table of contents x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
biographies letter from the editor the death of skill ambitious films put austin in the national spotlight the plight of the novice photographer raw vs. photoshop a story of an artist tiffany chapman zoe colonna shooting for the stars phenomenon of child photography lomo swag young photographer’s gallery: sarah wampler edition moving forward
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page 2 page 3 pages 5 and 6 pages 7 and 8 pages 9 and 10 pages 11 and 12 pages 13-17 pages 19-23 pages 24-26 pages 27-28 pages 29-32 pages 33-35 pages 36-41 pages 43-46
BIOGRAPHIES from the crew of Aspect Magazine
Lauren is a fishy at LASA High School in the ATX. She loves the city and all that it offers, including places like The Domain, Amy’s Ice Cream, and cutesy boutiques. Lauren has absolutley no idea what she wants to end up doing in life, but she knows she wants her camera to be along for the ride. :) Willow is a 15 year old, independent woman, and is all about living life to the fullest. She believes that it is essential to live in the moment, and only worry about the present. She looks forward to making the most of her time at LASA high school, and is hoping her high school career will prepare her to do something extraordinary with her life. Sofia, a creative, open-minded girl, is all about living life and enjoying every moment of it. She is a strong-willed 14 year old, and a freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. She loves photography which was brought into her life by her brother, and she uses it as a tool to express herself in the most exciting way possible. Ana is a dainty, distracted 15 year old freshman with an affinity for grammar and usage books. She enjoys Helvetica, good hair days, Dolan, Barack Obama, and lush eyelashes. She has the same piercing as 2pac, and she is set on becoming an anesthesiologist. She’s enthralled by Mahayana Buddhism and has a venomous bite. WOLF GANG
ASPECT 2012 pg 2
!
crazy
Letter from the ^ Editors
Hello, and welcome to aspect magazine! Aiming for a creative undertone, Aspect Magazine expresses the beauty of fi lm and photography. Through interviewing, analyzing and researching artistic mediums, Aspect educates it’s viewers about the world of art. Our goal is to spark innovative thoughts in the brains of photographers and fi lmmakers, and to inspire potential master pieces. As you are fl ipping through the pages, we hope you enjoy our creation as much as we enjoyed making it. Ever since Aspect was just a thought, us editors have put everything we’ve got into this brainchild. Hours of designing, writing, editing, and attempting to make this idea a fantastic ASPECT 2012 pg 3
reality. Each page has been carefully thought out and scrutinized to perfection (we think.) We would like to thank our wonderful teacher, Mrs. Young, our classmates, Tiffany Chapman, Sarah Wampler, Holly Bronko and most importantly you, our readers. Thanks, The Editors Lauren White
Sofia
Ana
Vald
z Lope
ivies
o-Sin
yako
v
Willow H iggins
ASPECT 2012 PG X
Picture This... Deadline: October 15 Get publish and Win Prizes! For details and rules
Visit: https://thisisafakephotocontest.com
ASPECT 2012 pg 4
The Death of Skill
Why Film is Better Than Digital Photography Story and Photography By Lauren White
As the technological world has progressed, and the digital camera has become more sophisticated, it has become apparent that old, classy film photography is becoming a lost art. Nowadays, it’s click and go. The time-honored art of film photography is lost. What happened? Photography used to be an art. These days, with everyone owning a camera, photography is no longer the passionate art form it used to be. Although digital cameras sometimes offer better quality photos, there is barely any technique behind it. All one has to do is simply click a button;most of the time, a gorgeous picture appears on the screen. It was not that way 50 plus years ago. Using old cameras takes genuine talent. For example, the Diana camera takes dreamy, radiant pictures when used correctly, but that is difficult to accomplish. Weeks of practice and rolls of film are required. That is the real art of photography. Now let’s talk about the technical side. ‘Digital still has a huge problem with highlight reASPECT 2012 pg 5
production,” says photographer Ken Rockwell on www.kenrockwell.com. Film does not. On the other hand, if you do not like sometimes purposely scratchy and blurred pictures, I would not recommend the Diana or the Holga.
greatest
“The mistakes
on
film can result in
a
more
invoking image” Although, not all photos taken by film cameras come out that way, like the creative ‘rugged, edgy’ look that can be achieved by these classic cameras. Most professionals I have talked to say that digital cameras are very expensive for what they do. In a year, they become outdated. People will get tired of them and wish they had the next model. If someone is going to spend $1,500 on a camera, it better be film. They will still be tak-
ing beautiful pictures 40 years from now! No one can say that about a digital camera. Plus, film cameras are much more durable than digital. If you drop a digital camera, you are most likely going to be buying a new one soon. Sure, digital cameras are more convenient because they use a memory card instead of film. However, film really is not that difficult to get developed. I can see how one might want to see the picture they have taken immediately afterwards (which digital offers and film does not), but the anticipation of looking at ones artwork is part of the fun of film photography. According to the Guide to Film Photography, “Digital cameras are indeed amazing and an almost effortless tool for photography. You can shoot any angle, any time, thousands of times. Most of the time, a majority of those pictures will be suitable. Among these hundreds of pictures, the photographer can pick and choose which ones to print! And yet, where is the work put forth? Masters-of-photography have studied and learned, much through trial and error, the photography film medium – film speed and grain, response curves, and tonal range. The speed at
Film
Digital
which digital photography is taken leaves the potential for less thought in each image. And as many film photographers will argue, the strangest occurrences can become the greatest mistakes on film and result in a more invoking image.� No doubt, there are some tremendous advantages to digital photography. With preview buttons to be sure the desired shot was taken, and no need to spend hours processing film, scanning, or printing in a darkroom. However, there is still much to be said for film. If you are not patient and want instant satisfaction, film photography is not for you. But if you love the anticipation of developing a roll of film to see the results, watching a photograph develop on paper in front of your eyes, and the satisfaction of knowing that what you created was done without the simplistic and robotic motions of a computer, then film photography is perfect for you. ASPECT 2012 pg 6
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photo by Willow Higgins
AMBITIOUS FILMS PUT AUSTIN IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT By Willow Higgins
H
ouston
is
boring. Well tion facility, awards grants in order
Every artist starts out some-
over two million people to support independent film makers,
where. I firmly believe that Austin is
inhabit the city and it ra- and even educates aspiring artists
the place to go for beginners who are
diates a “we mean business” attitude. about the creation of films, according Why is it that I inevitably dread any to austinfilmsociety.com. This is ap-
interested in expressing their creative
trip to Houston? I’ve came to the pealing to beginners in the industry
tin can be relatively inexpensive, and
conclusion that the city is lacking in
because nearly everyone in the Austin
the city itself is filled with artistic in-
a very important element of the mod-
Film Society is happy to support a fel-
spiration. Unfortunately, the fact of
ern life I enjoy: a vibrant art scene. low filmmaker. All members do what
the matter is, Hollywood is the go-to
they can to help new films succeed.
place in America to produce a big-time
On the other hand, Austin,
ambition. Making a small film in Aus-
a significantly smaller city, holds a
South by South West, a festival
movie. The film-making process is
booming film society that expresses
that takes place all over Austin through
extremely expensive, and the commer-
as much personality as you could pos-
the span of a few weeks, gives visitors a
cial clout that lies behind companies
sibly imagine. Austin’s world of cin-
sneak peak of what the city has to offer. such as Warner Brothers and Univer-
ematic spectators wakes up at twilight
The festival is funded by the city, and
and thrive into the wee hours of the
organized by the Austin Film Society. cess. On the contrary, The Austin Film
morning. This unique lifestyle has
Independent artists, old and young, am-
Society turns out creative, individual-
been hiding underground for a while,
ateurs and professionals have the op-
istic films for much cheaper and on a
but recently, Austin has become nation-
portunity to submit their films to the fes-
smaller scale. Furthermore, I would
ally recognized for the many indepen-
tival. If the film is accepted, they have
like to offer this advice to my readers:
sal Studios helps a film achieve suc-
dent films that are locally produced. the opportunity to showcase their film Filmmakers in large cities are begin- and play it at different, local venues for Dear filmmakers who are interested ning to whisper about the abundance
any interested spectator to view. There
of opportunity that Austin holds, and
is the possibility that someone impor-
the talent that lies in its population.
tant will enjoy the film and recommend
The Austin Film Society was
it to a big league filmmaker. That is
created fairly recently, in 1985, and
where the line between a small, local
grew rapidly into a large part of Aus-
film fades into a large, commercialized
tin’s culture. The society now man-
project. The filmmaker has now en-
ages a 10,000 square foot film produc-
tered the realm of professional cinema.
in making films for the sake of art: Stay in Austin. Dear filmmakers who are interested in making films for the sake of fame: Stay in Hollywood.
ASPECT 2012 pg 8
the plight of photogr
Source: Alexis Lodsun, Washington Post
8
ASPECT 2012 pg 9
Everyone starts somewhere. Some believe that the most skilled photographers are born with it, and thus room for improvement is not needed. This dogma was proven wrong long ago; Henry Cartier-Bresson, the father of modern photojournalism, said, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst,” meaning that it takes much practice to become acquainted with such an art. When one thinks of photographers, the art school stereotype comes to mind. The image of a well-studied, young art school student brandishing an expensive film camera with a look of ennui is, unfortunately, the norm for an urban photographer. The eager, intelligent novice photographer is often overlooked, diminishing the possibility of there ever being a non-artsy photographer in society’s eyes. Beginners must receive some credit. The ubiquitous photograph of a close-up flower is the simplest way to start up an interest in photography, but one must learn to master capturing the very essence of the subject. Photographers must become acquainted with their chosen pieces of equipment; they must learn. Skill in the art of photography is not something inherited in the least. Important components of a good photograph are f-stop, exposure, and similar effects. There exist countless forums of novice photographers, chock-full of tips for beginners yearning to beautify a picture; they need help. They don’t need assistance from the likes of self-proclaimed connoisseurs with an Instagram account. They need more people like Annie Liebovitz, people who have been there, done that, and learned from their mistakes. They need more Steve McCurrys, not just city-dwellers taking photos of structures at weird angles. Real photography will inevitably cough its last breath in the arms of the photographer who never sought help. Photojournalist Allan Grant took beautiful, iconic photos, not for the money, but because photography was his passion. He was introduced to photography as a teenager. The takeoff of his career contributed to his humble personality, teaching him to appreciate every moment. His interest in the art was sparked by his brief stint in a photo laboratory developing photos for famous photographers such as Robert Capa. He eventually began working for LIFE magazine, where he took iconic shots of Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Howard Hughes’s flight of the Spruce Goose, and the last official photograph of Marilyn Monroe. Another notable photographer who stayed true to his art was Iain Macmillan, famous for his photograph of the Beatles on Abbey Road. He started out in Scotland, eventually becoming the manager at a just mill. Clearly Macmillan did not actively pursue photography in his early
by Ana Lopez
f the novice rapher.
life, but he then moved to London to study photography at Regent Street Polytechnic. There he had a humble job as a cruise photographer, then moved on to bigger and better things, such a photographing “The Book of London,” then photographing the iconic rock group, The Beatles. Photography is not for the faint of heart, but it’s not for the arrogant of mind, either. It’s not open heart surgery, but it’s also not a cakewalk. Mastering your camera is one of the most important things; it takes time. Anyone can do it if they put their mind to it, but not everyone can stay humble.
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ASPECT 2012 pg 10
Raw v.s. P By: Sofia Valdivieso-Sinyakov
ASPECT 2012 pg 11
Currently, manufacturers are constantly coming out with new cameras and lenses, especially since the world of photography went digital. Examples include the Nikon D-80, or the Canon EOS 5D. But what do the professionals say about raw photography vs. Photoshop? According to Canon’s Tech Support, there are really only two formats that
“
“
W
ait for it…wait for it…Snap! You barely missed it, but oh well, you can Photoshop it in later, right? Well, that’s what everyone is doing now a day. According to D’Lynn Waldron, a professional ethnographic and travel photographer, using Photoshop to fix things is not that bad. “For every hour I spend with the camera, I spend 10 hours in Photoshop,” said Waldron. Now the thing is, you could take any amateur, boring picture, and with enough time in Photoshop, you could make it look almost professional. Is this really where we want to go, to a place where you don’t really need the knowledge, skill and patience to take a photo? Even if it is evidence for a criminal trial, could we believe the photo is real or Photoshop? Now granted, it’s not like we Photoshop every picture we take. Often professionals have to use Photoshop to touch up a portrait to make the person look good so they will buy, or just to touch up a professional photo for an auction. But soon enough, a picture won’t be worth a thousand words anymore; it could be a lie and we would never know.
... for RAW, is not exactly raw for long...
their cameras produce; RAW and JPEG, which they state, are very similar. The difference is that JPEG is the photo taken in the camera, but it is then instantly processed and would be ready to print immediately. RAW is the unprocessed photo that is going to be edited by Photoshop later on. I spoke to Michael, a technical support representative for canon who said, “Having more raw data helps a user take more full advantage of the image editing process in Photo-
hotoshop
m i n d set on rooting for the RAW, but with my new found knowledge, I think I rather like the JPEG version, for RAW is not exactly raw for long. And in this day and age of technology, Photoshop is not going to go away. It will be in our lives until newer and better programs come out to help the lives of amateur photographers become easier. Imagine ten, twenty, maybe even fifty years from now. Anyone could take a photo and make it look good. There would be no more need for skill. So think about this next time you hold a camera to your face. Take the time to do it right, and enjoy the moment, for a picture may be worth a thousand words, but a memory lasts a lifetime. x
i n Photoshop and other image editing applications.” I’ll take it he is a fan of RAW photos to Photoshop rather than the processed photo in the camera. Currently, there are more and more settings in the ewer cameras, like high speed, high detail, close-ups, etc. But at the same time, Adobe Photoshop is always improving as well. Each new version has more features to help the photographer recreate, touch up, or even create a photo. I enjoy Photoshop much more than any of Adobe’s other products, like InDesign and Illustrator. Then again, I use Photoshop and the other programs to touch up my photos because my camera is not as high tech as those cameras that you see in the professional photography magazines with the gigantic lenses. But the huge lenses are not what everyone thinks they are. “The giant lenses are impressive, but some don’t really improve the photo. They just help with wide shots, close-ups and long shots,” said Nicolai Sinyakov, a media tech major at McCallum High School of Fine Arts. So I came into this article having my mind
- Sofia Sinyakov
High Wall Papers ASPECT 2012 pg 12
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12
a
story of an artist
INTERVIEW WITH BRONKO
HOLLY
story by Willow Higgins photography by holly bronko
ASPECT 2012 pg 13
20 years ago, Holly Bronko had three different degrees. Over the span of her college career, she hopped around from majoring in math, biology, and environmental conservation, with the mindset of becoming a mathematician. Despite her vast education, something was still missing. Bronko’s world felt invalidated, as she had no idea of what she wanted to pursue as a career. After some
sion into an udder obsession for photography.
After graduating from college, Bronko began to realize how music influenced her newly discovered passion for art. Eventually, her musical allies helped her pinpoint this artistic pas-
In the end, she found her career making films and taking photos of musicians. She worked closely with the musicians to create their music videos and album covers, essentially, creating a visual to be tied to the
“It’s the music that I attach myself too. It drives me.” Bronko stated confidently.
“People come to me for a reason,” Bronko explains. “I want to make the viewer feel the artist’s intention.”
“It’s the music I attach myself too. It drives me.” The way Bronko works with her clients is a bit different than most artists. To be able to correctly represent a musicians work, she feels that she must get emotionally involved. Bronko explains that it’s a tricky business. In most cases, it is unprofessional to be emotionally involved with people that you are working for. But Holly’s case is an exception. “To give them the work that will represent their art and who they are, I have to become close to them,” she says, matter-of-factly. “I am trying to make art to represent someone else’s art! So I have to get to know the artist as deeply as I can. How else could I represent them properly?” She does not mean to become best friends with her clients, it just seems to happen that way. The message that her art portrays, she says would in no way be as meaningful if she was not passionate about
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serious soul searching, she began to think “What’s my art, what’s my art?” Her dream to become a mathematician quickly dissolved, and her life catapulted in a different direction.
ASPECT 2012 pg 14
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her subjects. “[For me] to know the artist’s intention, I have to know the artist. Once I know it, I can put it in my frame, and affect the people the way that the artist wants them to be affected.” A few years ago, Bronko’s career peeked when she made a documentary recording a musical event in Denmark. She had heard through the mouths of friends that an innovative co-writing session was going to be held in a Danish castle. After being asked to take a few shots of the musicians writing and recording new songs, she excitedly flew to Europe to be a part of this experience. “Twelve musicians, five from Austin Texas and seven from Scandinavian countries, were all brought to a castle in Denmark to do a co-writing session for two and a half days,” she explained. “They have four hours for each pairing, to write and record brand new songs. At the end of the week they play their songs at a music festival in Denmark.” Bronko was ecstatic about this opportunity, but did not expect it to change the path of her successful career. “I am thinking I am just going to make a 20-minute video, that will just be clips of people song writing and set to music,” Bronko explains. But during the co-writing session, she began to see a something amaz-
ASPECT 2012 pg 15
Bronko says that All I Know has premiered at the Austin Film Festival, and has also been entered into several other festivals around the country. Bronko’s career has been eventful to say the least. Her passion for photography has varied into all different aspects of digital media, and given her a quite well rounded aspect on the industry as well as many thrilling experiences. “I am like 40, and I have lived my life on the edge,” Bronko says. “It has been fantastic.” But, after creating a film all by herself, she thinks that her future may head in a different direction. “I think my life looks kind of like sections,” she says, “and maybe this section is done.” Bronko gazes into the night, seemingly pondering her past. “But... I don’t know what else I’d do,” she admits. “I have three other degrees, but... I don’t know what else I’d do. I’m hoping for something different.”
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ing happen. “It felt like magic,” Bronko said. “You move different, you feel different, you see different. It’s beautiful.” The experience was absolutely indescribable. Bronko knew that she needed to share this unique experience with people back home. “I think I can make a movie out of this,” Bronko said. “I know this because I saw a story happen.” Bronko compiled many interviews with the musicians while staying at the castle, as well as raw footage of them writing songs together. After the festival was over and Bronko returned to Austin, she decided that she needed more footage. Bronko contacted the musicians that were involved in the Danish extravaganza and conducted more interviews via Skype video chat. After feeling fulfilled with the footage she had recorded, Bronko created an interesting formula that would be used as a structure for the film. “It was like a mathematical formula,” she explained. “This ingredient plus this ingredient and this ingredient equals… love.” Essentially, its goal as a film, was to explain the unexplainable. From this message, All I Know, became Bronko’s first real film.
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Tiffany Chapman story by LAuren White Photography by Tiffany Chapman
It was a beautiful, sunny day in the ATX. Tiffany Chapman, a freelance photographer and graphic designer, was snapping glowing pictures of two seniors at Barton Springs. Slowly, out of the corner of her eye she saw three ducks approaching swiftly. At first she was ecstatic about the ducks being in her picture. But, her opinion changed when they swam towards her. She took a picture, and immediately regretted it. The duck became infuriated with rage, stuck out his neck, and
first how to really use a camera, to develop the film, the photos in the dark room, working with the chemical and all. It was just fun and interesting. I like the hands-on part of it.”, says Chapman Although she had a knack for art from the beginning, an AP painting teacher thought otherwise. “My art teacher and I were talking about college. He asked what I wanted to major in, and I said I think I want to be an art major. He was like, ‘oh well, you know there’s a lot of other things you can do besides art. You should probably think a little more about
“My brain just works with photography better. It understands photography” that.’ I was like, ‘he totally thinks that I would not be a good artist in college. How dare he!”, says Chapman. Chapman did not let this discourage her. In fact, when she went to Texas State for a college education, Chapman was ecstatic to hear from her advisor that she could make a currier out of photography, something she loves to do. “I hadn’t declared a major for like two years, then I was going to be a junior and my advisor was like, ‘Tiffany, you have to pick a major!’ And I was like ‘I don’t want to!’ I don’t know what I want to do! And so I had just taken like all the general classes, and then she was like, ‘Well, what do you like to do?’, and I was like, ‘well, art and photography.’ And she was like ‘well, we have a great photography program.’ And I was like ‘done!’ Ok! Sounds good to me!”, says Chapman. Chapman soon discovered photography
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attempted to bite the camera out of Tiffany’s hands. She sprinted out of the water and up the hill as fast as she could, with the sound of an amused crowd of onlookers behind her. For Tiffany, this is just the hustle and bustle of being a freelance photographer. Tiffany has been in love with art her whole life, and Austin has definitely allowed her creativity to shine. It all started in a high school photography class at Bowie High School. “In high school is where I
ASPECT 2012 pg 20
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was by far the best path. Even though she had only taken three or four advanced photography classes at the time, people thought her photos were something special. “A friend of a friend approached me and said ‘Hey, my friend is getting married and she needs a photographer.’ And I was like, ‘well, I don’t know how to photograph weddings! Why are you asking me?’ But she just came over to my room and we chatted for a while. I just showed her some of my classwork and she was like ‘ok, can you shoot my wedding?’ And I was like ‘ok! Sure!’ She paid me 800 bucks, and after that I was like, ‘Hey, I could actually make money doing this.’, thought Chapman. And that is how Tiffany Chapman Photography started. Since then, Tiffany does engagement, senior, and infant photo shoots. Though she does not have a specific place she always goes to take pictures, Chapman loves the Austin area. “I like being downtown, there’s always something kind of different and exciting. Even if you go to the same place that you have been 100 times, you just like walk around the corner, and you’re like ‘oh my gosh!’ There’s a pink corner you have never seen before. You know? So like, things are always changing. You can always find something fun. [Austin] is so kind of hip and artsy and fun. But it always has like the nature side of it too. Like, you can go to a park, and it’s like you’re in a different world.”, says Chapman. When she is not busy working photo
The fabulous Tiffany Chapman herself sporting a Cannon camera.
ASPECT 2012 pg 21
>
over onto the side of the road and ill like run off into a field and take a photo, and he just looks at me like ‘you’re crazy!’”, says Chapman. Looking back, Chapman has no regrets about the paths she has taken. She can say without a doubt that she does not want to do anything else. “It’s such a fun job. I love it so much. .My brain just works with photography a lot better. It just understands [photography] better. I don’t even have to think that much when I’m photographing.
It just happens. It took me a freaking long time to get here, to know what I wanted to do.”, says Chapman. Chapman knows what it’s like to be down on yourself when compared to remarkable artists. However, she says copying does more harm than good. “Come up with your own thoughts. I think that is the most important thing about art. That it is original, that it’s your own ideas. Your own creativity. It is so easy to copy somebody else! I use it to inspire me. I’m like, ‘wow, look at the way they used the lighting in that photo. I could do that with a different angle the next time I do a photo shoot. Use it for inspiration. Learn from it.”, Chapman advises. What is she had listened to that unkind art teacher back in high school? “And look at me now. Ha! I feel like whenever you discover that thing that you want to do in your life, but you are not sure where to go with it, just do it. That is kind of God’s little cue of saying ‘hey, this is what you are supposed to do in your life. So just start doing it. I’m so glad I listened to myself and didn’t listen to my art teacher. When it comes to you, you’ll know it. I didn’t want to waste my time studying something I didn’t love. Be happy with what you are doing.”, says Chapman.
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shoots or graphic designing, Chapman tries to stay sharp on her skills by trying new things. “I mainly kind of try to make exercises for myself to do just to kind of spur my creativity a little. Like I’ll say here this Saturday I’m going to take my camera and I’m going to go out to a park I have never been before and I’m just going to take photos with this kinds of lighting. So, I’ll do it in the shade, in the sun, under the trees. I just challenge myself to try different things. Or sometimes Andrew and I will just hop in the car and we’ll drive random places. We’ll go out to the hill country and he gets really annoyed at me because he will be driving and I’ll just be like stop stop stop! And we just pull
ASPECT 2012 pg 22
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ASPECT 2012 pg 23
Zoe T Colonna
he street lights glimmer as if they weren’t encapsulated in a photograph. The dark sky contrasts with the glowing concrete; clouds paint the faint navy sky. Currently, Zoe flits into the cafe, brandishing a menu and a Blackberry, appearing exhausted yet eager. “You have to take lots of pictures to get just that one,” Zoe states as she cradled her teacup in her hands. Just this year, she won the American Visions
by Ana Lopez
winning photos ASPECT 2012 pg 24
teacup in her hands. Just this year, she won the American Visions photography contest that would he street lights glimmer as if they weren’t encapsu- send her almost all the way across lated in a photograph. The the country to New York City. She launches into the answers, squeezdark sky contrasts with the glowing concrete; clouds paint ing in humorous anecdotes about the faint navy sky. Currently, Zoe her school. “I was kind of lucky,” Zoe recalls as the countrywide flits into the cafe, brandishing a menu and a Blackberry, appearing photography contest is brought exhausted yet eager. “You have to up. Zoe’s interest in art is a take lots of pictures to get just that one,” Zoe states as she cradled her family affair. With an artist mother and her brother in a successful band, she has a plethora of inspiration. “[My mother] pushed me and she definitely wanted me to do something art-related,” she recalls. Her brother Max, member of the band Marmalakes, was also introduced to the art scene at a young age. “We kind of take inspiration from the same stuff because we grew up in the same places; we definitely had the same outlook on everything,” she adds. Her mother Beth’s art is wild, colorful, and expressive. The light leaps off the page, just like Zoe’s winning photos. Her mother is not the only inspiration, however. She, without any hesitation, lists Mary Ellen Matthews, “the lady who does the SNL photos,” as her main influence,
T
“When I was 8, I watched Saturday Night Live, and I saw the bumpers of pictures of celebrities, and I remember being fascinated by that and seeing these portraits,” she remembers. “I immediately got really into it and started buying disposable cameras, etc. I just wanted it all to be like that.” Zoe has come a long way from there. “I’m using my Nikon
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D3000 or my Nikon D90,” Zoe says, shrugging, “I don’t really do film anymore because it’s so much money and it takes so much effort.” The effort, though, has paid off. “My teacher made me enter the contest, she says. “It’s a really, really big deal, and all the art kids in my school put their art into it.” Entering the American Visions contest was very much a game of chance for Zoe. “I just put in the pictures that I thought I would want to make it in and they chose my picture. New York was really fun. Two days before the award ceremony, there was a workshop for us. We met all these people who were working in the industry and in New York. I told them how much I love it,” she says. “They said things like ‘you can succeed if you try,’ and inspirational stuff like that. The ceremony was two days after we got there and it was in Carnegie Hall.” McCallum’s arts program was also an impetus to enter the contest. “I probably wouldn’t be where I was without my photography teacher. I went in kind of raw. I took a bunch of photography classes over summer camp, but she definitely did more stuff revolving around AP portfolios and college. She pushed me more than anyone could. She was the force behind me there. The program there is alright—photography is really new—McCallum is just full of art, so it’s definitely helpful,” Zoe relates. Now that the frenzy of the contest is over, Zoe is trying to find something else to pursue, as she states, “ I feel like now I’m at the end of the road because I graduate in 7 weeks, so I definitely
it’s kind of changed into urban decay. I really like broken-down things. I used to do the opposite of urban decay. I did urban lights and stuff but I kind of switched it.” After going to New York for the awards banquet, Zoe’s heart is still in Austin. “I feel like the photography scene in New York is much bigger, like in grandeur, and I feel like no matter what you take a picture of, someone has taken a picture of it before,” she says. “If you walk around and take a picture of the bridge, it’s kind of been done before, and every single place has already had a picture taken of it. In Austin, it’s less competition. In New York, there’s definitely more jobs based on it . it’d be a great place to go and I hope one day to live in New York City. I won’t be taking pictures there of what I take pictures of here. For all the novice photographers, Zoe insists, “Listen to your teachers. I’ve always tried to not listen to them, but I don’t know what I would have done. I would have messed up, done something wrong. I’ve always, in the end, it comes to that kind of stuff, you know”, she adds. “All the stuff I’ve gotten my artwork into, I’ve taken, like, thousands and thousands of pictures. I haven’t taken 100 pictures and those are the hundreds I’ve done something with. I’ve taken 4000 pictures in one summer. You have to take lots of pictures to get just that one.”
photo by Zoe Colonna
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story by Sofia Valedivieso-Sinyakov
T
he screen went dark as the lights started to flicker back on. The crowd started to get to their feet, as the credits started rolling and Zoe Dahmen and Kelsey Hockmuller’s names were shown on the screen, presented as the producers and directors of the movie; the crowd applauded. This is what Zoe and Kelsey have strived for, and not too long ago, been able to achieve in a few local theaters. Turning their ideas from a dream to reality, these girls have gone through good and hard times, but it has only made them better producers, directors and people. Improving their skills while making new friends, these girls were able to accomplish what most High Schoolers can only dream of doing… make a full length feature film. Working off of their previous success of making a book trailer for Jennifer Zeigler, How Not to Be Popular, Zoe and Kelsey got referred to another Austin author Jo Whittemore, whose book they got rights to after reading it, and talking to him. “…over the summer between our sophomore and junior year,” Zoe shared, “Mr. Rogers called me up [Media-Tech teacher at McCallum High School] and said, “Hey, I’m talking to this author Jo Whittemore and she has this book Front Page Face-Off ” and so I read it, Kelsey read it and we liked it, thought we could make a movie out of it, and so I met with her, talked to her for a little bit, and it sort of went from there.” After reading the book and getting rights to it, it was time to cast the crew. “We posted on Craigslist, we posted on Austin Ac-
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tors, we went through McCallum, and we talked to the theater people about it,” Zoe said. “…surprisingly we didn’t get that many people from McCallum.” But they were able to get actors from all around, including someone from as far as Florida. But the budget, which they had planned to include paying the actors, buying props, and paying for different locations, eventually posed a problem that could not be ignored. “The budget we made up for it was around 58 thousand, but we never actually raised that amount,” Zoe said. “ The fifty-eight thousand was if we would have paid the entire casting crew, and if we would have had to pay to use different locations, which we didn’t; We got all our locations for free…we learned for our next movie, don’t tell people you are going to pay them a thousand dollars,” Kelsey added. By contacting family and friends as their investors and contributors, they were able to raise around five-thousand dollars. Taking a length of around 13 months, the crew acted, filmed, directed and edited to its final product. But from the start, Zoe and Kelsey knew they would have to change their movie title’s name. “Well what it is is, when you are making a movie, you don’t have a title yet, so Little Debbies was a working title, it’s what we use when casting people and advertising while still in production, we always knew we would change it,” Zoe explained. During the production one day, the main actor, Sara Thresh, texted Kelsey and proposed the title, Yester-
day’s News, which later became the title that is still, to this day, presented to the public for showings as the official title for the movie. But as the end came near, and the crew started on editing, Kelsey shared that all the different aspects of making the movie, and the shots themselves improved from the beginning to the end. “It’s kind of funny, because when you see the edited movie, because the first scenes are pretty much the first scenes in the shot, so you can kind of see the progression from the first day to the last day, and in not only how good the acting ability really is from day one to like the end, but also from production quality, and how it all looked a lot better at the end as opposed to the beginning,” Zoe said. “And it’s not like the beginning is like crap, it’s just you can kind of noticeably see a difference, especially if you work on it and you know.”
a new movie and later on started calling it Zoe’s “Gatsby connection,” and so they ended up writing that character out. But after the good, the bad and the ugly of the Little Debbies movie process, Zoe and Kelsey have made the differences to make Nick Christianson’s Epiphany a hit again. “And as are as shooting stuff, I really enjoyed hanging out with the group,” Kelsey said. “We have great crew members, a lot of them came back to work on this movie, on our second movie, and they’re just really lovely people, and it was awesome getting to work with them and learn.” x - Sofia Sinyakov
Including a lot of inside jokes and having fun the film finally came to its end. But that did not mean the end of their movie making days. Now both Zoe and Kelsey are planning on going to UT to continue their career in film making. But until then, they have started another film, which they call Nick Christianson’s Epiphany as its working title. “…I was watching some Crime Capers along the lines of Ocean 11, and of that sort of thing, and I was like, ‘wouldn’t it be cool if there was one of these at a high school,’” Zoe said. “Because I hadn’t seen many things like that in the exact same way that I wanted to see it, so I called Kelsey up…” Kelsey latched onto the idea that Zoe made the connection with the shows and an idea she had for
Wallcoo.net
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THE PHENOMENON OF CHILD PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOS BY WILLOW HIGGINS Before you lies a photography collection of two brothers, Jet and Oliver, experiencing a beautiful summer in Los Angeles, california.
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ASPECT ASPECT 2012 2012 pg pg 31 X
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chill ASPECT 2012 pg 33
Lomo Swag by Ana Lopez
Lomography art in
L lomography trait 01: faded sky
is
an itself.
omography photographs, characterized by blurry subjects, saturated color, and a grainy background, reinvent the regular picture. Light leaks, off coloring, and less-than-ideal focus can be of an advantage for photographers. The vignette-style, vintage effects add a new dimension of romanticism, much more so than any other digital or film camera. The one-of-a-kind, frustrating, unpredictable features of lomography cameras, with the likes of Diana, Holga, etc., will always be unique to the style. The pictures, fuzzy and comforting, warp the usually pristine landscape. The sky fades into marvelously abstract colors, and the world changes in front of the viewer’s eyes.
lomography trait 02: off colors
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what you need lomography camera: diana $40-$120 lomokino $79 la sardina $69-$179 lomography trait 03: fuzzy subject
where to get it: lomography.com lomography (austin, tx)
lomography trait 04: saturated color
lomography trait 05: light leakage
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Young Photographer’s Gallery:
Sarah Wampler Edition Story By Lauren White, Photography By Sarah
Wampler
Meet Sarah Wampler. Her passion for photography began about 2 years ago when her dad began teaching her about cameras and how to take quality pictures. Since then, she has worked on various photo shoots, and has really made a name for herself in the Austin area with pictures like the one above. Sarah says “Some of my favorite portraits, like this self portrait, are the most simple. I have found that when I overcomplicate, over edit, or over think my photography I am not as happy with the result.” ASPECT 2012 pg 36
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One of the things I love about photography is its ability to capture an otherwise missed moment. The person in a photograph will never again look exactly the same as they did in the instant I took the picture. It’s like magic.
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Every girl wants to look beautiful. There’s something so special about showing a girl a picture I took of her; the way her face lights up and the way she says “Wow! I look really pretty!” is priceless.
ASPECT 2012 pg 38 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
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One of the coolest experiences I have ever had was a mission trip to India this past spring break. There is nothing like photographing sweet children on the other side of the world. Everywhere I looked in India, there was something else I was dying to photograph.
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I have never once regretted a shoot. No matter how long it goes, how hot the Texas summer is, or how mixed the results, I always feel accomplished and excited. I can never wait until I get home to see the pictures- I always flip through the memory card before I upload them. Finding a few really great images out of hundreds may seem tedious to some people, but I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a blast.
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Another thing I love about photography is that it is art. It inspires, it takes creativity, and it can express many emotions. I was fortunate enough to have my photography noticed by a digital artist who decided to draw some of my images. On the top is the original photo I took, and on the bottom is his drawing of it . Art inspiring art!
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Photography is about taking risks. I would never improve as a photographer if I did not fail many times, try some crazy ideas, and have thousands of unused images in a bunch of different folders. Photography is made beautiful in the ways it is imperfect. I love my camera, because with it I have learned to love making mistakes.
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HDWallpapernet.com
What we leave behind for the good of the future.
M
oving Forward is a photo essay that has been dedicated to the day and age I live in. It was pure luck that I was born in this time. The time of technology and knowledge. Everday it seems we are making a new deiscoveries, if not more that that. The cell phones have gotten smaller, as well as the computers, the way we have revolutionized the way we comunicate across the world is amazing. Not only can we hear a person across the world, but we can talk to them face to face in a matter of seconds. It seems that just in the blink of an eye, our whole world turns upside down. Old theories in science have been replaced with new ones, cures to this disease and that one, are not only made, but available to the people across the world. The antiques of the old age bring good memories, but there is always more to improve on. To use the creativity that was given to us, the time and materials. Nothing can even start to compare how we evolutionized our world. Buildings touching the sky. Safer ways of traveling, offering the new parent to take that worry off their minds. Devices saving lives, running our world as we know it. We have become dependent on these items, for they run our lives. For the food we eat, to the places we live in. Technology IS our life. They take us places, save our loved ones, build that dream house, help us study for a test, contact that friend across the sea. In school, a computer isnt just an advantage to classes, its a necessity. About 70% of my homework, and others are based around the computers. From printing papers, or making a presentation in Powerpoint for the class. This is the way we live now, so lets tribute to the old, and the founders of our evolution, who helped us think outside the box, for what we leave behind is for the good of the future. ASPECT 2012 pg 44
For the future...
Apoorv Kumar
The cameras, that documented the days before help us remember the old days. We see, we observe we create, and this is what started it. From black and white to bright, beutiful colors, nothing can compare. We have evolutionized, from film to digital. Now we can go to a computer, upload and print within minutes, but what happened to setting up with the family. We may have lost the time, but we havent lost the memories.
Backroadphotorestoration.com ASPECT 2012 pg 45
Gogoblogs.com
Color is expression. Expression of joy, or of pain. It helps us communicate in ways that words cannot. To help us capture the colors of the world, the newer cameras have settings that help make the most of the little light, or highlight what is important. As shown in the picture below, lomography is used to show the shell as the main object on the beach in a â&#x20AC;&#x153;fish-eyeâ&#x20AC;? fashion. And the girl with the painted hands and the flower that is falling apart tells of a story. A story that the viewer can imagine, for the skys the limit when it comes to imagination. The hightlights, the faded parts, and the shape of each photo, and each picture is what makes each one unique.
Dipity.com
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