It took me a full day of recovery to be able to sit here and write a coherent summary of my time at After Dark in Portland. Four days of nearly non-stop (we're talking 10 a.m. to 4 a.m.) photography and hanging out with some of the world's top photographers was beyond exhausting and overwhelming. But it was invaluable. Not just for the knowledge and experience gained, but for the friends I made there. I found my "brat pack" (Cristal from OK, Angela, Eve and Chris from VA) and then added an additional friend on the last day (Trisha) who happens to live in the opposite end of the Phx Valley (see ya soon!).
I made friends among many of the mentors, but an extra huge thanks goes out to "Dinger" (aka Mike Ridinger) who let me follow him around like a duckling and ask a million questions. I got to see my childhood friend and amazing photographer/mentor Wen McNally and her always entertaining husband, Sean.
I also learned a lot at an image critique from Chuckie Arlund (who said one of my photos reminded him of a photo of Francis Bean Cobain--i nearly fell over. Click here to see it.) and Martin Grahame-Dunn, a highly-acclaimed international photographer and classical artist who said one of my photos (below) was almost a "contemporary Mona Lisa." I did fall over at that. DON'T BE TOO CHICKEN TO DO AN IMAGE CRITIQUE! Yes, it's SCARY having some of the best photographers in the world critique your images, but hello! What an invaluable learning opportunity!
My "contemporary Mona Lisa" :
Some photos I made at ADE Portland:
And this is one of my new bff's, Angela Douglas:
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