Portfolios > Art Student

Each Fall, I take Maine College of Art’s photography majors on a weekend trip to Stephen Pace’s studio in Stonington Maine. Food, photography, bon fires, and hanging out has served as a catalyst to help build a community of trust, and support, in preparation for unvarnished, constructive criticism for the coming year.

Trust is not something that can be created in a weekend and, in some situations, is never fully gained. I have worked with most of the students in these images for several years. The portraits began as a thinly veiled teaching demonstration. I hoped the students would be present with my image making and concentrate on my actions as I prepared to operate an 8x10 view camera. I asked them to close their eyes and hold very still; a demonstration of how they, as artists, can take control of their own image making, to intervene or “ask of” from a subject. The resulting images surprised me when I processed the film, it appeared my students were treating the sitting with more importance than I had initially.

My original goal was to teach by example, to model the making. When I consider the work in context of the work they are intrenched in, the portraits begin to function with more complexity than my initial intent. A catalyst is not consumed by the reaction itself. John Muir said “leave no trace, but your shadow” Muir was talking about the landscape. I have always considered this transferable to teaching.

Zak
Silver Gelatin
2012
Tabitha
Silver Gelatin
2015
Savanna
Silver Gelatin
2012
Nate
Silver Gelatin
2015
Gabriella
Silver Gelatin
2011
Harlan
Silver Gelatin
2012
Laurel
Silver Gelatin
2012
Kate
Silver Gelatin
2015
Tyler
Silver Gelatin
2015
Jessica
Silver Gelatin
2011
Gabriella
Silver Gelatin
2015
Graham
Silver Gelatin
2012
Beatrice
Silver Gelatin
2011
Arin
Silver Gelatin
2012