The Art of the Personal Project is a crucial element to let potential buyers see how you think creatively on your own. I am drawn to personal projects that have an interesting vision or that show something I have never seen before. In this thread, I’ll include a link to each personal project with the artist statement so you can see more of the project. Please note: This thread is not affiliated with any company; I’m just featuring projects that I find. Please DO NOT send me your work. I do not take submissions.
Today’s featured artist: Olivia Bee
“How To See In The Dark”
My best friend Dylan and I went to Southern Appalachia to experience the natural phenomenon that is the synchronous fireflies’ mating ritual that happens in the late spring. I was newly pregnant with my now one year old daughter, and everything was about to change. These images and her essay document witnessing this supernatural event through the lens of our friendship — and a friendship shifting. I photographed us dancing, waiting for the light to dim so that we could see the forest light up like Christmas lights. I photographed a single firefly landing on her hand. I photographed the fireflies double exposed with the stars, foils of each other in nature. Every night for a week, we explored the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the dark, waiting to see if the spot we found on Reddit held the magic we sought. About half of the time, it did. For 30 minutes, the light show was absolutely out of this world. I have truly never seen anything like it in my life.
I made the choice to shoot film which I only half regret. It was definitely the most challenging scene to shoot: it was dark (naturally), and fireflies are small, and they move. I pushed all my film and with each closing of the shutter during my long exposures, I really took a chance with God. About half of my pictures ended up completely black, while the other ones glimmered with a sliver of the magic I had seen with my two eyes. Every time there was a frame with even a distant feeling of being an image, I held on to it to see what it might mean.
The experience is a difficult one to put into words, but Dylan wrote an incredible essay about our experience, to see more of this project see Dylan’s incredible essay, click here
Instagram: Olivia Bee
Instagram: Candace Gelman
Representing Olivia Bee:
415-897-0808
candace@candacegelman.com candacegelman.com
Suzanne Sease is a creative consultant and former ad-agency senior art buyer. She works with both emerging and established photographers and illustrators to create cohesive, persuasive presentations that clients can’t resist.
Suzanne offers something rare: an insider’s perspective on how client’s source creative talent. Her deep understanding of the industry is underscored by her impressive resume: 11 years as senior art buyer at The Martin Agency, seven years as an art producer for Capital One, and stints with the art-buying department at Kaplan-Thaler and the creative department at Best Buy, where she applied her expertise to reviewing bids to see which were most likely to come in on budget. Over the years, Suzanne has worked with a wildly diverse range of clients, including Seiko, Wrangler, Bank One, AFLAC, and Clairol Herbal Essence. Now, as a consultant, she is equipped to problem-solve for her clients from an unusually dynamic point of view.
As a longtime member of the photo community, Suzanne is also dedicated to giving back. Through her Art of the Personal Project column on the popular website aphotoeditor.com, she highlights notable personal projects by well-known and up-and-coming photographers. The column offers these artists excellent exposure while reflecting Suzanne’s passion for powerful imagery.
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