I haven't updated too much since I got back from Newfoundland because of my transition into my new apartment and job. It's been a busy few months for me but I hope to do some shoots in the near future that I'm really excited for.
I recently started working at Pikto and am enjoying it. Pikto covers many areas of photography so I'm hoping it'll help round out my photograph knowledge more. With having studio rentals, photo printing, seminars, a gallery and press I'll definitely learn a few things along the way. I think the best thing about working at Pikto is being surrounded by photography. The more I'm surrounded by it the more I'll be inspired to shoot.
So yeah with living in the new apartment...
and working at Pikto I expect to be inspired/motivated to shoot more.
So much to do and so little time!!
I've also began thinking more and more about what direction I want to take my photography in. I think I may actually be realizing what I really want to be doing in the future and it feels good.
I find when I'm talking to photographers they mostly declare themselves one form of photographer and that's it. "Hi, I'm ****** and I shoot fashion" or "I shoot still life" or "I shoot film". Me? I just shoot. I simply love taking photos no matter what it is. I have a large range of photographs from portraits to events and I'm okay with that. Photography offers me a way to show my depiction of the things i've seen/done and also to have a creative outlet to produce images i've created in my head during my non-stop brainstorming. The satisfaction I get when I finish with an image is so rewarding that I crave it constantly.
My love of capturing the world around me is what powers my photography. If I go a week without producing at least one image I become anxious. Life moves so quickly and I hate the thought of missing an opportunity. I have found that photography is the best way of freezing time and truly immortalizing a moment I feel should be remembered. I live for new experiences and seeing new things. For me photography is the best way to keep those experiences alive - by capturing these images the moment lives past that 1/125th of a second. With sharing it to people I hope to provide at least the slightest idea of what it was like... good or bad. I want people to see what I'm seeing, to get intrigued, to wonder, to question or simply know that these certain things exist or are going on.
Another thing I love about photography is the power an image can have on a viewer. People say an image is worth a thousand words but I personally believe they're worth more. When someone views an image they have no choice but to think something of it and with that I've already done what I want to do... I've got you thinking, I've got you feeling something.
Here are a few photos I've taken recently.
Sausage Lady:
My roommate Andrew:
Michelle and Derek:
Koli's Hand:
While i'm at it here's a few Newfoundland photos. The next post will be completely dedicated to Newfoundland. It'll be really awesome.
In other news...
A few months back I took photos of art for a book called "Around The World In the Blink Of An Eye". The photos were simple copy board lighting shots of the artwork so you wouldn't be able to tell they're mine - but I'm still extremely excited to help such a positive project. The book is a charity book that directly supports education and literacy programs in Africa. If you're interested you can check out the book and the organization, we(e)press, here.
Lately I've also had a very strong interest in conflict photography. I hope that someday I'll able to shoot conflict but that won't be for a while. It's something I'm definitely going to have to ease myself into. Here are two documentaries that I loved.
The first is called War Photographer and it follows conflict photographer James Nachtway. I loved the way they attached a video camera to his still camera so you can see the exact moments he's photographing. It really shows how personal he gets with his subjects.
"In a way, if an individual assumes the risk of placing himself in the middle of a war in order to communicate to the rest of the world what is happening. He's trying to negotiate for peace" - James Nachtway taken from War Photographer.
Here's a trailer:
And you can watch it here.
The second one is called Shooting Robert King and it follows Robert King for over 15 years while he photographs three different wars. It follows him from the time he was 23 and just out of college so it's particularly interesting to me. I loved his honesty about it all and how naive he was going into it. Very eye opening.
You can watch it here.
So yes... I have ideas for a lot of shoots so hopefully I'll be able to put them into action soon. Pikto is a good step but I can't wait until the day that my full time job is taking photos. Even the thought of getting paid to be somewhere and doing something I love is surreal. Sure! I'll travel to another country to take photos for you!
I'll leave you with a video by one of my most recent musical obsessions, Frank Turner. Honestly, I listen to at-least one cd of his every day.
"AND I WONT SIT DOWN! And I wont shut up! But most of all I won't grow up!"
Thanks!
- Dylan
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