Ghost Town

dreary photos that i took of commerce at the beginning of the year. these photos represent how i feel about this city most of the time, that at one time it was a busy city but now it's vacant other than the college campus and Walmart. ever since i moved here almost 2 years ago i've always considered documenting the city. i think it would be fun and rewarding to photograph the city of commerce along with some of it's oldest/older residents and pair it with their stories from spending a lifetime in this small town. 

conscientious

this is work that i found similar to my own by Adam Holtzman. “After the unexpected death of my grandfather, I gathered with my family to grieve and to try and put things in order. We began to sort his belongings, going through each room cleaning and packing. After several trips the house became empty of these things that were his. As this process became complete I was struck by the differing voids left as a result. Here was a place, now absent of its occupant, the belongings and life.”- Adam Holtzman. Back in March my great-grandmother passed away and i too photographed her house as it was emptied. The images leave you with this emptiness that your loved one and all of their belongings are gone. Photographing my "Mamaw's" house was the best decision for me, it helped me to grieve and accept her passing. You can find more of Adam's work at http://www.adamholtzman.com/absence8.html.

This image is by Adam Nadel, a photojournalist. whose projects Portraits of Noncombatants and Rwanda Testimonies are both excellent and utterly compelling work. I relate to his work because his hope is to connect to the viewer and to create an opportunity for the public to better comprehend the effects of the environment they live in. Here is child a child that has seen the effects of war.

J-Sem questions

Junior Photo Seminar
Questionnaire

When do you plan on graduating?
 (fingers crossed) May 2013

Where have you, or will you be interning?
 i have no intentions of interning at this time.

What are your plans and goals for after graduation? Grad school? Starting a business? Getting a job? Being an artist/commercial shooter? Please be as specific as possible. How do you plan on making a living?
This is the big question in my life at the moment. I currently live in a very affordable apartment so i know that all i need is a part time job to continue to live where i live and be able to pay bills. My goal is to try and move to the dallas area within a year after graduating. I want to get involved and start working at mission organizations like iGoglobal or Buckner International and eventually travel with different teams to document their experiences.

Establish a budget for yourself, post-graduation. What does it cost to live in a manner that you’d be comfortable? Again, be specific. Do you have school loans, credit card debt? Need insurance? A place to live?
Thankfully i should graduate from college without any loans or debt. My bills consist of rent, phone, electricity, car insurance, and internet which adds up to about $320 a month. I would be fine living off of about $800 a month.

Do you require any special equipment to make your work or start your business (for example, a wood shop, studio, video equipment, cameras, computers, printers) that might be cost-prohibitive or difficult to access after you graduate? If so, what kind?
I mainly shoot outdoors or use natural window lighting when shooting indoors, in which I have all basic equipment that will get the job done for now.

Are you planning to go to graduate school? If yes: right away, or later? Have you started researching graduate schools? Why do you want to go to graduate school? Tell me what five schools you'd like to go to, and how you plan on doing it.
 I have no intentions of furthering my education after receiving my undergraduate degree.

Name five people that will write letters of recommendation for you?
Diane Hughes, my highschool yearbook teacher and first person to put a camera in my hand.
Amanda Hancock, highschool art teacher who inspired me and took me to my first art contest.
O. Rufus Lovett, first photo instructor who taught me a lot and left a huge inpact on my work.
Bettye Craddock, KC yearbook instructor, who taught me to stay true to myself.
Peter Calvin, documentary photography instructor, helped me to realize my love to document my environment.

What kind of job would you most like to find?
 I would love to work with a non-profit missions organization in the Dallas region.

What kind of job do you expect to find?
A part time job working anywhere and possibly volunteering at non profits till i get a resume built up and able to actually work full-time for an organization.

Name either a dozen potential employers, clients, galleries or graduate schools, depending on your goals.
Mission Arlington
Go Now Missions
iGoglobal
Buckner International
International Mission Board
North Texas Food Bank
Voice of Hope Ministries

Do you plan to live off freelance work or commissions (perhaps in addition to a part-time job)?
After graduation i plan to live off of freelance work and possibly a part time job.

What did you do this summer to move you toward your goals? What art have you seen this summer? How much work did you make?
I applied to intern with the IMB in Virginia but was not offered the position. I spent a week photographing a work camp for teens in Sulphur Springs. Also, i photographed 2 weddings and spent time researching and photographing the night sky and lightning. 

Do you have a portfolio of your work? Website? Blog? Can you tell me in 30 seconds what your work is about? Do it.
 I have a website and blog. beccahaskell.weebly.com and beccahaskellphotography.blogspot.com. My work is about documenting the environment around me, whether it's the passing of a loved one or the uniting of a couple through marriage. I love to photograph the human condition and people within their environment.

What artists, musicians, photographers, writers, movies, books have influenced you/your work?
Rufus Lovett was my first photo instructor and began my love for black and white documentary photography. Ester Havens is another photographer who's work really inspires me, she has the exact job that i am aiming for. I am also inspired and love looking at the work of Jeremy Cowart, who is a humanitarian photographer.

Please share any important websites that you are referencing for art/photo competitions and/or information. Name at least five of them.
i mainly spend my time checking out my favorite two photographers at estherhavens.com and jeremycowart.com and i also enjoy looking at the photos and crafts on thelovelylittlethings.blogspot.com;

What do you feel is lacking in your education to prepare you for your future? What is lacking in your portfolio? Please be specific.
Documentary photography is my passion yet i don't have much of it in my portfolio. i feel as if i have the education to go out and do what i want to but i need to work on building my portfolio more into my style.

Why does someone want to hire you? What makes you unique?
I don't want to be limited by photography, i want to work with non-profits and if i can use my talents in photography than that would be a plus.

What do you expect from me?
to challenge me to step out of my comfort zone when photographing.

What do you expect from this seminar?
 to grow my portfolio and and gain the contacts i will need upon graduation.

What do you expect from this degree?
 to prefect my skills in photography and just to have a bachelors degree to my name.

Design your ideal Junior Seminar course.
From this course I hope to grow my portfolio more into my documentary style. I want to gain my contacts and be brave by contacting and emailing people who are in the field i working towards. also, through this course hope to get info and some how get involved with more local non profits to gain experience and to build my resume for the future.

couch series

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 I chose to do a series on people on their couches and the environment around them for my studio final.

 

studio final

My idea is to photograph people in their environment. After this shot i want to duplicate this first image and start photographing people sitting on their couch and all the things that surround them. 

Who's kingdom are you building?

This is a project that i did for my documentary class that really means a lot to me. I photographed churches old and new, to show how the American standard for the church has changed. In my opinion has changed for the worse. 

This is a church located on highway 11. At one point in time this is what the American standard looked like. 

A time when people were more focused on the inside and the body of Christ than the outside appearance.

This is a church located in downtown Commerce. A church that has been abandoned and forgot about.

This is First Baptist Dallas first built in 1890 on the left and  their new $50 million dollar "ministry" building on the right. Over time our focused has changed to where we are now focused on appearance.

The construction sight for FBC-Dallas located in the middle of downtown Dallas. As part of the American church, I feel we have lost sight of our purpose. We worry more about our own comfort than serving those around us. So much more could have been done with $50 million like mission, building churches over seas, feeding the thousands of homeless around Dallas.

studio notes

notes from my last studio session for a class assignment