Ryan’s Experience:

One of my favorite Wes Anderson movies of all time is Rushmore. There is something special about this slow-moving film. It’s packed full of witty lines, great music, and Anderson’s iconic framing, composition, and color grading. But some of the best parts of the movie are the awkward moments. Moments that seem to go on just a little longer than they should. Moments that build a unique kind of suspense and anxiety.

As I set out to capture my challenge picture, I knew I needed some essential Anderson elements: center composition, symmetry, vintage vibe/colors, and of course, something a little strange.

I decided on a studio shot using a yellow paper background, a single strobe with a large umbrella, and three plastic toys I’ve collected over the years. I’ve used the two people before, but photographing the bear has been on my bucket list for a while. I intentionally kept the picture simple without any background distractions to allow for all of your focus to be on the three characters. After a little vintage color grading in Photoshop, I managed to create an image that could be used for the poster of Wes Anderson’s new movie, “Going no Bear.”

“Going no Bear” is a love story about a couple that picks up a hitchhiking bear outside of Yosemite National Park on route 120 just outside of Gloveland. They drove for hours West towards the coast, but when the sun began to rise the next day they were driving through Benton and approaching the East entrance of Yosemite National Park, the opposite side of the park they left hours before. The lovebirds were baffled and a little scared. They pulled out maps trying to figure if they took a wrong turn or how this was happened. While they frantically tried to figure out the mystery the bear sat giggling in the backseat eating handfuls of gummy bears from a 5lb bucket. As they entered the park, the bear stopped giggling, turned his head slowly to the left window, and winked at a bird flying low next to the car. The bird soared off into the air and started notifying the rest of the forest that operation “lovebirds” was about to begin…

Katie’s Experience:

This week was one that I planned for and looked forward to..and yet I still failed to get the shot, because I didn’t go out and do it straight away. I looked for weeks and was having such a good time doing so! I watched a few Wes Anderson films for inspiration. I looked around Los Angeles and Denver. I found the perfect little spot in Denver, but then I kept telling myself I would go photograph it the next morning, when the sun was in the prime spot. The next day, I told myself I would go shoot it the next morning, and the next. Then life happened and I was on my way back to Los Angeles, the day before this challenge was due and guess what? I’d never gone back to shoot that perfect shot on the busy corner in downtown Denver.

Sunday I was in Los Angeles, trying to find this shot. I used google and found a really great old building that was practically perfect, if I could get into the outdoor pool area..however, it turns out this building is now luxury lofts..Johnny Depp lived in them at one point, I probably wasn’t going to get in and I didn’t have the guts to go try (working on my gut back-for another story).

I was ready to admit defeat and then on a trip out to watch the sunset in Malibu, my friend Rachel pointed out that this Hindu Temple looked kind of like the photos I’d showed her of Wes Anderson films. So, we pulled over and looked around. It does kind of look like Wes Anderson’s style, but mostly not. However, this was my last chance to not fail this challenge and I took it.

It isn’t perfect, just like the others in this series of challenges thus far, but it’s definitely showing up. Showing up counts for something, but it’s still not good enough for me..and I am getting sick of my own bs. This is process and where the changes happen..getting sick of your own bs.

I am glad I showed up, didn’t give up, and I will work harder for next weeks challenge. I am glad I had the adventures I had while looking for the shot.

Lesson for me this week is one I have learned many times over, take the shot. Take the chance, take the action..straight away, otherwise, it might not happen.

Until next week!

Wes Anderson Photography Club was originally published in Shut up and Shutter on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Ryan’s Experience:

The biggest industry in rural Iowa is farming. The only gotcha is that it’s the middle of winter, so the only thing that is growing is icicles, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s illegal to photography hog/beef refineries in Iowa (2012 Ag-Gag Law.) Take away farming, and that doesn’t leave much for me to photograph. At least nothing that had a good blend of industry and beauty.

The one benefit of this shoot is that it was the first day in about a mouth that the temperatures breached 40 degrees. It was windy, but I’ll take wind over freezing cold temperatures any day of the week. The sun was shining, I grabbed a cup of coffee, and began a journey around downtown on foot. I explored alleys, walked down the train tracks, went to the power station, and gazed up at our gigantic spaceship looking water tower. All of these locations had pictures worthy of this challenge, but I wanted to find something more beautiful.

I walked down an alley that was sprinkled with businesses and apartments on all sides. In the middle of it all was a lone telephone pole. A pole that has been abused and overused. It had wires branching off in every direction. Crisscrossing and weaving, powering and streaming. This pole was more than just a pole; it was lights, it was the internet, it was the phone. This lone pole was the unsung hero of the neighborhood. Bringing joy, connections, and life to the block. There was something special about the chaos of wires; it was beautiful. Not just how it looked, but how it is such an integral part of so many peoples lives, even though these beneficiaries don’t even realize the pole exists.

Katie’s Experience:

This week I was at home in Los Angeles, CA. I thought there would be no shortage of shots illustrating industry damaging the environment in Los Angeles. I mean, it’s a city known for it’s smog and traffic, shouldn’t be any trouble at all!

However, the day I planned to take the photo for this week’s challenge, I ended up going to the beach with a friend. We went to Point Dume, in Malibu, CA. I planned to find something to shoot on the long drive over from Silverlake, but google maps took us through the mountains and I didn’t see a single thing. We got to Malibu and started down the PCH, but we were in Malibu, a place full of wealth and thus, not much obvious polluting industry. These things are hidden for the rich..or by the rich.

We made our way to the beach and pollution wise, all I could find were cars..lots and lots of cars. But that seemed more like people using industry to pollute the environement. I did photograph some power lines, but nothing nearly as lovely as the shot by Ryan, above. I was not going to give up, though.

Sunset came and I had my feet in the ocean. Dolphins started swimming by and jumping out of the water. I let my challenge go as I chose to be present in this moment. The cresent moon was rising, the sun was setting, my feet were in the ocean, doplhins were playing in front of me..I basked in my moment, also aware that all of the light of day was disappearing and I still hadn’t found my shot.

I couldn’t give up. Luckily, even after sunset in LA.. on a bank holiday, there was traffic. I know, who says that’s lucky, right? Me. Because it means time for more adventures to happen.

The drive home took us almost 2 hours, to go fifteen miles. This meant that I had more time to search the night for my industry photo. My friend Alex pulled off to get gas back in LA, and he pointed at the gas being pumped into the underground tanks, “there’s your shot, Katie”. I was still a bit hung up on the photo being that of people polluting the environment, versus industry. I suppose that ultimately, it’s people behind all of the industry, but my photo idea required that it was more abstract..I had to let go of that idea.

Even though there is a person who appears to be the one polluting the earth here, there is so much environmental destruction going on, before and after the dumping of gasoline into the ground. Despite the environmental destruction, it still seemed like a really lovely scene, with the lines of the hoses going into the ground, the night lights, the blur of the man working, the angles of the parked tankers, the lovely palms in the background..

I let go of my expectations, I kept at it, and the photo showed up.

Destructive Beauty was originally published in Shut up and Shutter on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Ryan’s Experience:

Ask three people to pose for a picture and I bet one out of the three will make a silly face. The silly face seems to appear usually when the person you’re photographing doesn’t like to have their picture taken. It’s their way of being defiant without completely refusing to be photographed. A lot of photographers (and my Grandmother) don’t like the silly face. They think it ruins a picture. I love the silly face. Especially when it comes out organically. When someone makes a silly face when they are having fun, you capture a special kind of emotion. An emotion that makes the picture approachable and something that seems relatable.

Silliness and humor can change the dynamic of a photograph, a dynamic I try to create in all my work. I enjoy whimsical art because it makes me happy, it usually makes the person I’m collaborating with happy, and makes about 50% of the people that see it happy. I make art to make people smile, and this makes the creative process a roller coaster of giggles. The funny thing about whimsical art is that everyone’s sense of humor is different. There isn’t a universal form of humor that everyone will find equally funny. Hence why only 50% of the people that see it like it.

A lot of my work is full-blown productions. Props, hired models, location scouting, and complex photographing strategies for accomplishing my final concept. These production shoots take a lot of time, and you don’t know if they will work until you go through all preparation and finally click the shutter. More times than not, ideas that seem great in my head don’t look great in a photograph. The challenge is that the only way to know if an idea will work or not is by trying. These failed productions can take a toll on your creativity, but the good news is, even failed shoots teach you new techniques and develop existing.

I was excited about the third challenge because it simplifies the complexities of a full production shoot and allows me to focus on one of the most basic forms of whimsical photography, the silly face. The silly face, when captured in true sincerity, can tell a story. It can show you a personality trait of a person only close friends and family get to enjoy. The only problem was, I had to travel to Virginia during this challenge. A place where I didn’t have friends or family to call on to help me with this picture.

The goods news is when you wear 50 bells around your ankles and mix matched shoes in the south, you get a lot of attention. I’ve worn bells every day for over 13 years, and the main reason I continue to wear them is because of how many awesome people I meet. When you wear bells in public, people need to ask you why (or heckle you). This question leads to conversations, friendships, and unique opportunities. Walking around the historic downtown district I was approached by many people, but luckily I met Sammi, an inspiring model, that was willing to show me around town and allow me to photograph our adventure. The more we laughed, the more natural the pictures became. There were many pictures from this adventure that would have worked for this challenge, but this playful image captured the true essence of Sammi’s personality. I’m sick of the standard, “smile for the camera” approach to photographing people. I want to capture sincere personalities and emotions, and Sammi proved that this can be done even when you’re making a silly face.

Katie’s Experience:

During challenge three, I realized how truly bad I am at producing a photo, that I also love, on a dead-line. This is a weakness. In documentary photography, I wait for the photos to come to me. I wait. I walk around and look for them, but still, I am waiting with no fixed idea of what I am going to shoot. I am going to shoot whatever presents itself to me.

I feel there is a balance between the two that I haven’t found yet. I now see how compromised my abilities are in this regard, and to what degree. This is daunting and a little disappointing, but so necessary for me to get better at it. Now I see where I need to start working. I want to be able to go out and get a shot on assignment, without it being painful.

I was so disappointed with this photo that I didn’t want to post it on Instagram, because it might ruin my “look”..but then I realized that showing the process is what I long for other artists and photographers to do. I seek them out and ask them to share it with me. I observe them constantly. So, what was I doing hiding my process from the world?

So, here it is. Process. I don’t love this photo. I love the silly face. I love the person in the photo, but I do not love this photo. It is my work, but it is not like my regular work, in a way that makes it feel..embarassing. It is not a technically horrible photo, but it doesn’t feel like mine. Yet, it is mine.

Process takes bravery..courage. It’s still a little scary, but you do it anyway. So, here is my process photo. This is my process for getting better at producing photos vs just waiting for them to appear. I may never be excellent at producing them. It will always be more natural for me to wait it out and see what comes to me, but getting better at producing your own reality is a great skill to have, in art and in life.

This process is helping me learn to produce my own life, as well, rather than just seeing what come along. I realize through this that I live my life in a very similar way to my photography style, but sometimes you need a little more than just taking what comes. Both are interesting ways of living, both have value, but balance between the two is something that is necessary, I believe, now more than ever.

In what ways have you grown from this challenge? Have you learned something about life from challenging the way you make art? I’d love to hear about it!

Silliness + Smiles = Shutter Success was originally published in Shut up and Shutter on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Ryan’s Experience:

“I’ve chickened out a bunch of times to take a picture of an interesting person, but after this challenge I’m going to work on never missing a shot because of fear again.”

Talking to strangers has never been a problem for me, but taking a picture of someone that I just met can be a little awkward. I’ve chickened out a bunch of times to take a picture of an interesting person, but after this challenge, I’m going to work on never missing a shot because of fear again. It’s not that they said no, it’s that I was afraid to ask. Life is too short to miss creative opportunities because of baseless internal fears. There are so many people in this world that deserve to have their picture taken, and from this day forward there is a strong possibility that I will be the one awkwardly taking your picture :)

The fearless woman that agreed to have me photograph her for this challenge was amazing. I introduced myself at the coffee shop, and she invited me to chat with her for a while. She was studying and preparing for a life-changing move to the other side of the world. She and her husband, along with a new baby, were moving to a small village to help teach the locals on how to grow soy. They weren’t just going for a month or two; they were moving their indefinitely. The more I learned about their journey, the more amazed I was about what they were willing and capable of doing. I’m not sure if I would be able to uproot my life and move around the world, but I bet if I keep working to overcome my small silly fear of asking strangers to pose for pictures the more prepared I will be to say yes the next adventure I’m privy to without hesitation.

I’m always appreciative when photographers share the gear and settings they use when taking pictures so I thought you might like to know what I used to take this picture. I was shooting with a Sony A7R II with a 55 1.8mm lens. We were indoors with a large window about fifteen feet to my left. Camera settings were F4 1/60 ISO1000. I used an instant Polaroid camera as an icebreaker and gifted the instant picture to my new friend.

Katie’s Experience:

I’ve never had trouble talking to anyone I meet..until the last year. I’ve gone through some major life changes, and my normally, natural ability to be reslient and bounce back..broke, and I just got tired. It’s the first time in my life I can remember not feeling like talking to strangers, and not feeling like taking photos. This bothered me and I became determined to get back my natural extroverted, compulsive photo taking self. Which brings us to this challenge.

This first challenge was hard for me, not because I am afraid to ask to take photos of people (or just take them!), but because as of late, I just haven’t wanted to talk to anyone. I’ve lost the ability to connect. Where I used to walk down the street with openness and the desire to know everyone’s story, I now walked with my head down, closed off, camera in my bag or left in the house. This first challenge was helpful in pushing me back out into the world. Isolating myself wasn’t helping. Not making art wasn’t helping me process my life situation. Pushing myself to take action was the only way out.

Not making art wasn’t helping me process my life situation. Pushing myself to take action was the only way out.

I met Rebecca Stumpf on Instagram. I reached out to her because I loved her photography, she is a working, full time, photographer living in CO, and I was having a terrible time finding connections and work in CO, where I am currently trying to live part-time. We talked about meeting several times and it never worked out, until yesterday when she was in urgent need of a photography assistant for a magazine shoot. I happened to be available. I said yes.

We met in Vail and I was able to watch her shoot. I always find other people’s processes fascinating. I love observing people do their work. Watching Rebecca, I learned to use lighting (something that I have just never used, but have wanted to for so long!) and how to direct a shoot, whereas in my own photography I usually shoot documentary style, photographing what unfolds before me. I absolutely loved learning about how to produce a shot versus waiting for the right shot to come along. Both are valid, wonderful ways to photograph, but producing was beyond my experience. Now, it isn’t and I am so excited. I love learning! I also made a new, real life connection. Some progress toward rebuilding the rest of my life and work. So, thank you, Rebecca.

Stranger. Conversation. Picture. Friend. was originally published in Shut up and Shutter on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.