Perry Dozier Jr. - Columbia, SC 2009

Looking back on my email box, I found the first correspondence letting me know that I had been selected to participate in fourth series of the Palmetto Portraits Project a year ago today.  Less than five days from now, on Wednesday, September 16, 2009, the exhibit will open to the public with a reception at MUSC’s new James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine, located at 29 Bee St. in Charleston, SC.

The PPP was started a little over four years ago by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), in partnership with the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston, and the South Carolina State Museum.  The goal of the project was to commission approximately twenty noted and emerging photographers from across South Carolina to focus on portraying South Carolinians in the Lowcountry, the Piedmont, and the Upstate—reflecting the full range and diversity of the state’s citizens, occupations, and recreational activities. Creating a collection of art to display within MUSC’s educational and clinical buildings, the University hopes to remind students, faculty, staff, and visitors of those they serve at MUSC and throughout South Carolina. MUSC and the selected photographers have broadened the impact of the project by donating an identical set of photographs to the permanent collection of the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia.

This was an amazing project to be invited to be a part of, and am still humbled to this day to have had the opportunity to work with so many great photographers.  While the past year of my life has led me in a in a direction that I never saw coming, both personally and professionally, I am deeply thankful for the people I have had the opportunity to meet while working on it, and the new way in which it has taught me to look at my native state.  I don’t feel I can ever thank those who have supported me, and helped me with this project over the past year enough.  I will be eternally grateful to all of you!

If you don’t have the opportunity to make it to the opening on Wednesday, but find yourself in Charleston, SC the project will be hanging in James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine, located at 29 Bee St. for the foreseeable future.  Please stop by and take a look at all of the amazing work of the series IV photographers.  It will give you a new appreciation for the people and places of this state.

for more information on this project, please visit the official project site at http://palmettoportraits.musc.edu/

*Update* Check out the review of the show in the Charleston City Paper.

The view from the dock at Charles house on Mosquito Creek, near Bennetts Point, SC.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend some time on the coast at one of my favorite places in the world, my friend Charles’ river house on Fenwick Island.  The best thing about Fenwick is that it is private, and with the exception of about 5 houses which are all owned by members of the Baldwin family, it is completely un-spoiled by the meddling of man.  Wild, un-touched, and completely cut off, this is the perfect place for me to get back in touch with my personal vision, explore, and have an adventure fishing off-shore, and have deep philosophical discussions with others much wiser than I.

The sun sets over Mosquito Creek on Fenwick Island, near Bennetts Point, SC.

Having the ability to create and share images like these, from places that most of the world will never see, and adventures that most will never have, has become one of the forces that drives my photography in recent months.  At one point in time, I had thought it was about just telling the stories of the people which inhabited these places, however, as I have seen so many places around me become over developed, mistreated, and forgotten my goals as a photographer have shifted.  With that thought, I have created the Coastal Print Collection over on my digital archive, and I invite everyeone to take a moment, and flip through the collection of images that are there already, and will be growing in the coming months.

Sunrise over Bennetts Point in Green Pond, SC, on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

Prepping the boat for off-shore fishing, as the sun rises over Bennetts Point in Green Pond, SC, on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

A Palmetto and Live Oak trees draped with Spanish Moss are silhouetted by the first light in the sky, as the sun rises over Bennetts Point in Green Pond, SC, on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

Finally, if you have a place that which is holds a special place in your heart, with natural beauty that may be in danger of disappearing all too soon, that you think I should visit, photograph, and spend some time exploring, let me know.  If I make my way there a signed print from what I find, could be on its way to you.

Finished images from the Spanish Vines - Spring 2009 - Bottle Shoot

 I didn’t really have any actual Spanish music on my iPod when I went into the studio last night for the Spring 2009 Bottle Shoot for Spanish Vines, so Buena Vista Social Club had to suffice, to get me in the mood (yes I know its Cuban, not Spanish, but the vibes are similar, and that was really all I needed).  The one thing I love about working in the studio on a small shoot like this, is that I can put on some music, sip a drink, and work at my own creative pace, even though the client needed the shots turned around extremely quickly.  Not too long ago I would have dreaded being stuck in a dark studio for an hour or two, but I guess with age has come an appreciation for the opportunity to slow down and work at a more relaxed pace.Since getting reflections on a shiny surface like a bottle of wine (especially a dark bottle of red) can be a bit tricky I decided to wire up my MacBook Pro, and tether through Aperture for this shoot, so I could more closely inspect the details of each image, and adjust accordingly.  I haven’t tethered in a while, and forgot how nice it was to look at files on a 15-inch notebook screen as opposed to the 2-inch screen on the back of my camera.  Another benefit to tethering this shoot is that all of the files were immediately available for editing after the shoot was completed, which allowed me to deliver the images to the client within their tight time frame.

Studio setup with a Canon EOS 20D tethered to a 15-inch MacBook Pro via USB 2.0. Lighting with 1 Alien Bees 800 shooting through a Large soft box, which was flagged to provide a strip box effect.

As with most things in life, I like simplicity, so to keep lighting as simple as possible, I used a one light setup with a reflector.  I’ve found over the years that the more lights you try to add, the more problems pop up.  The main light for this shoot was an AlienBees: B800 flash unit with a Paul C. Buff large foldable softbox, that was flagged by a piece of black fabric to provide a stripbox like look.  I used a white reflector to bounce a small amount of fill light back onto the label of the bottle to give it a little bit of extra pop, and provide an additional highlight reflection in the bottle to help give it some shape.  The main reason for flagging the larger square softbox into a more narrow rectangle is to provide a slimmer catch light reflection in the bottle itself.  The wider box ratio would have made the highlight a bit too wide for my liking.

I positioned the main light about four feet back from the bottle at varying angles to provide the highlight I was looking for, and then rotated the bottle to make sure that it was in the proper position and would interfere with the label.

When it was all over to total shoot with production time took about four hours to achieve the look that the client was interested in seeing.  The images should be up on the client’s site soon, so check them out over at http://www.spanishvines.com and give this awesome wine a try, the next time you are in the mood for Tapas or your Spanish meal.

NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, takes the high line into turn 1 at Darlington Raceway, during the 60th running of the Southern 500, on Saturday, May 9, 2009, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

The clock showed it was 2am, as I made way home to Columbia in the back seat of Mary Ann’s car early Sunday morning, following the 60th running of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, in Darlington, SC. I was completely drained from two non-stop days of making my way around the “Lady in Black” while on assignment for the Associated Press, but was content as could be, and didn’t mind the fact that it would be 3am or later before my head hit the pillow.

A crew member for NASCAR Sprint Cup series driver Michael Waltrip, inspects tires in the garage area at Darlington Raceway, before the 60th running of the Southern 500, on Saturday, May 9, 2009, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

For me, the spring race weekend at Darlington is one of those events that I look forward to every year. Perhaps its my male DNA, or my southern heritage, coming to the surface, but I love cars, and the idea of getting paid to photograph some of the fastest cars, and best drivers in the world for two solid days, just puts a smile on my face. This is my third consecutive year of photographing Darlington weekend, and it has somehow managed to fill the void of not being able to cover my other favorite May sporting event, the Kentucky Derby.  Working in an environment like a NASCAR track is something that you have to experience to truly understand.  When my friends who aren’t into cars, or car racing, see my excitement as Mother’s Day Weekend approaches every year, I always have to explain why I have so much fun taking photos of “guys driving in circles.”

The pit crew for NASCAR Sprint Cup series driver Joey Lagano, works to complete a pit stop, during the 60th running of the Southern 500, at Darlington Raceway on, Saturday, May 9, 2009, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

To me working a NASCAR race is the closest you can come to photographing a riot or working in a war zone.  Its one of those places, where you have to work with your head on a swivel, especially in the garage area while the practice sessions are going on.  During the few hours these teams have to get their cars dialed in for the track conditions before qualifying it is pure chaos, as cars are constantly coming in and out of their designated garage stalls, all rushing to get the most they can out of their machines, with little regard for anything other than that.  One of the most difficult things about working in the garage area is that you can’t hear anything due to the ear plugs you are required to wear to salvage your hearing.  You can’t understand how loud these cars are until you are around 5-10 of them starting up simultaneously.  During the practice sessions the mood of the garage area changes from pure chaos, to hurry up and wait, as drivers take the track to see if the adjustments their crews have made, make the difference they need to push their cars to the edge.

NASCAR Sprint Cup series driver, Clint Bowyer, center, talks with his crew, during the practice session for the Southern 500, at Darlington Raceway, Friday, May 8, 2009, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

The crew for NASCAR Sprint Cup series driver, Matt Kenseth, wait on their driver to return to the garage area, during the practice session for the Southern 500, at Darlington Raceway, Friday, May 8, 2009, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

As day turns to dusk, the chaos of practice wraps up, and gives way to the much more organized qualifying sessions (which were cancelled for the NASCAR Nationwide series and postponed for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series this year due to a passing series of thunder storms this year). Once all drivers are qualified for the race, and have their assigned starting positions for the week, the Nationwide series

Drivers make their way around Darlington Raceway, as a full moon rises over the front straightaway stands, during the 60th running of the Southern 500 on Saturday, May 9, 2009, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

race can begin.  By the time that relatively short race is over, and the images are transmitted back to AP in New York, it is just after 12:30 am before you pack up, and head home after a 15 hour day, only to be back at the track 8 hours later for festivites for the main event.

Saturday morning at the track is a completely different atmosphere than Friday morning, which gave me time to take in the sights a little bit.  As I leasurely walked around the track making images of pre-race features, I visited the FOX broadcast compund to chat with a friend who was working as the technical director for the days broadcast, had some interesting coversations with some of the races past winners including Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and David Pearson, made friends with fans who were just waking up from the revelry the night before, and snapped some photos with my BlackBerry 8900 for a few twitter and faceook updates.  During my exploration, I noticed some changes that made this weekend feel a little bit more like the races of old, than the new world of corporate sponsorships.  This year, NASCAR and Darlington decided to go old school, and revive the name of the Southern 500, which used to be the fall race held at the track.  They also decided to paint the wall the retro red and white candy stripe to coincide with the 60th running of this event.  After dropping off my pre-race photos to be transmitted to AP in New York, I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the press center, and geared up for driver introductions, and the start of the race.

The sun was just starting to set over turn four as the green flag droped, and the 37 cars in the field charged down the front straightaway.  After capturing the start of the race, I began moving around to the positions I had scouted earlier in the day to begin making the images that I wanted.  First up was the outside of turn one, where I was blasted with little bits of rubber, and sprayed with grease and oil as the pack charged past me at well over 100mph.  After a making a few images from that position I was happy with I made my way back to the media center for my first card drop of the night, and then began floating around the pit area making images of the leading drivers and their crews as they came in for fuel, fresh tires, and minor adjustments.  As the night wore on, and the full moon begain to rise over the stands, my lack of sleep didn’t seem to phase me, as I was running on pure adreniline.  After 500 miles around the Lady in Black, several dramatic crashes, and lead changes, previous Southern 500 winner, and 50 year old driver Mark Martin, took the checkered flag in distinguished fashion, with no burnout and a simple victory lap.  It seemed like a fitting end in to an evening that was 60 years in the making, and as my head hit the pillow in Columbia three and a half hours later, I couldn’t have been happier that I was there to witness it with my own two eyes, and the two camers over my shoulders.

Fans watch drivers make their way around Darlington Raceway on the jumbo screen, during the Diamond Hill Plywood 200, Friday, May 8, 2009, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

My first fine art photography show Symbology, installed in the black box theatre at the Columbia Music Festival association.

As I sat on the porch where I currently live, listening to the water fall in the Koi pond, and trying to catch up on growing email inbox this morning, I ran across a facebook message from a few weeks ago that new friend and fellow artist Anastasia Chernoff sent, after visiting my photo show, the subject of that message was “The after-show glow…”  In her message she equated the emotions of putting your first show together, to giving birth to a baby (something I’ll never know about), and went on to say “…the opening night was all so beautifully surreal. An incredible high that, to this day, STILL resonates within me when I think about it.”  That last statement is something I can now completely understand though.  Now that I look back on the whole experience of my show which closed at the conclusion of the 2009 Artista Vista three weeks ago, it STILL resonates within me, and I’m sure it will continue to, for the rest of my life.  While my entire life has been a complete whirlwind for the past 3 months, filled with the stresses of work, travel, putting on my first show, and trying to buy my first home, I sit here this morning feeling the calmest, and certainly the most content I’ve been in the past 8 months, all thanks to the wonderful friends, and family who now share my life with me.

Five months ago I could never have imagined that I would find my voice as an artist in the midst of all the turmoil that was surrounding me, nor could I have hoped for the amount of support that I received in making this show a reality.  None of this would have been possible without those family and friends, both new and old, that I now treasure more than ever.  In recent months they have guided me, and supported me, through the process of this show, searching for a home, and the emotional stress of losing what I had come to think of as the most important thing in my life.  My long-term relationship with a person who I truly loved.  Now what they have helped me rebuild is even better than before.

For this reason I can’t thank my family, friends, and colleagues; Katie, J. Lee, Betsy, Chip, Lesley, Nicole, Natasha, Rich, Jay, Jody, Chris, Kim Kim, Gerry, Jeff, Meg, Jody, and last but certainly not least the Villanova crew, enough with any amount of words or deeds.  I could not have made it this far without you, and owe you far more than I could ever repay.  Also to those who found me and asked that I put this show on at the right time in my life, and offered more support and encouragement than I could have ever dreamed to help make my show a reality, the Columbia Music Festival Association, Susan & Steve, John Whitehead, Cindi Boiter, The Mouse House, The Frame Shop, Moses and the Ritz crew, everyone at Adorama Pix, for the amazing prints, thank you just isn’t enough!

A special thanks goes out to all of the following media outlets who helped me to promote the show and my work.

• Stir Magazine Vol. 5 – Click Here to read the PDF article by Cindi Boiter
• Be “Undefined” Art Blog
• Artista Vista: Views from the galleries by Otis Taylor: The State
• Renewed Energy at 2009 Artista Vista by Mary Bentz Gilkerson: The Free Times
• Art against the tide by Jeffrey Day: Carolina Culture
• Carolina Arts

A political protester grasps a confederate battle flag, outside of town hall meeting at Seawell's, in Columbia, S.C., for Republican presidential hopeful John McCain.

The proceeding statement was the founding basis for my first fine art photography show titled “Symbology,” which contains 15 16×20 format silver halide prints, from editorial images which I have created over the past decade as a freelance photojournalist.

The show will run April 23-25, 2009, at the Columbia Music Festival Association located at 914 Pulaski St. in Columbia, SC. Click Here to View a Map. 

Symbology will open with a free reception on Art Night, Thursday, April 23, 2009 from 4-9pm.

The show will continue on Friday, April 24, 2009, with gallery hours from 11am-3pm, followed by a special performance from local rock band, All Walks of Life from 7pm-Until.  Tickets for the show are $5, and can be purchased at CMFA in advance or at the door.

Gallery hours will continue on Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 11am-3pm, and will conclude with a special talk, and question and answer session from 2-3pm.

For more information on Artista Vista, Columbia’s Premier Gallery Crawl, visit their website www.artistavista.com or Click Here to download a PDF gallery map.

I have also recently come to understand that the right things find you at the right time, when you need them the most. Those things you find can be as simple as a sunset, or as complicated as a book, that teaches you not to take things for granted, and reminds you to always follow your dreams. If those things found you any sooner they wouldn’t impact you in the way they do when you really need them. This reaization held true when I saw a link to a YouTube video of Apple Founder, Steve Jobs 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, on my friend’s twitter feed this morning. I have always been a fan of Steve Jobs and his visionary thinking, and this speech is no exception.

This video holds special significance to me, since I also graduated from college in the same year. While I could sit here, and pine away at the idea of hearing this speech, or one equally as deep and motivational at my own graduation from Western Kentucky University, four years ago, I don’t think it would have impacted me seeing it now has. Seeing this speech is a reminder to me, never to loose the idealism, and passion for what I have worked so hard to achieve. So “Stay hungry, stay foolish…”

Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

While last year was tough for me personally, and professionally (we are all dealing with this down economy).  The year of 2009 has started off for me with a great deal of opportunity and promise, with several great adventures already in the books that I can’t wait to share with you, and others that are out there which I don’t even know about yet.  I am going through a period of tremendous growth again, after being somewhat stagnant creatively for some time, and I am very excited for what the future holds.

The gallery of images contained in this post is never usually seen outside of contest judging rooms, where they may only get a brief glimpse of time on a projector screen.  With that in mind, I would like to have the opportunity to share some of my favorite images of the year with those of you who read this blog.  I sincerely hope you enjoy, and feel free to share your own stories, comments and critiques.

I wish you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2009!

9/27/07 - Columbia, S.C., Local alternative rock band Closer, rehearses for their upcoming performance at the Five Points End of Construction Celebration on Friday, October 5, 2007. The group which has been together off and on for almost eight years consists of David Reed, (vocals, guitar), David Baker, (bass), and Nathan Reed, (drums). © 2008 Brett Flashnick/All Rights Reserved

After reading the story The Day the Music Died in The State today, about how Richaland County just shut down all of the bands that practice at the Sumter Street Storage sheds, I really can’t help but wonder what can be done to help make this area more friendly to the creative community.  The Sumter Street Storage facility was not only a safe haven for up and coming musicians to practice over the past 20 years, but it was a source of creativity for my own visual art as well.  I made the above image of the alt. rock band Closer as the practiced inside of their rented shed in late 2007.  I cringe to think of all the tax money that the Columbia Talent Management project just spent on a survey about how to attract the creative class to the area, when the answer is simple.  Prove that you are there to support them!  Most creatives didn’t get into their respective fields to get rich, or famous, they probably didn’t even choose it at all, it chose them.  We create because there isn’t anything else we could envision doing, or because creating fills a deeper part of our souls and fulfills our lives, and the lives of those who are inspired by what we create, be it music, art, poetry, etc…  The easiest thing you can do to help out is show them that they have your support.  I know this was a ruling made by the county fire marshall, but what now?  Now is the time for Columbia to step up and provide, or just even allow a place like Sumter Street Storage to operate.

As featured in the Oct. 30 - Nov. 6 MSNBC TWiP: As tears stream down his cheek, Quentin Patrick, center, clad in a red prison jumpsuit, signs paperwork during his bond hearing at the Sumter-Lee County Detention center, Monday, Nov. 3, 2008, in Sumter, S.C. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

As I checked my Facebook page before heading out for a 12 hour photo day on Saturday, I was a bit perplexed when I saw that friend and fellow shooter Chris Keane had left me a note for me to check out MSNBC’s The Week in Pictures for Oct. 30 – Nov. 6, 2008.  Much to my surprise one of my images from the bond hearing of Quentin Patrick, who is accused of killing 12-year-old, trick-or-treater, T.J. Darrisaw, when he fired 29 rounds from his AK-47 through the front door of his house in Sumter, S.C., upon seeing the 3 masked figures, outside of his home on Halloween night, and thinking he was about to be robbed.  This image came from my second day of covering this extremely emotional tragedy for the Associated Press, and can be found in Oct. 30 – Nov. 6, TWiP at the following link http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27578284/displaymode/1107/framenumber/7/s/2/