What I Did Over Summer Vacation

bdcolenbdcolen Registered Users Posts: 3,804 Major grins
edited October 29, 2010 in Street and Documentary
So at some point a few months back I posted an image that I said was part of a project I was working on, and a few people asked at I at some point talk about what I was up to.

At the beginning of the summer I was commissioned to travel to various cities around the country shooting people who had been interviewed for a book that has just now come out called Spend Shift. One of the images has already been used for two, back cover, full-page magazine ads for the book, and about 15 of the images are being used in a slide show about the book that may be appearing soon on a major on-line news site (I'll post a link when it runs.)

1006411899_PHjkB-XL-1.jpg

Meanwhile, here's a gallery of one black and white image from each shoot. (The client had originally asked for black and whites, but then wanted everything in color.) As you can tell from looking at these, some were posed, some weren't. Some are pretty straight forward, some are not. You works with what you've got. :rofl
bd@bdcolenphoto.com
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan

"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed

Comments

  • FlyingginaFlyinggina Registered Users Posts: 2,639 Major grins
    edited October 22, 2010
    Really outstanding photo, BD. What a neat project. Am off to check out the gallery.

    It wasn't too long ago that a client wouldn't have been able to change his mind about color versus b&w. Digital is definitely a mixed blessing.

    Virginia
    _______________________________________________
    "A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus

    Email
  • PattiPatti Registered Users Posts: 1,576 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2010
    Great work B.D. The ones that really grabbed me were the one above, the boys with the bikes, the two men in conversation, man in the bar, the farmer, the car salesmen and the man with the garbage truck. Great contrasts among them.
    The use of a camera is similar to that of a knife. You can use it to peel potatoes, or carve a flute. ~ E. Kahlmeyer
    ... I'm still peeling potatoes.

    patti hinton photography
  • lizzard_nyclizzard_nyc Registered Users Posts: 4,056 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2010
    B.D.
    I'm kind of surprised to see such high contrast stuff coming from you, to the point of nearly blownout. Needless to say I love it.

    For some reason the shot that grabbed me was the two men at the Ford dealer. Maybe it's the Ford sign behind them, just seems so all American.
    I also like the one you previously shared of the woman who looks larger than life because of your POV.

    I enjoyed the series--which or course continues to inspire me to start on a project of my very own.
    Liz A.
    _________
  • misterbmisterb Banned Posts: 601 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2010
    I like the dealership shot, too.
  • bdcolenbdcolen Registered Users Posts: 3,804 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2010
    misterb wrote: »
    I like the dealership shot, too.

    Thanks all. The dealership shot challenged my PS skills in a major way (keep in mind that this was a corporate assignment, not journalism/documentary :-) ): There was a towering light pole that appeared to be coming out of the roof of the SUV - I knew it was there when I shot, but couldn't get rid of it. Anyway, I got it out, put up the photo for the client, and then realized that the same damn thing was still reflected in the hood of the vehicle in the foreground!rolleyes1.gif So then I had to go back in and get it out of there. Thank you, Context Aware healing brush! clap.gif
    bd@bdcolenphoto.com
    "He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan

    "The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
  • JuanoJuano Registered Users Posts: 4,890 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2010
    Great shots. The first one is still my favorite, something about her face.
    Cristóbal


    www.mind-driftphoto.com
  • rainbowrainbow Registered Users Posts: 2,765 Major grins
    edited October 28, 2010
    Everytime I view this, I think of Eddie Arnold and Eva Gabor...

    Neat set with the "environmental" portraits being so well done with the perspectives and the choice of "props".

    And congrats on the project/exposure/other uses for the images.
  • bdcolenbdcolen Registered Users Posts: 3,804 Major grins
    edited October 29, 2010
    Thanks, Rainbow. There are a few of them that are, to be painfully honest, 'from hunger.' But you've got to work with what you've got. ;-)
    bd@bdcolenphoto.com
    "He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan

    "The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
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