, and hopefully that translates well,) and I hope that you pay some kindness forward today or meet a kindred spirit.

Happy Shooting!

New Orleans Cemetery #3

I had a very limited time in New Orleans. Of the four and a half days I was there, I had one day to sight-see. That day, my family and I went around the French Quarter and took one of those bus tours around the city. It was really nice, getting a crash course on New Orleans. We stopped at Cemetery #3, but were only allowed ten minutes to explore. So, naturally, I wanted to come back.

The day we were leaving we woke up at 6AM so I could go take pictures at the cemetery before driving alllll the wayyyy back to Michigan. If that’s not familial love, I dunno what is.

So, we went, and spent an hour walking around. I took a lot of pictures with my Lomo Fuji Instax Mini, and got to do some double exposures with it. It’s a neat little camera. I also took a lot with my medium format (my pitiful Voigtlander,) which I need to get developed. I love that camera because of the antique aesthetic is gives my images. Wow, that was a very hipster thing of me to say.

But yeah, antique? Old graves? I’m into that.

STORY TIME.

So my mom and I were walking at the edge of the cemetery, where there were these sort of tombs in the wall– think morgue, but lots of them. So we’re walking along, taking pictures because that’s not disturbing to do in a cemetery, and we start to hear this knocking sound. My mom and I looked at each other, made a “no freaking way there is not someone knocking in that wall” face, laughed at the ridiculousness of that idea, and continued taking pictures.

But the knocking sound continued. After a while my mom and I were like “okay, this isn’t funny,” and we were the only people we saw in the cemetery. So, who was knocking?

We weren’t going anywhere in a hurry, until I finally said, “THIS IS WHY PEOPLE DIE IN HORROR MOVIES.”

So, yeah. We left that place reallllll quick after that conclusion.

If you’re ever in New Orleans, I recommend Cemetery #3. The more famous ones are #1 and #2, but if you’re not in the mood for crowds, #3 is less visited by the touring masses.

Just. If you hear knocking… run.

Happy Shooting!

Snapchat Adventures from Columbus, Ohio

If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll know that I have become a serial Snapchat-ter whenever I travel.

Well, this past month I have traveled so many miles, I could be in France by now. Which means there are a LOT of Snapchats to be had.

I also have snaps of my adventure to Boston and New Orleans, but those are for another day, so I don’t drown you in my selfies and bad jokes.

So here is a behind the scenes look at my grad school adventure to Columbus, Ohio.

I visited Ohio State University and met some of the current graduate students and other prospectives. It was a wonderful time, and I stayed with great people (shout out to Melissa, David, and Hazel!) I really loved the program and all the people I met. I highly recommend it to anyone considering an MFA in Visual Art.

It was actually freezing. The bus was late picking me up because it was -30 degrees in Detroit, and a lot of the buses stopped working. Awesome. I didn’t feel warm until I got back home days later, when it was like 10 degrees. Yeah, way too cold.

If you’re ever in Columbus, go to COSI. It is a super fun science museum, and adults can have fun, too. (I also watched a cesarean section on a tv screen– that I do NOT recommend.)

So, enough of my life. I’m currently working on a guide to applying for MFA programs in Visual Art (namely, Photography,) so keep an eye out. This entire process has been extremely stressful, and I would have liked some insight or words of wisdom, but found little. The only MFA help I could find was for Creative Writing– which is cool and all, but not what I’m studying.

Well, that’s all for now. Happy Shooting!

February’s Photos

February was a crazy month for me. I started hearing back from graduate programs and traveled for interviews, and I spent a total of 50 hours on a bus. I was sick for a week, and just generally really, really tired. I may be looking at grad school, but I’m still in undergrad making work. It’s a little rough.

BUT ART IS SUFFERING. YOLO.

But my adventures in February were awesome. I went to Columbus, Ohio and Boston, Massachusetts.

I didn’t get to take many pictures in Boston, mostly because I was super sick, and when I got to my hostel I went straight to bed, as an attempt to feel better for my interview. And I did end up feeling better, so shout out to my friends Mucinex, Halls, and Kleenex. I don’t know where I would be today without their trusted companionship.

My adventures continue right now, actually. I’m on my way to New Orleans, so keep an eye out for photos!

Happy Shooting!

Polaroids of Long Lost Family

I do this thing where I collect old Polaroids of people I don’t know, and I “adopt” them. It’s kinda sad when you think about it, how someone didn’t want their family photos or there wasn’t anyone left in the family to want them. So, I’ve been collecting them. Because every photograph deserves a home.

It’s admittedly a strange action, especially the “adoption” part. There’s some tension there; I know that these people will never truly be my family and I don’t know anything about them, and, also, what gives me the right to take ownership of their precious memories?

Since I’ve gathered quite a few Polaroids, I decided to do something with them for a project. I decided to make an attempt to map out this complicated tension by writing, painting, and collaging onto the pictures, kind of like scrapbooking– and we scrapbook our precious memories, right? I was trying to make these memories my own, but the frustration that this is not possible became clear as I worked on the project.

When I was working on these, I was wondering what the people in them are up to today. I have no idea if these people are dead or alive, and I probably will never know. It’s a melancholy thing.

But as my dancing-friend-who-just-baptised-his-newborn-would-say: YOLO .

And yes that is the same guy.

Also that little boy who is crying in every picture? What a little punk.

For some, I made up my own memory of the person in the photo or the event. For others, I responded to the content and altered the space around it. Some are just commentary from me, because I think I’m hilarious.

I just imagine a gallery space filled with a grid of these ridiculous photographs. And, who doesn’t love looking at awkward family photos? It’s like a train wreck you don’t want to look but you do anyway. Kind of like my life.

Well that’s all for now. If any of you are going to be in New Orleans for the Society for Photographic Education conference next week, shoot me an email or something and maybe we can meet up there and talk about photography! Yay new people!

Happy Shooting!