I am a North Carolina conceptual portrait photographer. Look here for updates on my photography adventures. Visit www.HeatherEvansSmith.com for details on commissioned portrait shoots and fine art sales.
Showing posts with label project imaginat10n. Show all posts
Showing posts with label project imaginat10n. Show all posts
My series The Heart and The Heavy has been on a southeast tour since last October.
Last weekend the show opened at the MoNA Gallery in Charlotte, NC. Each
opening has its own unique components and vibe. Charlotte was no different.
Gallery owner, Dan Butner, went above and beyond with this exhibit. Every nook had a new surprise, a prop, a quote from myself regarding specific images, and a viewing station.
I stole the infamous robot,
Chuck, away from his owner for the weekend. He was there greeting guests
and starring in the viewing of Chucked by director Jared Nelson. Chucked was one of
ten winning films at last fall's Project Imaginat10n contest.
I love having the opportunity to talk with patrons about my work. Not only to convey what the work means to me, but to hear what they take away from it. Each piece means something different to everyone and I love the connections that are made during those conversations.
If you missed the opening, the exhibit is up until the end of April. Contact Dan at the MoNA Gallery to view the show. There is also a closing reception at the end of April. Hope to see you there!
The infamous robot, Chuck, greeting guests at the door.
PDN/Emerging Photographer Magazine grand prize winning image Talk To Me on the left.
Props from the photographs were displayed around the gallery.
I love my models! Here I am with Morgan Marlowe and her photo Breathe Me In.
Model Olivia Radley with her photo Stranger On This Earth.
Last year my during my 2012 year-in-review blog post, I poured my heart out about the ups and downs of the year and what I learned going forward. I started an experiment called 52 Chances. Every week I put myself out there in some way: entering contests, teaching a workshop, sending out a packet or email. It was a great experiment that opened doors for me. Though many good things came out of that experiment, one of the things learned was that I was focusing more on promotion than work. I am not a fast worker. It takes time for me to plan my images and, for lack of a better term, the spirit to move me. Some months I can get 3 solid images in and some months I don't take my camera out of the bag. This year put myself out there, but made sure that I worked consistently to shoot and finish my series The Heart and The Heavy.
The year started out perfectly with a retreat in New Mexico with David Bram and Jennifer Schwartz's Flash Powder Projects. The retreat came at a perfect time for me. I was spinning my wheels and needed solid direction. I left New Mexico with a 12 month plan and I am happy to say that 10 months later I have stuck with that plan. You can read in detail about the retreat here.
Shortly after the retreat I taught a wonderful group of women at my Savannah workshop. I was extremely impressed by the outcome of the photos from that day. I have shared this video before but I feel it is worth sharing again.
Of course one of the highlights of the year was the Project Imaginat10n experience. What a wild night that was! If you missed the blog post you can catch up here (celebrity photo bombs and all).
Throughout the year I took some of my favorite images to date and completed my series The Heart and The Heavy. The series was shown at two galleries, one in Durham, NC and one in Atlanta, GA.
Overall I would say that the year was a success, but it wasn't without its ups and downs. Many days came with elation, recognition, rejection, self-doubt, defeat and confusion. Despite this, I wouldn't change my occupation. Creating is a fight, a good fight. Completing an image that has been wrestling within me for months makes all those uncertainties worth it.
I spoke about these ups and downs recently to a creativity class at Wake Forest University. I have found through my short time in this profession that if you only look towards the end goal then you will be disappointed. There are so many small events and chance meetings that lead to bigger things. You may not see these at the time. When I woke up this morning I found this quote on the internet by Dr. Seuss: "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."
This holds true for all aspects of life though particularly resonates for me regarding my work. Every small thing has the possibility to open the door to experiences one never dreamed.
So what does 2014 hold for me? I am moving forward with clear goals yet an open mind and space to allow events to unfold. I am starting a new project soon but will continue to put myself out there and await serendipity.
I sincerely wish all of you a Happy New Year and thank you for your support.
The Project Imaginat10n experience has been a year in the making. Last fall I found out that my image Let My Machine Talk To Me was a finalist in the Relationship category of the contest. To refresh your memory, here is the image:
Let My Machine Talk To Me
I learned shortly after that I won. My picture was now available to five celebrity directors as an option for their short film. I was ecstatic, as demonstrated in the following video:
Then, a few months later, even more exciting news! Jamie Foxx, the last of the celebrity judges to choose their photos, picked my image! I first heard the news here:
My husband and I jumped up and down in a circle like a bunch of teenage girls at a Justin Beiber concert. What a great night!
Then the waiting game began. So let me back up and talk a little bit about the image that he chose. Music is one of my biggest inspirations. One of my favorite bands since middle school is R.E.M. I wanted to create an image that interpreted the song World Leader Pretend. My favorite lyric from the song is "Reach out to me, hold me tight. Hold that memory. Let my machine talk to me. Let my machine talk to me." Michael Stipe sings that lyric with such passion and emotion.
I had recently become friends with a mosaic artist who offered her basement of props for me to use at any time. "Do you have a robot?", I asked. "Yes, I do", she answered. I stripped the paint, aged the robot then called on a good friend to model. It turned out to be a beautiful image that meant a lot to us both. I never in a million years thought it would lead me to an elevator with Jamie Foxx (I'll get to that later).
Fast forward to just a few weeks ago at Lincoln Center in New York City. The premiere was finally here. I had guzzied up to the best of my abilities, bought the nice makeup that you have to ask a lady at the counter for (by the way, thanks Jade!) and put my heels on. Here is the result:
Me on the Project Imaginat10n red carpet.
Remember this picture folks, there are unflattering ones to follow.
The night was magical. We were seated in the front for the screening. And then the after party. It was surreal being surrounded by celebrities. Here are some unintential photo bombs. If only I had known I would have put my glamour face on. You know, the one you just saw.
Photobombing celebrities at the Project Imaginat10n premiere.
But aside from just those two moments miraculously caught on camera, I looked like this the whole night. Remember?
I was looking forward to talking to Jamie Foxx. For awhile I couldn't find him (turns out he spent a good deal of time talking to people inside the theatre after the screening). We ran into him just as he was about to leave and ended up following him into the elevator. I introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Heather. I shot the robot picture." "Oh hi, nice to meet you." Ok, now what? Why are elevators so awkward, celebrity or not? We exited the elevator only to find out it was an out only exit. So, back around the building and into the party again. Hey, this is our first red carpet party. Cut us some slack.
Now the real fun began. I finally met some of the photographers I had only followed online. Brooke Shaden was a sweetheart as well as Rob Woodcox, David Saylor and Damon Colquhoun who's film, Transporter, was in the top 20 of the consumer submitted films.
But the highlight by far that evening was seeing the short film, Chucked, by Jared Nelson on the big screen. Along with the five celebrity directed films, Canon opened up the contest to emerging film makers. The top five films were shown at the premiere. One morning while browsing through the film entries on my phone, I saw an entry called Chucked. I clicked on the film and the first image that showed up was of my robot. They had completely recreated the robot and used it as the basis for his film. When the robot's heart started to beat, I burst into tears. I couldn't wait to meet Jared at the premiere. I was extremely surprised when Jared gave me the actual heart to Chuck as a thank you gift!
Me and Jared Nelson (director of Chucked)
The film poster for Chucked.
Was the Project Imaginat10n experience all I thought it would be? Not at all! It turned out to be a more personal and rewarding one. I am learning time and time again to let life take you for a ride. Little did I know listening to my favorite R.E.M. song would lead me here. Until next time NYC!
