2 posts tagged “chicago”
I've been going through a bit of a struggle with my photography recently. It all started when I went out to Aurora one Saturday to visit Jimi Allen.
To provide some background, I was planning on working for Jimi before I went off to Sweden last year. One night when I was in Sweden I was passing out sandwiches with the salvation army. I got into a lengthy, half-swedish half-english discussion with a drunk guy about life, the universe and everything. We got around to talking about why I was in Sweden, and I told him it was because I wanted to share Christ with people like him. He asked what I would have done if I hadn't come. I told him that I would have a job learning about and doing what I love; photography. He thought I was crazy.
I don't think I was crazy. Sweden was neccesary, and I learned so much there that will stick with me throughout the rest of my life and has made me who I am today. However, I found myself wondering from time to time what life would have been like if I hadn't gone.
One of the many photographs from Visby, Sweden.
This brings me back to Jimi. I came to Jimi because I wanted help with my business. I wanted to start building a client base in the city and I had no idea how. I came with a list of business related questions to ask him, expecting the appointment to be fairly straightforward. I got more than I bargained for.
Jimi ended up asking me most of the questions: "What do you see yourself doing in five years?" "What do you see yourself doing tomorrow?" "How is your Bible education going to help your photography?" "How can you combine your faith and your photography?" We spent about three hours talking in between his appointments with clients.
When we got the bottom of things, we had established one basic principle. Faith and photography shouldn't be separate for Christian photographers like Jimi and myself. Photography is the way we communicate with the world and one of the ways we convey God's glory to the people around us. Up until this point I had been struggling to think about why God had given me these two seemingly separate desires; to be a photographer and to serve him. These shouldn't be separate. In an age where the visual rules all, it is more important than ever that we glorify God in art and imagery. It is even more important that we affect people with our images. Images stir people to action; from what they buy, to what they wear, to what they do on the weekends. How much greater would it be if images inspired people to serve God?
You see, up until this point I had been taking a lot of pictures like this:
This brings me back to Jimi. I came to Jimi because I wanted help with my business. I wanted to start building a client base in the city and I had no idea how. I came with a list of business related questions to ask him, expecting the appointment to be fairly straightforward. I got more than I bargained for.
Jimi ended up asking me most of the questions: "What do you see yourself doing in five years?" "What do you see yourself doing tomorrow?" "How is your Bible education going to help your photography?" "How can you combine your faith and your photography?" We spent about three hours talking in between his appointments with clients.
When we got the bottom of things, we had established one basic principle. Faith and photography shouldn't be separate for Christian photographers like Jimi and myself. Photography is the way we communicate with the world and one of the ways we convey God's glory to the people around us. Up until this point I had been struggling to think about why God had given me these two seemingly separate desires; to be a photographer and to serve him. These shouldn't be separate. In an age where the visual rules all, it is more important than ever that we glorify God in art and imagery. It is even more important that we affect people with our images. Images stir people to action; from what they buy, to what they wear, to what they do on the weekends. How much greater would it be if images inspired people to serve God?
You see, up until this point I had been taking a lot of pictures like this:
A view from the van on our way to New York City.
You see, I love images like this. I love the light. I love the lines. I love the way different compositional elements work together to create a strong image. However, when you get down to it, it's not really going to change anybody. It's lacks that power. It lacks significance.
The end result of my conversation with Jimi was that I sought to push myself harder to capture some significant moments. Ever since then, I've been wracking my brain, and trying to create a better image. It's taking time, but my eye excercises seem to be bearing some fruit. Take this example from a recent trip to millenium park:
You see, I love images like this. I love the light. I love the lines. I love the way different compositional elements work together to create a strong image. However, when you get down to it, it's not really going to change anybody. It's lacks that power. It lacks significance.
The end result of my conversation with Jimi was that I sought to push myself harder to capture some significant moments. Ever since then, I've been wracking my brain, and trying to create a better image. It's taking time, but my eye excercises seem to be bearing some fruit. Take this example from a recent trip to millenium park:
A couple poses for a picture at "the Bean" in millenium park.
Now this isn't Pulitzer prize winning photo by any stretch of the imagination, but it's an important step for me. It shows my view of how these people are interacting with the world, and in a way, it contains my feelings towards this interaction. I'm starting focus more on the people around me.
This got me started in another idea. I decided to start bringing my camera to the youth drop-in center I volunteer at. I wanted to produce some meaningful images that showed how the kids there interact with the world. It's going to take some time, but here is one of the firstfruits of this effort:
Now this isn't Pulitzer prize winning photo by any stretch of the imagination, but it's an important step for me. It shows my view of how these people are interacting with the world, and in a way, it contains my feelings towards this interaction. I'm starting focus more on the people around me.
This got me started in another idea. I decided to start bringing my camera to the youth drop-in center I volunteer at. I wanted to produce some meaningful images that showed how the kids there interact with the world. It's going to take some time, but here is one of the firstfruits of this effort:
A boy from uptown Chicago at a youth drop-in center.
I don't like to talk about my photos very much, preferring that the viewer take as much out of it as he or she can, but I'm trying to make a point here. This photo is showing progress because this isn't the typical portrait of mine. It's not a high-school student dressed up in their best and ready to smile for the camera. This boy is so much more genuine than that. The first thing I noticed about him is that he didn't turn his face to the other side. He didn't try to hide his scar; he's not ashamed of it. His lip is also busted; he's probably been in a fight recently. His arms are crossed, which is a typical sign of toughness or defiance. However, this boy is probably 13 or so years old.
Okay, so these aren't huge accomplishments by any means, but I think that I'm growing. I'm thinking about things, and trying to impliment them. It's going to take some time, but as you can see, I'm pretty excited about what it means for me.
I don't like to talk about my photos very much, preferring that the viewer take as much out of it as he or she can, but I'm trying to make a point here. This photo is showing progress because this isn't the typical portrait of mine. It's not a high-school student dressed up in their best and ready to smile for the camera. This boy is so much more genuine than that. The first thing I noticed about him is that he didn't turn his face to the other side. He didn't try to hide his scar; he's not ashamed of it. His lip is also busted; he's probably been in a fight recently. His arms are crossed, which is a typical sign of toughness or defiance. However, this boy is probably 13 or so years old.
Okay, so these aren't huge accomplishments by any means, but I think that I'm growing. I'm thinking about things, and trying to impliment them. It's going to take some time, but as you can see, I'm pretty excited about what it means for me.
In the tower above the earth,
There is a view that reaches far
Where we see the universe,
I see the fire, I see the end.
Seven miles above the earth,
There is Emmanuel of mothers.
With his sword, with his robe,
He comes dividing man from brothers.
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel.
In the powers of the earth, we wait until it rips and rips.
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel.
Oh my mother, she betrayed us, but my father loved and bathed us.
Still I go to the deepest grave,
Where I go to sleep alone
- Sufjan Stevens: The Seer's Tower
