Thoughts on a Mini Vacation in Topsail, NC

About a week ago enroute to Athens, Ohio for the start of my Masters, I took a flight from Memphis, TN to Jacksonville, NC where I met up with brother and his girlfriend, who had been vacationing for the week atTopsail beach. I only spent a day and a half there for the most part. But I really enjoyed seeing the beach and the ocean for the first time and of course taking pictures.

I was mostly excited about seeing Marley the beagle, my brother's dog. Which is the nicest chillest dog you'll ever meet. Here is a portrait I made of him only being in Topsail a few hours. I was impulsively taking photos of him naturrally because it was my first time seeing him in forever. In the mist of that caos I feel I was able to take a decent portrait of him.

 

This was vacation after all, so I did the beach thing, and roomed up and down it collecting shells and sharks teeth, I even saw a sand castle. The beach was alive and well with people with a calming afternoon sea breeze. Upon my time there I thought about grad school and how it would be living in Athens, Ohio all by myself, and it was a calming thought surprisingly. Even with all the stuff I was thinking of about being there it didn't stress me out, it only made me wanna work harder.  

I ran cross country in high school, and wasn't the best runner but it taught me one important lesson. That when things are tough, and you want to give up, there is still strength within you to finish the race and not give up. No matter how hard it is. I am looking forward to this challenge at Ohio University and there is no looking back. 

Interpeting Photojournalism with Hipstamaitc, Embrace It

Aaron Turner

When the world of photojournalism is seeing photographers like Damon Winter win awards for his Hipstamatic photos in Afghanistan, Ben Lowy reporting for Getty Images with his cell phone , and Luceo Images' Matt Eich and his "iPhone Dispatches from Greenwood" part 1 and 2 , then I believe there is a serious case for photojournalists to use the app and keep pushing the boundaries of what people consider to be true photojournalism. True photography for that matter.

Photojournalist and commercial photographers alike can use this iPhone app and produce good work. I've already seen the first wedding shot entirely with the iPhone, I'm just waiting to hear about the first wedding being shot with Hipstamatic.  

As a young photojournalist, I personally see Hipstamatic as a good thing, and seeing well respected photographers use the app is what really made me use it as well.

Watermelon

I've really been using Hipstamatic more than my DSLR this whole summer. In a way I see it as therapy, and just like I used a 4x5 camera to help me slow down and improve my photographic process, I feel Histamatic is helping me do that too.

I feel that the body of work I am producing with my iPhone is a project in itself. I currently have a documentary project about my family going with just Hipstamatic. Also, the way I am photographing with the app is more abstract an fine art, some would say, but I feel it all fits into photojournalism. It pushes the boundaries.

I'm not photographing wars or looking at social issues with Histamatic but I am looking at what matters to me. I don't think the app takes away from the standard photographic language and thinking because you still have to approach things with the same mindset of shutter, aperture etc.

I 'm just looking forward to seeing what the app can do and seeing more and more photojournalists use it. Who knows, photography programs may even start teaching classes on just Hipstamiatic.

The biggest change that photojournalism is going through now is embracing new ideas and finding different modes of distribution and consumption  to sustain it. This might be one of them. So embrace it, it won't hurt.

- Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.

Life in the studio

This body of work explores the daily life of several First-year architecture students at the University of Memphis.

These students spent many sleepless nights in the studio completing projects for class, and I hope the images serve as an interesting document of that hard work and dedication.

All of the students are close like a tight knit family due to the amount of time they spend together in the studio. They practically eat, sleep, and work together every day, with the occasional fast food run at three in the morning.

Most of these students rarely see their dorm rooms. If they do it’s a short visit: a quick shower, a change of clothes, then back to the studio.

Many of them have stayed up days at a time, completing wood models and floor plans. This photo essay captures the hectic life of first-year architecture students.

Forms and Light

New Orleans

University Center @ University of Memphis

Far and Apart

Far and apart is a photo essay conducted over the past week between Amiya (Massachusetts) and Aaron (Tennessee) a long distance couple. In and effort to draw even closer while apart Aaron a photographer suggested that they do a photo essay in conjunction with one another for a week. The photos you see below are a result of those pictures made during the week. All pictures were made with the iPhone4s.

Aaron: At the beginning I wasn't sure how things would turn out but as the pictures started coming in from Amiya I knew I was going to turn out great. I had to remember that Amiya used to do painting and drawing so she already has an artistic eye. In some photos I see that we see the same way but don't know if that's because she looks at my photos all the time or that is just another thing we have in common. I really like this body of work and look forward to doing another photo essay with Amiya.  

Amiya: When I was first introduced the photo essay idea I thought it would be a unique way for us to feel closer to each other. Being so far away physically can make it difficult to maintain our connection but taking pictures is a great way to always feel our connection. I really enjoyed knowing that this was a project we shared. Every picture I took and I shared with you felt like another step in building our connection. The project gave us the opportunity to show our individual experiences from where we are, but ultimately create a story of our experiences together.

Amiya's Photos:

Aaron's Photos: