projects & opportunities

The education continues. After a great thanksgiving spent in New Haven School continues to slowly amp up. I needed the thanksgiving break but found myself thinking about assignments due soon after the break and images I would like to create. 

The day before thanksgiving break we got back our phase 1 final assignment. I was rather surprised with a really good pay out. ( We are graded on dollar amounts. When we are given as assignment it is fixed with a dollar amount. Such as $500 or $1000. This gets you in the mode of thinking money and value instead of grade point average. And we all know that a GPA will never pay the bills.) Our phase 1 final was worth $10000. I received $9250  for it. I am pretty pleased with this result. 

But the assignments continue. We are started to focus on two very large markets, Commercial and portrait. (The weather here is starting to cool considerably which is chasing us indoors where a majority of these photos happen) We are photographing reflective metal, glass, and catalog shots in commercial. In portrait we are shooting  lighting patterns and learning posing. The amount of stuff I am learning is lets just say a lot. 

On top of our commercial and portrait assignments. We are learning how to make our own web page, design our own promotional material, an aerial assignment, research for a 10 minuet speech/presentation, and learning the intricacies of retouching. Plus there is always the need to just take pictures, because I need a picture fix. The outside contacts that are starting your network that you need to keep up with. And the ever looming question, Where is this all taking me.

How can I forget! My family. Dishes, laundry, fixing that damn dryer, new tires for the van, landlord issues, bills, helping the kids with homework, hockey practice, and of course this blog.

You know what??? I love it. I would not trade this for anything right now. I know, know, know I am where I need to be.

The new  photos taken in commercial studio and a shot I took while on my aerial assignment. The portrait was taken by one of my fellow students

Peter E

Random

Thinking..... Meatballs really do work in soup.  When you are going for a walk at night and bump into someone you don't know, do you say anything?  Do red and green really make purple? Sometimes when I am driving on a long trip, my hand will just end up in the air. Nose hairs! What's up with that? Can a hyena really break an elephants leg bone? How could da Vinichi write with both hands? What do a farmer and a brain surgeon chit chat about? Is there an end? And When really was the beginning? Don't you ever just want to through a rock in a window?!?! I like snow storms. I have this one particular hair that grows in a rather odd direction on my face. I don't like it. It bothers me. Blog is a gross word!!! Ever milked a cow by hand? Or Burn ants with a magnify glass. Have you ever laid in the grass and stared into the sky to see how far it went? Do you want to go to the Falkland Islands? What do sago caterpillars taste like? 28 is my favorite number. Who got to decide that shit is a swear word??? Leathermans rock! The ? is probably my favorite symbol!

Just want to get off the train sometimes! Bus driver stop the bus! I am getting off. I need a break! This is going to fast. And it is not going where I thought it was. My ticket says Denver but the highway signs read Miami! Explain please!!! I want my money back!

Me and random have a pretty tight relationship. We get along, most of the time. I do have a hard time when random keeps me up at night and wants to talk, talk, talk. We had this awesome time one time though and I was inspired by one word in our conversation. Corners. I am not sure where I am going with it? Just somewhere! Random helps me get through the mundane and boring. What a great friend.

This weeks photo is of an old, long forgotten fence. But not to me! Enjoy your thanksgiving. 

Peter 

Exposed?!?

There has been a slight delay in my blog. I skipped a week. But there is good reason. I shall explain!!!

Two and half weeks ago. We got our final assignment for phase #1. (there are 4 phases in all) For the assignment there were 10 procedures which related to the previous two months of classes. (I won't bore you with the details) We had to have it done Friday the ninth at 8.45 am ready to show in front of the whole school (everybody).  Really rather intimidating. HOLD THIS THOUGHT BECAUSE I AM GOING TO RABBIT TRAIL FOR A Minute................

Have you ever felt naked, exposed and vulnerable Well, when ever I show my work this is how I feel.  OUT THERE!!!!  Here I aM!!!!! I am ALMOST screaming inside with teNSion. Because I really really want you to see what I have been working on and how I have been seeing. But do I really want you to see what I am seeing??? Because then you can see what is happening inside me. And I doN"t KNOw if i want YoU there.  Because I COULD bE  HuRt!!! I Don'T likE BEING hurt. IT Hurts OK!!!!! There is also a big DANGER, DANGER, DANGER, here. The tEnsioN in this vulnerability, can stifle, cripple and even kill creativity. Oh the risk. Oh the TEnSioN. CAn i? WIll i? Do i EVEn wanT to boTheR??? Oh the BATTLe of  being a creative. MayBE, Just MAYbE this whOLe scenario wiLL cauSe moRE creaTivitY. HHHMMMM!!!

So yesterday, (Friday the ninth), there we all sat. In the Auditorium with each other. Staff. Students. Photographers. Having battled through the previous paragraph, knowingly or not, ready to be inspired by our work. Which we all were.  And the experience was as you would expect. Wonderful! Thought provoking! Dangerous! Beautiful! Scary! Sensual! Tense! Happy! 

So as you can see I have a little preoccupied with this whole experience. It is sometimes very difficult for me to communicate what is happening on the inside in a creative sense. I hope this post will do that. To the right is a self portrait that we had to do for the assignment. 

Love you all

Peter