Kyle Kopta Digital Imaging

   Regardless of how my documentary turned out in the end, the experience of it has been invaluable, and the lessons I have learned from it are ones that I can apply to all of my work in the future (both in photography and elsewhere). If you had asked me just a few months ago to hunt down a stranger in a different town and ask them to collaborate with me on a project, I wouldn't have thought I could possibly achieve that. Although the project has been done for several days now, I am still finding myself thinking about it all the time, which is a clear indicator to me that the project was worth something substantial in and of itself.    I don't know why I care so much about Gerry Matthews and his little museum in Walla Walla, but I do. I found Gerry's museum through the website Atlas Obscura , and I was immediately intrigued by the polarizing reviews of his work. One online reviewer describes Gerry's work as "a weird collection of a perverted old man's garbag...

   Platon is a beautiful photographer that one can learn from in terms of how to collaborate and connect with the subject of a photograph. Platon's portraits are instantly recognizable in part due to the technical aspects of his process (film, lighting, position of the camera, etc), but they are iconic mainly due to his attitude towards the camera as a vehicle for a story and a feeling. The subjects of Platon's portraits, whether they be revered politicians or disenfranchised individuals, are not a means to an end; they are a learning experience and an opportunity for genuine human connection.    The lessons one can take away from Platon and this documentary as a whole are ones that can be applied directly to my documentary. What really stuck out to me was the idea of having to earn the moment where someone is open to the camera. One must be able to spend time on the connection with the subject in order to get something out of it that results in a moment worth sha...

   The following images are from my first shoot for my photograph documentary. The subject of my documentary is Gerry Matthews and his Museum of Unnatural History in Walla Walla. I feel the story of what he has created is important because his little self-made museum is truly a passion project that one is not likely to see around here. Gerry has spent his retirement creating this body of work that boldly speaks his thoughts on the world around him, and he only asks that people see it.      The ability to go back to the museum for another session is going to be very beneficial to me because it allows me to evaluate what I was able to get the first time and make a list of things that I need to capture or work on technically. For example, one of the things on my list is to adjust my white balance because the lights in the building are very yellow and very strong. Visiting a second time will also help me build a better relationship with Gerry. He did not...

   The following images are part of my backup plan for the documentary project in case my main idea ends up not working out. For the past couple of weeks, I have been very interested in the recent U.N. climate report that has given a 12 year deadline on how long world industries have to change their coal emission habits before catastrophic damage is done to the environment (at least noticeably more than what has already been done). The Armageddon-esque rhetoric has sparked a more passionate and aggressive discussion on climate change, and many people are becoming more aware of the adverse affects of fossil fuel emissions and poor agricultural practices (sea levels rising, human conflicts, etc). With this in my mind, I have become hyper-aware of the trash and litter in Howard Amon park where I walk everyday. I like how most of these photographs turned out, but what I am really struggling with is the idea of making a documentary rather than a themed series. The concept of cli...

   Chapter 8, 'Physical and Material', explores the idea of works that rely on their medium itself in order to push a narrative or highlight the physical properties of the art itself. In terms of photography, this can manifest itself in making deliberate choices to shoot on film or incorporate photographs into a larger installation. Considering the availability and popularity of image taking today, the conscious decision to use older analogue techniques or elevate the physical image beyond the single frame is one that holds significance in the artistic process. Along with this, the democratization of publishing photography has resulted in innovative ways of presenting and distributing photography to the world.    One such photographer who has innovated the way that their photographs are viewed is Jason Evans with his NYLPT project. While Evans' works is available as a printed book, it is also available as an app for your smartphone. The app uses a randomized algor...

   Chapter 7, 'Revived and Remade', delves into a recent trend in photography that makes use of our pre-existing knowledge of certain imagery and media as a whole in order to trigger subconscious emotions or shift the way we understand the world around us. This can be achieved through a revival of old photographic techniques, the archiving of photographs, or the recreation of well-known images. Despite the inevitable critique of originality and authorship when recreating or mimicking established photographs, the artists in this chapter might argue that the value of their works is inherent in their place within their cultural context and the references they make to that culture.    One such photographer in this chapter whose work relies heavily on an appeal to culture and the mimicking of other photographs is Trish Morrissey. In her Seven Years project, Morrissey, along with her sister, recreates the atmosphere of her own family's personal photographs by using pr...

   This assignment was truly frustrating. Three evenings in a row I went out to explore Tri-Cities in search of an area that had a group of people to photograph, and I was continuously disappointed. However, I feel that I had several things holding me back aside from the obvious challenge of finding a location. I was so focused on finding an interesting spot that had interesting people that I probably didn't notice many good opportunities around me. I was searching for something specific when I should have been just taking in the world around me for what it was. Furthermore, the fear of confrontation with someone also held me back. I saw a couple opportunities for great shots, but I did not capture them because I was too afraid to ask a stranger if I could photograph them. Ultimately, I'm not pleased with any of my final images, but I greatly appreciate the exercise in making me a bit more courageous and unapologetic in taking photographs around the city.    My jo...

   Why do some photographers go to the street, while others go to the studio? What is so alluring about the street and what it has to offer to artists? Studying the great street photographers that are featured in Cheryl Dunn's documentary Everybody Street , one can see that the allure of the street is certainly not in the street itself, but the people, scenarios, and energy that the street exclusively fosters. As a street photographer, one must be welcome to the chaos and ambiguity of the street and channel it into a fleeting moment of clarity. These moments are ones that cannot be recreated in the studio.    While I believe that street photography, when done right, is perhaps the purest artistic representation of the human condition, the idea of participating in it myself is scary to me. The idea of negative confrontation scares me, and this is a guarantee when photographing strangers without their permission. Watching the documentary, you see the likes of Jeff M...

   Chapter 6, 'Moments in History', discusses the documentarian possibilities of photography. Specifically, this section explores the idea of aftermath photography, the representation of under-represented groups of people, and subjects that challenge our ideas of what documentary can be. In a world where documentary is most popular in the commercial sphere, photographers must draw upon art strategy and vision in order to document and push a narrative while simultaneously keeping the cultural relevance of the image intact. In contemporary photograph, there has been more of a focus on capturing the aftermath of an event rather than the chaos of the event itself. This approach allows for a more contemplative and intentional framing of the image.    Fazal Sheikh is one such photographer that contemplatively captures the real world by photographing the under-represented  (mainly individuals living in refugee camps). Using the deadpan style of photography discussed ...

   I genuinely enjoyed myself as I worked on this manipulated narrative project. After listening to a podcast featuring artist Austyn Weiner, I was very much intrigued by the idea of painting over a photograph. Weiner's work is a beautiful product of her interest in fashion photography and her painting background. My last series of photographs was meant to draw from and harken back to the emotion and aesthetic of the sketches in my sketchbook, so I was very curious to see how transforming a portrait into one of these drawings would turn out. Could I create a caricature of someone based on how I would draw a portrait and somehow simultaneously create a cohesive fantasy?    To create my manipulated narrative, I went searching through old sketchbooks for material to bring into my portrait image. I also created a few new drawings that had the portrait image in mind in order to really get the details correct. After scanning all of the traditional art, I cut out specifi...