I saw love before,
the best love in the United States.
I can hear love
in the wind
like an airplane going across the sky.
Love is the best thing
that can happen to you.
-Willie Gilmore
Love, Portland, Oregon, 2008
I went here and watched this:
What a wonderful video. Lee Friedlander is a great photographer.
Then I went here and watched this:
I am impressed and surprised with Stephen DiRado’s work.
I photographed my friends Tom and Mark in New York. Together they form the band Centennial. They’re working on interesting music and soon-to-be-released visuals. Give a listen.
Centennial, Brooklyn, New York, 2009
I went to New York last week to show my portrait/landscape and Alebtong, Uganda work for the first time. The portrait/landscape work were sleeveless prints in an 11″x14″ landscape portfolio and the Alebtong, Uganda work were 8.5″x11″ prints in a small portfolio box.
Before leaving I scheduled meetings with 4 magazines, 1 photo agency, and 1 gallery. I had two good friends helping to bring together 3 of the meetings and I couldn’t be more thankful for their help. I believe the meetings were successful not only because I began showing my work in New York to creatives I want to work with but more importantly because I began building relationships. Good work is great but relationships are so important. I hear all the time about photographers who have had the same clients for 10+ years. I want my relationship with my clients to be like this.
After returning from New York I immediately began printing thank yous. These consisted of a printed image / brand logo on the front and hand-written note on the back with my contact info. Turn around time is always essential in my opinion because I want my clients to know I value our relationship and that a thank you should not come two weeks after we’ve seen each other. These are busy individuals and departments who are taking time to meet with a photographer they probably know little about but will ideally want to know more about upon meeting, and vice versa.
One hopes it’s mutually beneficial. The client gets a new photographer to work with who’s endlessly passionate about making photographs and the photographer continues to work, progress, and build a relationship. The relationship starts young and is always becoming stronger based on product delivered, trust, compassion, and work ethic.
If any photographers or creatives want to chime in on their thoughts, I’d be curious to hear them as I’m sure would others.
Mailing thank yous, Syracuse, New York, 2009
I’m enthralled with Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros.
I photographed my friends Tom and Mark in New York. Together they form the band Centennial. They’re working on interesting music and soon-to-be-released visuals. Give a listen.
Tom and Mark, Brooklyn, New York, 2009
When I traveled to Uganda I worked with Chandler’s non-profit A River Blue, founded under the umbrella of Barefoot Workshops. Chandler is giving a lecture in Manhattan today that you do not want to miss. I will be in attendance so stop by, listen to Chandler’s great lecture, and say hello.
—
October 25, 2009 2:30-4:00PM, Atlantic Theater Company Stage 2, Studio A, 330 W. 16th Street between 8th and 9th Aves, Take elevator to theater level
Barefoot Workshops founder Chandler Griffin, along with teachers and alumni, will show 10-minute documentaries from past Barefoot Workshops in the Mississippi Delta. Chandler will talk about the twice-yearly Mississippi Delta workshop, the 4-week South Africa workshop, and Barefoot’s other activities around the world.
Admission is a $5 donation to A RIVER BLUE, Barefoot’s amazing arts empowerment project for the children of Northern Uganda. (More info: www.ariverblue.org). Read an interview with Chandler here: http://www.actorslife.com/article.php?id=252
You must reserve in order to attend this presentation! To reserve please send an email with “Barefoot Presentation” in the subject line to Jennifer Tchiakpe at Jen@monologueaudition.com. Please include the number of reservations you would like, and include your first and last name.
Eunice, Alebtong, Uganda, 2009
I’m heading to New York for a week to meet with a photo agency, a few photo editors, and a gallery. I have time for more meetings so give a shout and we’ll link up.
Sharon, Hosmer Pond, Maine, 2007
This trailer had 5 views the day it was released. It’s been 7 days and now it has almost 15,000. Watch and you’ll see why.
I make a conscious effort to keep this blog politically unbiased, but we would see the realities of war if this trailer (and eventually full-length documentary) was broadcast on major news television stations.
Iraq and Afghanistan is a sticky mess, no question about it. I often have extreme reservations about the direction we’re heading in, or lack thereof. Regardless, I have only positive thoughts for our men and women overseas.
Take a look at my interview with Joerg. I feel good about the interview and think there’s something for everyone to take away. From Joerg’s introduction:
Photographically, the continent of Africa, home of around one billion people and cradle of humanity, seems to be in a bit of a tight spot. While there is a lot of different work being produced about or in Africa, the most visible types of photography, the ones we get to see most often, are either photojournalistic depictions of war and/or poverty or what Jim Johnson called the freak show. David Wright’s Alebtong, Uganda was thus a very pleasant surprise for me: A young photographer going to Africa and producing images that do not center on photojournalistic clichés or on the overly exotic.
Thanks again, Joerg.
Denis, Alebtong, Uganda, 2009