First Attempt at Studio Photography

In the last few months, I started doing photography again. I never really stopped taking pictures but with work taking over my life the last few years, I wasn't doing anything "creative" that I was proud of. So my main goal for 2009 is to get back to drawing, painting and creative photography... things I enjoy, away from the computer.

So I decided to learn more about all aspects of photography. Like manually controlling how I want my pictures to look in the camera, versus manipulating them in Photoshop. Also seeing how to lighting better and capture interesting subjects. Here is a display of some studio photography that I recently did. I didn't set up the lighting, but I did learn a lot about shooting in a studio. I used a Canon 50d. Please let me know what you think and if you are on Flickr, please add me as a contact: http://www.flickr.com/people/alexharris/

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Awesome story of my lost artwork

This is an awesome story of how my artwork was found on the side of the road during college around 1997, then sent to me 11 years later. With the power of the internet here is a note I received on my Flickr account:

You do not know me but I think you must have spent some time in Tallahassee. I went to FSU. To make a long story short, one night I was driving home and almost ran something over. I stopped the car, got out and found a large book. On the top of the book it said Alex Harris. When I opened the book it said Alex Harris ORIGINALS. There were about 30 pieces of bad ass talented art work in that book. Some of the pieces of art work are currently on the web. I just decided to google your name after unpacking a bunch of old boxes in my attic. There was no contact phone number to call so I decided to keep it. Contact me at XXX@XXX.com

How cool is that!

He eventually went through my site and landed on my Flickr profile. Confirmed the artwork was mine and sent me the note. Turns out the artwork are prints of my original pieces. The book was used as a catalog when I sold artwork at the student union on FSU campus. Has anything like this happened to you? Take a look at some of the artwork that was found...

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Creative Day - Fun times, inspiration and more motivation!

This past weekend was Creative Day at my house. Really, it was my birthday party, but it was also a way to get together with my friends and have an art party. This is something we did a lot in college (10 years ago - wow) and now my excuse is - I really don't have a lot of time to work on traditional art projects.

Overall we had a really great day. I attempted to set up a live web stream but it didn't work out because my wireless wouldn't reach far enough - sorry to those who were expecting to watch us. Yet, many came out to paint, draw, take pictures, shoot videos or just hang out.

Aside from the party, part of setting this up was important to me for many reasons. 1) It forced me to organize my art supplies so I can set up my art studio 2) Provided instant inspiration to get more involved mixing art with new media 3) I was able to document my talented friends and we encouraged each other to be doing this a lot more.

Have you ever been to an art party?

Let me know, I would hear ideas from other events in your city. There were a lot of photography going on as well. Here are some videos I shot during the day. For the HD versions visit my vimeo page.

Ryan Droze - @droze



Jimmy Allen - @stinkyfatpig

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If you were 14 years old, what would inspire you?

My girlfriend's nephew, Mike, is 14 years old and really passionate. Last week I saw his fashion designs (below) and told him he should start a blog, then ask people to review them. 2 days later, he put a site online all by himself. I motivated him and now I am asking you to inspire him. If you were 14 years old again (not even in high school yet), what advice would you want to hear?
Please comment on Mike's web site "My Designs". Thanks in advance!

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Creative inspiration is my foundation to paying the bills

I have been watching a lot of design and creative films lately. The recommendations I have received so far have been great. If you have a suggestion, Please let me know.

If you are fan of graffiti artwork, you should check out the movie "Infamy". The documentary is a really great view of the urban art world. I was inspired by the movie because I grew up in the suburban culture of it. I did a few pieces back in high school (90-94) and still to this day, my illustrations have a graffiti influence. If you do check out the movie, make sure you look at the bonus section for photographs. I was pretty impressed by Saber, Claw and others.

Urban artists are now monetizing their talents.

Saber's has been doing fine art, exhibitions and selling products from his online store.
This is a collaboration he did with OBEY Giant.

CLAW is now fashion director at Swindle Magazine and also has her own clothing line.

Other graffiti artists in the world.

One artist that was not in the movie that I like is DAIM. He uses his German graffiti influence to produce endless creative work including clothing, sculptures, installations, live performances, a full online store, and even Iphone covers. Here what one magazine said about DAIM:

"DAIM developed a diversity of skills which enabled him to grow beyond his roots. Concrete walls were replaced by canvas, while spray cans from a hip hop shop were now often amended by mouse clicks in Photoshop. Two dimensional pictures evolved into three dimensional graphics with seemingly unlimited depths and perspective only to finally become sculptures leaving behind the confinement of flat surfaces entirely. "

DAIM featured at the Graffiti Exhibition in Wuppertal / Germany.


It is really inspiring to see creative people making money off of their artwork. All artists want to sell your work. I did! Me and my buddy sold artwork and t-shirts in college. We were called Furious. Yet, it is tough to make a good living in the traditional art world. These guys have done it. So you and I can too. So live with your creative inspiration as the foundation to paying your bills.

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Films about design, digital artwork and typography

Finally, I was able to see the film Helvetica. I really enjoyed it. It was a little over the top on the philosophy and history of the most popular font. But it kept my attention and I found it interesting.

Then I was designing a website user interface in Photoshop using the Helvetica font. During my pixel pushing, I was thinking about comments from the film. I enjoyed how the older designers used grids to establish balance of typography on a magazine cover. Then related this to how we use rulers or guides in today's design process. I also thought about how much I really didn't want to be using Helvetica. The font stands for boring, corporations and even the Vietnam war...? You have to see the movie.

Really, the movie inspired me. I am guilty of not enjoying beautiful design work. Meaning, I haven't been appreciating good design or really doing any myself. Mainly because I design the same ecommerce sites and web experiences over and over again. Now that is boring, but it pays the bills.

I wonder if there are other design, digital artwork or typography films out there that I should see. Do you know any great design films? Or just inspirational films for creative people. I did a search on Netflix and to get the following results - they all look terrible. Have you seen any of these? Let me know, I am looking for recommendations...

Design
Filmmakers Danielle Schirman and Anna-Celia Kendall explore the fusion of form and function in six iconic products that helped define 20th-century design. See how the iMac, Akari lamp, BIC Cristal pen, Bubble Club sofa, Hoover vacuum and Citroën's DS19 went beyond pure functionality to capture the public's imagination and become part of popular culture.

ColorCalm: By Design
This isn't meant to be watched from start to finish, but to be just left playing. This collaborative effort from designers Peter Saville, John Maeda and Irma Boom (with music by Michael Nyman, Ryuichi Sakamoto, New Order and Terranova) experiments with using the soothing beauty of color as an accessory to your home decor, giving your television something to do other than pump out reality TV shows. A choice of four ambient programs offers a calming palate of options for adding color to any room.

Art 21: Art in the Twenty-First Century: Seasons 1 & 2
What inspires a particular artist to create a certain piece? This series explores that question by introducing a wide variety of contemporary artists across the United States. Seasons 1 and 2 explore what motivates and inspires these artists by focusing on eight themes: place, spirituality, identity, consumption, stories, loss and desire, time, and humor. Featured artists include William Wegman, Louise Bourgeois, Laurie Anderson, and Kara Walker.

In the Realms of the Unreal
By day, Henry Darger was a reclusive janitor who had few -- if any -- friends. But at night, he became a literary artist with a unique vision. Darger's 15,000-page novel is a wonderland of imagination as it details the exploits of seven angelic sisters who lead a rebellion against child-enslaving men. Featuring the voices of Dakota Fanning and Larry Pine and the work of talented animators, this film tells the story of Darger's hidden world.

I also tried to google for some suggestions, but all you get is design firms and movie tutorials. I am looking for documentaries and inspirational films. Are there really none out there? Want to make one?

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