Regret - Cam Parsons

Starting this tintype portrait series has opened my eyes to a lot of regrets I have about my work over the past few months. Staying up till 4 am for numerous nights in a row, mixing my own emulsions, coating my own film, and dumping almost every last penny I have into my art; this has proven to me that to have consistent quality work takes this much time and effort 24/7, not just when finals roll around. So, to sum up what could be a page long rant: Cam was lazy, and things are gonna change pronto.

Enough with the self-degredation and on to the fun stuff! Check out my evergrowing tintype portrait series here, and check back frequently!

Regrets: Paige L. Hill

Regrets, No regrets! We are who we are because of the paths we have taken or have chosen or the ones that have been force upon us. There for to you I say, “I have no regrets”. Would that I could change some things… yes we all say that. Would you change your path? Who would you be? Would you be happier now? Would you be healthier now? Would you be richer now? Who is to say? We are who we are. No Regrets!

Ryan Bilawsky: Regret

Ah yes, regret. A feeling that I have become quite familiar with over the years, especially on the weekend mornings after liquor guzzling bar nights. After you have woken up and can feel the fuse of your soon-to-be explosive headache getting shorter and shorter.. you start feeling that regret coming on, along with a fine scent of whiskey and disappointment. Now, where is the Advil?

Regret: Kevin Reeve

For a select few photography geeks, historical processes have nearly been lost to time.
It would be regretful to let these processes die.  
There are a crazy few who brave the toxic chemicals to keep hand-made photography alive.

Cam Parsons: Tintypist or Heisenberg?

Coating the plate with collodion!

Not a scene from Breaking Bad. It's photography!

I had the good fortune to capture on video the zany antics of two such photographers. Cam Parsons and Charlie Carmen, Denver photographers, created a DIY wet-plate collodion studio. These are video "stills" from my upcoming short film "Collodion" which will be released shortly on my website kevinreeve.com.  Stay tuned for updates, don't regret not watching!

Cam Parsons - Shadow

I have always royally sucked at anything athletic, but nothing makes me more pumped in the winter months than basketball season. The sweat, determination, and drama are always a great way to pull me away from the bitter winter weather.

Check out this sweet highlight reel of Sprite's Slam Dunk Contest.

Cam Parsons - Vision

As photographers, we are stripped from our normal three-dimensional world, and forced into a flat, and seemingly boring two-dimensional world. But in this 2-D state of vision, we make this one eye be our lens to the world. And when you personify that trait of a photographer, the cyclops is kinda the perfect self portrait for a photographer.

(Check out this RadioLab short to discover how even our complex eyes are still only seeing a sliver of how things really look.)

Vision: Thomas Palos

As I run the last lap I can feel the sweat running down my face, my heart beating rapidly I lay down in the grass to take a rest. My vision is always blocked out on what is going on around me after a long run. I recover myself by sitting up and looking straight out into the distance as I wipe the salty sweat from my eyes. My vision becomes a bit more clear, but when I come to face it, there is always something blocking my vision.

Vision: Ryan Bilawsky

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight with no vision."

-Helen Keller

Elements: Thomas Palos

In the depths of the world there is a dark side to everything. Halloween brings out fear and excitement for all ages. Why not be scared by one of the most powerful elements of the world, fire. Fire brings out skulls and nighttime. Fire can burn things down and help light an area when scared to death by something unthought of. Happy Halloween!!

Elements: Cam Parsons

Brainstorming for this assignment really sent my brain on a journey. Thinking about how everything on this planet can be broken down into such a limited number of elements. From the rocks on the ground, to the microscopic cells that make up my body. Kind of an overwhelming thought, right?

Sarah Eslinger: Elements

As a student in school, I was never very good in science. I could never quite grasp the concept of "science" and how things worked. Well, even though I wasn't good at it, it still interested me. When shooting this concept of "elements" I was staring off into space for ideas. *because that always works right?

I happened to look up and see a row of light bulbs. They were as clear as fishbowls and I could see exactly where the light was coming from. Electricity pumps into the light bulbs, sparking a fire, giving us light. So I decided "Hey, why not shoot that." The lights are something most people wouldn't think twice about because we've all grown so accustom to having them. In reality, not many of us could explain exactly how they work. In the end, these are basic elements of life that rule us. It's interesting to think about...

Elements: Kevin Reeve

Egg in whisk ©Kevin Reeve

The elements of Cuisine

In the years that chefs spend in the kitchen refining and developing technique, we rely on fundamental elements and skills that form the basis of even the most complex preparations. It is the smallest things, done impeccably and with love, that elevate seemingly lowly ingredients to a transcending level.

It is with this same dedication to the process of photography that I have transitioned from behind the scenes in the kitchen to behind the camera in the studio. The parallels between preparing food and making photographs are too many to detail individually, but is it suffice to say that the pursuit of technique and the dedication to the creative process runs equally deep in both professions.

Link to an interview with Chef Ferran Adria, father of modern avante-garde cuisine

A sampling of Kevin's food photography...

Macro: Sarah Eslinger

When trying to decide what to shoot for the term Macro, I thought what else could be better in the fall than a picture of the changing leaves. Macro to me, means to show something small in full. Larger than it could ever be in full detail. I found this leaf in the middle of downtown on a slowly dying tree. The light shining through the decay of the weathered leaf was beautiful to me.

Macro: Ryan Bilawsky

Whenever I think of Macro photography, I always think of those National Geographic photos of bugs really close up so you can see their spectacular detail. I wanted to use that same concept but with a different subject. Macro photography is a fascinating way to show detail that is unforeseen by the human eye. So, for my subject I chose this skateboard wheel. Skateboarding has got to be one the most frustrating and stressful sports to learn and most definitely one of the most difficult to master. During all of these trials and tribulations of learning that new trick, your main tool, the Skateboard, goes through far more stress and destruction than you do. In this shot, I wanted to show the gritty detail of just one part of a skateboard that takes some of the heaviest beatings.

- Ryan Bilawsky

Distortion: Valerie Morris

 In most types of photography, distortion is unwanted. Sometimes it can be desirable because an artist can create art that is one of a kind. Distortion is alteration of an original object that could be hard to figure out what it was in the first place.

Distortion is similar to abstract because there isn’t a true reality to the image. When an image is being distorted, the meaning of the image becomes different. Distortion doesn’t have to be taken so literally but most of the time it is. Your perception and outlook could be distorting how you look at the scene or something you photographing could actually be distorting the image.

Decay: Angus Hooper III

The word decay to me, brings to mind a number of disgusting and sickening images.  As a child, it was always pounded into us, this battle against tooth decay.  Crest, Aim, Arm and Hammer, and the rest of the major tooth paste brands all were formulated to "fight tooth decay".  As a child I dutifully brushed my teeth every night before bed (with some reminders from Mom).  As an adult, I became lazy.  I found myself without a normal bedtime, found myself with bad habits (smoking, too much sugar and soda), and found myself not so dutiful of my nightly teeth brushings.  This image, printed and on the wall near my bed, might be the perfect reminder to get back to my regular brushing, and to properly take care of these teeth of mine.  (At least its a theory). 
http://www.crest.com/, www.pental.com.au/our-brands/oral-care/aim-toothpaste, http://www.armandhammer.com/, www.ada.org/

Abstract: Scott Kotelnicki

Abstract is a lack of a definite or an undefined structure.  It is a view beyond the natural eye of observation.  When abstract is first seen its shapes and colors define it.  Only if these capture the eyes will the viewer begin to look deeper and search for meaning in the art.

Using a 60mm macro lens I got in close to a wooden puzzle that was light with the morning sun.  My first shots concentrated on the shadows that were form on the table. but in the end beauty is still most important in my work.

Abstract: Matthew Moore

Like A Banana To A Flame   © 2012 Matthew Moore

Into The Light—Banana Heaven Awaits   © 2012 Matthew Moore

What would your life be like if you were a piece of fruit? Would you have friends, a job, offspring? What challenges would you have? Would you have enemies, predators or prey?

In the above images, I played with light and focus to express what a banana might experience at its end-of-life. I wanted to portray a top-down background light in an ominous way as to suggest "going into the light" and a soft out-of-focus essence to create a dream-like state. Luckily in post-production, I was able to create two different stories with the same shot. One where the banana was looking to the light much like a moth does to a flame just before perishing and the other as if the banana's spirit was moving towards the "heavenly light" on its final breath.

Beauty: Chandler Kim

Beauty lies in the imperfections. In today's digital world, we are constantly stressing over things like retouching; making sure that our images are flawless. But who ever said flaws were a bad thing?

Part of the beauty of photography for me is the unexpected. The magic that occurs after the shutter is released. This image of my beautiful friend Zsa Zsa would not be the same without the funky emulsion at the top. The Impossible Project keeps the beauty of analog photography alive by recreating expired polaroid films. Check out their website or your local photo shop and pick up some of their awesome film!

It is all of life's imperfections that make it so beautiful and keep me wanted to document each moment. Carpe Diem!



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Beauty: Moriah Gallagher

Growing up in a family that has had a lot of influence from the fashion industry (designers and models), beauty has always been taught to me as very important for a woman.  As I grew older, I was unable to attain this perfect external image that I had always known to be so important, which led to many issues with my self esteem.

I have since realized that while external beauty is nice to look at, allowing yourself to be consumed by it leads a dangerous road.  This is why it is represented by the poppy, a beautiful flower that is a key ingredient in destructive substances such as heroin.