Monday, September 26, 2011

Identity

What exactly are we willing to show to the public?  Who is close enough to us that we will share our most personal secrets?  I believe that we put on masks to blend with our current surroundings.

This week I thought about how we use these different “masks” to form our IDENTITY.  Social or dating web sites will ask you what do you do for your job or list the hobbies. As a college student one of the first questions we ask is What is your Major.  We describe ourselves with objects and titles.

For Jess one object that would describe here is a scarf.  Scarves can be a perfect accessory.  A scarf can be versatile and change your appearance to match any event.  You can use a scarf to bring a burst of color and excitement to the day.  A scarf is always useful to keep you warm during a cold winter flurry.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

New Poll

The new poll is up for the coming theme. Identity won out and that is what I am working on now. But what shall I do for next week...

Monday, September 12, 2011

A New Experiment in Community Photography (part 2)

So as I got feed back from my friends and family, I came to the conclusion that I need to edit and explain this weekly experiment a little better. This blog is nothing without you the reader.  Together we will create a community of ideas and I will try my best to bring those Ideas together in a photographic way.  Each week will consist of three parts. This process will take three weeks to go from beginning to end.  First I will do today's post including an image and written piece from which you can comment about and leave your ideas for new themes.  At the week, when I post again, I will take 3-4 comments and place them into a poll question where you can vote on which one you want me to use next.  The poll will be up for a week, at the end I will take the winning theme and use it for the weekly photo shoots. If this is still confusing I will use this weeks post and comments to give a demonstration.

Essence of Salt Lake City (the week's theme)

Salt Lake City is an interesting place to live. When I think about what could be the essence of this place I have to pause and think about the varying identities encompassed within.  I thought about the constant change that takes place. The overwhelming heat of summer and the winter that will stop you in your tracks.  New buildings springing up out of the ground as our city grows and new people come to join us in the desert.  I thought of the history and its constant reminder of where we come from as Utahans.  And of course with that history I can not ignore the LDS church and how this city has grown up around and commingled with their influence.  I think that the essence of Salt Lake City is just that the growth and give and take that the city has with the LDS religion.  Some may say that is what holds back our town from being truly great.  They may have their points but I like to see it in a more positive frame of mind as the LDS church and Salt Lake City grow and change together making the essence of Salt Lake City one of a kind.

It was hard to think what I could photograph to capture all of this. I decided to just walk around the city and photograph what I saw. I came across this scene at Abravanel Hall. I see the reflection of Temple Square and the State Capitol building in this beautiful glass wall where enchanting music is played. They brought together different communities as one. That is what I think SLC is a community of many different backgrounds that create a beautiful place to live.



Monday, September 5, 2011

A New Experiment in Community Photography

Lens life is my attempt to do a weekly photography blog and write about the experience.  I want to be able to express myself in both the graphic and written medium. I want this to be a blog where the readers work with me by suggesting topics and themes that I can photograph.  Each week I will take a suggestion from the comments and use that as my theme for the week.  I will then post one or a series of images on this blog with a written statement about the image and my experiences while working through the process of creating each image.  Thank you for your interest in and your comments about my photography.