Sarah and Wyatt, you both have your first gallery show coming up on
December 7 at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography Gallery. Can
you tell our readers a bit about the show and what prompted each of you to
start shooting self-portraits?

WYATT: Sarah and I have very different pictures, so the show will have an
awesome contrast of each of our styles. We are displaying them as diptychs, to
emphasize the juxtaposition of how we each imagine the world. I started taking
self-portraits when I was really young, posting them online. My friends put the idea in my head, saying, for some reason, that they liked them. It’s cool getting to be both in front of and behind the camera at the same time. I’ve realized how much I love both.

SARAH: I’m really excited for the show. It will be interesting to have a bunch of
photos of my face up on the walls for strangers to see. Wyatt and I have spent
months preparing everything; a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (literally) have gone
into this show. As for what began my self-portraits, I was really enamored by a
few self-portrait photographers and friends that I’d found online, so I really just…
well, started. My first self-portrait was taken against a white wall in my parent’s
house. I was smiling – I didn’t know what else to do. And it all escalated from
there into what is now a lifelong project.

How did it come about that both of you started shooting self-portraits?
Was it by coincidence or did you both plan on embarking on this endeavor
together?

SARAH: After we had both attended the Career Training program, we were
asked to do a show with both of our self-portrait portfolios. Since then, we’ve
been on a couple shooting adventures together, and he is a hoot. We’ve noticed
so many similarities between ourselves, even though our photos are very
different.

WYATT: We really are so similar! That’s funny, because we didn’t actually
meet until a couple months ago. She grew up in Alaska, and I grew up here in
Montana, so us crossing paths is all thanks to RMSP. I am excited that after
spending time together working on this show, we’ve become friends.

Wyatt, in the press release your style is described as “mysterious, moody
and wide-angle.” And Sarah it states that your style is “colorful, vulnerable
and up-close.” What factors do each of you think contribute most to your
individual styles? Where does your aesthetic come from?

WYATT: I love when people describe my work, because it’s a lot different than
how I am in real life. I’m really not that moody or mysterious, but I like creating
images that take me away from everyday life. I want my viewers to experience
the same escape of reality that I do. I love combining nature and the human form
to evoke a certain emotion. I try to reveal the hidden beauty in everyday things.

SARAH: I LOVE color. I mean, that’s pretty evident in my photos, but even in
everyday life, color just makes me happy. I think my images stem a lot from that.
For each photo, I try to use both color and my expression to create the mood I’m
imagining. As far as aesthetics are concerned, I have no clue where my style
comes from. I just kind of do it. Often, a photo will simply document how I’m
feeling during a day. I try to use composition, lighting, and processing to make
very emotive images. My goal is to have every one of my self-portraits be able to
stand on their own as a thought-provoking piece. I want people to ask, “I wonder
what’s on her mind?” when they look at one of my photos.

Briefly, can each of you describe your process? Do you stew on an image
for weeks before creating, or are you more spur of the moment? And what
sort of tools (camera and software) do you use to achieve your look?

SARAH: 90% of the time, I wing it. I like to just throw a bunch of clothes in my
car, drive into the middle of nowhere, and see what comes to mind when I arrive.
Very few of my photos have been thought out before they are shot, but if they
are, they’re usually refined anyways once I start shooting. I shoot with a Canon
7D named Phinnegan, who does everything I could ask of him. And of course
I have to use my trusty tripod, and a wireless remote to try to avoid the ten-
second dash. And I like to make my photos look clean and bright with my editing
process. I also place a heavy emphasis on post-processing, using both Adobe
Photoshop and Lightroom.

WYATT: All of my images in the show were taking during my 365 (taking a
photo a day for a year), and that usually forces me to come up with things on the
spot. I always venture out with my tripod, and 7D camera, while running around
pressing my ten-second timer. I use the Brenizer method when taking each
photo, and then using Adobe Photoshop to create the final image.

Anything else you would like to add?

SARAH: I’m so lucky to have this opportunity and I hope the viewers can relate
in some way to my photos. Each one is a small piece of myself, and I’m a little
nervous to share so much me with the world.

WYATT: I am honored to be having my work shown by RMSP, and its even
better that I get to share it with my friends in Missoula.

SELF.
Self portraits by Sarah Joann Van Nortwick and Wyatt McCollum

Rocky Mountain School of Photography Gallery
December 7, 2012 – February 25, 2013
Gallery Hours: M-F  8am – 5pm
Opening Reception – December 7, 2012 – 5 – 8 pm – Artists will be in attendance

To see more of their work, please visit both Sarah’s and Wyatt’s websites here and here.

We knew when we came up with this idea for an assignment that it may lend itself to the expression of some pretty hefty themes in people’s lives; not an easy thing to go out and shoot with intention at all.  And as we expected, those who took on this unusual challenge did so with uncommon gusto, heart and soul.

In every image is a story. Some are literal expressions of unbridled joy or just good ol’ athleticism and adventure. Others are less literal, sometimes surreal, and always poignant stories of what a jump-into-the-void-and-trust-the-net-will-appear moment or situation in one’s life can appear like in a single image or series of images.  All of these are a window into the individual photographer and tell their own unique story, in our humble opinion. They are to be honored for being willing to participate.

And because of the story-telling nature of the assignment, many of those who submitted images also included explanations of how they represent their individual “leaps of faith” in their lives. We feel it’s only appropriate to include their words with their work. Enjoy!

Kudos to the brave souls who submitted images for the very first time. It’s usually a huge first step for anyone to show the world their particular vision of it. See? Wasn’t so scary, now was it? As the year keeps rolling along, we’ll keep on giving you homework…on a monthly basis. If you’ve been experiencing a photographic drought lately, here’s something that may just wet your creative appetite; June’s assignment.

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This is my son, Adriel. Obviously, the idea of the camera portrays my passion for photography. It has become vitally important to me;I haven’t ever enjoyed learning and doing something at this magnitude before. And his importance is fairly hard to explain in words/ The quote “asking me to describe my son is like asking me to hold the ocean in a paper cup.” comes to mind. However, he without a doubt the force behind pretty much all of my ambition in life!! –  Jesse M.

A Great Blue Heron exits its perch on West River near Naples, NY. For this shot I climbed into my kayak with $6,000 worth of photography equipment, which I frequently do. This is my leap of faith! — Roger B.

This is a stunt man at Old Tucson Studios who has just been shot off the roof. — Ray T.

This is my [photography] business registration. — RMSP SI 2005 Alumni, Bruce “Chippy” C.

You will see from my images that I tried to capture my own personal leap of faith.  I was excited to do self portraits and to experiment with composites.

– 2012 RMSP Career Training Student, Anne A.

The picture of the Pope suspended on the red wooden platform was taken at the Guggenheim Museum in January of this year.  The artist, Maurizio Cattelan, is an Italian realist and the show was a retrospective of his work.  The Guggenheim chose to hang all of his work from the ceiling so that the viewers walked up the ramps to look at the center suspensions of art.  As a Catholic myself it sits just fine with me and to think he was suspended with JFK, the KKK and Adolf Hitler and 13 stuffed dogs of various sizes and shapes certainly added to the imagery of the whole exhibit.
– Lisa S.

First photo contest!  — Moe W.

The leap of faith was they would come back up, and not fall out! — Ken S.

An early start to the day rewarded Andrew with this moody shot in Oak Bluffs during his September vacation. The surface of the water especially appealed to contest judge Kate Feiffer. “This photograph is stunning because of it’s restraint and elegance,” she says. “A truly memorable photograph should draw you in and keep you rapt and that was the case with this photo. Gorgeous green-covered rocks seemingly afloat in a veneer of mist stretch out into a subdued sunrise. I didn’t want to stop looking.”

To see some of his work currently in the gallery, check out his latest blog post. Also visit www.andrewnixonphotography.com.

On his blog today, Andrew posted an interesting article titled “5 Things I learned Preparing for my RMSP Exhibition.” It’s a quick read. I encourage you to check it out and then to stop by the gallery to witness the fruits of Andrew’s labor on Friday night.

@ Andrew Nixon

So, how did you do with the challenge of “Going Green!?” Well, we’d say pretty darn well! Extraordinarily as a matter of fact. Green is truly the color of nature and is naturally attractive to the eye. As such, it’s easy to overlook as a focus when it’s constantly in your environment, but for those of us in winter climates, the absence of green can become apparent, and extremely in focus upon its return in the spring. A very welcome change of season.

This collection of green created by you – our wandering, photography-practicing readers – contains images created in backyards and in some cases, from locales on the other side of the globe. From abstract to macro to portraits to sporting events to wind energy and beyond, green lives in all of these images. As one person put it, “I now see green everywhere!” Awesome! That was the whole idea…to encourage you to see. Our hope is that you keep on seeing, keep on shooting and keep on contributing to our assignments. Enjoy all the various shades and ideas of green, and we hope its simple abundance surrounds you in all of your days!

Kudos to the brave souls who submitted images for the very first time. It’s usually a huge first step for anyone to show the world their particular vision of it. See? Wasn’t so scary, now was it? As the year keeps rolling along, we’ll keep on giving you homework…on a monthly basis. How about taking another step…or leap… in this direction? Here’s your next assignment for May.

iPhone image with "Ansel" filter

Ever since I heard that an exhibit of 130 signed Ansel Adams photographs were going to be shown at the Missoula Art Museum (MAM), I wanted to be part of the experience. As it turns out, I get to be part of two cool experiences. I am beyond excited at the upcoming opportunity to be a docent for the Fifth Grade Art Experience, a program co-sponsored by MAM, Art Associates of Missoula, the Missoula Public Library and Missoula County Public Schools. Every fifth grade class in the county plus some from rural schools in Swan Valley, Darby and Alberton, Montana are invited to attend.

We’re going through docent training right now with Curator of Education, Renee Taffe at MAM, so that over the next 10 weeks, I’ll be prepared to join groups of 5th graders as they learn about the museum’s exhibits. I’ll especially enjoy introducing them to Ansel Adams’ amazing prints and talking to them about Ansel Adams, the person, the musician, the photographer. Can you imagine, 5th graders who were born during the digital camera boom – most of them don’t even know what a film camera is! Luckily I was able to find a box film camera, one like Ansel used when he was their age, and through the wonders of the internet, rolls of 120 film. This is show-and-tell at it’s best. It might not register with them now as profoundly as we might hope, but my goal is that someday they will look back and say, ‘Holy guacamole, when I was in 5th grade I saw 130 prints that were made and signed by Ansel Adams!’

Just being in the museum with these prints has been almost overwhelming for me. The more I learn about Ansel’s process and the intuition involved in his visualization, the more I realize that artist’s need to be allowed to create and taught how to begin to see. Opening the eyes of fifth graders to the possibilities of their own imagination is a gift I’m looking forward to sharing.

Consider participating in the next assignment!

Al Green

Autumn Tigart

 Barry Grivett

Bill Jarvis

DL Caquelin

Ed Strong

Gail Reba

Gary Steinfort

Genevieve Fix

Harlean Tobin

Jane Clark

Jane Coelho

Jason Meredith

Jim Lemire

John Griner

Julie Thorton

Margery Diamond

Mary Beth Allen

Michael Godin

Michelle Hamilton

Mike Weimer

Melanie Wright

Moe Whouse

Ron Hall

Scott Fels

Scott Fuller

Tony Bynum

Vartkes Peltekoglu

Genevieve Fix

Barry Grivett

The subject matter is quite varied and it’s interesting to see what people captured in 60 seconds.

Barry Grivett

Natalia Rizzolo

Genevieve Fix

Gregory Tapler

Nicholas Kakavas

Barry Grivett

Judy Horner

Deeya Maple

Al Greene

Steven Hodel

Steve Fletcher

Jenna Nord

Gregory Tapler

Mandie Snyder