A Thousand Words is a place for stories from the people of Kodak. We love what we do, and we want to share our stories about imaging and its power to influence our world. We invite you to join our conversation with stories of your own.
To add your voice to ours, please visit the User Guide.
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?"
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.
Thomas Hoehn
Director, Brand Communications and New Media
It's summertime in the U.S. and I recently had the occasion to take some photos of a place I spent many a summer day. Sylvan Beach is on the eastern shore of Oneida Lake in Central New York. It has been a destination for summertime relaxation and fun for more than a century. The sign below harkens back to a different day in the world of photography. Long before ubiquitous digital cameras and cellphone cams.
I took some early morning pictures around the midway there that I would like to share with you. When you are taking pictures be sure to capture the details. They will make the story you are sharing interesting. I think the various styles found here are fascinating - from Art Deco and Buck Rogers to the traditional carousel dating from 1896. I also got close or low to add more drama to the compositions. Take a stroll down the midway with me and be sure to click to enlarge any photo to see much more as the thumbnails are only a piece of the photo...
Was that a nice stroll?
I love this place because it is so accessible and unpretentious. Some
of the rides and games are the same ones my parents went to in the
1940's and my grandparents in the 1920's! These are not museum pieces,
they are still providing smiles today. No admission, a game for a dime
or quarter. Come one, come all! (Do you think I could cut it as a carnival barker?)
As Jenny mentioned in her recent blog, Eastman Kodak Company and Universal Pictures partnered with Penske Racing (http://www.penskeracing.com/) at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway (http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/chi/) on July 12th to promote the latest epic adventure in the blockbuster global Mummy franchise, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
Not only did the Kodak No. 12 Dodge feature a bold paint scheme from the movie, but Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman's firesuit and helmet were also specially designed for the race. Click here for full images of the racecar, firesuit and helmet. Best of all though (at least for me), actor Brendan Fraser who plays Rick O'Connell in the Mummy series was on hand, live, and in person, to experience it along with NASCAR fans.
One of Brendan Fraser's first stops of the day was to the Garage area to visit with the crew and inspect the Mummy paint scheme on the Kodak No. 12 Dodge.
Brendan Fraser in the Kodak No. 12 Dodge garage talking with the crew as they are preparing for the race.
Brendan Fraser getting a closer look at The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor paint scheme on the Kodak No. 12 Dodge.
Ryan Newman then hosted Brendan Fraser on pit road where he presented Brendan with an autographed replica of the Mummy racing helmet that he would wear during the race and a personalized "Fraser" Kodak racing shirt welcoming him as part of his pit crew for the day.
Brendan was now ready for his role as Grand Marshal of the race, a role he took seriously.One of his responsibilities as Grand Marshal was to greet and wish all the drivers well during the Driver Introductions.
Brendan Fraser greeting Ryan Newman during the Driver Introductions
The best and what I think is the most exciting responsibility of the Grand Marshal is to recite the most famous words in racing "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!", and Brendan did this in the most resounding way.Here is a clip of these famous words by Brendan that I was able to video from the edge of the track apron. I apologize for the instability of my hands, but I was told that after he was done that I had to RUN FAST across the infield and get behind Pit Road as the cars would quickly enter the track. My hands were shaking as I was taping due to my nervousness about getting out of the way in time (note; I made it, but it took me a while to catch my breath).
After a wild ride in the pace car, Brendan Fraser headed back to pit road where he cheered Ryan Newman and the No. 12 Penske Racing Kodak-Mummy Dodge team on to a 10th place finish.
Brendan Fraser watching the race from Pit Road and talking with the crew
Earlier in the day, Brendan Fraser signed autographs at the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge merchandise trailer where The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor themed merchandise, such as die-cast cars, t-shirts and hats were available for purchase. Long-time Ryan Newman fan, Brian Billman from Duluth, Minnesota was one of a very few lucky fans who was able to get both Ryan Newman's and Brendan Fraser's autograph on his Mummy die-cast car. Brian is an avid collector of 1:24 die-cast cars and wanted the car and autographs to enhance his collection.
Young Edward Florek from nearby Calumet City, Illinois made his Grandpa get up very early on race day so that he could get to the track and snag one of only 125 tickets that were available for Brendan Fraser's autograph. Even though there were a limited number of autographs available to fans, Brendan made each signing memorable as you can see from this series of photos of Edward with Brendan.
Brendan Fraser took pictures throughout the day on his new KODAK EASYSHARE V1273 digital camera and thanked Kodak for the many memorable moments that he was able to experience and share with NASCAR fans.
Brendan Fraser reviewing the images he captured on his KODAK EASYSHARE V1273 digital camera with Kodakers Mike Houser, Director, Studio Initiatives, Entertainment Imaging and Tom Page, Manager, Motorsports Marketing.
The Kodak-The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Dodge show car will be on display at universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood theme parks throughout July and the movie opens nationwide on August 1st. I hope to see you there!
