Pushing Pixels

Perry Dozier Jr. - Columbia, SC 2009

Looking back on my email box, I found the first correspondence letting me know that I had been selected to participate in fourth series of the Palmetto Portraits Project a year ago today.  Less than five days from now, on Wednesday, September 16, 2009, the exhibit will open to the public with a reception at MUSC’s new James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine, located at 29 Bee St. in Charleston, SC.

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Tags: art, gallery, photo, photograph, photographs, photography, south carolina.

As tradition, during the first or second week of every new year I spend a day going back through all of the images I have created during the previous year to prepare for annual contest submissions.  For me this is an opportunity to look back on what I have learned over the year, re-evaluate what I might do differently next year, and see my growth both as a photographer and a person.  This year was a little different.  In a few months I will celebrate being a photographer, and a small business owner for a decade.  A small milestone in the greater scheme of things, but a pretty big one for a 28-year-old.  

While last year was tough for me personally, and professionally (we are all dealing with this down economy).  The year of 2009 has started off for me with a great deal of opportunity and promise, with several great adventures already in the books that I can’t wait to share with you, and others that are out there which I don’t even know about yet.  I am going through a period of tremendous growth again, after being somewhat stagnant creatively for some time, and I am very excited for what the future holds.

The gallery of images contained in this post is never usually seen outside of contest judging rooms, where they may only get a brief glimpse of time on a projector screen.  With that in mind, I would like to have the opportunity to share some of my favorite images of the year with those of you who read this blog.  I sincerely hope you enjoy, and feel free to share your own stories, comments and critiques.

I wish you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2009!

Tags: 2008, best, contest, gallery, photographs, photography, slideshow.

After a busy couple of weeks I finally have some time to sit down and update my website. I’ve added a gallery from my time on the 2008 presidential campaign trail. So far I’ve spent some time with five of the candidates vying for their party nomination. Photographing these events can be frustrating, and rewarding at the same time however. It is a lot of hurry up and wait (note the recurring theme of this profession), you show up 2 hours early, get set up, scope things out, talk to the handlers, and then wait. When the time comes you can be shoulder to shoulder with 10 other photographers trying to get the same shot as you, so hopefully all of the planning, and politicking and your instincts will take over and put you into a position where you can find a unique angle, when the moment comes.

The whole experience can be a draining one, and hopefully when the smoke clears, my editors and I will be happy with the result. Even though every time out hasn’t resulted in a home run, it has been a learning experience seeing how these campaigns work, and it will be interesting to see which candidate and strategy comes out on top in a years time. Until then time to celebrate the small successes, and get back to work telling stories… until next time.

Click here to view more photos from my time with the candidates.

Tags: 2008, campaign, clinton, giuliani, obama, photographs, presidential, south carolina.

I’ve spent five out of the past seven days on the road, and put more than 1200 miles of highway behind me, while traveling up and down the South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida coastline.I have a had a lot of time to think about things and make some pretty pictures even though I was going through technology withdrawal from time to time, due to the lack of internet, and cell. But after I returned and the emails starting pouring in, and the phone kept ringing off the hook I realized that I had taken for granted the time I had to just enjoy making photographs. I became a photographer because I love meeting people, seeing new places, and having the ability to share those experiences with others. However, recently I have let life get in the way. Sure you need to be concerned with making a living to put food on the table, a roof over your head, an gas in your car, but there are much easier and more lucrative ways to do that, aside from being a photographer. People are photographers because they love it, and I lost sight of that. What reminded me of my passion was something so simple. While sitting on the deck of a beach house I was staying at (aka sleeping on the couch) I saw seagulls swooping down to grab pieces of bread tossed into the air by some kids walking down the beach, the first thing that came to my mind was “How can I setup a remote camera to get in the middle of that?” and just like that I put the beer down and went to work, no distracting cell phones, no email, just the challenge of figuring out how to make an image that was in my head. When it was all said and done, all I needed to get my passion back was a monopod, a camera and a cable release… who know it would be so simple…. So where ever the road may take you in the future, remember to have fun doing what ever it is that you love, and stay safe.
Peace
Flashnick

Tags: beach, photographs, south carolina.