MFA Student Russie Sanders Joins GR4CF For Cystic Fibrosis

On August 20, 2016, the Rosie Grace Foundation (RGF, #GR4CF) organized a fashion show at CBS Studios Back Lot to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF is a genetic disease that causes the body to build up mucus in the lungs and pancreas, and there is no cure. The life expectancy for these patients is 37 years.

The fashion show featured designs by 13-year-old RGF founder Grace Rose Bauer and a pop-up exhibition by Art Healing Artists. Russie Sanders is a member of Art Healing Artists, a small organization in southern California that brings people together and allows young artists to share their stories as patients who have embraced the creative process while fighting life-altering disorders.

Says Sanders, "As artists, it is important to remember why we have decided to take this road in life. Within each medium, landscape, portrait, fine art or fashion, there is one thing every successful body of work has in common: educating the audience. And this is what each of these young artists is striving for."

For more information, visit:

Grace Rose Foundation

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Art Healing Artists

Common Misconceptions about Networking in Photography

by McKenna Duffy (AAU MFA Student)

You’ve probably heard it before, “You’ve just got to start networking.” It’s a phrase on the tips of every professional’s tongue, but rarely do they ever divulge any further information. What is networking? How do I do that? Don’t you just come across like a sleazy salesman? How do I not come across as a sleazy salesman?

Maybe it’s the paranoid anti-capitalist punk in me, but I can’t help but think that those in “the know” retain information to stifle competition and maintain rank. I’m sure many of you have had similar thoughts. Right? Or am I alone, here? … Bueller?

The truth is, there are a lot of common misconceptions about networking, particularly in the photography industry. I’m here today to tackle a few of them for you, because I like sharing.

1.     “Just show up, shake hands, and hand out business cards.”

That sentence makes you a little nauseous, doesn’t it? Well, you’re not alone, plus it’s just not true. This is the main thing that makes people react with the “sleazy salesman” insecurities. When someone shakes your hand and hands you a business card, how long do you remember their name? What happens to those business cards?

If you replied “five seconds” and “the trash or the bottom of my purse,” you know everyone else’s answer, too.

This may leave you wondering, if I don’t shake hands and hand out business cards, then how do I make a memorable impression? Well…

2. “It’s strictly business, keep your work and personal life separate.”

Most people will sneer in disgust at me putting this on a list of misconceptions, but it’s a huge one. Networking is essentially making friends. Industry friends. If you go to a networking event, there won’t be a ton of employers looking to hire, just wandering around looking for a person of your talents. There will be, instead, a ton of photographers like you, wandering around looking for someone to hire them. They will have their hand sanitizer and business cards readily available on the quick-draw.

The largest way to network and get work is to be a friend. Be willing to meet people, get to know them, and help them out. I mean, these may not be the same people you go get smashed with on NYE (but if you do, no hate!), but if you want someone to remember your name when they or someone they know needs a snazzy pet photographer, you’ve got to be memorable. Sometimes, this means doing some minor work for free, to help a friend out. Perhaps volunteering for a night to help that organization they work for. Maybe doing a quick one-off headshot for this grant they need.

I know it sounds bad, but the most amazing part of this - they will help you out, too. You need a new logo? They can whip one up for free or on the cheap. They’ll volunteer at one of YOUR organizations. You will prove to each other just how good you are at what you do.

Then… the real magic…

Your new industry friend’s boss needs a staff photographer. Your new industry friend? He thinks of you, instantly. Suggests you to his boss, and BAM! You’ve got an interview. Isn’t that fantastic? Well, this is how true networking works… and it’s pretty universal, be it snazzy pet photography, or snagging the eye of a local gallery curator.

Then, last but not least…

3. “For only $99, register to come to our exclusive networking event!”

Please don’t waste your money. Please. Do you remember in number two, when I talked about numerous job-hungry photographers with the hand sanitizer and business cards on the quick-draw? This is where you will find them. And that will mostly be it. There may be one or two employers there, which I’m sure this event promoter will name-drop on the invitations and marketing . . . but not nearly enough for hundreds of freelance photographers.

You won’t be able to make friends here. Remember, that’s what networking is - making industry friends. You’ll only be able to make really large wads of business cards, or maybe a few cents from recycling all the empty bottles of hand sanitizer.

Instead, make your way to events of other industry friends. Some of them will work in theater, for non-profits, have gallery shows, you-name-it, and there will be events. Use these events to make more industry friends. If you don’t have any industry friends yet, go get involved in something! For example, a local magazine was having a release party, so I went. I enjoyed the wine, the spoken word, the imagery, and I made friends. Now, I’m glad to say I’ve been published in that magazine. And the bonus? I didn’t have to spend $99 to get in.

So, when networking, please keep these misconceptions in mind. And remember, the best way to stand out in the crowd is not to be in it.

6 Ways a Formal Education Can Benefit Your Photography

by Todd Vorenkamp (MFA, Academy of Art University, 2011)

Only in the arts is the term “self-taught” worn like a badge of honor. You can’t swing a dead cat around the Internet without hitting a photographer who broadcasts “self-taught” on the biography page of his or her website. I found a website titled: “Top 25 Self-Taught Photographers.” Really?

Professions outside the arts do not promote “self-taught.” Self-taught doctor? No thanks; I’ll go somewhere else. Self-taught airline pilot? I’ll take the next flight. Self-taught lawyer? I’d rather skip the jail time.

Photo lessons from Dad, magazines, and books aside, it is cool to wear the self-taught badge, especially if people tell you that you are a good photographer. So, when the opportunity to go to art school arrived on my doorstep, I hesitated about the fact that I would have to strip myself of this badge.

I was a “self-taught photographer” right up until the moment I became a “formally trained photographic artist” and started working toward my Masters of Fine Arts degree.

With “self-taught” so celebrated, what are the benefits of a formal art education?

1. Time

Many artists bemoan that they do not make enough time for their art. Life often gets in the way. Work, friends, family, taxes, television, etc.; the list goes on.

Entering an art school forces you to make time for your art. And, unlike your other schooling experiences, if you are “forced” to do something you love, you will likely do it energetically and enthusiastically.

Art school takes time. But, by investing in your art, this is time you are investing in yourself.

2. Practice

You will practice your art in art school. Like almost everything, practice makes almost perfect. That you have to continuously produce new art leads you to unconsciously improve your craft. You are not just taking photographs every week; you are driven to compile a solid body of work for every class, every semester.

If you feel you are at the top of your game photographically, you might consider going to art school. You will learn to apply a critical eye to your work, all while receiving feedback from others. It is one thing to get praise from friends and family, but subjecting your work to virtual strangers who are also immersed in the field will certainly give you new perspective.

You might be surprised to find that there is always room for improvement.

3. Immersion

If you enjoy photography, imagine the pleasure of immersing yourself in the art for weeks, months, or years. For me, the best part of a photo workshop is the immersion in the world of photography. It is a natural high for me. Art school is like attending a continuous photography workshop.

During the school year, I was out making photographs three to five times per week. On the nights that I was not creating photographs, I was reading about photography, editing photos, reviewing classmates’ images, or engaged in class discussions about the art.

If you are passionate about taking photographs, you will love the fact that art school not only drives you to create art, but you also will study and learn about the history of the genre, other arts, and the way people view and think about art.

4. Meaning

I used to just be a guy who took good pictures. People liked my photos. Many asked for emailed copies, prints, or my website address. I felt good about my photography.

Week One in grad school: “Nice photograph. What does it mean?”

Art school will force you to articulate the meaning behind your imagery. If you don’t think that your images have meaning, art school will drive a lot of personal introspection, so you can then discover why you take some photographs, but not others. Moving forward, you can be conscious of why you create the art you create. Self-discovery.

5. Passion

There is a true gift in being able to study something you are intensely passionate about. The practicality of an art school degree can be debated. Making a living as an artist is difficult — regardless of the genre.

Remember dreading schoolwork and grumbling about homework? If you are passionate about art, or whatever you chose to study in life, you will — I kid you not — love going to school and love getting assignments. Summer school will no longer be a burden.

For me, graduation was bittersweet. If there were more credits to be had, I would still be in art school. Ph.D. program for photography, anyone?

6. Friendships

Art school also surrounds you with others who are passionate about the same things in which you are invested. You are exposed to their work and they get exposed to yours. You learn about each classmate and how they feel and think. Art education is an intimate learning experience that can create lifelong friendships, professional contacts, and photographic growth and challenges. Your friends will push you to improve your art and you will push them to improve theirs.

So long, self-taught badge. It was nice to wear you for a while, but fashions change, and I have no regrets about removing you.

This article was originally published on March 13, 2016, by B&H Photo on Medium.com.

AAU Alumnus Puts Adobe Mobile Apps to Test

Adobe MAX 2015 -- Adobe's premiere creative conference -- welcomed AAU Alumnus Weston Fuller to Los Angeles this month. Fuller was asked to illustrate the power of Photoshop Fix and Photoshop Mix -- Adobe’s new mobile apps -- to create a surreal, constructed environment of his signature style.

To meet the challenge, Fuller conceptualized a fantastical story in which explorers encounter an ice cave capable of supporting an undiscovered, adaptable species of butterflies. To pull it off, Fuller sourced images from Adobe Stock, then executed a shoot of models in similar lighting conditions.

First, Fuller cleaned his original image and adjusted the cave opening in PS FIX. He then imported the results to PS MIX, where he composited over 40 layers featuring, he says, “lots and lots of butterflies.”

Fuller finished with final touches in PS FIX, which meant shaping the explorer’s facial expression. This was made possible by the facial recognition tool -- one of the key components of the app.

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Fuller capitalized on PS FIX's facial recognition tool to emphasize the explorer's facial expression.

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Keep an eye out for an interview with Fuller on his process in Adobe’s Create magazine, to debut this fall.

More of Fuller’s work, including his project, The Barn, can be seen on Behance.net.

Following in the Footseps of Evans, Christenberry

On a recent road trip, online PH student Garrick Morgenweck encountered some iconic photographic subject matter. Here he shares one building's history:

In my travels through the Black Belt, I kept coming across objects photographed by both Walker Evans and William Christenberry. One of the most famous was the small St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Sprott, AL. Christenberry photographed it for years and even made a sculpture of it, taken by the uniqueness of the spires. However, at some point in the past the spires disappeared, ostensibly to expand the church sanctuary area. Here is a look at this church through the last 80 years.

Church, Sprott, AL, 1936 by Walker Evans

Church, Sprott, AL, 1971 by William Christenberry

Church, Sprott, AL, 1974 by William Christenberry

Church, Sprott, AL, 2015 by Garrick Morgenweck

This article originally appeared on August 24, 2015, as an entry in Garrick's online journal .

The Relationship Between Language, Color, and Birds

This week, Faculty Sarah Barsness reports from AAU Fall 2015 Teaching Expo, where she presented "Naming and Seeing: The Relationship Between Language, Color, and Birds." Below is an excerpt.

Over the last 20 years or more, I have taught color theory to a range of students – from floral designers and printmakers to photographers. Virtually every beginning student is excited by color, but very few of them readily grasp the basics of color theory. I often look out at a sea of blank and puzzled faces, thinking, “Don’t you SEE the differences in these colors?” It is highly possible they DON’T! This is not to say that they can’t see the nuances of color, but they may need the boost of language and naming to expand their ready perception of color.

Color names enter into virtually all languages in the same order – black, white, red, yellow, green, and finally, blue. Interestingly, this corresponds closely with the order they enter into our vision as we move from infancy to adulthood – blue again being almost invariably last. In language, it may be that until we need to use a color to identify an object that we use, we do not need a word for it. Words are, after all, a way of being able to talk with each other about common ideas. And while this sky is, to us, clearly blue, the color of the sky might not have been essential for the survival of early people. And physiologically, our vision is skewed towards warm colors – red and yellow – the first colors babies see. Blue is more subtle and less obvious to our brain - we have to work harder to see it.

For early societies, it was certainly not that the sky was NOT blue, but more likely that people did not notice that it had a color that distinguished it from other objects. Until we attach names to specific colors – most likely when objects of that color become part of our daily activities – they do not stand out to us. Conversely, the color of the sky is not always blue, or the SAME blue, so language can restrict as well as open up our field of vision!

The Radiolab podcast “Why Isn’t the Sky Blue?” references color research involving the Himba tribe of Namibia. It implies that the Himba (who have no word for blue) cannot distinguish blue from green. This is not true – but it is true that it takes them longer to distinguish the difference than subjects whose native language was English.

On the other hand, the Himba are able to distinguish a subtly different green MORE quickly than native English speakers - most likely because they have multiple names for different greens.

Recently, I became aware of how this aspect of perception feels. I began bird-watching – what we prefer to call “birding.” On one of my earliest outings, my birding mentor said to me, “I have been looking at birds my whole life, but I never SAW them until I became a birder.” I understood exactly what she meant soon after, when I went out to my yard and saw a group of amazing birds with stunning, golden-orange heads.

I raced into the house to check my field guide, sure that this was some unusual vagrant. I quickly realized it was a House Finch. Seriously? This spectacular, surreal bird was a common House Finch that I could have seen any day of my life? How had I missed it? The answer may be in the act of naming and identifying – it brings details into our vision that we may have failed to see before. 

Sarah Barsness. Birds named for colors, like the Northern Cardinal, are easily recognizable.

Just as color enters language in a specific order – black, white, red, yellow, green, blue – we learn to see by starting with general categories and refine our perception from there. One strategy to help students get started learning color might be to let them spend some time with basics that they already know. All students can identify the three traditional primary colors red, yellow, and blue, and most remember them from their paint boxes in grade school and high school. It is easy to “see” the Indigo Bunting, Yellow Warbler, and Northern Cardinal, for example, and probably relatively simple to remember their names, which are directly connected to their saturated color.

Sarah Barsness. Birds like the Song Sparrow are harder to distinguish from similarly-colored sparrows.

But when it comes to seeing more subtle, complex colors, things get more challenging. The Lincoln’s, Song, and Vesper Sparrows might look virtually identical to most people, but they are actually three distinct species of sparrow.

Learning to distinguish between subtle colors is akin to identifying sparrows: very challenging for a beginner. Initially, I was quite certain I would never be able to tell the difference. But by studying field marks (the Lincoln’s Sparrow has a warm breast with distinct streaking but no center spot; the Song Sparrow has a center spot and a whiter breast with darker streaks; the Vesper Sparrow has a white eye ring) and connecting them to the species' names, I am now able, after months of practice, to distinguish these three birds in the field, even at a bit of a distance. It required patience, attention, and language to be able to see the differences!

Sarah Barsness