Now a self-described “lawyer in recovery,” Atlanta-based Jeff Guyer spent fourteen years in courtrooms representing all walks of life before deciding in 2002 that it was time to start photographing them instead. A graduate of Wayne State University (B.A. in journalism, 1986) and Emory University School of Law, Jeff has been able to take his life-long love of photography and tap back into his creative side on a professional level. Spending most of his time photographing weddings, portraits, food, special events, and sports, Jeff also launched his photography class for kids, “Digital Photo Challenges,” two years ago. When not photographing for his clients or teaching what he knows to a new generation of photographers, Jeff– still an avid film shooter– can usually be found somewhere on the streets of Atlanta, chasing light and telling a story…or just hanging out with Max, his 11-year-old son/hero.

A house in Detroit burned to the ground in the wee small hours of the morning on Friday, and the police suspect arson.

Ordinarily, neither of these circumstances would raise much of an eyebrow in the Motor City– perhaps one of (if not the) hardest-hit city in recent economic times. What made this fire different, though, was that the house it destroyed was not one of the unfortunately thousands of abandoned or broken-down homes that make up such a large part of the city’s decaying landscape. It was, rather, the “Obstruction of Justice” house– part of artist Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project. Started in 1986, the outdoor art project turned a run-down residential street on the city’s east side into an ever-evolving art installation. Originally one part political protest, one part artistic expression, and one part cleaning up the neighborhood, Heidelberg Street became an eclectically polka-dotted, brightly painted enclave that started attracting the good kind of attention, rather than driving it away.

Arson, unfortunately, was not the only catastrophe to befall the project over the years. Two former mayors– Coleman Young in 1991 and Dennis Archer in 1999– ordered the demolition of three houses each, supposedly because of the stumbling blocks the project posed to urban planning. To say that the mayors’ efforts would have been better directed elsewhere is an understatement.

The Heidelberg Project has since received national and international attention, and has been the subject of several books and documentaries., including an MTV special and Heidelberg’s own children’s book published in 2011. Guyton continues lecturing and offering workshops, both at Heidelberg and across the country. As in any major city, where social, political, and economic factors often force the arts to take a back seat to other concerns, the Heidelberg Project continues to face its share of hurdles and challenges. The fact that intentional destruction is one of those challenges, however, is disturbing. Kudos to Guyton, however, who is looking for the positive. Quoted in a “Huffington Post” article following the fire, Guyton says, “I guess you need to rise above the hate.”

On one my visits back to Detroit two summers ago, I had a chance to spend some time wandering through Heidelberg with a small group of photographers. Taking our time as we walked among the decorated houses, transformed objects, and reclaimed real estate, we often found ourselves at times experiencing the art, rather than just observing and recording it. Taking photos in reflections one moment, or images of a fellow photographer coaxing music from a painted piano the next.

Art installations tend to have a certain ebb and flow. We’re not talking about a framed canvas hanging on a wall indoors behind a velvet rope. We’re talking about something alive and tangible. Something organic. Something resilient.

Something like Motown.

I hope they catch the guy. And sentence him to a lifetime of art therapy…among other things.

Last November, I packed up my life in New York City and moved to London. As a freelancer, it’s been an interesting exercise in starting over with client lists for both journalism and corporate assignments — but it’s also been incredibly liberating. It’s given me more time than I’ve had in ages to work on personal projects.

For the four years that I spent as a full-time freelance photographer in NYC, I always tried to set aside a few weeks a year for wandering abroad, with no real objective beyond taking photographs and exploring new places. I’ve produced some of my favorite images on those trips, but unfortunately they’re usually a huge drain on my bank account — and it always meant missing out on work back in New York.

Here, the temporary downtime (it took me a couple months to get the right visa to work in the UK) has allowed me to schedule a six-week trip to Vietnam to work on a couple documentary projects and the time to work on a series of double exposures for a project that’s currently on Kickstarter. The combined landscapes are part New York, part London, created entirely with my iPhone.

Check out Daniella’s project on Kickstarter and more photos here.

LUCEO is proud to announce the 2013 call for entries for the fourth annual LUCEO Student Project Award. The award is offered each year to a student photographer working to develop a significant body of work. The 2012 Student Project Award recipient was Alena Zhandavora of Russia. Her portfolio containing portraits of Russian brides and proposed project called “Run Forest” was selected as the winner by a panel of judges headed by Michael Wichita in June 2012.

Photos by 2012 Student Project Award winner Alena Zhandarova

This year, both full-time graduate and undergraduate students are invited to submit an application. The deadline for receipt of applications is 11:59pm EST May 15, 2013. Finalists will be selected and announced by June 1, 2013.

A large selection of judges will choose this year’s recipient with the goal to bring maximum exposure of the student’s work to industry leaders. The list of judges will be announced shortly.

LUCEO’s 2013 winner will receive $2,000 in cash and prizes to go towards the completion of his or her project, as well as a year-long mentorship on the project from LUCEO. Included in the purse is a 1,000 MAC-ON-CAMPUS voucher. Other prizes will be announced in the coming months.

About LUCEO:
LUCEO is united in a common belief that, through these times of change, the still image continues to be relevant. We believe that history extends beyond newscycle, and that ordinary people and personal struggles are avenues through which we can explore the bigger issues facing our world. It is with this purpose that we created the LUCEO Project Fund and the LUCEO Student Project Award.

LUCEO Student Project Award
LUCEO also believes that developing photographers need support. To advance this cause, LUCEO pledges a portion of this fund towards the LUCEO Student Project Award. This award will be disbursed annually to a talented student photographer in support of a significant and developing body of work.

Chris Rusanowsky (b.1990) is a freelance photographer and aspiring photojournalist. In the early years of his life, Chris has been exposed to a lot of different ways of life. Traveling since he was six of age Chris spent most of his childhood moving around the United States with his mother and sister. This cemented Chris with his first relationship with art and self-expression. His grandmother later on gave Chris his first camera and would take him out to photograph their adventures. Chris in his young career has been photographing a wide range of subject and has worked with many West Coast companies such as: Famous Clothing, Golden Lucille, KFI Radio, LA Fashion, Loupe Magazine, Eccentric Symphony and many more. Ha has also been published in Loupe Magazine in 2010 for his photo essay about graffiti artists as well as awarded and published as a finalist in The Photographers Forum Magazine, Best of Photography 2010. In Early 2011 Chris decided to take his documentary projects to the next level by flying international to the Philippines to document modern day poverty. Chris is attending school in photojournalism in his hometown of Pennsylvanian where he is working on long term projects and providing commercial wedding services.

In February of 2012 I took a trip to document poverty in Manila, Philippines for 32 days. Upon my arrival to Manila I felt an overwhelming feeling of the growing city. From the first step onto the streets, to the time of making my return home I had witnessed beautiful people living in poverty.

My project starts at a city dump site, a place the locals call “Smokey Mountain”. It was named after the thick, white soot that filled the air. There was a highly compacted muddy road condensed with huts on each of side of it, leading me to a community of huts made with abandoned materials. The people of Smokey Mountain have been forced to live around the dump site to search through trash to find recyclables as a means of income. Surrounding the homes were a large row of charcoal shanties, where these men, women and children from the age of six worked 24 hours a day. These huts had no foundation and could have collapsed at any time. The smoke from the charcoal billowed into the air, leaving a burning sensation in the back of my throat from which I could only describe as acrid. The children did not know anything more than this isolated place of poverty. They try to live a normal childhood, playing in the waters that flowed next to a shipping harbor.

A boy by the name of Reynixon Roysales has been living in Smokey Mountain since the age of six, along with his Mother, Father and Sister. He spends his days rummaging through piles of garbage in hopes of acquiring plastic to afford a meal that typically consists of instant coffee and rice as well as looking around the house for abandoned duck eggs to eat. The hope of a future keeps the spirit of this boy alive.

After the death of his aunt Reynixon, his family left to attend their relatives funeral for one week. When they arrived back home, the house had been broken into and looted. Everything of value was stripped from them. After being left with absolutely nothing, Reynixon and his family had moved to live at his cousin’s who owned a house “which had no roof”. After 2 years of living at his cousin’s, Reynixon started to work with a church in Manila.

At the age of 20, Reynixon had against all odds broken away from poverty to start a new future as a pastor. In 2001, he valiantly returned to Smokey Mountain to provide the food that these children so badly needed. Surpassing any expectations he had for himself in his future, Reynixon established The Malaya Kids Ministry. This Ministry located in the heart of Smokey Mountain has helped the community by finally providing the electricity, education and nourishment these children deserved for so long.

The boy who had experienced scraping the bottom of the barrel for leftover food never gave up hope and had returned to this extremely harsh environment as a righteous man with a highly benevolent intent, lending his hand out to these children who would’ve been otherwise left behind.

Photographer Martin Stranka is raising funds to publish a emotive minimalist fine art book with his favorite images from the last 5 years.

I am a self-taught professional photographer. My distinctive vision of photography etched as a unique space located in a balance and serenity, while my sophisticated images exists in that narrow space of a few seconds between dreaming and awakening. During the last 3 years I have gathered over 40 international awards from different competitions including Professional Photographer of the Year, Sony World Photography Awards or International Photo Award.

I found an amazing book printer right here in Czech republic which published books for world known photographers, so I could not be luckier. They specialize in beautiful photography books, and I will be working with them one on one to create a high quality art book. It will be a hardcover gem that will really hold its own on bookshelves and coffee tables, and it will feature all of my favorite images from my last 5 years. All books will be numbered and personally signed as a limited edition. I plan to publish the book after this crowdfunding project. I want you to love this book as much as I do.

Learn more about Martin’s project, see more photos and help him reach his goal here.

Brooklyn-based photographer Tonia Mc Caskill-Johnson shares a series of photos from the NYC subway.

This particular project began when I took a single portrait with my cell phone out of  boredom during a subway ride home. It wasn’t long before three weeks passed and I had recorded over 100 subway portraits. It was fascinating to know that by taking these portraits I was observing the human condition in a very public space for a brief moment. I used the iPhone 3GS because it’s the cell phone that I owned at the time. It’s the kind that resembles the iPod so people probably thought I was just listening to music most of the time — which I did on occasion. It definitely helped with capturing people in a more natural state. That’s definitely and element I couldn’t get away with had I used my professional gear.

The majority of this project took place on the A/C subway line and sometimes on the 2,4,5 and 6 line. I rode the subway twice daily for three weeks. On an average day out I would take about 6 portraits. If I had to run any errands I managed to squeeze in additional portraits. The quantity of images captured in a day depended heavily on how crowded my subway car was. I decided that since the portraits were captured using iPhone technology they should also be edited with the same technology. I used a single editing software application called Snapseed. I love this app for quick filter edits. Not only does Snapseed provide a quick editing solution it helped to maintain a level of consistency throughout the series.

See the entire series on Flickr and more of Tonia’s work on her website.

Atlanta-based photographer David Walter Banks recently traveled to Florida for work and has decided to start a personal project documenting his own view of the state.

This most recent trip led me throughout the state, from the magical world of Disney to a small town’s big parade to the sunny shores of South Beach with a great little circus thrown in to top it off.  These early visits on this new project have been broad swaths, whereas the next couple trips will be based around specific events and gatherings.  I feel as though I’m just now beginning to gain an understanding of the topic I will be grappling with, but I’m excited with the nearly endless prospects of images out there waiting to be found.

Continue reading and see more photos on David’s blog.

]]> http://thephotobrigade.com/2013/01/florida-sense-of-place-by-david-walter-banks/feed/ 0 http://thephotobrigade.com/2012/11/wherever-you-go-i-wish-you-good-luck-by-georgina-avila/ http://thephotobrigade.com/2012/11/wherever-you-go-i-wish-you-good-luck-by-georgina-avila/#comments Fri, 09 Nov 2012 19:45:53 +0000 admin http://thephotobrigade.com/?p=12060 do_sud_thumb("http://thephotobrigade.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/GeorginaAvila-whereveryougo-1.jpg","Wherever You Go, I Wish You Good Luck – by Georgina Avila")

Montreal-based photographer Georgina Avila shares photo illustrations from her project “Wherever You Go, I Wish You Good Luck.”

The project started in Montreal, where I have been living for the past 8 years, observing people walking from behind wondering where they were going. Personally I had a very tough time since I moved to Canada, as much as it is a great place to live.

I faced many bad feelings and I struggled a lot. So at a point while I was feeling lots of melancholy about my friends and life in Mexico (where I grew up) and wondering and creating my future, I started to observe people and questioning their destination and if they where happy, if they were heading to a nice home, if they were maybe going to visit grandma, or a girlfriend, and if they were in peace or not with themselves. So I started to actually enjoying watching people walking with their headphones, or dogs, or kids and truly wishing them a good life, good luck because I am sure at a certain moment of life all of us, no matter our age, condition, etc, we all have very hard times.

See more photos of the project here.

By Adam Marelli

Have you ever looked at a photography series and thought, “How did the photographer get access to that scene?”  Access is one of the key components to a successful project.  But gaining access is not always easy. Let’s look at a few different to approach your next project.

Jimmy Chin, of National Geographic, shooting some insane slack lining in Yosemite. © Jimmy Chin

How can you shoot like National Geographic

Have you ever picked up a magazine and wondered how the photographer got that shot?  Whether it was taken in remote monastery or some far off island that hardly appears on any map, photographer make a point to sniff out the far corners of the globe.  There is an unspoken competition between photographers to bring back a picture that no one has seen before.  It is part of the spirit that photographers share with explorers.

Before we pack up our sled dogs and head to the South Pole, there are a number of lessons we can learn without getting up from the computer.  By understanding some techniques for “Gaining Access” we will understand how and why photographers come home with outstanding images.  In many cases it has nothing to do with credentials or resume.  Gaining access to your next photography project has more to do with your own personal background than any external factor.

Herbert Ponting shooting off of the side of their boat called the Terra Nova in Antarctica with Captain Scott. © Herbert Ponting

“I don’t want my picture taken”

As photographers we have to deal with the reality that many people do not want to be photographed.  Unlike the endless stream of knuckleheads fighting for a spot on reality television, there are just as many people who want to avoid the spot light.  They are camera shy, fame weary, and prefer to stick to their own work.  But what if you find them really interesting?  How can you be given permission to photograph a camera shy person?

HCB French painter Henri Matisse at his home, Nice, France. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos

Lessons from our Elders

In the 1960’s the future founder of Thames & Hudson press wanted Cartier-Bresson to make a series of portraits of living artists.  Inside of this loosely outlined assignment, Cartier-Bresson was supposed to take a portrait of Henri Matisse.  As a young photographer and painter, Cartier-Bresson had a tremendous admiration for Matisse.  He felt dwarfed by the painter, in age and professional success.  Who wouldn’t?  Matisse, who was thirty nine years older than Cartier-Bresson, was well established artist in the prime of his career.

French painter Henri Matisse at his home, villa Le Reve. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos

A little publicized fact about Cartier-Bresson’s portraits of Matisse was that he went to Matisse’s studio for 4 months before he snapped a single picture!  He wanted to observe the rhythm of the artist in his natural habitat.  If he was going to take a successful portrait, he would need a deep understanding of the painters studio to distill a moment which was specific to Matisse.

French painter Henri Matisse at his home, villa Le Reve. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos

Eventually Cartier-Bresson did make a masterpiece of Matisse and his pigeons.  In my opinion, it is one of the finest photographic portraits ever made.  The image of Matisse clutching a pigeon, while the other play on the cage has become an iconic image of the painter at work.  But this was all possible for two reasons.  First, Cartier-Bresson spent a huge amount of time getting to know Matisse and also secondly, as a painting student he was familiar with the methods of a artist.  These two points are something that I we should all consider before asking for access.

Internal Monologue

Before I ever take make a body of images, particularly of an artist or craftsman, I ask myself the following questions.

• • Why would someone want their picture taken?
• • What can I offer as a thank you for the access?
• • Why would they allow me in their space?
• • How big of a disturbance will I be?
• • Do I know anything about their craft?

If I can’t answer at least three of these questions, I will have a serious problem on my hands.

Eric “The Carpenter” from my recent project OnSite. © Adam Marelli

Master Craftsmen

Some of you know that my background is a combination of art, photography, and construction.  Above all I consider myself an artist, but when I left art school equipped with a fancy degree, a small body of work and some art theory, I was confronted with some hard facts.  I was all theory and no practice.

I did not know how to build like a professional.  Architecture was an interest though I could not design like an architect and nor could I make art like a real artist.  I was a well educated, inexperienced tadpole with very little to offer the world through my lens.

This led me to go out and find some experience.  When I made the decision to enter construction it was as an experiment.  I still remember stepping off of the side walk on 9^th street in the east village thinking, “What if I became a contractor?”  This was a long way from building decks in New Jersey or doing service work.  But ten years later, I was running millions of dollars of construction and building some of the most expensive homes at the New York City’s exclusive addresses (740 Park Ave, 15 Central Park West, The Beresford ect.)

Many people might think that a photographer who says “I need 4 months for that portrait,”  would be insane.  But when we look at the outcome of Cartier-Bresson’s work, I dont think anyone would argue it was a waste of time.  The combination of experience and patience led to that portrait.  Cartier-Bresson’s four months in Matisse’s studio sounds short compared to the decade I put in working in construction, though I am not complaining.  But the common theme is that experience needs time to build up.  What I got out of construction was a lifetime of project options that are only just now coming together.

I had the good fortune of visiting one of the last two boat yards where they still make gondolas during my trip/workshop in Venice. Gondolas at the Squero di San Trovaso Venice Italy. © Adam Marelli

Disappearing Masters

Builders, craftsmen, artisans, and artists can be a shy bunch.  Their reasons vary from the liability of being on a construction site to the risk of revealing their studio secrets, but one way or another, they are not the easiest lot to photograph.  So how do I gain access to areas that are otherwise off limits?  I have dedicated part of my life to a sincere interest in carrying on their tradition and lending exposure to many crafts which are in danger of dying out.  It doesn’t hurt that when they hear about my building background they are no longer worried about me getting hurt on the job.  I approach these projects as a builder first and a photographer second. Why put photography in the back seat?

Captain Robert Scott in his quarters aboard the Terra Nova. © Herbert Ponting

Relate to People

If you are a doctor, you should have an easier time shooting a series on an operating room.  Think of it this way.  As a practicing doctor you already know:

• • How an operating room works
• • A friend, colleague, or associate who can give you access
• • How the flow of surgery
• • Where to position yourself in a scene
• • And all the ups and downs that occur in an operating room

Just think about how much a photographer would need to learn to even approach the topic with any real depth.  The same would go true for someone who was a boxer.  We have seen lots of photographs from boxing gyms across the globe.  Whether its an outdoor gym in Cuba, a grimy gym in Brooklyn, or a kickboxing arena in Thailand…photographers have been fascinated with the “fighting lifestyle.”  But just imagine, if you are an actual boxer, you know what will happen in a gym before it happens.  These are one of the perks of gaining life experience before becoming a photographer.

Claudio has been working at the Squero di San Trovaso since he was fourteen years old. He knows these gondolas inside and out. When he was fastening the brass trim, I asked him what was his favorite part in the entire building process. He said, without question the woodwork. Then he proceeded to walk me through the seven types of woods used in the construction. I live for this kind of interaction because it gives a direct insight to the historic tradition so unique to Venice. © Adam Marelli

You can apply your previous work life to your photography in a way that is truly unique to your personal vision.  When young photographers ask me what they should be photographing I tell them to get a job in the field they want to photograph.  They often don’t understand this statement.  If you want to take pictures at the South Pole find a way to work there.  It will give you a level of insight that is unparalleled by anyone else.

Now I am not recommending that you spend ten years working in construction like I did, that was a huge investment.  I learned a lot, but I would not like to wish a decade of delayed gratification on anyone.  But if you want to photograph steel workers, spend a few months in a steel yard first.  When you understand what everyone is doing, the opportunities for images will grow exponentially.  Otherwise the photographer is just this passive observer waiting for the next interesting thing to occur.  Eventually most people are flattered that someone is taking an interest in their work.

I am headed to Japan for the month of October to see why the master craftsmen are an endangered species. © Adam Marelli

Master Craftsmen

An Endangered Species

[ J A P A N ]
On Friday I am leaving for the month to Japan. It will be my first time traveling there and I can’t wait.  My fascination with Japanese culture started in kindergarten.  The school had a program where each year the kids would study a single country.  For my two years, we studied Japan and Mexico.  Ever since then I have worked my way through many of the stereotypical interests (like ninjas, what kid does like ninjas?) to the more esoteric ones like tea culture and zen buddhism.

In many ways, I feel like this project chose me, not the other way around.  My access to the workshops of carpenters, the temple of a Zen monk, and the storage houses of tear farmers did not come from having an assignment (though I will be shooting it for Origin Magazine).  One of the reasons why I am being given access to these very small operations is because prior to taking pictures I have experience in these various settings from wood shops to monasteries.  I spent time in a Zen monastery here in the US, so the abbot is comfortable having me work around the monks.  It is not the kind of project that you can cram for.  Unlike university exams, it is the culmination of years of study, personal interest and seemingly pointless exercises.  But put into the context of the finished project, all of the time it took to study these fields is coming together in an interesting way.

If we have to be at a computer, might as well have a nice office. Jimmy Chin taking advantage of Yosemite’s natural photo studio. © Jimmy Chin

Your Work

The next photography project you do should be a reflection of your sensibilities.  If you are an auto mechanic by day, it should come through in your work.  For most people, discovering your personal style is a matter of reflection.  Style is simply an expression of who you are, where you come from, and the accumulation of personal experiences.  If you can distill all of that into a body of images, the results will be astounding.

Herbert Ponting and the Terra Nova in Antarctica. © Herbert Ponting.

So the next time you see a National Geographic article on an expedition to a mountain whose name you cannot pronounce, remember that the photographer has probably spent years climbing before they were known as a photographer. The level of authenticity leads to a seamless collection of images.  Access is not something you gain, but something you develop.  More often than not, you already have the access to your next project is just a matter of realizing what options are available to you.

Talk to you from Japan.

Best
Adam Marelli

About the author:

Artist & photographer, Adam Marelli is based in New York City. His projects explore the ancient crafts of building, maestros in their workshops, and designs handed down through generations. Whether he is photographing a master carpenter, dodging fish at a local market, or at the drafting table, he is in constant search of the threads which bind our cultures together.

Christiansburg, VA-based photographer Angel Verde shares some photos from a recent personal project.

As a Street Style photographer, the types of shots I set up are very consistent from day to day. Although I do love shooting fashion/beauty portraits, when I get the chance to do some personal work, I almost always avoid making the clothes the focal point and focus on telling a story. For this shoot, we had to change the concept completely the day before due to schedules and ended up on some beautiful private property with fields, a stream, and woods. I don’t shoot with speed lights, strobes, or assistants very often, so I had to do everything myself. For every shot, I set up my camera on a tripod with a wireless shutter remote, for light I used a variety of reflects. I basically framed up the shot, set the exposure, aperture, etc., then stood somewhere away from the camera to bounce light into the scene and use the remote to take the picture. In the final shot I brought out a smoke machine to add some fog which really added a lot of emotion I think. The frames I took without the fog just didn’t have much life to them. Even though the final shot (model headed into dark foggy forest) was the most dramatic, the shot of her picking flowers under the dying tree was the most ridiculous to pull off. I set of the tripod, remote just like before, set exposure etc, but we were shooting mid day so the light was really harsh. I ended up using a medium sized circular scrim to put my model in shad,e held over my head with my right arm bracing it agents my shoulder and chin, then I reached my left arm out as far as it would go and bounced back some light with a very small reflector to add some clean light to her face. I looked ridiculous but was very happy with the results.

See more of Angel’s work on his website.