Photography Blog | The Life and Times of Julie Harris Photo Blog » Travel/documentary

Remembering Mississippi

flosites — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:34:53 +0000

It hasn’t even been a week since my last day in Mississippi and yet I already feel like it was a lifetime ago. It took me this long to even begin to process all that I learned and took from the workshop with David, and I’m still trying to revel in the afterglow. Above all, my week in the Delta was a much needed immersion back into photography. PHOTOGRAPHY. My passion. My craft. My life. My heart. Photography. To take a break from talking business models and pricing guides and lightroom “workflow”to spend a week truly pursuing the craft of photography was one of the most exhilarating and affirming moments of my so-called “career”. I was photographing with 19 other seriously incredible photographers and being critiqued by them daily. I was pushed. I was humbled. I was insanely inspired. I can’t say that I’m a better photographer since the workshop. But I can say that I have a greater sense of confidence in my voice and in the images that I make and will continue to make in my normal day to day life. To be affirmed by true documentary photographers and artists that I don’t have to use pocket wizards to make a great image, or that things don’t have to be tack sharp or “color corrected” to be compelling, was revolutionary. Simply put, after a serious “identity” crisis, I have come to realize that I need to let go, have fun and make images again.
The workshop was supposed to be a technical lighting workshop. I signed up 1/2 for this reason, and 1/2 for the fact that I would be in the presence of David Alan Harvey with the blues as a backdrop. I expected to spend a lot of time learning to light dark, seedy juke joints at night so that I might take this knowledge and apply it to my weddings and/or portrait sessions. You see, as as wedding photographer who has spent way too much time looking at other wedding photographer’s work, I see a lot of trends–one of these being fancy lighting techniques which involve dragging light and or firing three or four flashes from a remote to make beautiful dancing shots or wedding party portraits. Ugh. Not my thing. I’m not saying that these type of images aren’t beautiful. They certainly are–and I thought I needed to use these techniques in my own work to make my work stronger–which was part of the appeal of this workshop. But alas, there was none of this in the workshop. We maybe spent 2 hours talking lighting and it was basic pop up flash, on camera strobe and something involving a cord and my extended arm. There was no fashion techniques or ways to make a person’s skin “glow”. However, I believe what I did learn about lighting and technique was far more powerful and caters to my style far more than a “one light workshop”ever could. Bottom line for me: I need to minimize my equipment, blend in, have fun and shoot organically. I don’t have time to set up 3 lights when shooting the streets or documenting an emotional moment at a wedding, for that matter. I would miss the moment in an attempt to make something that is already perfect, a little bit “fancier”. While I am fairly comfortable with a pop up and/or on camera strobe, what I wasn’t comfortable with was making images that might not be perfect, technically speaking. But then again–I would never call my work that. I would call it honest. And I’m comfortable with that now.
The other purpose of the workshop was to make a book. Not just any book make by My Publisher or Blurb, but a book promoted by David on www.burn.org and one that will hopefully be talked about in the photographic community. The pressure was on. We were supposed to go out on our own and interpret the Delta through our own essay or style. There of course is the Blues which is the first thing that comes to mind about the Delta, but I was flat out tired of photographing musicians on stage next to 10 other photographers—I get enough of that at home. So I explored. I never really found an essay—I think one needs a couple of weeks just to see what’s out there and establish relationships before she can delve into an essay defining a region of such rich history. But I drove from town to town, hit up bars, knocked on people’s doors and really got out of my comfort zone. After photographing Bruno’s I can truly say that there aren’t a lot of situations that I am scared to approach anymore and that in and of itself is priceless. I feel like I can approach strangers and listen to their stories and empathize with them. I feel connected to people through my art again. And this is an amazing feeling. I want to hold on to it and keep plugging along at my personal work and projects…
So without further ado, here are a few more honest, humble images from an incredible week spent in the Mississippi Delta.

Mississippi day 2 (Bruno’s)

flosites — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 21:34:50 +0000

One of the most frustrating things about a workshop is the fact that everybody is shooting the same thing–or even the same small town. I felt like we were descending upon these poor people of Clarksdale like paparazzi. So I left the area and headed to another town altogether. I had heard about this place called Bruno’s and that it was one of the only places that most people don’t feel comfortable photographing in because it’s full of “sketchy” people. So I grew a pair (so to speak), picked up a fifth of Hennessy and headed to Bruno’s with my hippie spirit and sense of confidence. The people hanging around Bruno’s weren’t very accepting of me at first, and making photos of them was out of the question, but after a few rounds of pool, some swills of Hennessy and a few gringo picks on the jukebox, I had made some new friends who were more than willing to have their photos taken. My afternoon at Bruno’s was actually one of the best experiences that I’ve had since I’ve been here. There is a very strong sense of segregation down here that I wanted to explore. I wanted to know if I would be accepted if I were just able to hang–no politically correct bullshit, just straight talk and a good amount of respect and empathy. It was pretty incredible how much I fit in, actually. I went to Walmart yesterday to make some prints of this shoot and think I will drop then off at Bruno’s tomorrow and say farewell to my “sketchy” new friends.

Mississippi

flosites — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:43:03 +0000

What a freaking roller coaster ride this workshop has been. I don’t know if I’m deflated or inspired–both, I think. I don’t know if I’m a wedding photographer (by eye) or a Nan Goldin. But herein lies the issue. I am both–I hope. And I want to somehow learn to bring these elements together. Not for weddings, not for street photography, but as my “style”– a complete package of the yummy emotion of a sentimental photographer and the edge of one who hangs out with junkies. Is this possible? It’s who I am (sans the junkies). David is an incredible encouragement. He knows me well enough already after a few nights of partying to know that I have it in me to really get in the grittier scenes and still capture the compassion–and yet he keeps saying “almost there, Julie. Almost there, but not quite.” I’m frustrated and scared that I’ll never fully transcend where I’m at, but it’s all good. We are only 3 days in, and to be honest it’s just completely refreshing to be focusing on my work and my style rather than booking weddings. So I’ll be posting some “almost there” images and hopefully I will see this voice that I crave start emerging as the week progresses. This is my ultimate goal—and of course a handful of bad-ass images….

4/08/11

flosites — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:44:15 +0000

I’m on my way to Mississippi to take a workshop and learn alongside the David Alan Harvey–the man who has been an inspiration since I was 16 years-old. And I’m driving there. And listening to really good music. And having a really good time…

Florence, Italy 2010

flosites — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:54:25 +0000

It’s been exactly 10 years since I was last in Italy. I was 22—naïve, fresh faced and brave enough to take off by myself to work in Italy for Legambiente which is the Italian equivalent to Green Peace. I was the only American working in the organization, with no Italian under my belt, and a knack for getting lost. I arrived in Rome, alone after a 22 hour travel stint and wandered my way around the city with a backpack and a travel guide. One of the best moments of my life was my first night in Rome. After a long and delirious nap and an ice cold coke, I took a cap to the Vatican City at sunset to catch the evening mass. I had never been out of the country before, mind you and I was completely overwhelmed with what I was experiencing. It was better than I could have ever imagined and I was immediately swept off my feet. Italy was my first love—my first experience with travel. I grabbed a hot dog and Heineken bomber and sat on a wall perched above St. Peters cathedral with a symphony playing in a park right behind me. An artisan fair lined the pedestrian streets surrounding the Vatican, adorned with antique books, charcoal drawings, handmade jewelry and leather…. Ahhh the smell of leather here is bar none.
So, here I am 10 years later searching for that romance I experienced 10 years ago. The travel bug is like an adrenaline junkie’s search for adventure… but for travelers, it’s a lust for that “feeling” of being alive in another country—seeing completely new architecture, different light, different people and cultures, new smells and trendy fashion, and being taken by it all. It’s incredible and only understood by those who have experienced it, and actually have the “lust”. It is an addition. Although I know I will never experience Italy again with virgin eyes as I did 10 years ago, today is my first day in Florence and I’m certainly taken. The smells that are getting me already–waffles and gelato, the smell of car exhaust that is somehow nostalgic, and fresh garlic. I can hear the church bells ring every hour from my hotel room just down the street from the Duomo and it’s cool enough in the evening for a sweater, but hot enough to really enjoy a cold Birre Rossa. I’m in heaven. And while I go to Paris every year to find my heart and “re-stock the pond”, this trip to Italy is feeling more about gratitude. I’m not yet exhausted from the busy summer season that I call my “harvest”, and I’m still feeling completely invigorated by every thing I see. I’m grateful and pinching myself… can this really be my life? How could I ever complain about anything when I seem to have it all… I’m blessed.
My trip 10 years ago was a life changing gift from God. I found my passion and independence and came home 2 months later believing in myself in a new way. I made all sorts of positive changes in my life and understood for the first time that one can’t wait for life to happen. One has to find it and live it fearlessly. I have a feeling that this trip is going to be just as monumental as my last visit…. It’s Italy, after all and there are all things romantic beckoning me to live these 9 days to my fullest and to bring home a brighter inner-light.

Terrace Lulli—Paris

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:34:22 +0000

I’m finally in Paris again–my home away from home. It feels so wonderful to be here—the air, the smell, the sounds, the shopping, the walking, the wine… I could on and on, and I will, but I forgot my card reader at home so until I get a new one this photo will have to suffice. It is a photo taken from my iphone of my private terrace overlooking the rooftops of the 1st arr. Nuf said—life is good.

The National Western Stock show and Rodeo

admin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:48:30 +0000

Every year around mid-January, excitement stirs when I start to see the stock show parking signs on I-25. I don’t know what it is about this annual event, but I love it! The National Western Stock show is a smorgasbord of “Americana”. There is everything to be found at here, from cowboy boots to funnel cakes. And of course there are all the adorable animals. But for me it’s the people watching that I love the most, and this year I brought my camera. So if you’re like Jesse, and have an allergy attack just nearing the stables, or if you just can’t handle the skirt-chasing, Coors drinking cowboy culture, then hopefully you can live vicariously through these images and take a trip down a genre of true Americana….

Pigalle

admin — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:53:56 +0000

I couldn’t leave Paris without doing a little night shooting in Pigalle, although it took some guts to go out there at night with my 70-200mm and photograph the sex district of Paris (Pigalle by the way, means pig alley)—serious guts. So, I took along some friends and we “created” Pigalle through my eyes with a few set up shots and some models ( thanks to Cayetana, and Cayetan).

Prostitution is legal in France and Pigalle is the red light district adorned with sex shops, strip clubs and “champagne bars” where a glass of champagne –depending on the type, is actually a sexual act. It’s colorful, intimidating and wonderful all at once, if you can get stomach the prostitutes and pimp’s constant persuasion to get you to come into their clubs. Nan Goldin must love this place. I thought of her during the entire shoot. Sorry there aren’t more images here, but like I said I was pretty nervous shooting, and standing still and shooting with my telephoto felt overly conspicuous and, well rude. This will be something I’ll have to work on if I want to continue shooting the underbellies of society. Because this little collection truly is, a pathetic depiction of Pigalle….

Noticing the details…. my image of the day

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:56:53 +0000

I don’t think this image needs an explanation…..

Paris by night

admin — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:00:35 +0000

These images should be pretty easy on the eye…. they are nothing more than tourist photos, but hopefully beautiful tourist photos none the less. One of my favorite things to do in Paris is the barge tour down the Seine. It’s super cliche, I know but I can’t do it enough! I always bring a bottle of wine in my purse and nurse it while I look out at this splendid city—wind on my face or at my back, it doesn’t make difference—I get so happy! The best time to do this is at night–because Paris seriously is a city that should be seen by night. Enjoy the tour!

I think Jesse was in awe…..

The weather is unpredictable in Paris. It was totally beautiful out, and then the clouds just opened up and starting pouring….

and pouring!

this is the color of the sky right after it rains…. I love it here!