Reflected Identities at the Palm Springs Photo Festival

For the past few months, I have been working on a new series.  I started taking portraits of my friends in the Southern California area with an idea in mind. As with a lot of projects I start, they tend to change and take on a life of its own by the time I am ready to show it.  That was the case with "Reflected Identities".  I began the series (I didn't have a title or direction) by photographing my friends for an androgynous series but the more I shot, the more I realized that the portraits were molding into a reflection of me.

Last week, I learned that I was a finalist in the slide show competition at the Palm Springs Photo festival so I attended the festival and spent a few days there.  I was in disbelief when it was announced on Thursday night that I won the grand prize!  There were so many beautiful and powerful slideshows included and I was just thrilled that I was selected to be among the finalists.  When I submitted the show, I had less images than what you see here but ultimately, this is what won the competition.

I want to thank all of the amazing women who have stepped outside of their comfort zone to be completely vulnerable with me.  This has been such a beautiful learning and growing experience... I just can't thank you enough. Many of you have expressed the same so for that, I am grateful. 

I debated on if I should keep the images private and not roll it out to the public, partly because it's so vulnerable to throw it out there.  If my friends can be this open and vulnerable with me, it's only fitting that I do the same with the series.

On a side note... 

A little over four years ago in Palm Springs, I was sitting on a small patch of grass in front of a hotel completely hung over, crying and lost in my life.  That day I stopped drinking alcohol and the months to come I painted and picked up a camera and started shooting.  Last Thursday, I walked on stage in front of hundreds of photographers and people in the industry, to accept the grand prize award. Just a few blocks away sits that patch of grass where I made the decision to change my life.  Anything is possible.

Click to watch below or you can see it directly on VIMEO by clicking HERE

Reflected Identities from Alison Turner on Vimeo.

The Candid Frame Interview

Recently, I was asked to be interviewed about my photography and life on the road for the photography podcast blog, The Candid Frame.  At first I was hesitant to talk about myself, but agreed to be taped live during an interview to be saved into a podcast for anyone to hear.  Ibarionex Perello was such a pleasure to talk with during the interview.  He made it very conversational and made me feel at ease with each question.  If you are interested, you can listen to the 45 minute conversation HERE. Thank you Ibarionex!

The Big Picture And The MOP (Month of Photography) Denver

I am not sure when I heard about The Big Picture and what Mark Sink is doing for the month of photography, but when I found out, I knew I wanted to be a part of it!  Being in a gallery is always nice but being outside for everyone to see is such a great way to showcase artist's work around the world.

As The Big Picture describes on their blog, "This show of grand scale contemporary photography exposes the possibility of images as art via email instantly exchanged globally and blown up to large mural proportions.  Images gathered from photographers around the world will be expanded as large Xerox prints and displayed inside galleries as well as posted in approved outdoor locations throughout the city of Denver and sister cities around the globe."

If you are in the Denver area, they are having a Big Picture Celebration on Saturday, March 30th from 12-5pm at the "Open Air Gallery" behind City O City for amazing images, refreshment and music.  I wish I could be there to celebrate.

As soon as I heard about The Big Picture, I wanted to participate.  I was so pleased when I heard back right away that they wanted to use the images I submitted from my new series, "Reflected Identities."  I only wish that I was able to be there to see all of the amazing artwork on the walls of Denver.  The images on this blog post are courtesy of Mark Sink.  So far, I've seen two of my images on the walls and I am amazed by all of the talent included in the project.  I'm thrilled to be a part of it. They will soon announce where all the images are located around the city via google maps.

Also, during the MOP in Denver, two of my images were selected in the Juried show at the Hinterland Gallery, titled "Seen. Unseen."  I was so delighted to hear that I received second place from my image, "Dissolve".  There have been so many great show openings for the MOP!  It's so nice to see a city dedicated to the art of photography.  I am honored to be a part of the Big Picture and Hinterland's show.  Thank you for all you do, Mark Sink and Sabin Aell!

My Travels With Max Featured On The PhotoShelter Blog

What a nice surprise to learn that PhotoShelter wanted to feature my story on their blog! 

Sarah Jacobs started following me on Instagram, learned that I belong to PhotoShelter, and then wrote about my journey on the PhotoShelter Blog today.  

She did a wonderful job at summarizing the past few years and each time I read about my journey, it seems hard to believe that this year will be my fifth year on the road. Even more hard to believe that I lived out of a tent for two years!  I think the pop up van has spoiled me.  My only  wish would be taking photographs earlier on, but everything happens for a reason and I am just thankful that I made the decision to get lost, get sober and pick up a camera.

Thank you to the new followers and for the ones who have been here from the very beginning.  I look forward to sharing another year of travels with you!

Click HERE to read the article.

The LA Photo Show Experience

Nothing quite moves me the way that photography does.  This past Saturday I went to the LA Photo show for the day and it was and experience I won't soon forget.  As soon as I walked in, I felt like a kid in a candy store. So many beautiful photographs from today and throughout history.  Life shown on every inch of space on the walls of the Santa Monica civic center.

As if it were the last piece of cake, I wanted to savor every moment I was there.  I carefully visited every booth up and down the isles, not to miss anything.  At times, I went outside to take a break and let what I just saw absorb into my brain.  What I am drawn to is not necessarily what others would love. This is what I love about art.  There is something for everyone.  I especially love documentary photography and photographs that are personal to the photographer.  I think all photographs displayed are beautiful but there is something about capturing a moment in time that wasn't staged that gets to me.  Some of those images are the most raw and I could look at them for hours.  I am drawn to the subject and want to know more about their life and about the photographer's life.   One of the images that stuck out for me was one in a series of images by Bruce Hall.  He is documenting the life of his autistic twin sons.  Bruce is legally blind.

Events such as this one can be overwhelming.  Especially if you take the time to look and think about what you are looking at.   I was so engrossed in the experience, at times I had to look around and remember that other people are there.  In fact, there were a lot of people there but I didn't notice.

It was a beautiful sunny day in California so I decided to sit on the grass in the front of the center to have lunch.  I took my time eating and thinking.  I really was in my own little world.  I've been to the civic center a few times a long time ago for other events.  After lunch, I wandered to the chain tree sculpture to take a few photographs with my camera phone and to sit under it for a while.  Moments later, a woman came up to me and politely asked me to move since they wanted to take a photograph of the front of the civic center building.  She said I could join them to watch, so I did.

I stood around with a few people looking at a giant wet plate camera.  People were video taping with their phones and taking all sorts of photographs so thought something special was about to happen.  Some of the people were smiling and giggling around me, while taking photographs of a man with a black apron on.  A woman in a sun dress next to me would alert the small group each time a cop car drove by. Now I was intrigued.  Who cares if a cop car drove by? I started flipping through the legality of shooting in a public place in my brain and from all I've researched, we were fine.

I asked the woman who asked me to move about the photographer and she turned to me, smiled and told me it is Luther Gerlach. He teaches classes at the Getty in Wet Plate photography and it just so happens that he has built and takes 22x30 photographs with the largest wet plate camera in the world.

He started telling people what to do so the moment was getting close.  I focused my attention on the photographer and what he was doing that I didn't look at what he was shooting at since I knew it was just the front of the building.  I was standing next to him watching his every move when I noticed everyone snapping away at what he was taking a photograph of.  I casually turned to look and there it was.  The woman I was standing next to was perched on the chain tree, nude. With all of the other on lookers, documented it with my camera phone.  The moment lasted about 10 seconds and then Luther ran off to his van to develop the print.  A few moments later, the finished piece was on display outside of the van.

I am glad that I went and look forward to more art events in the future.  I hope that you get out to appreciate arts in your neighborhood.