Shutterfire School of Professional Photography

So I've been sitting on this crazy idea of building a photography school for quite some time. I've decided that I've gone too far in the preperations to turn back now, so it's official - I'm doing this. Along with the decision to go ahead comes the Facebook page! I actually do have a purpose in mind for this page. I want people to bring me their craziest ideas on what would make an online photography course completely awesome. If you've got an ideas; big or small, please visit Shutterfire's Facebook Page and share. Or share here! I'm down with that too. :)

Long time, no posting

Sorry for the waning interest in my infantile blog. What can I say, I'd be a bad mother. So much has happened since the website launch (see my previous post). Many updates have been made to the site, I've graduated the 12-month Digital Photography program at CATO, my career direction has changed about 172 times, and I just got back from China! Pictures to follow.

The flavour of the month is a very huge idea I've been sitting on for a while. All I can say at this point is that I believe it to be a worthwhile pursuit and it involves sharing what I've learned and helping others acheive their goals. The idea requires further incubation before hatching, so I'll just tuck that back under my butt for a while.

Here's a quick look at my latest work; restoring some old family photos. Check out the website for a better look - these are pretty puny.

Website!

Finally! Got my website up online and halfway to presentable. I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions about it - so post away! Short and sweet - the website will say the rest :)

IvyMills.com

Photojournalism

I feel saturated in photojournalism. For the life of me, I can't figure out if this is a good thing or a bad thing. It's exciting, but stifling at the same time. A couple months back I stumbled across an opportunity on the long commute from school in Kelowna to home in Salmon Arm. A fire had broke out up the hill from the highway. When I saw it, I thought I would go take some pictures and I actually beat the fire department there. Took some mediocre shots and sent them off to the Vernon Morning Star as soon as I got home. This one was published, and I got to go for coffee with Cory Bialecki and pick his brain about his work. Very cool opportunity.

I got an email from Cory last week asking if I wanted to be a weekend freelancer while one of the photographers was away. I'm super excited, but a little worried about the time I'd be taking from my studies. Many of my classmates are doing this course load with jobs on top, but I made the conscious decision to dedicate myself completely to school while I'm here. This opportunity is a way for me to cut my teeth as a photojournalist and see if it's something I would like.

Anyone who knows me, knows that my holy grail is to land a job with National Geographic. Working at a paper would be a mandatory step for such a lofty goal and the experience can only serve to prepare me (if only a little) for war photography. That is something I would like to experience - bringing the horror of war home, so it's not just perceived to be about money and politics.

We're also studying photojournalism in school right now; complete with homework. We are to get a shot of "breaking news": something timely like an event. I don't think I've got it with this shot, but let me know if you disagree, either by commenting, or by voting in the poll on the right column. Make sure you read the caption!

Richard Klokeid cracks a smile as he disposes of the rubber from last year's tire before replacing it. Although Motor Cycle Awareness Month isn't until May, eager enthusiasts everywhere are getting an early start on a promising riding season.

Nakusp Road Trip

So the vote seems to be pretty clear so far - most of you want to read about my latest photography adventures, some interest lies in portrait ideas, and one lone soul is curious about equipment technology (I strongly suspect that vote being a fellow photography student). If you haven't voted yet, there's still 4 days before the poll closes, or you can always leave me a comment.

Well, today I've decided to regail you with my latest expedition - a day trip to Nakusp. All that was needed for this perfect day was my car, my camera, my tunes, and a good friend to yak with incessantly. We left from Salmon Arm early and headed over to Revelstoke, down south to the Galena Bay ferry, and further south to Nakusp. We stopped for a two-hour soak in the soothing waters of a hotspring, then relaxed some more at the Middle Earth Cafe (strawbale hippie place with incredible home-made soup). We carried on south to the Needles ferry and headed down the winding road to Vernon and back up to Salmon Arm. We stopped everywhere and took a ton of pictures...here are some of my favourites. I'd be happy to hear what you have to say - good and bad! There are a couple of stiched-together panoramas and an HDR at the end - enjoy :)

Welcome to My World...help me refine my vision

So here's what I'm thinking; blogs are cool. They let you say a lot, and I have a lot to say. I'm a digital photography student at the Centre for Arts and Technology in Kelowna. I'm almost half way through a 12 month program, semester finals are next week along with final project due dates. The motivation for starting such a silly venture at such an impractical moment is that I'm integrating it into one of my final projects. Genius! The project is a company branding package including; logo, tagline, business card, brochure, rack card, stationary set, apparel item, and...drum roll please...website! I used to design websites for a living, so the thought of having free reign over creative direction is very inspiring.

The company is Ivy Mills Photography, liberate your alter ego. I plan to do portraiture for those who wish to communicate something of themselves that is not immediately apparent. I hope to provide people with conversation pieces. The executive who moonlights as an amateur boxer could benefit from an 8X10 sitting on his desk; a professionally lit and captured portrait of himself delivering a knock-out blow. The bubbly constantly happy girl could be photographed with a chainsaw and a dead-serious look on her face; to show her aggressive side - that she's not all sunshine and lollipops. The idea is that people are far more complex than anyone gives them credit for. The depth of a person cannot be fully understood, but I intend to help people to let out their depth and quit conforming to the stereotypical version of themselves.

Where does the blog come in? I want content that is constantly changing on my homepage - a blog feed is the perfect fit. How many times would you visit a website that never changes? I know I'd be like, "wow that's pretty, but there's nothing for me to do here" and I'd be outtie. Sure I might tell a couple of friends, and they might do the same; but imagine if there was something really interesting to capture your attention on the homepage. Some tantalizing tidbit that you could click-through to read. What could that tidbit be? I would love to hear your opinion, and you could very well have a great deal of influence over the direction of this blog. I have a quick poll on the right sidebar with a couple ideas off-the-cuff. If you think of something not listed, please leave it as a comment. Thanks everyone out there!

Peace and love.