Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Prints!
You can email me at style3generations@gmail.com to order prints or check out my website at:
Vivian's Muse
Donations
I took this trip at my own expense in order to share with the world, the beauty and wonder of Kenya. I was with a non-profit organization doing great work there. The day before we were to depart, all of my camera equipment was stolen.
5,000 dollars lost.
So I am looking for any kind soul to donate a few bucks to help me pay it all back.
My camera is my life.
If you would like to donate any money, you can through paypal.
Please select personal to Julia@juliamariephotography.com
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Project Summary
I am going to discuss the work I have put into the project, and take you through my journey to help you better understand my process, the time I spent on it and how I came to the final product.
My boss Brio Yaipan invited me to the trip and the process getting there wasn’t so easy. I had decided to go last minute so I had to drive to Philly and wait all day for my passport. When they day arrived, I had spent hours getting my passport, shots, and packing for the trip. I brought all of my camera equipment with me. I used a side slung bag to carry everything, and I brought a minimal amount of clothing. The trip took 25 hours to fly. It was a long flight but I met some nice people and slept. I took photos throughout the trip everyday.
I had my camera on my back from 7 -9 am in the morning to 8 pm at night. I was constantly shooting, interacting with the people at the well, and giving gifts that I had brought. When I was finished shooting each day, I would journal, help work on the Well Aware blog. I processed photos, and recounted the day. This would take a few hours, and I usually went to bed at 12 am or later. I spent two weeks on that schedule. I took 2609 photos and 7 videos.
When I returned I took a week or so off to reflect on my trip without the visuals. I came to many different conclusions about my trip in that time. I loved Africa with its beauty, mystery, and enchantment; however I love home and Kenya has lots of problems. I sifted through the photos slowly, looking at each image and seeing what stood out to me. I took photos of the mundane shopping trips to vibrant colors of the Maasai’s Shukas and Congas. I looked at certain details that would help me later remember the details of the place, to help me better represent Kenya. I wanted to have an authentic depiction of my trip, to better show others my journey.
I went through the thousands of photos I took and started breaking it down. I thought I had picked out my favorite 900 at some point, however each time I revisited it I found new photos to work through. I processed many photos, which took many hours. As part of my process, I usually will work a photo for a bit to see what comes out.
I worked on my artist statement for a long time; I keep struggling with what I should focus on and how to bring thousands of photos to one body of work. I came to a conclusion, after reading many books on the history of Kenya and much reflection. I should follow my heart. I realized that my main focus in my life and in my work has always been people. I struggled to put that into words and I interviewed myself, then writing multiple rough drafts. I printed two sets of images for my project, and cut and prepared them. For my showing, I prepared the images and put them on foam core to hang. I hung the images, finished the video, and set up the projector for my show. I will then edit the images I take of the show and upload them to my blog. I created a blog for this project, editing the layout, and putting images/ video together. After much hard work, my project was completed.
My boss Brio Yaipan invited me to the trip and the process getting there wasn’t so easy. I had decided to go last minute so I had to drive to Philly and wait all day for my passport. When they day arrived, I had spent hours getting my passport, shots, and packing for the trip. I brought all of my camera equipment with me. I used a side slung bag to carry everything, and I brought a minimal amount of clothing. The trip took 25 hours to fly. It was a long flight but I met some nice people and slept. I took photos throughout the trip everyday.
I had my camera on my back from 7 -9 am in the morning to 8 pm at night. I was constantly shooting, interacting with the people at the well, and giving gifts that I had brought. When I was finished shooting each day, I would journal, help work on the Well Aware blog. I processed photos, and recounted the day. This would take a few hours, and I usually went to bed at 12 am or later. I spent two weeks on that schedule. I took 2609 photos and 7 videos.
When I returned I took a week or so off to reflect on my trip without the visuals. I came to many different conclusions about my trip in that time. I loved Africa with its beauty, mystery, and enchantment; however I love home and Kenya has lots of problems. I sifted through the photos slowly, looking at each image and seeing what stood out to me. I took photos of the mundane shopping trips to vibrant colors of the Maasai’s Shukas and Congas. I looked at certain details that would help me later remember the details of the place, to help me better represent Kenya. I wanted to have an authentic depiction of my trip, to better show others my journey.
I went through the thousands of photos I took and started breaking it down. I thought I had picked out my favorite 900 at some point, however each time I revisited it I found new photos to work through. I processed many photos, which took many hours. As part of my process, I usually will work a photo for a bit to see what comes out.
I worked on my artist statement for a long time; I keep struggling with what I should focus on and how to bring thousands of photos to one body of work. I came to a conclusion, after reading many books on the history of Kenya and much reflection. I should follow my heart. I realized that my main focus in my life and in my work has always been people. I struggled to put that into words and I interviewed myself, then writing multiple rough drafts. I printed two sets of images for my project, and cut and prepared them. For my showing, I prepared the images and put them on foam core to hang. I hung the images, finished the video, and set up the projector for my show. I will then edit the images I take of the show and upload them to my blog. I created a blog for this project, editing the layout, and putting images/ video together. After much hard work, my project was completed.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Artist Statement
I take photographs with my with eyes and mind wide open, and let the camera capture what my heart and soul is feeling. I am a portrait photographer at heart, and try to reveal my subjects identity in their portrait. Growing up as an only child I spent many days photographing the people in my community with my Canon snapshot. I was always obsessed with the smallest things, which is reflected in my photographs. The lines on each person’s face are not blurred or taken away, but rather are sharpened to let each detail tell a piece of their history. I will also take images of details peripheral to the actual shoot that won’t make the final cut, but will help me capture and recall the feeling of the event to help me compose the final edit. To add emphasis to the details I capture, I am strongly inclined to shoot against a simple background and let the subject speak through the photograph without flounce or over-editing.
My subjects are never predetermined by discourse, but rather are created in the moment of pressing the shutter release. This act, so short in time, captures so much emotion and can create an accurate depiction, yet is not the truth. As Richard Avedon said, “A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he's being photographed, and what he does with this knowledge is as much a part of the photograph as what he's wearing or how he looks. He's implicated in what's happening, and he has a certain real power over the result.”
Despite my attempts to avoid constraining my subject matter, I am inclined to photograph individuals who express themselves through social camouflage, through the manner they present themselves to others. Their act of changing even the simplest detail, reflects their mental process, which is their own, yet universal in everyone. This is something simple that people know, but that they don't actually think is that important until they've seen it in a photograph.
The drought effecting Kenya is devastating, the lack of sanitary water or no water at all results in many illnesses and deaths. Many young girls miss school to walk miles and miles to retrieve water, or they get married off as young as eight in exchange for cattle. I went to Kenya to document a well being dug. The well was completed, and can now service 30,000 people with clean drinking water. It is amazing to see how water affects the local people’s pursuit of individuality and their ability to express themselves. Having a nearby source of clean drinking water dramatically expands their opportunities to pursue their individual goals and dreams because so much less time and energy is spent gathering water. With water, a person can now explore their identity: their hobbies, interests, sexuality and emotions. My project takes you on a journey through rural Kenya from its people’s perspective, and demonstrates the importance water has on their quality of life. Through portraiture, the viewer can reflect on self-representation through dress, choice of jewelry, and each person’s interaction with the camera. I did not want to limit the invitation to see the people as people, by striping the individuals of their culture, but rather show the culture that encompasses their individuality. My aim in this work is to unmask the constraints of separation between cultural groups and bring individuals together.
My subjects are never predetermined by discourse, but rather are created in the moment of pressing the shutter release. This act, so short in time, captures so much emotion and can create an accurate depiction, yet is not the truth. As Richard Avedon said, “A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he's being photographed, and what he does with this knowledge is as much a part of the photograph as what he's wearing or how he looks. He's implicated in what's happening, and he has a certain real power over the result.”
Despite my attempts to avoid constraining my subject matter, I am inclined to photograph individuals who express themselves through social camouflage, through the manner they present themselves to others. Their act of changing even the simplest detail, reflects their mental process, which is their own, yet universal in everyone. This is something simple that people know, but that they don't actually think is that important until they've seen it in a photograph.
The drought effecting Kenya is devastating, the lack of sanitary water or no water at all results in many illnesses and deaths. Many young girls miss school to walk miles and miles to retrieve water, or they get married off as young as eight in exchange for cattle. I went to Kenya to document a well being dug. The well was completed, and can now service 30,000 people with clean drinking water. It is amazing to see how water affects the local people’s pursuit of individuality and their ability to express themselves. Having a nearby source of clean drinking water dramatically expands their opportunities to pursue their individual goals and dreams because so much less time and energy is spent gathering water. With water, a person can now explore their identity: their hobbies, interests, sexuality and emotions. My project takes you on a journey through rural Kenya from its people’s perspective, and demonstrates the importance water has on their quality of life. Through portraiture, the viewer can reflect on self-representation through dress, choice of jewelry, and each person’s interaction with the camera. I did not want to limit the invitation to see the people as people, by striping the individuals of their culture, but rather show the culture that encompasses their individuality. My aim in this work is to unmask the constraints of separation between cultural groups and bring individuals together.
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