78 Photography Rules

78 funny photography rules and useful advices created by Latvian photographer Ivars Gravlejs. (Taken from Gawno.)

ALARMA! Don’t take it serious, please.

Annie Leibovitz's Photo Rights... GONE?...

Have you been hearing about this? Famous photographer Annie Leibovitz used the rights to her photographs as collateral in a number of loans which total about 24 million dollars. The loans have come due today, and there's currently no sign that she'll be able to pay them back. Here are a few links regarding this story:

- The Associated Press, from 2 hours ago.

- The NY Times, talking about firms that use rights to art as collateral.

- The NY Times: this article is about 6 weeks old, but it's the best description of what's going on that I've found.

How does a photographer get that far "in the hole?" That last article states the following:

Over the years at Vanity Fair, her shoots became more complex and expensive, often elaborate as movie shoots. “Month after month, it got a little bit more complicated with every shoot,” Jane Sarkin, a Vanity Fair features editor, said in the documentary. “Her demands became bigger. Fire, rain, cars airplanes, circus animals — whatever she wanted she got.”

But STILL! This boggles my mind. Good luck, Annie!

“Practice - Profess” Opening

Last night was the “Practice - Profess” opening reception. I chatted with former students, other professors, and old friends for the majority of the show. When we were all being kicked out, I grabbed my point-and-shoot and snapped a few photos of the dark gallery. I know it’s not great for highlighting the work, but I enjoy this lighting much more than “gallery lighting:”

In the middle of the west wall, my piece was hung right next to the thermostat and security system:

I’m in an upcoming show at the Katherine E. Nash gallery at the University of Minnesota that opens in October. I’ll have more about that as the details come in. Thanks!

Upcoming Show in St. Paul

I wanted to make sure everyone knew about an opening that’s about 2 weeks away. The Annual Faculty Exhibition will be on display shortly at the College of Visual Arts Gallery. Here’s the web press release:

Thurs, Sept 3rd, 6-8 pm
See you there?...

Work is due for the show tomorrow. I have 3 pieces all ready to go, and I need to decide which one to use. They are all images from the previous post: either “Teeter Totter,” “Headed Out for a Swim,” or “Incoming Storm.” I’m leaning towards “Teeter Totter” right now, but we’ll see if that changes in the next 18 hours...

Holga Vacation Photos

At the end of July, I spent a few days with my family in Alexandria, MN. We stay on a cabin on Lake Mary, and we spend the day fishing, playing lawn games, eating, and just getting in good “family time.”

I brought my Holga and created a little narrative of the quintessential summer family vacation.

"Teeter Totter"


"'Big Ole,' the 28 foot Viking"


"Grandpa With Bait"


"Waiting to Go Fishing"


"Grandma"


"Grandma’s Feet"


"Playing in the Sand"


"Headed Out for a Swim"


"Tackle Box and Worms"


"Incoming Storm"


"Bean Bag Toss"


"My Sister’s Baby Bump"


"At the Bottom of the Slide"


"Lit Grill"


"Laying On The Beach"


"On The Jet Ski"


"Sippy Cup"


"Sunfish"


"Kubb" (a Swedish Lawn Game)


"Playing Cribbage on the Deck"

What You Need to Do to Teach Photography

I was recently sent this article, and I found it interesting enough (and accurate enough) to post:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

What You Need to Do to Teach Photography

It’s not a career that most people would choose to do, but there are some who are more passionate about teaching the art to others than practicing it themselves. And to do this, they need to be skilled in two disciplines, the one they hope to teach, and in teaching itself. This makes teaching photography a more challenging job than just practicing it and making money out of it, so if you think you’re up to the task, here’s what you need to do to be qualified to teach photography:

• Learn: While some institutions require a doctoral degree to allow you to teach, others are ok with a Master’s degree in Fine Arts or Photography. You need to have been a good student with good grades. Besides this, importance is given to the amount of experience you have, in both teaching and proving yourself as a reputable photographer.
• Do: The more impressive your personal portfolio is, the more likely you are to gain a position at one of the top art and photography schools. If you’ve proven yourself as an experienced and talented photographer who is naturally creative and skilled, you may be considered worthy enough to mould young minds into becoming some of the best photographers in the business.
• Apply: You need to be able to apply the knowledge you have about photography into valuable lessons for your students. It’s no use of being exceptionally brilliant, yet not being able to teach others what you know. Most professors are brain-heavy, but when it comes to application of their knowledge in the classroom, they’re reduced to the status of mere knuckleheads.
• Perform: The true meaning of being a teacher is to make your students experience and imbibe the passion you feel for the subject. It’s a job that must be undertaken with conviction and enthusiasm than one that is performed as a matter of duty. It’s hard to sustain enthusiasm for a job as the years go by, but good teachers find ways to keep themselves and their craft from becoming stale.

Photography is not a subject that most people wish to learn by going to college and spending two or four years of their lives for the process. Those who are naturally talented are always on the lookout for positions as interns with established photographers, career opportunities that offer them scope for advancement and gigs of their own in the future. So if you’re keen on teaching photography and are unable to secure a position at a reputable institution for some reason or the other, you can use your credentials and qualifications as a photographer to teach willing students who work for as well as learn from you.

By-line:
This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of photography colleges. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com

Starting a New Project?...

Well, I should be done shooting my "Memory Project" (still a working title), as my parents are fully moved into their new home. But I'm not quite ready to be sequencing that project and working out how those images are all going to go together. I may START doing that, but I think it will take me a while to figure this all out.

In the meantime, I've been thinking about starting a project in the Midway Neighborhood of St. Paul. Midway gets it's name because it's about midway between the 2 downtowns (Minneapolis and St. Paul). There seem to always be a lot of people in transition in Midway, and I think that will become my subject.

I figured the 4th of July was just as good of a day as any to start "scouting" for this project. So I headed out with my camera to make some photographs. I only got 2 mediocre images before the sky opened up and rained me out. This first image is a fitting way to start a project on the 4th of July, right?

"Perkins Flag with Storm Clouds on the 4th of July"


"Selling Michael Jackson Memorial T-Shirts"

These aren't great shots. I didn't even know if I wanted to put them up here. But I want to make myself get going and work on this project.

I need to just go out and shoot. A lot. A LOT a lot. Here we go......

Camera Evolution