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Week 10 | 52 Rolls in 52 Weeks

Week 10 | 52 Rolls in 52 Weeks

It's been a little over six months now that I've been collaborating with the University District Youth Center Zine Project. I love working wight the folks over there to develop a platform in which the youth are able to tell their own stories from their own perspectives in their own words. This past Friday, I collected the first of the disposable cameras I purchased and gave to this quarter's group of zine producers, and had the film developed. I'll post an update in Projects as soon as the images are ready to show on the web.

I'm collecting 35mm cameras to donate to the program so they can have a longer term solution to being able to make photographs. If you have any laying around, please let me know. If you're not local, I'll even pay for the shipping. Learn more about the UDYC Zine Project by visiting their website.

The images below were made with a Leica M6 and Ilford HP5 black and white film developed in Kodak HC-110.

Getting to know Scope 5

Getting to know Scope 5

In preparation for the upcoming 2013 SVP Fast Pitch, the photo team has been going around and getting updates on some of the previous winners. I chose to go out and visit the folks over at Scope 5 because they work in an industry I understand and because I’ve heard their names come up time after time again, yet have never had the chance to meet them. One of the reasons I enjoy volunteering with projects and issues I care about is that it often focuses my work in ways that wouldn’t happen otherwise. Also, I learn things about people that don’t typically come up in more formal situations. Who would have known the CEO/co-founder Yoram Bernet was a photographer who specialized in architectural work. He appreciated the Leica M6 and 400TX film I used to photograph them. Here are some of the results.

Image by Michael B. Maine made with Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 + 400TX

Image by Michael B. Maine made with Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 + 400TX

Image by Michael B. Maine made with Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 + 400TX

Image by Michael B. Maine made with Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 + 400TX

Image by Michael B. Maine made with Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 + 400TX

Image by Michael B. Maine made with Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 + 400TX

Image by Michael B. Maine made with Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 + 400TX

Finding "Purpose" in Photography

Finding "Purpose" in Photography

When I picked up the camera a few years ago, I didn't really know why I was doing it. Like many others, I thought it would be fun to learn something new, gain a new skill, and have a reason to step away from the computer from time to time. I began by shooting anything I could fit within the viewfinder—friends, family, landscapes, shoes, etc. I still remember the first time I took the camera out of auto and switched over to manual. That moment marked one of many critical points in this craft. It was at that moment I became intentional. Before I realized it I was consciously making decisions about how and why I would make a certain photograph.

As my technical ability grew, I quickly found I was taking really bad pictures in really sharp focus. I thought, technically, this photograph is nice, but I don't like it. It doesn't have that special something that draws me in, inviting me to question what I know to be true. I found that I was learning how to see. I've heard other photographers talking about learning how to see. At first I thought they were talking about shapes, lines, contrast, dynamic range, etc. And while this is true, it's a different kind of seeing that I think they're talking about. I think this kind of seeing is the kind that paints dreams with inspired work. The kind that encourages one to ask if there is something beyond what the body perceives. The kind that has one in constant search of classic and contemporary artists, books, documentaries, subjects, collaborators, and projects in insatiable desire to learn and grow.

Informed by this "learning to see" and passions in social issues, in my soul developed a purpose for the work I'm doing in photography. It was only after this purpose became clear that my photographs came into clearer focus, both figuratively and literally. Who is left out of the conversation, dismissed, ignored, pushed out, and forgotten? As Donna Morton says, "Those closest to the problem are the ones most suited to address it." So why are those closest to the problem often excluded from the development of a solution?

This Wednesday, these questions took me to "The Ave." in Seattle, WA just down the street from the University of Washington, where I was honored to have the opportunity to work with five homeless youth, one passionate program manager/instructor, and one dedicated case manager in producing a series of images that will hopefully help them share their stories. In putting a face on a widely known but often misunderstood issue, I hope that the voices of these resilient, intelligent, warm, creative individuals are able to have their voices land where they might be heard.

For more information about the Zine Project, check out their website at http://zineprojectseattle.wordpress.com.

Special thanks goes to Richard Gold of Pongo Teen Writing, who's never ending love and work in divergent communities has helped sprout projects such as these, for making this connection happen.

Learn more about the interns and read their bios on the Zine Project Seattle website.

 

What Inspires You Alma Lorraine Bone Constable?

I met Alma Lorraine Bone Constable almost two years ago at the Great Hall at Islandwood. She immediately stuck me with her warmth and sense of caring. Since then I’ve spent time with Alma, her family, colleagues, and friends. She attracts wonderful people. I interviewed her almost a year ago and one of the things that stuck with me was her saying she “has unconditional love for everybody.” That’s something I strive for.

Alma has been working with families and businesses in Kenya for quite some time now, developing a solar lighting kit to alleviate the need for expensive and dangerous kerosene lanterns. Rather than dropping technology on people, she’s worked with communities to develop the solutions collaboratively. The product was vetted, tested, and proved in last year’s round of Fledge incubation, and, today, her dream of launching the product is closer to reality. In order to bring the TayaSola Lantern Kit to scale, Alma and her team is launching an Indiegogo campaign to refine the design of the kit, perform additional field testing, and produce and distribute 500 TayaSola Lantern Kits. Please head on over, share, and show your support.