So… it’s been more than a month since I posted to this blog. However, it’s not for lack of effort. I finished setting up new gallery page (which is hopefully easier to navigate, lighter, and more Google friendly) and…
In January, I caught wind of a FotoDC call for the submissions to display at its “FLASH” display next month. It coincided perfectly with my effort to revisit my past images with a different eye towards processing and cropping, so I thought I would give it a try.
The biggest challenge I found was to create one portfolio with a clear message. When I went through my collection, it surprised me to see how varied the images were.
I considered the most obvious themes: Washington DC, Travel, or Landscape photography. Ultimately, I thought those subjects to be too generic to really catch anyone’s attention. Then I thought through individual trips I had made: Cabo, St. Thomas, or Shenandoah. But then I thought it wasn’t indicative of all the work I’ve done to this point.
In the end, I decided on a portfolio that spanned several years and included distinct images tied together by my vision and motivation for taking them.
I sat down with a curator, Philip Brookman, on February 6th to walk him through my images and theme. I read him my work statement and (after a bit of technical difficulties) walked him through the photos. He seemed to identify with my motivation for taking and sharing my work and also seemed to enjoy the images I showed him.
However, after some time, he asked if I had a particular focus in mind. I think his question was the result of me not walking him through the connection from image to image, but also because he had a point. I think the portfolio I presented was a bit too abstract and hard to grasp at first glance. While the images may be interesting, the “point” of it all was lost in translation.
So long story short, I didn’t make the cut for this year’s FLASH exhibit. I didn’t really expect I would, but I’m glad I gave it a shot. I came away with a little better understsanding of how artists need to package their material for appreciation by others. Hopefully, next time will be a success. 🙂
After all that, I wanted to post the portfolio I did submit here on my blog. Perhaps you can make the connection that I tried to convey (but perhaps not). The work statement tells a bit of the motivation behind capturing and sharing the images. The images themselves follow a specific sequence that ties colors, subjects (e.g., land, boats, birds), and compositions from one shot to the next. Please take a look below and tell me what you think… as always, I love hearing from you…
[color_box title=”Works of God: The Natural and Human Environment”]
I am continuously amazed by the beauty apparent in our world.
God is the driving force for all that our eyes can see. It is also the force that lets us see at all.
This portfolio shows the synergy of God and man. It attempts to illustrate our environment as a community of manmade and natural structures – though all things manmade are natural.
This portfolio strives to tie images together using similarities or contrasts in light, colors, and subjects through scenes from around the world and our backyard.
I hope that the images in this portfolio give you the same sense of warmth and wonder they give me. Ultimately, transferring those feelings is the primary motivation for sharing my work.
