Scenes from the South - Jack and Jesus
Still life photo at a cheap motel of a bottle of Jack Daniels and a Gideon’s Bible. Taken by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography.
Jack and Jesus…
Recently I was doing a photoshoot at a dank old cheap motel. I love the ambience of those old motels. The patched up walls, the sticky floors, and the cigarette burns in the bedding. It makes for great, gritty photographs.
Anyway, on the way to the photoshoot I had a couple ideas for some still life photos that I wanted to take while there. So here’s one I call “Jack and Jesus”.
I’m really curious as to how this image makes you guys feel? Feel free to comment below. I’d love to hear.
Literary Ink is THIS WEEKEND!!!! Here's a sneak peek of my booth...
Classic Academia Aesthetic - Still Life Photography - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Literary Ink is THIS WEEKEND!!! So for those that don’t know, Literary Ink is a tattoo convention that takes place in my hometown of Chattanooga, TN. It’s the baby of my friend Jennifer Edge who owns Main Line Ink. It’s gone through some transitions over the years. It started out as more of a Wizarding World type themed convention and then Covid hit, and interrupted life as we know it. As the show has come back, it’s been amazing to see Edge and her crew behind the convention really explore more and more literary worlds. It’s a tattoo convention, but it’s not like any other tattoo convention I’ve ever been apart of, and it’s not trying to be. One of the beauties of this show is it provides a place for those not generally part of the tattoo crowd to come in and feel at home and get to know some of us that are. One of my booth regulars last year told me that they never thought they’d be planning to go to a tattoo show every year, but here they are…
Dark Academia - Still Life Photography - TRD Photography
My booth has transitioned a lot since I started doing Literary Ink as well! In the beginning I mainly brought some toy photography art that I had done, but I’ve been working more and more with still life photography and dark academia aesthetics the past few years and it’s become my passion, especially when I photograph it on film. I also have been doing a lot of travel work and photographing a lot of film of old buildings, cemeteries, and churches. So that’s definitely going to be highly represented at my booth this year. I’m sharing a few of my newer photographs that will be available as a print at my booth in this blog. But of course, I may have a few things for my long time booth visitors as well.
Dark Academia Still Life Photography - TRD Photography
In conclusion, I think my favorite thing about Literary Ink is the people. It’s been amazing getting to vend the show every year and seeing some of the same faces year after year. It’s one of those shows that I know I’m going to see my friend Amy Kenyon, who is a badass photographer herself. I’m gonna see Edge running around like a chicken with her head cut off. I usually see Rachael, who we always talk about doing a shoot but still haven’t pulled the trigger on. I see people who show my photos of their walls with my photos in frames. That’s always an awesome experience. That people enjoy what I do enough to bring it into their homes. So I’m definitely looking forward to this weekend, and if you can, you should definitely check it out. It’s at the Chattanooga Convention Center Sept. 5-7. Check out www.literaryink.com for details.
Ricky
Dark Academia Gothic Artwork - Still Life Photography - TRD Photography
Basilica of Saint Mary - Minneapolis, MN - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Kodak Tri X Test Roll Results... Still Life Work at the Studio
Send in the Clowns…. Kodak Tri X Film - Still Life Studio Photography by TRD Photography
During my last film session at my studio I had a little bit of a lighting issue. So today I wanted to do a test shoot to see if my suspicion of the issue was right. To test the roll, I decided to setup several different still life scenes. My brain gets pretty random when I do still life photography. So I put on Sierra Ferrell on my iphone (I just discovered her music and am loving it.) and then started going through some of my props putting some scenes together. The lighting turned out better than I expected.
I shot a roll of Kodak Tri X 120 film on my Mamiya 645 camera for this. On that roll you can expect to get somewhere between 13-15 shots per roll. When I do still life sets I generally take 1-3 shots per setup from varying angles/lighting movements. Out of 14 shots that came out, 12 of them were good solid usable shots. These were just my favorites of the setups. I’d love to hear what you guys think of these.
Baseball Still Life Photography - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Da’ Bears - Football Still Life Photography - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Dark Academia Skull Still Life Photography - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Eat My Heart Out - Dark Art Still Life Photography - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Tattoos and Small Town Life with Kellie Hall
Tattoo Artist - Kellie Hall - Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Tattoos & Small Town Life with Kellie Hall
Ricky - So I'm talking with Kellie. I've known Kellie for awhile now, I can't even remember how long. We first got to know each other from attending tattoo conventions didn't we?
Kellie - Yes! I can’t remember if it was the Nashville Tattoo & Horror convention back in 2015 or the Chattanooga Convention the same year
Ricky - I think it probably was Nashville or it may have even been one of the first Chattanooga ones. I think we had met before the 2015 Nashville one though. One of those years I got to come to your old shop and see Winchester for the first time though. I really fell in love with the area. What was it like growing up in a small Tennessee town that's a little off the beaten path?
Kellie - I think you’re right! I believe Carol Ann introduced us! I love being from a small country town! Growing up on a farm in Cowan to now owning a business in Decherd. It’s the close knit community that amazes me. Our county is growing by leaps and bounds yet you still know at least 10 people every time you’re in Walmart, from seeing people who knew my parents ,to staying in touch with my kindergarten teacher. We don’t have much “to do” here but it’s home
Ricky - That close knit feeling is one of the things I've always enjoyed up there. When I would do the Winchester Wriggle, it always amazed me how many people would come out to support art in a small town that from the outside you wouldn't think would be that supportive. Especially, some of my photos can be a little out there, but I don't think I ever even had anyone rude at all. It was awesome! What's one of your favorite memories from growing up, up there?
Kellie - Yes! Our community is amazing when it comes to supporting small businesses!!! I’d have to say it would be being on the farm w my grandparents. They taught me so many life lessons out there. I learned how to drive in my papas old ford, learned how to drive a tractor, pull calves, fish, hunt, clean the game I harvested, learned how to garden & can. It was paradise to me.
Ricky - That's really cool. A lot of that stuff just doesn't happen much anymore. So I got to know you through tattooing, and us doing some photoshoots back in the day. What has it been like being in a small community and being a female tattoo artist there?
Tattoo Artist Kellie Hall - Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Kellie - Interesting to say the least lol… Tattoos are still what viewed as “trashy” buy the older folks. But after 8 years of being in the industry, people are much more accepting thank goodness! I still get some “dirty” looks on occasion Most people know me personally or know me as “that tattoo girl” haha!
Ricky - Ha! That Tattoo girl. That's hilarious. What got you interested in the tattoo scene in the beginning?
Kellie - I’ve always loved the art and started getting tattooed as soon as I turned 18. Then I met a tattoo artist that later became my husband, now ex husband lol… he taught me to pierce then later on began apprenticing me to tattoo. I’ve always had the ability to draw so it almost came as second nature to me.
Ricky - That's really cool. What is your favorite style to tattoo?
Kellie - Linework & flowers
Ricky - Very cool! So what made you decide to get in front of the camera?
Kellie - Not really sure other than to advertise for the shop and boost my own self image
Ricky - Those are two really great reasons to do it man. So now with life starting to return to normal again, where goals do you have for yourself in the next five years?
Kellie - I plan to continue the road I’m on. Continue building my business back. Eventually I’d like to get certified for permanent makeup as well
Ricky - That's awesome man! Well I want to wish you all the best on your future endeavors. Keep on doing your thing dude! Thanks so much for taking some time to answer some questions.
Kellie - Thanks man!!! I appreciate you including me!
Native American Portraits - The Series - Amanda Starr
Native American Portraits - The Series - Amanda Starr - TRD Photography
Native American Portraits - The Series - Amanda Starr
This past year I got to go to Mt. Juliet Pow Wow and do some photographs with some of the dancers for this Native American Portrait Series. I'm still working on connecting with everyone that I photographed that day for their interviews, but recently I got to chat with Amanda a little bit about her story. I hope that you enjoy it.
Ricky - What is your nation?
Amanda - My mother's family is Eastern band Cherokee and my father's is Western band Cherokee.
Ricky - That's really cool! What is the the dynamic between the Eastern & Western bands? I've heard various stories. Is there still tension somewhat or not so much?
Amanda - You mean like the difference between them?
Ricky - Like the inter-band relationship. I've heard some people tell me that some of the Western band has been somewhat upset at Eastern band because of the removal and the Eastern band stayed. I've only heard a few people say that and I was curious.
Amanda - I honestly don't really know. I have heard that in the past the 2 bands did not get along for various reasons.
True be told I'm only in the last few years been able to start really learning about the Cherokee culture. It's been hard because a lot of people look at me and question if I have the right to be there.
My parents weren't raised native so I have had to fight really hard to learn what I know and earn my place in Native society.
Ricky - I can understand that. I've heard that story a lot from Native people who have been kind of lost out in society and are being called back and trying to learn. The important thing is you're out there trying to learn and do it respectfully. When did you become interested in your heritage?
Amanda - I was a little kid about 10 I think and there was a powwow going on in my town so my parents decided to go check it out and I feel in love and wanted to learn how to dance too. So my dad started talking to some of the people that were apart of the powwow and the rest is history.
Ricky - That is awesome! So you started dancing soon after? At that point, your parents weren't really part of the community in your town? What changed after that Pow Wow?
Amanda - Yeah the following year I started dancing. Unfortunately there's not really a native community were I lived just a few people here and there. We became good friends with a couple of people that were close by and by the time I was about 13 I was traveling around to powwows with them. My parents really couldn't afford to travel so going with friends was the only way i could go to powwows with the exceptions of the few that were close by.
Native American Portraits - The Series - Amanda Starr
Ricky - That's awesome that it meant that much to you at that age to become so heavily involved. When did you start learning more about your culture beyond the dancing and trying to become more a part of the Native Community?
Amanda - Once I staring getting to know people I started asking questions trying to learn as much as possible but I was an adult before I started getting really involved in the community and more traditional aspects of the culture.
Ricky - That's cool. What inspired you to go deeper in learning?
Amanda - Because it's a part of who I am and I truly believe you have to know where you came from to get to where you're going.
Ricky - I agree! How is it being a parent and bringing your son up knowing being involved in the culture?
Amanda - It's great! I also have a daughter that is almost 20 years old. It's amazing to be able to watch them learning and grow with knowledge of their culture more so than I got to. For my son who has high functioning Autism, real ADHD, and sensory deficit so I think being involved in powwows helped him tremendously with his social skills and to over come some barriers that he otherwise would not have been able to do.
Ricky - That is really cool! And dang dude, I would not have guessed you have a 20 yr old daughter. I know your son dances, does your daughter?
Amanda - She did up until 2 years ago when she started working her job really wouldn't let her have weekends off to powwow, but she has decided she wants to come back and dance again. So I'm going to be making her a couple of new dresses and new beadwork for her to come back in. So maybe sometime next year.
Ricky - That's so cool that you guys dance as a family. What does dancing mean to you?
Amanda - It means the world to me, it's a part of who I am. It makes me feel good to dance because I'm carrying on a tradition and helping to insure that it stays alive.
Ricky - What is it like being Native and living in our society these days?
Amanda - It can be hard because the people I'm around on a daily basses aren't Native and have no idea about it. So I have to listen to ridiculous questions and comments. I sometimes even feel out of place. On the flip side I've been able to teach people what it really means to be Native. The truth of what our ancestors went through and our people still go through. It has it's good days and bad one.
Ricky - That's awesome that you've been able to really help bridge the gap a little bit and help teach. What is some thing you wish more people knew about being Native in this day and age?
Amanda - That we're real people and we're still fighting some of the same battles that we've been fighting since Europeans arrived and it's time to stop.
Ricky - Amen! Very well said! So much of what's happening today is still being so quiet and not talked about. I want to thank you for taking the time to do this. One last question. What can people do to learn more and see what is going on today and help First Nations people in their fight?
Amanda - Take the time to ask questions and actually listen to the answers. Pass the information along to others don't just pretend it's not happening. Stop cultural appropriation.
You very welcome I enjoyed doing it.
Some Personal Highlights of 2017....
Model Kendra Sumpter - Kodak Tri X - TRD Photography
Some Personal Highlights of 2017
Another year has come to a close. 2017 was an interesting year. Personally I met a lot of new people and made some great new friends. It was also a time where I did some experimenting, and explored some new styles. Some of you guys know that back in 2015 I started learning to shoot film, and this year I did a lot more with analog.
Allie - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Allie -
I've known Allie for a good while. We used to do a lot of magazine work together back in 2012-2015. I hadn't gotten to see her since 2015 but I was gonna be in Nashville. I hit her up and was like you wanna shoot some film? We spent the afternoon hanging out listening to records and talking about directions. I didn't realize she had quit shooting and dropped her modeling name. We both really wanted to explore just doing a lot more raw/emotional work that stems from just hanging out and seeing what happens. That afternoon's work was insane and we've been working on a special project based around this style ever since.
Holly - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Holly
I met Holly late last year but this past year, Holly has become one of my best friends. We've gotten to work together on a lot of photo projects. It's been an amazing ride so far.
Teah - Native American Portrait Series - Kodak Tri X - TRD Photography
Native American Portrait Series
This year has been amazing getting to work further on the Native American Portrait Series. I began the project late in 2016 but I got to do several new profiles this year and I'm excited that my final shoot of this year was an amazing session for this series that I'll be revealing soon. I actually have three interviews that will be coming out soon.
Candice - Polaroid I-Type - OneStep2 - TRD Photography
Polaroids
I started playing around with Impossible film back in 2015, but at the price, and the quality being pretty inconsistent I only shot it rarely. This year I played around with some newer Impossible film and it was night and day difference. I finished up the year by picking up at Polaroid OneStep 2 to go along with my SX-70 and 600, and I look forward to exploring Polaroid work a lot more in 2018.
Of Women & Monsters - R.B. Davis
Of Women & Monsters - R.B. Davis
One of the things I'm stoked about is I released my second book of poetry this year. It's a collection of darker themed poetry and so far it's been pretty well received. My good friend, Bex Bella is on the cover. If you're interested, my book is available here on my website for 14.95
Below are a few more of my favorite photos from 2017. Hope you enjoy it....
Avery Blansit - TRD Photography
Bex Bella - TRD Photography
Candice Mariee - TRD Photography
CeCe Sinclair - TRD Photography
Daisy Mae - TRD Photography
Jessika Rockett - TRD Photography
Kendra Sumpter - TRD Photography
Lauren Dunham - TRD Photography
Luna Cera - TRD Photography
Lauren Dunham - Kodak Tri X - TRD Photography
Allie - Kodak Tri X - TRD Photography
Amanda Pocalypse - TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X
Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X
Cali Cheyenne - TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X
Emily Northrip - Kodak Tri X - TRD Photography
Daisy Mae - Kodak Tri X - TRD Photography
Mischa Anne - Kodak Portra 400 - TRD Photography
Michaela Christine Miller - Kodak Tri X - TRD Photography
Nina Covington - Kodak Tri X - TRD Photography
Seven X1..... Seven Deadly Sins Project
Seven x1 - A Seven Deadly Sins Project - Model Lauren Dunham - TRD Photography
Seven x1 - A Seven Deadly Sins Project
Ever since I began photography back in 2009, I've been enamored to do a Seven Deadly Sins project. I started to do it a few times, but never really went for it. I am super stoked to share this first part of a Seven Deadly Sins project that I'm currently working on. This is the first part of what will be an ongoing series exploring a variety of the sins in a variety of ways. I'm honored to have gotten to work with model Lauren Dunham on this first part of the series, as well as we have multiple concepts for more that will be coming as well. I hope you enjoy and will keep track as the series progresses....
Seven x1 - A Seven Deadly Sins Project - Model Lauren Dunham - TRD Photography
Seven x1 - A Seven Deadly Sins Project - Model Lauren Dunham - TRD Photography
Seven x1 - A Seven Deadly Sins Project - Model Lauren Dunham - TRD Photography
Seven x1 - A Seven Deadly Sins Project - Model Lauren Dunham - TRD Photography
Seven x1 - A Seven Deadly Sins Project - Model Lauren Dunham - TRD Photography
Seven x1 - A Seven Deadly Sins Project - Model Lauren Dunham - TRD Photography
Native American Portrait Series - Aspen Yahola - TRD Photography
Native American Portrait Series - Aspen Yahola - TRD Photography
Native American Portrait Series - Aspen Yahola
I met this amazing young lady at the Mt. Juliet Pow Wow this year. It's so inspiring when you see the younger generation taking pride in the heritage and culture.
Ricky - What nation do you belong to?
Aspen - Mvskoke (Muscogee) Creek Nation
Ricky - Growing up in this society, have you had any challenges because of your culture?
Aspen - Yes, especially at school.
Ricky - How long have you been dancing? What style of dance do you do?
Aspen - I have been dancing since I was 4 years old. The style of dance I do is the jingle dress dance.
Ricky - What's does dancing mean to you personally?
Aspen - Dancing is my happy place. I love to go out to Powwows and dance also because I can share my culture.
Native American Portrait Series - Aspen Yahola - TRD Photography
Ricky - What is it like growing up and trying to stay true to your culture and fit into your surroundings?
Aspen - Growing up hasn’t been the best for me especially in the society we live in today. I get picked on and made fun of daily and get bullied all the time. Yet, I make sure it doesn’t get to me because I want to stay true and stay with my culture and my family proud. I also want to be part of the generation that stands out and brings people together and let everyone know that us Native Americans are still here.
Ricky - How important is connecting to your culture to you?
Aspen - Very important. I want to show that I am who I am and be proud of it!
Ricky - What needs to happen in our country for better relations between First Nations people, and mainstream America?
Aspen - What needs to happen is for people not to be racist and for people to be nice to each other.
Ricky - What would you like to see in 10 years that has happened to better those relations?
Aspen - In 10 years I want to see the world a better place and for us as Native Americans to be safe again and not have people invade our reservations and for us all to have fun and for people not to bully and make fun of Natives as little kids and I want everyone to be the true them!
Native American Portrait Series - Aspen Yahola - TRD Photography
I want to give a special thank you to Cindy Yahola, Aspen's mom, for allowing her to be part of this series. I sent Aspen's questions to her through Cindy and she answered them. Cindy is the organizer for the Mt. Juliet Pow Wow which allowed me to come up and setup a spot to do the Native American Portrait Series this year. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity!
Shoot What YOU Love....Part 4 "So you wanna be a photographer"
Allie - Kodak Tri X - TRD Photography
Shoot what YOU Love...
I think I briefly mentioned this in an earlier post but as I debated on which subject to come next, after a conversation I had tonight, I knew this was the next subject. Look, if you take anything I talk about, I hope that you'll hear this, and shoot what you love.
Probably my most frequently asked question that I get is what's a good camera to start with, and typically, it's because someone wants to get a cheap dslr so that they can be a family photographer and either quit their job or make good side money. My advice, don't get into photography for the money. Get a camera and go out and shoot the things that you love. If you start by shooting the things that you love, you'll develop your eye, you'll create your style, and if it comes to it, people will reach out to you to hire you or you'll have developed your style to reach out and apply for jobs.
Photography for me started out as a hobby. I just took really random photos, typically it had to do with nature or sports. In 2009, I had written a small book and wanted photographs to go along with it, and so I literally stumbled into working with models. It was for a specific project and I had absolutely no idea it would take off. I love what I do, but modeling/boudoir photography has really become my main gig because it's where things took off for me.
For a lot of professional photographers, photography is a job and they stick to their style, and that's that. However for some of us it's also still a hobby of ours on the side and we like to experiment. For a commercial photographer, it's such a structured area that they may do modeling work on the side to be more creative. For me, I work with people so much I like to do outdoor photography on the side or do different styles of people work that is more in-line with what I like to look at, like b&w film photography.
I think it's imperative that when you take up photography, do it as a creative outlet and something to enjoy. Don't take it up just thinking about a quick buck. It's not. You may have just paid a few hundred dollars out to get your kids photos taken, and think that photography would be a great way to make some cash but you've got to look at not only our equipment costs, and overhead like studio/taxes/insurance/etc, but the time to actually learn to shoot and edit at that level, etc. It's an industry where things are constantly changing and you've gotta stay on top of all the new trends, and then you've got people popping up charging twenty-five bucks a shoot, and you'll never cover expenses that way.
Please don't take this post as trying to discourage you. Photography is a wonderful thing and quite honestly, ANYONE can do it. We can all pick up a camera and take a photo, and that scares some photographers with an influx of so many people doing it. If you look at Pinterest, there's a lot of really pretty photos, but if we're honest, tons of them look all the same and there's not really much distinguishing them from each other. So If you pick up a camera, and shoot the style/subjects that you love, you'll develop your style. You will give it your spin and it won't be those photos that look like a hundred others out there. They'll be yours.
So you want to be a photographer - Part 2 - The Basics
Oregon Coast - 2015 - TRD Photography
So you want to be a Photography...Part 2 - The Basics
Over the years I've had numerous people ask me about photography, and there are a lot of misconceptions floating around, or just weird ideas about it that I kinda want to tackle first. And just like I mentioned in my last post, these are my opinions. Not everyone has the same journey and there's not one right way to do this.
Get Rich Quick....
If you're looking to get into photography to get rich, or because you think it's easy money....don't. It's not. Let's face it, you've looked at our rates and you're like "damn! I could do that." So you run out and buy a camera, and decide you're a photographer....These days everyone out there that has a camera is trying to make that easy money. You buy a camera, get Lightroom, and buy a bunch of presets. And then comes actually getting people to book you and pay you for a session. That's a lot harder when there's tons of people out there with the same idea. Even photographers that have years of experience struggle at times. For a lot of us, photography is a secondary gig. It's not a field that many people ever get to the point of where they are "rich" off their photography alone. There are months you can be swamped in work, and months it's hard to even get a booking. You'll get inquiries about your rates, and people will be rude about what you charge, and you'll get hounded to shoot for free. It takes years of work and marketing, and cultivating relationships. If you're starting out and you want to really do photography, do it because you have a passion for it and see where it goes from there.
Do it for the Chicks....
I can't tell you how many dudes have messaged me over the years saying "you're so lucky to get to shoot hot chicks for money" or "can I come hang out at one of your shoots?" I don't even respond. If you're wanting to get into this to see hot girls....just do everyone a favor and don't. If that's your sole motivation, you're not going to get far. You'll just be one of those creepy dudes and sooner or later, it will become evident and people won't want to work with you. Plus you may ruin someone's life and what they are able to do later in life or you may even ruin your life. You put the wrong images out on the internet, and you or they regret it later, there's no taking them down.... So again, you pursue photography because you have a passion for it, and you have something to say...
Put Yourself in their Place...
One thing that I still see a lot of is photos getting released, that can be really embarrassing for the subject. I've done it. Sometimes I still accidentally do it. No one out there is completely 100% comfortable with their body. When you start photography, it takes practice to improve, especially if you don't have graphic design experience. Sometimes that photo that you think is super cool, sometimes is just not flattering for your subject. My personal policy, if someone asks, I'll take it down (and sometimes I really don't want to because some people are just way too hard on themselves) but for me, the most important thing is the person. There's no photo worth making someone feel really crappy about themselves.
Don't Give Up...
When you start off, chances are, you're going to suck. I sucked. I sucked really bad. I looked at photographs from locals and I thought to myself, "well, I'm at least that good." But there were dudes that I saw and I honestly thought to myself, I'd never ever be able to be on that type of level, so why try. When you begin, and you suck, you keep pushing, you keep learning, and you'll continue to grow. In my experience, growing came with practice. I went through stages where airbrushing made people look like plastic, but I didn't stop there. People may say some horrible things to you about your work. If it's your passion, don't listen and keep pushing.
Don't Listen to Haters or Buttkissers...
When I started, I got comments and feedback that was incredible. It made me feel like I was awesome! It made me feel like why work so hard when people already loved my work...Then someone I knew started shooting and their work was pretty rough. They got comments like "beautiful" and "I love this!" and the same people that commented, texted me saying "OMG, did you see how awful that is? They want to shoot me, how can I get out of it?" That opened my eyes. The people that blow smoke up your butt, you let it go. On the flip side, you'll have people say horrible things about your work AND about you. This is an industry that can eat you alive. You have to be your own worst critic.
Get a Camera....
If you legitimately want to be a photographer, get a camera. I've had several people approach me about apprenticeships and wanting me to look over the shoots they've done of people on their iPhone's. Our phone cameras are awesome, and incredibly helpful, but if you want to legitimately take up photography, by all means, get a camera. If you can't afford one yet, save up for it and in the meantime study photographs. Study the lighting in the images. Try to figure out what they did to achieve the styles you like.
That's it for now.... I hope that maybe some of it was helpful to you. It's some things that I wish I had known more about starting out. I hope that it helps you as well.
So you want to be a photographer....Part 1.
Self Portrait - Me - TRD Photography
So you want to be a photographer...Part 1.
Over the years, and more so recently, I've gotten asked a good bit in different ways about "how do I become a photographer?" Nowadays the word "photographer" carries with it a different definition based on who you are, and your view of what a photographer is. For some, owning a camera and taking pics, means "I'm a photographer." Others wouldn't dare classify themselves a photographer until they feel they are "worthy" of the title. This isn't a post to blast anyone or the definition. After all, we all start somewhere and frankly I seriously SUCKED when I started.
I debated a good bit on how to discuss this subject. I decided to break it into several parts and I'll start by talking about how I got started and a little of my background. One thing I want to stress is there are many amazing photographers out there. If you asked each about how to be a photographer or their background, you'd get a ton of different answers. There's not one right way to go about becoming a photographer or on how to be a great photographer. It's your journey...This just happens to be about my journey so far.
I never really picked up a camera until I was 19. I started dating my wife, and she was taking photos of flowers for one of her classes and it was pretty fun. Around 2006 or so, we got our first digital slr. I knew nothing besides shooting in automatic. I shot random crap with it everywhere. Animals, flowers, etc. Around that time period I got injured at work and had to spend some time at home recuperating. I didn't have much to do but sit around and I stumbled across a website for collecting autographs through the mail. I met Niki Ghazian, a model from LA, on Myspace and she liked some of my pics and encouraged me to shoot models. I thought it was crazy and that there wasn't any type of models in our area. After a few years I ran into some old friends who were modeling in the area.
One of the things that I personally think helped me in photography was doing the autograph collecting. Not that actual act of collecting autographs, but when I would look for photos online to get signed, the ones that attracted me to them weren't the basic headshots or just typical photos. I really liked the creative stuff, the ones that stuck out to me as unique. I really feel that's one of the things that helped to shape my eye and the way I try to approach my own work.
In June of 2009 I began shooting here in Chattanooga. That's where I started to feel like I was a photographer. It opened up a world to me that I honestly didn't really know existed. I started off working with models because I was trying to put together photos for a book of poetry that I had written. I honestly didn't think anything would ever become of photography. In starting off, I still knew absolutely nothing about my camera.
Starting off, I studied photos all the time. I wanted to see what was out there. I looked at people in my area and would compare my work. Don't do that. Find the people that do the type of work you like and inspire you. Don't worry about what other people in your area are doing. It's not a competition. Everyone sees things differently and if you're inputting the type of work that inspires you, you'll start creating the type of work that you enjoy and it will be your own.
After about a year of shooting or so, I finally started trying to learn my camera and photoshop. I knew absolutely nothing about either other than basic stuff. One of my biggest teachers was Popular Photography magazine articles, and then a greater teacher was Advanced Photographer magazine from the UK. The photography mags from the UK were by far the best out there. Learning to shoot manual using trial and error to figure out what my cameras could do was imperative. You can't really do what you need to do when shooting in auto. You want full control of your gear and you need that knowledge to troubleshoot in difficult environments.
I do want to state that I'm self-taught. Early on I asked a few local photographers some questions and actually got some advice, that if followed, I'd have been out of photography before I really started. So you gotta be careful out there. I learned from magazines, You-Tube tutorials, and a lot of trial and error.
In late 2011, I got some breaks and started working with some amazing tattoo models and some bigger tattoo sites saw our work and started sharing us all over. That's when I got most of my publication credits was in 2011 and 2012. The tattoo scene was bursting and looking for content. In late 2012, Facebook's algorithms started to change and our reach started to diminish pretty drastically.
If you wanna be a photographer nowadays, you gotta stay up on social media. Truthfully, I don't do a good enough job of it. It's easy to get overwhelmed but it's the difference in jobs, and just scraping by.
In Mid-2015, I started to work with film for the first time since I actually learned how to use a camera and it's been amazing. I enjoy doing the colorful, digital work but b&w film is my love. I've always been drawn to gritty b&w photos but with a digital camera I just couldn't really capture the look I liked. B&W film killed it.
Shooting both b&w film and then the other side of my work being colorful, digital has been a seriously tricky road to navigate for me. The style that personally took off for me in digital work has a higher editing style to it and for my film it's more natural. Those are two audiences that don't necessarily always mesh in what they like to see.
Presently I'm still shooting. I still shoot a wide variety of work, models/families/bands/landscapes and I'm trying to do more pet photography. Photography is not a job to get into just for money. Some people see our rates and get the wrong idea that we're rolling in cash. For the most part it's not the case. There are months that it's busy and amazing, and then there are months you might not get a booking. We have overhead of studios, equipment, etc. But I digress, I'll talk more about that in an upcoming part.
I just wanted to share a little bit about my work and how I got started. I tried to keep it shorter (didn't go into stories and such) if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments or message me and I'll try my best to reply.
Ricky
Raw - No Photoshop/No Makeup Shoot - Holly
No Photoshop/No Makeup Shoot - Holly - Ricky Davis
RAW Shoot with Holly
I first met Holly and her boyfriend Jeff last fall for my Native Portrait Series. They both have become two of my best friends. Recently Holly and I got together to do a raw, no photoshop/no makeup shoot. These are some of my personal favorite shoots to do. To this point most of my raw shoots I've done digitally, or a combo of digital and film. With Holly's I shot both, but these photos are all from the film portion of the shoot AND this is the first RAW set that I've shot outside of the confines of the studio as well. The ultimate goal with these shoots is I want to give people a glimpse from another perspective. So many times we've become caught up in a certain look, or with an ideal of who we are or what we have to look like. There's nothing wrong with makeup, but I think it's important to not allow your identity to become shaped by what products or style that's in at a given moment. Beauty is in who you are.... Below is more photos from the set as well as what Holly had to say about her shoot. Photos are Kodak Tri X 35mm film pushed to 800.
RAW - Holly - Ricky Davis
"I had to talk myself into doing a raw photo shoot. The concept is foreign to me, as I rarely leave the house without makeup. On my way to the shoot, my most intrusive thought was about how these pictures were going to be something I would cringe at when it was all said and done and that what little confidence I had would be crushed. Ricky got started and I was telling him all of these fears while he was working. He started laughing and turned the camera around and I felt silly for having doubted his eye for art. I feel more powerful for having done this, as it's another fear confronted and conquered. " Holly
RAW - Holly - Ricky Davis
RAW - Holly - Ricky Davis
RAW - Holly - Ricky Davis
Beauty Redefined Series - What is it?!?!? - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - What is it?!?!?!
I'm giving you a break from photos for a post. As you might have noticed, the past several days my posts have centered around what I call the beauty redefined series. Last summer I started shooting for a series of photos that I wanted to do a couple of things with. 1. I wanted to share peoples stories about different elements of their life and 2. In light of those stories, I wanted to construct a broader view of how we look at our fellow people. From the first part of the series, listening to people share their stories and struggles, I learned so much.
A lot of the series that really interest me revolve around the concept of beauty. I think it's an interesting concept for a few reasons. Honestly I think beauty is one of the words that we all know what "it" is, but the definition differs from person to person. It's ingrained in our heads, in our cultures. It's this ideal that we strive for but never quite achieve and in my mind it's because it doesn't exist. There can be no clear cut definition of what beauty is. It differs from person to person. Freedom is another similar kind of word. We all have a different take of what freedom is. We're told that we live in the land of the free, but how far does that freedom actually go? Beauty is something that's preached, but what does it actually entail?
A lot of times we're taught that beauty and ugliness go hand in hand, and it's true, you can't have one without the other. However we're taught to look at outward appearances and judge them. I think ugliness isn't anything appearance based. It's in our actions, in our emotions. Hate & brutality, greed, these are things that define ugliness to me personally and I feel that beauty is in our imperfections. It's in our differences. It's what makes us, us.
The Series for me is something that is a continually evolving project. I'm learning from each person that I've gotten to work with. My goal is to share the stories and the differences, and each of us has a story. My goal is to tell those stories, touch on issues of our time, and my goal is to photograph the individuals in a way that it's not about the identity of who one is, because these stories could belong to your neighbor, your brother, your sister, your co-worker, the person you pass at the grocery store, the guy you nod to that's coming out of the bathroom.... These stories could be any of us. And that's the point.
I'm about to start shooting round 2 of the series. If you'd like to be considered I'll be organizing an upcoming date to shoot round 2. It's all shot in studio on 35mm film. To be considered you must email me your story and why you'd like to be part of the project. We will take several photos but only one is used for the series. If your story is sensitive, you are more than welcome to use the handle of anonymous when we share your story. I realize that some are more of a private nature. We hope you'll share your story with us. If we don't receive your story, we won't be able to set anything up for this series. No photoshoot experience required. Male and Female welcome. Signed release required at shoot.
Beauty Redefined Series - Zack - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - Zack - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - Zack -
" My fitness journey started 5 years ago while noticing all of my family members getting diagnosed with some sort of illness. Whether it be obesity or diabetes, almost every family member had one or another, if not both. I know some things can occur without our prevention, but I also knew that poor eating habits, lack of exercise, & lousy excuses didn't contribute to a healthy lifestyle. I remember one morning it just hit me that I wasn't going to be another family member that didn't care about ones health.
So I went full force. I didn't have much money at the time so I remember eating plain chicken & broccoli (5 meals a day). My daily schedule was waking up at 4am every morning to do fasted cardio, work 6am-6pm, have night classes to finish my degree from 6:30pm-9pm, then after all of that, get another workout in with the weights. We're talking 18 hour days.
These decisions didn't just develop a healthy lifestyle, it completely opened the doors to new opportunities for me. It made me mentally & physically stronger than I could have ever imagined. I knew if I could commit to bettering myself starting with healthy decisions, then I could take that commitment & determination onto whatever I chose to do in life. "
Zack
Beauty Redefined Series - Alicia - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - Alicia - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - Alicia -
"I grew up with the ideals of being skinny is good, fat is bad. You had to be skinny to get ahead in life. You had to look like the girls that flaunted their stuff on the catwalk and wear expensive, beautiful garments: virtually "perfect". All the time growing up, it was constant in my mind because of the persistent sight of these women in fashion. Girls at school would be made fun of if they were fat. Of course, wanting to fit into the "perfect" society I had those thoughts of "I must be fat" when my body was perfectly fine. Now a days; I am getting skinny shamed. "Girl eat something!" "What are you a size 0, you look like you don't have an inch of fat on you!" Being "skinny" is now becoming bad too. Women are living in a double standard world of you can't be too fat or too skinny otherwise you will be criticized for that. For that I have come to not like the word skinny for that reason.
In a world that is constantly chasing perfection, I feel so imperfect to those standards that it hurts:I just didn't feel beautiful when I chased it myself. When I know that I am not what they want me to be. I know that I personally have seen that I am not like everyone else. I am my own person, which people don't get to see because they are so misguided by their want to be like what society has imprinted on our minds. I feel like we weren't taught to be individuals, Instead we were taught to try and fit a mold of society.
Outside of society's beauty, I have come to love a different part. My uniqueness of my own face and skin which is scarred from the psoriasis and acne that have plagued me through my life. I have a healthy body that holds cellulite and muscle. Which looks to be "skinny". I can say that I feel beautiful in my own skin because I see the beauty of my unique body."
Alicia
Beauty Redefined Series - Kendra Sumpter - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - Kendra Sumpter - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - Kendra Sumpter
"I've always been different. I see tattoos as art. Surprisingly, I get more older people that love my tattoos and tell me how beautiful I am with them. My tattoos make me feel like who I'm supposed to be. Different. Set apart from everyone else." Kendra
Native American Portrait Series - Holly & Jeff
Native American Portrait Series - Holly & Jeff - TRD Photography - Film
Native American Portrait Series - Holly & Jeff
It's been longer than I would have liked in this series. I met up with Holly & Jeff to do a portrait session and interview to share their stories. I want to thank Lorie Reedy for putting Holly and I in touch for this project. I'm blessed to have gotten to meet them and become friends with them. I hope that you enjoy their story and it gives a further understanding into the stories, hardships, and culture of our indigenous people here in the states. Not much is cut and dry and each person has a story.
Holly Lynn - Native American Portrait Series - TRD Photography
Me - Holly, you have an interesting story. Up until a couple years ago, you knew very little about your heritage. Would you care to share a little about what led up to your discovery a couple years ago?
Holly - Sure, yeah! My mom told me all the time when I was little that we were native, but that our nation had almost completely died out and that we were some of the last of the tribe. I grew up surrounded by Native art and certain customs that my mom picked up from her grandma. That was all I had to work with.
A couple of years ago, Jeff took me to the Chattanooga powwow because I'd never been. And I saw the arena director(who turned out to be Lorie's husband, Jimmy!) had on a medallion with the seal of my nation on it! So I caught him and talked to him, told him my story. He probably thought I was nuts, considering that we're the fourth largest tribe in the US. I started researching, learning everything I could about my own family. I come from two chiefs, a judge, and several councilmen. And I had no idea until a couple of years ago. I'm still learning, I'm working on the language, customs, etiquette.. There's a lot to work through.
Me - That's really an amazing story and just a huge blessing that you ran into someone at the powwow that was able to give you that place to jump into and discover more about your tribe and into your families heritage as well. Being raised the way you were, with thinking that most of your tribe had died out and having some customs and art in your house growing up, but in our conversation you told me you were raised more "white" right? Yet you're learning as much as you can now, what has that been like?
Holly - I was definitely very lucky, especially to have met someone so welcoming.
When I was growing up, my father was a tyrant. He is extremely racist, he mocks other races and culture mercilessly. I think growing up seeing his antics made me very conscious of what I'd been deprived of, which was basically my entire identity and knowing about my nation. I was definitely raised white and I resent it deeply.
Learning everything later in life sucks. It's hard. It's so easy to misstep and offend someone just by being ignorant of some obscure rule. You get laughed at, you aren't seen as native, you're basically an outcast to most of the tribe. But I think there's an upside in that you can't take who you are for granted. There's too much time and effort and heart put into discovering who you are and what the community means to you. People raised right don't have this bizarre and meaningful journey they had to take to find their folks. I'm glad I have that.
Me - The journey definitely has it's own merits and really brings about a different admiration and respect of the things you learn. Being raised "white" but learning our cultures later in life, we've seen things the other way and I think we appreciate what we're learning and makes us treasure it more.
You and I talked a little bit about this at our shoot. I shared how I've been super nervous about talking about my heritage because I don't know specific details because of the things in the census and how I've not wanted to be seen as "that white guy", with you really connecting with your people later in life, how did you go about connecting with them in a respectful way. I know meeting Jimmy at the powwow, but I'm sure you were just wanting to learn and digest all that you could as fast as you could. I know that you have to slow down and not get in a hurry as well because you want to show that your truly care and are respectful. How did you balance that?
Holly - One of the big things I've learned and am still learning is that sometimes you have to just wait to be taught. I may have a million questions but there are only certain ones that are appropriate and there are only certain people I'm able to ask. Ricky, I can't tell you just how blessed I am that my mentor is also one of my closest friends. That makes a huge difference. She knows my heart, my motives, and how obnoxiously curious I am about EVERYTHING. Getting to know her before I started asking the sensitive questions was a big reason I'm where I'm at in my learning. You've got to have a teacher that understands how precious you consider the traditions and language and religion to be.
Having said that, I have definitely asked the wrong person the wrong thing at the wrong time and been just absolutely humiliated. It's just one of those things that happens and will continue to happen for probably the rest of my life. Haha.
Me - I definitely think patience is the key. Similar to you, someone I consider to be my mentor has become probably my closest friend. Learning that time and patience is key is something he's being working to teach me. Anything worth something takes time to achieve. What is something that you have learned so far that has surprised you?
Holly - My biggest surprise was how alive our culture and religion still is. We have our superstitions and myths that are still told to children in the Mvskoke language, we have our traditional clothes. Our religion is thriving, I've still got a long way to go there. Having come from knowing nothing to where I am now, the biggest shock to me was the superstition surrounding owls. They're shape shifters, bad omens.. I love owls and it made me sad to learn this.
Me - Wow, That must be tough for one of your favorite animals to end up being a bad omen. I've learned a few things in regards to my culture that have been a surprise as well. That is wonderful that you're learning and being open to a different belief system, religion wise. A lot of people are raised that THIS is the only way to believe, that when you get shown a different way, it's hard to be open to a new way of believing, a new way of looking at things. Were you raised with a different set of beliefs? If so, how have you worked with learning the Mvskoke religion with what you were raised?
Holly - My father was a tyrant, he forced us to go to a Pentecostal church of god when I was little. I can remember being terrified of the pastor because he was always shouting, people passed out and spoke in tongues.. I had a constant fear of going to hell. It was miserable. The Mvskoke religion is still very new to me, I love going to stomp dances and I feel powerful and humbled all at one time when I'm with my people.
I just shed Christianity last year. It wasn't a gradual thing, either, it was like I woke up one morning and just did not believe in Christianity.
Me - Man, I can really relate to what you're saying. I was raised in a Christian church, and a very strict family. It wasn't like a tyrant type thing for me. Church wasn't something I was terrified of, for me personally I just saw a lot of hypocritical things. I spent a lot of my time in the woods and I was just always at peace with God until I quit spending so much time in the woods. When church became my only connection to God, i struggled tremendously. I would either be extremely religious or a screw it all mentality. I never could connect until this past fall after I met Wes and he recommended Russell Mean's book and it reminded me of a lot of the beliefs I had on my own as a kid
Holly Lynn - Native American Portrait Series - TRD Photography
Jeff Johnson - Native American Portrait Series - TRD Photography
Me - Jeff, in talking I was really impacted by your story. You are part of the Iroquois Nation. What tribe do you belong to again?
Jeff- I am Onondaga, we are the "Keepers of the Fire" for the Iroquois confederacy. The Onondaga nation is located in central New York State.
A little background on the Iroquois and the Onondaga. The Iroquois (we traditionally call ourselves Haudenosaunee) is a confederacy because it is composed of 6 (originally 5) separate tribes: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca nations, later the Tuscarora. The Onondaga are called the Keepers of the Flame because we are the center, both geographically and traditionally the seat of government.
Me - You were raised on the reservation when you were young, how old were you when you left? Why did your family leave the reservation?
Jeff - I was 5 when my family moved off the reservation. The reason was a personal choice that my mom and dad made for the family. We moved to the town that butted up against the reservation, Akron, NY, and lived there till we moved here to TN when I was 13. What do you remember most about growing up on the reservation? We visited my grandmother and other relatives regularly and it was always fun to visit. From my early years living there, my most vivid memory is living in a trailer with no running water, so we got water from a communal well and had to use the outhouse in all kinds of weather. When the weather was too extreme, we had a 5 gallon bucket that we could use haha.
Me - How did leaving the nation, in part to spirituality, impact you growing up? I know you mentioned that you and your siblings took longer to convert to Christianity, why do you think that was?
Jeff - When I was born, my mom was practicing our native religion centered around the Longhouse. My dad is white and from a very large family. One of my dad’s brother-in-laws, uncle Randy, was a trucker and preacher and spent my early years trying to convert the family to Christianity. When I was 7, I believe, my parents converted and we started attending a small Baptist church in Akron and a few years later I “became saved”. I was raised in a Christian home and never really revisited the Onondaga religion. I have very few memories of the Longhouse and the ceremonies that I went to as a very young child. Your story has been pretty unique from the people I've talked to so far.
Me - How do you process having lived two different cultures, and what are your goals going forward? What do you envision your calling to be among the people?
Jeff - As I mentioned earlier, I was born into the native culture and raised a Christian. I always knew I was native but didn’t try to reconnect with the culture because Christianity isn’t really compatible with my culture. So many Onondaga traditions have religious connections and I struggled to keep Christianity prominent. Recently my grandmother and great aunt died during a personal spiritual re-evaluation and I felt the native disconnect strongly with their passing. They were the matriarchs of my native family and their passing left a void in me. So now I rely on my mom to help where she can. I have also been going to Powwows and connecting with that culture. I really would like to start learning our language. My grandmother spoke it and now that she is passed, I want to carry some of her legacy on thru the language. The language is taught in schools on the reservations but being here in the south and having no speakers to talk with and learn from, it will be a challenge.
Me - How difficult has it been to reconnect with your people and culture?
Jeff - My mom is living in Chicago and most of my native family is still in NY and none are here in TN so I am a bit on my own down here. Ceremonies are performed on the reservation in NY where the longhouse is located. It has been difficult to say the least. Whenever mom visits, I try to pick her brain. She is on her own journey to reconnect and has been a major influence in my journey.
Me - That's powerful man! I find it encouraging that you're working towards re-connecting as you can and seeing that your mom is as well. I recently talked to another mother who faced a lot of racism and worked to hide her heritage and she's working to re-connect in large part because of her son. It's inspiring. There has been a firestorm of news on the Native front, with the DAPL and Standing Rock. We've seen horrific acts of brutality and racism, that I personally didn't realize we were still capable of. When we talked, you mentioned that you had experiences in NY off the reservation. What were some of your experiences?
Jeff - The south has a very different view of natives than where I grew up. Off the rez, natives could be treated like any other minority, with distrust and sometimes outright malice. Being half white and half native, I never really fit into either world. My relatives accepted me as I am, but the rest of the world only saw me as part of the half they were not. I had a hard time making friends kept my circle small. Even around here, many people love to claim native heritage but don’t have any idea what it means to live native, the good and the difficult parts.
Me - With the DAPL, what are your thoughts on the fight both their in North Dakota at Standing Rock, as well as the new fights sprouting up around the country at various other pipelines where companies are violating reservation lands, and just the Earth in general?
Jeff - It’s amazing to see such a huge gathering of nations coming together in a show of solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux. It has now spread to other areas like the Sabal Trail pipeline in Florida and other places. I think that it has opened a dialog of tribal rights, sovereignty, and empowerment across all tribes and native people. It may very well prove to be a turning point for those of us that the United States has tried so hard to forget about. The horrific treatment of the people that were already here when the Europeans arrived, the genocidal policies that the government put into place and the continued malicious indifference of the United States government are things that have been swept under the rug for far too long. My hope is that the nations are able to find the voice that lets the world know that we will not be forgotten nor ignored when it comes to treaties and ancestral/ceremonial lands long broken and forgotten by the U.S. I’d like to think that protecting the only earth that we have to live on is a duty of all humanity but we know that the almighty dollar continues to set policies and that must be changed. It’s 2017 and we still have policy makers who deny the science of global warming.
Jeff Johnson - Native American Portrait Series - TRD Photography
Me - I've been really inspired seeing you and Holly's posts and taking part in events in our area in an effort to raise awareness and make a difference in our area to protect the earth. For people just now seeing things for the first time, having their eyes opened to our government's policies towards the indigenous people of this country, what can they do to make a difference?
Jeff - I think one of the best ways to make a difference, is to learn all you can about your culture. Be ready to counter the misinformation, ignorance and outright lies that people will bring up when they find out you're native. Get involved with the native community where you can. Connect with others and you'll probably find someone who has gone thru or is going thru the struggles you face.
Holly - The people just now coming in on this battle should probably do some extensive research on what has happened so far and what is going on today. They are drilling illegally and continue to push against the environmental studies being done at Standing Rock. For everyone that can't up and head for the frontlines, donate to one of the several gofundme accounts set up by and on behalf of the camps and the people battling legal issues. I imagine that the priority right now would be the legal fund, but I may be wrong. And I've read and heard that they beg people not to send any more clothes, that they are inundated with clothes at Standing Rock.
If you want to make a difference in your local community, attend native-run events and find ways to interact respectfully. Don't try to act or dress "native", just be yourself and go talk to folks. There is always something to be learned from good conversation.
Me - We found out last night that President Obama will not grant Leonard Peltier a Presidential pardon. What are your thoughts on that? President Obama has had a lot of policies and promises made to our native people, including those at Standing Rock. What kind of job do you think he ultimately did towards the indigenous people?
Holly - I have really mixed feelings towards Obama. I think he did wonderful things, I love the ACA and the possibilities beyond it. But he made promises to support native folks in their battles against corporate greed that he just completely disregarded until veterans showed up at Standing Rock. That really got my goat, we needed his help and he failed TERRIFICALLY.
As far as Mr. Peltier.. I'm going to be candid and say that I see his case as a lost cause. That would mean a huge admission of wrongdoing by the United States that they aren't going to give. They offer no explanation and no apology for what they've done to him. It's a violation of his rights, both as a citizen of the US and as a human being.
Jeff - I agree with Holly, I too have mixed feelings about Obama. He could have been such a huge advocate for natives, especially after the promises made at Standing Rock. But in the end it was just lip service. He made great strides to bring equality and worked at leveling the playing field, but really dropped the ball in the 4th quarter for natives.
Mr. Peltier will need a miracle to reverse the gross injustice done to him. He has everyone from Popes, Nelson Mandela, and international human rights organizations on his side and it has not swayed the US. I think that Obama was his best chance and that too has been denied.
Me - I appreciate you guys so much for doing this. It's been such a pleasure getting to know you guys and hopefully people will read your words and maybe see some things differently.
Holly & Jeff - Native American Portrait Series - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - Jolee - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - Jolee - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - Jolee - TRD Photography
"I have always had a solid definition of beauty: everyone is beautiful. It's simple, and it gave me an outlook on life, that enabled me to see every person, with the same eyes: To not judge someone by their skin color, their clothing choices; or by their scars. There is beauty everywhere.
It wasn't until recently that I realized, I was not applying this logic to myself.
If I could see the beauty in every one and every thing around me, why would I not allow myself to see it in me?
I began to listen to those who love me, for who I am. Through this; I learned to love my self, and my body. Every scar, every dimple, every imperfection. I have learned to see my own beauty."
Jolee
Native American Portraits - The Series - Interview with Wes Collins
Native American Portraits - The Series - Wes Collins - Photographer - Ricky Davis
Native American Portraits - The Series
Intro
This is the first post in a brand new series that I'm working on. Before I share with you my interview with Wes, I wanted to share a little about the inspiration behind this series. Native American history has been an extremely important part of my life since I was a little kid. Before I even started reading, the books I picked out at the library to be read to me were American Indian history. When I first started learning to read, that's all I checked out. Fast forward to 2009 and my opportunity to do photography. Ever since I began photographing, I always knew at some point I wanted to be able to photograph Native Americans, much like Edward Curtis. I had no idea how I would be able to achieve it, but I wanted to photograph and share their stories. Much about what we have been "taught" to believe about Indians has been pop culture like old John Wayne movies, or just out and out lies and myths to discredit their culture. To me personally, my mission is to share with you some amazing people, and share their stories and thoughts of what makes them who they are and hopefully show you that we are all human beings. It's time to come together.
Ricky
Native American Portraits - The Series - Wes Collins - Photographer - Ricky Davis
Interview with Wes Collins
I met Wes because I recently attended a Pow Wow at Red Clay State Park. I went to the Pow Wow because I had missed it the last few years and I knew I wanted to get back. Since I attended my first Pow Wow back around 2005/2006, they have always been a really special thing to me when I've gotten to go. When I first started taking photos, I took some at a Pow Wow and honestly, they sucked. It was being laid heavy on my heart that I needed to reach out about my desire to do a portrait series, that it was time. I went to the Pow Wow and took some photos on film of the dancers in the Circle. Outside of the Circle, I had hoped to talk to some people about maybe letting me take a portrait, but everyone was always talking to someone and I didn't want to interrupt. After I shared some of the photos from the Circle, I was honored to hear from some of the dancers that I had photographed. I've been honored to get to know Wes a little bit, and I hope you enjoy his interview and that it opens some eyes.
Native American Portraits - The Series - Wes Collins - Photographer - Ricky Davis
Ricky - What kind of experiences did you have growing up in the South as a Native American?
Wes - I was raised in the rural area of the county with my grandparents, we didn’t have much and a lot of what we had was grown or made by my grandparents. My grandfather always made sure I knew how to hunt and live off the land as much as possible. He didn’t boast his native heritage and wouldn’t mention much about it, I only knew it as country living. While other kids in my school were going on vacations and spending summers in other states or areas, I spent my summers in the woods hunting. As I got older I really started noticing a difference. The other kids would tell the teacher what they had eaten for breakfast and when I mentioned that I had eaten squirrel dumplings that morning, I was taunted and made fun of. I remember one day I wore a bird skull necklace to school that I had made over the weekend. I had found the skull while hunting in the woods. I took it home where I bleached and cleaned it and I felt I was honoring the bird by wearing it. I was very proud to display it around my neck but still kept it under my shirt as not to upset some of the kids. When my teacher saw it, she got very upset and tried to claim that I was practicing witchcraft, I was very upset and embarrassed to say the least. She tried to have me suspended so my mother had to come up and talk to them. Where I was raised our families homes were all in one area, so at an early age I would go through the woods, with hunting rifle in hand, visiting all my relatives. This is how I spent my days. People would talk and act like I wasn’t being taken care of but it is basically like the adage “it takes a village to raise a child” all of my family took care of us. I may have been poor, but I never felt that way. Money had no value to us. Being close to nature and close to the Creator was of the utmost importance. I was not raised to be well educated, most families put an emphasis on school and I was raised differently. We were raised to stay close to nature and be more spiritual in life. We are an oral society so reading and writing isn’t our priority. My wife, Lisa, is even helping me to get across and interpret what I want to say. I do however encourage my children to continue their education but also try to develop their spiritual side so that my spirit will carry on through them, even though they are multi-cultural.
Ricky - What have been some of the misconceptions of Native Americans that you have experienced?
Wes - There are many misconceptions about Native Americans. Some people believe that we live off the government or receive benefits or special privileges . Some believe we are alcoholics or are lazy. Some believe that we are less than or inferior to other races. I believe in part because of us staying close to nature and not trying to be more educated or caring about money as others do. But this is not always the case either, we are all humans and we all are different in how we choose to live. We celebrate our culture but are not limited by it. Some of us choose to study and stay close to our heritage. Others choose to explore beyond that and branch out in different areas. I believe that we are very misunderstood in our beliefs and our spirituality just like any other culture.
Ricky - What are some of the difficulties of being Native in America?
Wes - Seeing people hurt because of misconceptions of our culture or belief system. Experiencing racism and hatred. Being passed over for promotions or discriminated against because you are considered less than.
Ricky - What are your thoughts on the DAPL?
Wes - Water is life and this is very important. I have actually started writing a poem about this.
I stand to fight with my war cry
My people have fought way too long to just survive
You try to wipe us from the face of the Earth
You people tell us the Crawling Darkness will tell us no lies
But it brings about only death and destruction
in its path It corrupts even our own
Take a look around Our Mother Earth is dying
Her blood is on our hands if we do not stand
The Hawk sent a vision to me
Showing me the Crawling Darkness beneath it
Starving hope from us
To the others lost in the wonders
Erasing us from their heads
Do you even know us
We are free but will we be free from you
Will you see me now
When the Crawling Darkness comes for your land
It will swallow you up and spit you out
The government with forked tongues
They ride their greed and lies
They have children with no minds
Spitting poison into our eyes
The cowards carry lightning in their hands
They thrust it into our souls but we still fight
To the end we still fight
Ricky - In your thoughts, what are some things that need to be done in our country to respect our earth more?
Wes - We need to rid our hearts of greed. There needs to be stricter sanctions on corporations that don’t take the proper steps to take care of our planet. We ourselves need to be ambassadors to the earth, and clean up our lakes and rivers. We need to stop acting like self-involved children and clean up after ourselves, appreciate nature and participate in more outdoor activities. When you enjoy nature you develop a love for it and want to do everything you can to take care of it.
Native American Portraits - The Series - Wes Collins - Photographer - Ricky Davis
Ricky - What's one truth about who Natives are that you'd like people to know?
Wes - Most are very spiritual and close to the creator and nature. They are kind hearted and always willing to help others.
Ricky - You dance at Pow Wows, and you and I have discussed this a little, can you describe what dancing at a Pow Wow means to you personally?
Wes - It is my way to connect with the creator. To feel the spirit within the circle as all of my brothers and sisters come together making us one heartbeat, this is how we connect. I dance differently at different pow wows, it all depends on how I am being led by the spirit. When I dance I go to a whole different level of being, like I am having an out of body experience. It is a very powerful experience.
Ricky - What's one thing you'd like people that go to Pow Wow's to know about them?
Wes - That it is a gathering for fellowship. When we have the intertribal dances that the spectators should participate so that they might experience the spirit as we do and feel the connection. Most feel embarrassed and are worried how they look in the circle but they need to move past that and open their minds so that they will be able to feel the spirit move through them.
Ricky - What's been your most rewarding experience at a Pow Wow?
Wes - Seeing others moved by the way I dance in the circle. Many have told me that they can feel my spirit and they have even had tears in their eyes from the way I dance, and that they had felt something that they had never felt before.
Ricky - One thing I personally have been curious about. At Pow Wow's, military veterans are honored in the entrance ceremony and many Natives have served our country. Where does that patriotism come from to a country that has done so much to Native's in history and even still today?
Wes - We celebrate the Veterans because they have sacrificed as many of our ancestors have, to fight for a country that we believe one day might be worthy of their service. Whether or not they believe in what the government stands for, this is their home and regardless of those in power the land belongs to the people.
Ricky - Are there any final thoughts that you'd like to leave our readers with?
Wes - We should all take a look at ourselves. We are all human beings and we need to take care of mother earth not only for ourselves but also for our children and our grandchildren. We need to think with our own minds instead of being led like sheep, always questioning authority and demanding to know why things are being done. Stand up for what you believe to be right, even if it goes against the popular decision.
The next excerpt is about me and is written as I like to do with a secret message within a message.
Now you have read me, but do you know me now.
Do I look broken to you or can you show me how to mend the pieces?
I look into the mirror and do I see a savage?
Do I see a beast or a monster inside of me?
All I want is to be set free.
Why am I nothing to you?
Why can you not see my pain?
When I walk amongst the stars will I not see you on the other side?
I am trying to save you and all you can do is deny,
while the crawling darkness lays dormant within.
Can we heal you from the inside or will you become a mindless slave of soulless bondage?
Life begins and ends with the hunter.
The lives he takes; he takes one by one.
The hunter then stands and gives thanks for the spirit he has taken.
Wanting the soul to be remembered for all eternity. The hunter feeds all.
Hoka Hey
Wes
Native American Portraits - The Series - Wes Collins - Photographer - Ricky Davis
Beauty Redefined Series Post #5 - Photographer Ricky Davis
Beauty Redefined Series - Post #5 - Andrew - Photographer Ricky Davis
Beauty Redefined Series - Post #5
"I am transgender, my scars still tell people that. No one knows that when they see me or meet me, some even after talking to me still have no idea that I was born female. I'm like every other man on a three dollar bill, a masculine queer mess. I'm twenty five years old, I have been transitioning for six years, been on hormones for five years and had top surgery the summer of 2014. I was part of the last generation of Trans individuals who had to adhere to guidelines on our transition, instead of just informed consent for treatment.
I was my high school prom queen, I had good grades, great friends and amazing family. Two weeks after graduation I left though, moved to Orlando Florida and shaved my head bald. I started binding my chest in all the wrong ways, I was constantly making myself sick from the compression on my chest. I attempted suicide in 2010, wrecking my car and making a decision to come out to myself and my family. Fast forward a few years and I had started transitioning, dropped out of school in Orlando, left my boyfriend and moved back home. I worked constantly and saved up about half of the money for my surgery. I was declined insurance coverage for my "cosmetic" surgery after paying out two hundred and fifty bucks a month on insurance I was told, "covered that process". I paid out of pocket for everything, and quit that job. Now I sit pretty on my throne with my fiancé, two dogs, two cats, and my tarantula.
My goal is to be a man that uses his privilege for something more then false security, I want my privilege to help break inequality. My best belief that I practice is, never stop falling in love with strangers, otherwise you will never learn anything new." Andrew
Stay tuned next week for the next in the Beauty Redefined Series.