Senior Portrait: Nate

Back in May I was up in Wisconsin participating in a huge fashion shoot, and I had some spare time to run to Waukesha to photograph my Cousin Nate.  It was really nice to get the chance to see him and his family, and he was so much fun to shoot. 

The main problem with our shoot was that he looked too much 

like a male model, which was just weird! 

But in the end, he was the same funny cousin that I remember him to be. 

Thanks for letting me take your senior portraits Nate, good luck in your senior year!

A look back at Zombies

If there was anything that practically everyone knew about me in my days of undergrad at Carroll University, it would be these two things: I was a photographer, and I loved zombies.  People who didn't actually know my name, still knew me as the "zombie loving photography chick."  

How did this get started? It actually began when I started having zombie apocalypse nightmares weekly when I was 16.   And when my parents found out I chose Carroll as my university, they nonchalantly decided that they just HAD to share this movie with me. 

Dawn of The Dead 2004 (The Beginning)

(Start at 8:00) 

Intro one of my first graphic design projects, a candy box!  And what would it be other than Zombie Bites, Deliciously Tasty Gummy Brains?  Manufactured in B-EATINU Candy Company, the ingredient list includes zombie saliva and brain stem.  Each box comes with a capsule that allows you to"Grow you own life size zombie!" Complete with "amazing snapping jaw action."

The QR code says "My Teacher is awesome, please give me an A." 

November, 2010

(Recognize this image?  I had never seen The Walking Dead at this point!)

A few years later, I started my 52 week project, the goal of which was to create a portfolio worthy photograph once a week for a year.  I was inspired by the Resident Evil (even though I had never seen them), and the idea of telling a full story through a series of images.  I thought a comic book would be a cool way of sharing this story.  

January 8 2012

And 52 Weeks later, I decided the best way to end the series was how it started-only better.

January 12, 2013

(Finally started the Walking Dead!)

And if your taking any notes, you'll notice that things keep getting bigger...

April 27, 2013

And more elaborate...

July 20, 2013

 Until finally....

March 12, 2014
(Watched Resident Evil)

My biggest zombie shoot ever!

My big final for my Graphic Design major was to create a board game.  And of course what could I do but zombies?

Two makeup artists, 12 zombies, 7 survivors, and a number

of confused campus staff later, we had an awesome shoot!

A few days prior to this shoot, I went to the campus safety office to let them know that I would be photographing a group of zombies and people with baseballs bats and such around campus.  They said that all that was fine.  I asked if they wanted to know my name, and they replied with: "Oh.  We know who you are."

I wanted to create a game that was more open ended than most zombie games.  Half of the apocalypse is surviving what is left of humanity!  I wanted to create a game where humans could be just as dangerous as the zombies.  

I created several characters for the players to choose from, each with their own back story that talks about their hopes and dreams.  My hope was that if I created relatable, realistic characters, people would be more invested in their survival.

A player can play as a survivor, or as the zombie master.  I didn't want the zombies to be left to chance-I wanted them to be a force to be reckoned with. 

Player card

Zombie card

The game board was created with a combination of The Sims, and Photoshop.

The game was a huge success, everyone loved it! Definitely one of my proudest moments to get in front of the class and present this to everyone.  (Between you and me, someone else had been planning on doing a zombie game, but when they heard I was doing one, they changed their mind!)

Every one was great to work with and I have to admit

 it is one of my favorite photography projects ever!

One of my more interesting self portraits was done as I re-watched
one of my favorite shows-The Walking Dead.

June 25, 2014

I felt that this moment with Amy was terrifyingly beautiful, and so I wanted to re-create it. 

And finally, we come to today.  I T.A.ed a lighting course, and they had the assignment to recreate a movie poster as exactly as possible-like I could resist that assignment!

October 30, 2014

Over all though, my zombie days are slowing down.  I very rarely have zombie nightmares anymore, and I'm sort of growing tired of the Walking Dead.  I think I will have to find a new source of inspiration.  Don't get me wrong, I still have a few zombie ideas up my sleeve, but over all, I think that I'm off in a new direction, and I'm just fine with that. 

Senior Thesis: Reliquary

My senior thesis project was something that I had been fearing and looking forward to for a very long time.  It was my time to show what I was made of: to go bigger than I had ever gone before, to work harder, create more, give more, and to in all ways create a series that was better than anything I had created before.  I like to think that I reached my goal. 

After creating my original body of work, Woman of Folklore, I decided I hadn't pushed myself enough.  I made the costumes, the lighting was great, my idea was clear, and I had a message; but it just wasn't good enough.  It wasn't deep enough.  You could see that my heart wasn't in it.  I had to start again. 

Then I saw the book Heavenly Bodies by Paul Koudounaris, and fell in love.  It was everything I loved in my art: the dichotomy of beauty and fear.  But not only were the images terrifying and awe inspiring, they inspired something that had been growing in me for quite sometime: the question of Christianity.  

The reality of christianity and the undeniable truth that some see in the bible has been something that has cast confusion and doubt on my heart for many years.  I have never seen this all loving God.  How have you?  With all the things wrong in this world, how can you believe in an over arching God who knows everything; knows the terror that happens in this world, and still believe he loves us?

I know I am not alone in these questions,and it is my hope that everyone-from christians to atheists- considers these things as well.

Artist Statement

Fate 

I started the series with Fate.  Do we control our own destiny, or is it predetermined?  The red string is from an asian myth of how those who are destined to meet are bound together by a red string.  The candles are for prayer: one common way to send a prayer is to light a candle, and what does one pray for more than to change their fate?

I hand beaded/painted the dress to mimic the heavily 

beaded bones and clothing of the catacomb saints.

Another inspiration for this series was the byzantine icons.  Icons were sacred images of Christ, the Virgin, or Saints, and allowed for direct contact with the sacred figure.  This allowed a direct route for prayer from person, to saint, to God.  

If one made donations to the catacomb saints, they could 

acquire indulgences, or "passes" into heaven.

Death

Death is something that awaits us all, but for some, it comes too soon.  Why are we faced with natural disasters, deadly environments, and disease? Why do these things befall the innocent and good hearted?

Later in their careers, the catacomb saints were covered with veils in an attempt to make them more pleasing to the public, who had begun to withdraw with fear. 

In the victorian times, it was common to photograph the bodies of loved ones who had passed.  It was often the only photo a family would have of the deceased.  One of the most common ways to recognize one of these photos is the unnatural positioning and blackening of the hands.  Stands were often used to help support the arms and head of the deceased to acquire a lifelike photo.  

Soul

How does one determine the goodness of their soul?  One tries to be good at heart, but how do you know if your soul will go to heaven or hell?  How do we know these places exist?  Perhaps there is nothing after ones passing.  

To represent the soul, I went with the theme of baptism, as one is unable to ascend to heaven if they are not baptized.  

In my hands I hold holy water, and it over flows with the questions of it's importance.

Creation

                                      

 With the evidence of evolution, it is hard to accept that the earth was made in 7 days by an all powerful God.    

The first thing God created was light, which is symbolized by the light in my hands.  The helmet is meant to mimic a form of Frankentstein's monster: something brought to life without God. 

This image was done in a single, long exposure with two flashes.  First, the flash in my hands was fired, then the studio strobes were fired. In the above out take, one can see where my eyes shifted in between flashes.

War

War was one of the most obvious and most difficult to shoot.  There are so many casualties to war.  It destroys our families, our humanity, and our earth.  And yet war is all around us, in our past, in our future, and even fought in Gods name.  However, finding symbolism for war beyond the simple blood and weaponry was near impossible. 

 Soldiers who were thought to die for christianity in Rome were dressed in armor and given swords. 

I gave myself more skeletal makeup in this photo to strike fear in the viewers.  War is not something that can be glamorized, it is raw and harsh.  I avoided the gold and jewels that are seen in the others in favor of a more simple look.  

The Opening

Overall the experience was truly gratifying.  I had such lovely helpers, Marissa and Holly, as well as the ever supportive, James.  I would not have been able to complete such awesome work without your help!  And also a large thank you to everyone who came to my opening!  It was so wonderful to have you all there to support me.  I was beyond excited to see each and everyone of you.  

And to answer your question: So what have you decided in regards to religion?  I have come to a new understanding, but I am no closer in believing or not believing, I have only learned of new hurdles I must cross to find my way.  

Women of Folklore: This Could be You

The last installment of this series is meant to bean end point for the series, but also a step for continuation.  The idea that just because you're not fighting in battles, your actions could mark you as a women of legend and lead to change in culture in our future. 

Model: Sarah Butcher

 

By fighting for women's rights, you too can leave a mark on our history and our culture. Perhaps you will be the next woman of folklore.

Feminist Protestor

My model stands in a bra as a stand against the idea that women "ask" to be raped through their clothing.

 

Common quote in protest signage

 

I wrote the sign to be a protest against feminist issues in general (although it is a sign used in many protests). 

I want to give a big thank you to everyone who helped make this project possible.  Without my models, the costume shop, the people who lent me props, as well as the people who helped me make stuff, I would not have been able to do this without you.  You are all awesome people.