Week 10 EOC: Mission Statements

“I've had a love for photography my entire life; I was one of those kids who took pictures of everything. Dandelions, friends, dead bugs, nothing could escape my lens. Flash forward a few years and it's grown into a full on passion.

Red Feather Photography focuses on the story behind the photo. Starting from a home studio in 2006, iPose Photography has grown into a full time business helping people capture their greatest memories. Today, I operate from a studio in the Historic Haymarket in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Specializing in Children Photography I also has a special place in my heart in capturing High School Seniors. Having the blessed ability to capture and express these special moments is my personal gift to you.

Allowing me to create your story with Red Feather Photography is the highest honor I could receive in my profession.

Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to telling your story!

-Jacque Haeffner” (http://www.redfeather-photography.com/)

I think that his is a good mission statement for this company called Red Feather photography. The photographer keeps things simple while still giving some background and a brief description of who she is and what she does.

“Eye Revolution is based in Crouch End, North London. Since 1994, we have created thousands of virtual tours for hundreds of clients, viewed by a web audience of millions. But we believe in quality, not just quantity. Eye Revolution is setting the standards of virtual tours across the world. Our passion and skill as photographers is apparent in every tour we create. Virtual tours should never be an inadequate representation of a space – make them good enough and they should enthrall and excite. People living 5,000 miles away could see just how luxurious your hotel is and people just down the road can see how much fun your attraction will be – a virtual tour should be a tool to inspire them to come to you. “ (http://www.eyerevolution.co.uk/about.php)

Here is another example I think is a good mission statement. In this statement the company establishes who they are, what they do, and why to use them. They also go on to give a lot more very good information on the companies about us web page.

Week 9 EOC: Emotional Attachment

I think that for me as a photographer my love for photography started at a very young age and like most photographers there was something that inspired me and captivated me about photographing the natural world. I grew up living in smaller rural areas of Utah and Colorado, working or at least enjoying the time spent on my grandparents farm, as well as, camping and doing all sorts of outdoor activities with my family growing up. Another of the things that inspired me in photography was National Geographic Magazine as well as all of it’s programming on TV. I as always captivated by the people, places, and wildlife featured in each issue and program. That same captivation and motivation still drives me in my passion to capture the natural world. I have always dreamed to travel the world and photograph those peoples, places,animals and plants that were at risk of vanishing from the Earth forever. My driving factor in this was and still is to preserve life in all of its many forms through photographs, so that in the sad and terrible case that one of those life forms vanishes forever we as a human race have a record of it to show our children and their children. This image of a grey wolf in the snow shot by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore is one of many like it over the years that have inspired me to become the photographer I am today. It is a goal of mine that through my hard work and continued growth in photography that I will one day become like Joel Sartone and many others and have my own work showcased in the pages of National Geographic magazine. I plan of also becoming like another of my Inspirations Art Wolfe and have my own photographic business that will help to preserve and conserve the planets natural world.

Week 8 EOC: What makes a photograph Great?

What makes a photograph great? I think this has to be one of the hardest questions for a photographer to answer. It’s difficult to say what makes a photograph great because each and every person who views it views a photograph differently. The experiences a person has had throughout their life up until the moment in which they view a certain photograph will influence the way that individual person see’s and experiences the photograph. Many photographers will say that the photograph is only great if it has all of the essential elements of design in it, like composition, lighting, form, lines, etc. I think that what Kevin Carter said in response to this question hits the nail on the head; he said, “I think that it is a photograph that asks a question.” I think this is a very true statement, I believe that when a photograph poses a question to the world and to the viewer it becomes something more than just another photograph. I want to make these types of photographs and I suppose most photographers want to do the same. I don’t want to be remembered as just another photographer but rather the photographer that took that one photograph.

“You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
― Ansel Adams

I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation, I don't find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing the edges.  ~William Albert Allard, "The Photographic Essay"

Week 7 EOC: Adult Content

Pornography and Adult content have been a part of photography from its earliest days, just as it is in today’s society. In the film Gentlemen’s Relish a Artist and Painter is tricked into making this type of photographs from his young assistant. The Assistant convinces the Artist and Photographer to recreate famous paintings, which contain nudity and then the assistant crops the photographs down to show the more erotic poses of the recreated painting that he then turns around and sells. The film is based in the early 1900’s when photography was starting to become its own Art form. I think the movie does show the way pornography came about in photography and is still true to this day in photography. The film also talks about the morals involved when people take these type of photographs, and as a photographer I think that it is very important to know where to draw the line when it comes to your own morals as to what kind of assignments you will be willing to take on. In the marketplace today sex sells and many companies are looking for this type of photograph to promote their product. How you go about taking these types of photographs however is the challenge most photographers will face. I think that as a photographer you can take sexy or sensual styles of photographs without having to fall victim to making pornography.  I think that there is a place for all types and style of Art, however some of those types and style of Art are not for me personally as a photographer.

Week 6 EOC: How Art has changed me.

From the time I started at the Art Institute of Las Vegas I have been even more inspired by all forms of Art from traditional Art to Photography. I would have to say I think that rather than Art changing me I have changed the way I view all forms of Art. I have come to appreciate different forms of Art more than I used to and I see myself looking deeper into the piece of Art to figure out how it may have been created, the techniques that were used, as well as the mediums involved. I think that the Art of Photography has changed me the most, or I have changed the way I view the world because of my photography. I find myself looking at things with a new perspective shaping everything in my mind in the form of a photograph. I have always been a photographer, but it wasn’t until I came to school to get my degree in photography that I started to see myself as a professional photographer. I came into the program with knowledge of photography and have been able to expound on that knowledge as well as gain new knowledge in photography. I feel that I know have knowledge and skills needed to have and run my own photographic business. I also feel that my skill level has been raised to a whole new level in the time I have been at the Art Institute of Las Vegas. I continue to learn and grow in my knowledge and passion of photography, using that passion and knowledge to create my own works of art that I hope will one day inspire an new generation of photographers with a similar passion for the art of photography to reach out and grasp their own potential in becoming professional photographers in the future.

Week 4 EOC: Plans for photography shopping

For this weeks photo challenge I am planning to go to either Casey's Camera or Wolf Camera to talk to the people in the shop and take my picture in the shop. Wolf Camera is more of a consumer store than a prosumer or professional photo shop. Casey's camera is prosumer and more of a professional photography shop here in Las Vegas. http://www.caseyscamera.com/ is the link to Casey's Camera website and http://www.wolfcamera.com/ is the website for Wolf Camera. I have used both of these shops in the past and will continue to use them in the future.

Week 3 EOC: My Commitment

There are many different types of photography business’s here in the Las Vegas area. Many of them are strictly portrait or wedding photography businesses; however at Limitless Exposure photography we are a Fine Art, nature, Wildlife and Environmental photographic company. Many photography businesses that specialize in our style of photography usually work only on location and are web based businesses. At Limitless Exposure photography we will be an on location, studio/ gallery and web based company. We will have a strong web based presence for our fine art prints and our stock photography. The studio side of our business will be used for our Fine Art photography and will also serve as a place to construct our prints and art pieces to be showcased in our gallery. Another large portion of our business will be community outreach and involvement. We will work closely with young artists in the community showcasing their work as well as doing seminars and photograph learning events and excursions. Limitless Exposure photography will also work with local businesses, hotels, travel agencies, etc. to provide them with art piece that can be purchased and displayed. Each month our gallery will also host at least one exhibit showcasing a new artist or photographers work. Limitless photography will also be an independent stock photography firm selling or leasing our artwork around the world, rather than using an outside stock photography company. We will also be working with local and national outdoor, nature, or wildlife magazines.

Week 2 EOC: La Dolce Vita

The film La Dolce Vita is about a "Journalist and man-about-town Marcello struggles to find his place in the world, torn between the allure of Rome's elite social scene and the stifling domesticity offered by his girlfriend, all the while searching for a way to become a serious writer. Written by Jeff Lewis" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053779/plotsummary)

 From what we were able to watch of the movie in class today I believe showcased what it is and was to be a paparazzi photographer in the 1960's. I think it also holds some relevance to today's paparazzi and how they act and are stereotyped.  We watched one scene from the movie where the paparazzi were chasing the American celebrity down a small road crazily trying to capture that image of her for whatever publication they happen to be working for. That scene for me brought back memories for the car chase from paparazzi that killed Princess Diana a few years ago. Another scene that we watched had the female American movie star sitting in a room full of photographers and press reporters asking questions and snapping photographs as she flirted and moved around the room answering those questions. In that particular scene she reminded me of how many of the celebrities today act in front of the press when they know they are being photographed or filmed and are wanting the attention, Paris Hilton is a prime example of that behavior. All in all there are many scenes within the film that relate to today as well as what was going on back then.

In looking up reviews on this movie there are a lot of mixed reviews about the film itself, somewhere good, some were bad and most of them you could tell were very bias. The following are excerpts of some persons reviews of the film.

Complex And Rambling, 22 May 2009
Author: Lechuguilla from Dallas, Texas
Mostly because of the terrific high contrast, B&W visuals, and the evocative music, this is the only Fellini film I have seen that I have somewhat enjoyed. I recommend it, but not without reservations. It's a complex film with many textured layers of meaning. And, in typical Fellini fashion, it rambles and it meanders. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053779/reviews)

A sprawling epic satire on what Fellini considered the spiritual malaise of modern society…, 12 August 2005
Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Long considered a major filmmaker, Federico Fellini established his reputation through an insistence on the interest-value of his own fantastic and idiosyncratic vision of the world… In so doing, however, he repeatedly lays himself open to charges of egomania, self-indulgence and superficiality; certainly much of his work, if visually extraordinary, is hyperbolic, naïve and incoherent…

I'm with 'The Emperor', 16 July 2005
Author: Slocum from United States
For this film to work, it seems to me that it has to be able to seduce you. You have to feel the appeal of the 'sweet life'. But I found nothing that did that--the homes of the 'rich' seem pretty mundane and tattered and the party guests not particularly attractive or witty. Nothing glitzy or fabulous. And Anita Ekberg? She seems less like a free spirit than someone trying to fake it. Has there ever been a scene performing musicians that were more obviously not actually playing their instruments than the band in the Rock and Roll dance scene? The aliens in the 'Star Wars' bar scene were much more convincing. I found myself trying to figure out if it was *supposed* to look fake and ridiculous--and had to conclude that it wasn't.

Week 1 EOC: Stallions not Unicorns

As a professional photographer I plan to pursue a business in conservation photography, photographing subjects such as people, places, animals and the environment. Inspired by photographers like that of Art Wolfe and it is after his business model I will be following and using as a guide. Art Wolfe has been in the business for 30+ years and has seen a great deal of success in his business even in the current economic times.

As a documentary photographer giving voice to the endangered things of the world that may not be able to have a voice of their own. I will travel the world to document the beauty of the natural world and all that is in it. I will be documenting a wide range of subjects and subject matter, which will one day be able to be used to show generations to come what the world once looked like. I plan on also having a large stock photography collection that can be bought or leased for a variety of different things. Going along with this stock collection I will also have a collection of prints available for sale. Another part of my business will be teaching thru workshops and/ or seminars.

            As I start out it will be myself and my wife running the business, as I grow my business I will eventually get to the point I will need a couple assistants and a couple of photographers to help assist me with photo shoots, lectures, seminars, and travel workshops.

Week 1 My Voice

I am a freelance photographer who specializes in landscape, nature and life's little moments. I am also in the process of starting a studio to be able to shoot portraits, still life, food, and a variety of other things in a controlled environment. I have also shot weddings and other events. My passion for photography started at a young age watching programs like National Geographic and reading the magazines, or looking at all the photographs. I also grew up in the outdoors and have a passion for preserving the outdoors for others to see and admire as well. It is my goal to one day work for National Geographic. A photograph documents a moment in time, that moment can be something like a couple’s wedding or a never before seen animal or plant. As a photographer my goal is to help others see things in nature or themselves in a way they have not been able to before. As a freelance photographer I plan on working for National Geographic and when I’m not traveling the world I will be working for myself in my own studio.