flashnick visuals » photographs

Winter Fest Photography Mini-Workshop

Brett — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:54:48 +0000

A couple takes a photo on the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, SC.

What is there to do in Columbia on the first Sunday of 2011 after church ends, and before the first kickoff? If you found a digital camera under the Christmas tree this year, and aren’t sure how to get the most out of it for your family pictures, it might be a good idea to stop by the South Carolina State Museum at 1:30 or 3. Didn’t get a camera this year, but want to learn some tips to improve your digital photography? You’re invited too!

One of the great things about digital photography is that the cameras have become so advanced they can do a lot of the work for us, but thats also a tremendous drawback, because we tend to be lazy and forget the basic fundamentals of taking a good photograph. During these 1 hour mini-workshops, I will be covering some basic tips and tricks that you may have forgotten, or never learned to help you get the most out of digital photographs, all geared towards helping you record your family history.

If you want to learn more come by the South Carolina State Museum this Sunday, January 2, 2011 at 1:30pm or 3pm. The best part about this is that since its the first Sunday of the month admission is only $1, and the seminar is free with the price of admission. Trust me when I say its a much better value than the $1 double cheeseburger at the McDonald’s up the street.

While you’re at the Museum don’t forget to stop by the Lipscomb Gallery on the first floor to check out the amazing work of 24 South Carolina photographers featured in the Palmetto Portraits Project exhibit (in full disclosure I am one of the photographers). The exhibit runs through (closes) on January 9, 2011 so this may be your last chance to see this amazing collection of more than 240 portraits from around SC. For more information on the PPP visit http://palmettoportraits.musc.edu/ and for more information about exhibits and programs at the South Carolina State Museum visit http://www.museum.state.sc.us/

Winter Fest Press Release PDF

Palmetto Portraits Project IV

Brett — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:54:53 +0000

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.

The PPP was started a little over four years ago by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), in partnership with the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston, and the South Carolina State Museum. The goal of the project was to commission approximately twenty noted and emerging photographers from across South Carolina to focus on portraying South Carolinians in the Lowcountry, the Piedmont, and the Upstate—reflecting the full range and diversity of the state’s citizens, occupations, and recreational activities. Creating a collection of art to display within MUSC’s educational and clinical buildings, the University hopes to remind students, faculty, staff, and visitors of those they serve at MUSC and throughout South Carolina. MUSC and the selected photographers have broadened the impact of the project by donating an identical set of photographs to the permanent collection of the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia.

This was an amazing project to be invited to be a part of, and am still humbled to this day to have had the opportunity to work with so many great photographers. While the past year of my life has led me in a in a direction that I never saw coming, both personally and professionally, I am deeply thankful for the people I have had the opportunity to meet while working on it, and the new way in which it has taught me to look at my native state. I don’t feel I can ever thank those who have supported me, and helped me with this project over the past year enough. I will be eternally grateful to all of you!

If you don’t have the opportunity to make it to the opening on Wednesday, but find yourself in Charleston, SC the project will be hanging in James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine, located at 29 Bee St. for the foreseeable future. Please stop by and take a look at all of the amazing work of the series IV photographers. It will give you a new appreciation for the people and places of this state.

for more information on this project, please visit the official project site at http://palmettoportraits.musc.edu/

*Update* Check out the review of the show in the Charleston City Paper.

little background on the project.

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), in partnership with the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston have developed a multi-year collaboration called the Palmetto Portraits Project. Noted and emerging photographers from throughout the state of South Carolina have been commissioned to focus on portraying South Carolinians in the Lowcountry, the Piedmont, and the Upstate—reflecting the full range and diversity of the state’s citizens, occupations, and recreational activities. In creating a collection of art to display within MUSC’s educational and clinical buildings, the University hopes to remind students, faculty, staff, and visitors of those they serve at MUSC and throughout South Carolina. MUSC and the selected photographers have broadened the impact of the project by donating an identical set of photographs to the permanent collection of the South Carolina State Museum in Columb

Personal Selects: Best of 2008

Brett — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:03:27 +0000

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!

More From the Trail

Brett — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 03:59:00 +0000

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.

Just pretty pictures, nothing more, nothing less…

Brett — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 20:51:00 +0000

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