I was reading a popular blog when I happened upon a post about a photo project that involved the Visual Studies Workshop. I wondered "Do they mean OUR Visual Studies Workshop?"

Sure enough, the project Every Chair at the Visual Studies Workshop by Luke Strosnider involved the chairs at Rochester's own Visual Studies Workshop.

During his time at the Master of Fine Arts program at the VSW Luke photographed every single chair in the school.

I thought the project was really interesting I contacted Luke and asked him a few questions...

What led you to work with photography?

Luke - My interest in photography started at an early age. My grandmother was
a prolific amateur snapshooter, and she was always letting me fiddle
with a camera and make my own pictures. Later, when I got into
college, I took intro black and white courses and have been working
with (and thinking about) images ever since. I think I realized at
some point that images could expressed things differently than words,
and I became hooked on exploring how that worked.

How did you get the idea to photograph all the chairs at the VSW?

Luke - At the time I came up with the idea, I was thinking a lot about
photography's relationship with time and experience. I was also
intrigued by it's ability to give personalities to inanimate objects.
Photographing the chairs began as a way to combine all of these
powerful aspects of the medium: the photos of the chairs revealed
their individual quirks, and reflected the history of the Visual
Studies Workshop and the people who've kept it going all these years.

What is some of the feedback you got to the chair project?

Luke - The chairs elicit alot of emotional responses. People will look at
certain ones and giggle; others will inspire an "awwww, isn't that one
cute" reaction. So in that way, the project works: people are
assigning these pieces of plastic, wood, and metal "personalities" and
almost empathizing with them. I've also managed to get a few former
VSW'ers to share their memories about their time at the school and the
chairs they remember.

How important is sharing photographs to you?

Luke - Well, sharing photos certainly beats hoarding them in a box (or on a
hard drive). After I finished shooting all of the chairs, I let it sit
for a while, not really sure how to proceed. I wanted to (and still
plan to) publish them as a book. But one day it just came to me - why
not create a Flickr site where former / current VSW'ers can access
them? They were all shot rather simply with a digital camera, so why
not share them simply, too? Sharing them has led to lots of feedback,
getting in touch with old friends and making new ones, and has
provided some very cool opportunities.

Check out all 521 of the chair photos here.

It's a heartfelt Happy Birthday filled with much sincerity as I'm someone who say's "Good Morning, Mr. Eastman" and "Good Night, Mr. Eastman", as I drive right past your home, as I go to and from work each day! I think of you as I walk up the side walk into your headquarters building here at 343 State Street and whenever I am on the Tower Elevators. Often I'll mention to a visitor this is the site of Mr. Eastman's office and always I think of you whenever I see someone come into the lobby with a camera. No tents or chemical bottles these days!
It's a Happy Birthday, Mr. Eastman filled with enormous awe for your inventiveness and "stick to it ness"! Thanks to your "You Push The Button.....We Do The Rest" I know what my great grandparents look like and what the moon's surface looks like! Talk about having major impact!!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Eastman and Thank You!! 

Have you ever wondered how a designer thinks or how they see the world? Meet Michelle, a Senior Graphic Designer on the team defining the look and feel for Kodak's products and services. Recently she and I had a chance to talk about photography in a brief interview. Below are a few excerpts to share with you:

Michelle

Laura: How do you use photography in your life?
Michelle: It's very important to me... the history around the photographs they're invaluable. A lot has to do with images of my Mom and Dad who've passed and the images I have of them- my parents were always taking pictures and movies - each picture composes a memory where every face and expression is meaningful. Having the farm and the visual history gives me a point of reference. Looking at images from 50 years ago when there were no vehicles and the barn was red... Seeing my Dad when he was just a little baby boy... all of it defines who I am in a way.

Dad & Michelle / Michelle on the Farmall H

Michelle: Pictures in my design life inspire me. A photograph's lighting, the contrast, the expression on someone's face... I love to paint from pictures. I take an image of a person, then paint it to make it my own... almost surreal. My favorite painter is Caravaggio- for some reason I'm attracted to the stark contrast in his work. Kind of mimics my life... I'm a designer who studied at RIT, works at Kodak, and I'm also a farmer.

Beam of Light (photo credit: Mike Hanlon)

Laura: How would you define what makes a great photograph?
Michelle: If it evokes a memory or sense of feeling, transcending your experience. Carl Jung called it the collective unconscious. You can feel it even though you weren't there. That's what I love about my farming pictures. It invokes this feeling of what it was like forty years ago.

Laura: What kind of camera do you like to use?
Michelle: My parents had a Brownie and which I still have. Had a big plastic flash on it. Used that when I was younger. Then I had a 35mm Chinon... Right now I'm really in love with my Kodak M853. Quick little camera, small, very powerful. We've got the camera out all the time. It's in the barn sometimes or in the garage. Might take a shot of a row of parsnips I just planted... or shots of my tractors.


Turnips 2007                                                  

Laura: How do you see images affecting the social fabric?
Michelle: I'm now on a forum for Farmall Tractors to get information like what is the point gap for the engine... and I can't wait to share my tractor images with people all over.

I think photography has never been more powerful as far as affecting people. It can spark turmoil, sympathy, movements... with greater access to imagery, when someone sees pictures of a child suffering now you cannot ignore it, unless you are made of stone. The power is incredible.