I am so excited to introduce this month's artist, miss Alison Carr! She is such a positive presence in p52 (you'll find her active both on Facebook and Instagram) and her storytelling is so strong and emotive. Read on to be inspired by such a commitment member of our group and you we see why we love her so much!
Tell us about your photography journey...
I have loved photography my whole life. I am fortunate to have a photographer in my family, my wonderful uncle Tom and he shared his passion for the medium with me at a very young age. I still have a book he gave me as a young dancer (I must have been 10 or so) called Breaking Bounds full of amazing images of dancers in mid-air that I stare at often over 30 years later. My first camera was a Nikon point and shoot that I bought for myself out of college. Upgraded to a DSLR in my mid 20s and focused mainly on landscapes and architecture. As a classically trained engineer, I loved symmetry and form and so marrying those and the technology of the camera was a match made in heaven. I also love to travel and photography was an ideal way to hold on to my adventures across the globe. When we had children, as with many p52 members, I turned my camera much more towards people, trying to hold onto the memories and details of childhood that sleep deprivation robs from most parents. Then about 3 years ago I started a portrait business to help me focus on my technique. P52 was a huge part of that because it added just the right amount of structure to my learning process, breaking down elements monthly that I could explore through the amazing tutorials and then additional resources.
Tell us a bit about your style...
I would describe my style as vibrant and emotional. I LOVE color and the play of light across both natural and artificial sources. I am a storyteller by compulsion because I want my images to capture a feeling, not only an aesthetic. I am also a director, often thinking through images ahead of time that I want to have my subjects live in to help evoke in others the emotions and events that have strong feelings for me and my family. We are explorers and so I will look for locations that not only peak our curiosity but have strong visual elements that will make strong images. And I often bring along objects that encourage play because I find that we are often at our most honest and endearing when sharing our play with the ones we love. Incorporating these elements into my client work has also really taken my business to the next level and helps me connect with families in a really emotionally satisfying way.
What gear do you use?
I am a Nikon girl. Have been since the beginning. I started on a Coolpix, upgraded to a D90 and then recently stepped into full frame with a D750. I have a Sony Alpha 7 for pictures on the go (mirrorless is so wonderfully compact for running around) but there is something about the color and feel of my Nikons that make me happy. I also love my cell phone. It's been said here many times, but the best camera that you can use for a picture is the one that is there when the moment presents itself and my phone is always with me. Lightroom mobile lets me edit on the go and some of my most impactful images have come from this source. I would also have to say that my SpiderPro Camera Holster changed my life! Having my camera on my hip for hiking and exploring lets me be a present participant and a photographer in almost the same moment.
What's your go to lens and why?
For storytelling, my go to lens is my Sigma 35mm 1.4 art. 35mm is so helpful to me because what I see with my eyes and what is in the frame of the camera are so similar that going from observing a moment directly and capturing a moment with my camera is almost seamless.
Who and what inspires you?
Other than watching the themes in this forum and the amazing moderators that share their talents with the group, I am a big fan of Hello Storyteller and ClickPro. Both venues are educational in purpose and help me explore my voice. I was challenged in the beginning because of the level of the work in these spaces but have been endlessly engaged and bettered through the work shared.
What tips do you have for shooting within the storytelling theme?
For me, storytelling comes from a place of expression. When an experience or an emotion hits me strongly I have learned to use that ping as a trigger to pick up the camera and through repetition I've been able to be proactive about situations where I make sure I take my camera. I've basically fully integrated photography as an aspect of how I'm recording my life through other mediums like collecting souvenirs, journalling, posting on social media so that the narrative already exists. From there I would say:
Keep your stories small, at least at first:. Stories for me don't mean novels. A story is just an event with a beginning, a middle and an end with a strong emotional association. I'm often inspired by the idea of the six word story (an urban myth about Hemmingway that is worth looking up) where emotions come pouring out and a narrative erupts with almost saying nothing at all. It encourages me to remember that people come to my work with a ton of context and so I only need to help them feel what I'm feeling in that context they already have.
Use yourself as a medium: I had a milestone birthday last year and took 40 pictures of myself for my 40th. Some were documentary in nature, some highly scripted, but they all were aiming to capture who I am. I would say that there weren't 40 pictures of me in the whole world before this project so the exploration of myself as a subject was full of possibilities and allowed me the chance to really connect with myself in a way I really never had. Which leads me to...
Take the time to really explore a single subject: I took this Master Class by Annie Leibovitz where she talks about taking pictures of the same person in lots of settings. She used her parents, but when you do this, you can start to really see what changes in person and what remains the same. Sometimes the story of the moment is told by what the person is doing. And sometimes the story is more served by the expression of the person regardless of what they are doing. Those elements are powerful storytelling tools and have been easier for me to refine when seeing the same object or person over and over again. And this applies to people, animals or inanimate objects (lego figures, anyone?).
What storytelling image are you most proud of and/or love the most and why?
This one is really hard. I think I'm probably most proud of a picture I took of my daughter sitting in her window and her shadow falling on the rocking chair. For me, in the early morning sun, I was seeing my last child moving on with her life while an impression of her remained in the chair where I held her as baby. It's complex in emotion (proud, relieved, grieved, sad), rather universal to anyone who has loved anything, and the light is beyond gorgeous. I am kind of misting up talking about it and maybe you will too in seeing it.
