downpour

these images draw me in... not unlike a scary movie that I know I shouldn't watch, but can't help myself. eerie, sexy, dark, light, relaxing and tense all at the same time! for awhile now I have been wanting to take more "water" images. anyone who may be interested in modeling for my water project, let me know.



level 3


I was taught once, that there are three levels for categorizing photographic images.

Level 1- Descriptive

Every photo describes something. A red wall. A foot. Black teeth. Easy enough to grasp. Every photo every taken is a level one photo, it has to describe something...even if only to describe light and dark.

Level 2- Story Telling

Level 2 photographs tell a story. There are verbs in these images. A man painting a red wall. A foot being stepped on. Black teeth chewing on meat (gross..sorry). Not every photo is a story telling image, but if you succeed in creating one, you have taken it above only the descriptive and are entering the realm of photojournalism.

Level 3- Emotional

Evoke emotion. What good is any piece of art if it doesn't make you feel? I don't care if you hate, cry, feel uncomfortable...or maybe even experience some surreal state of euphoria. What good is living if you don't feel something? What good is art if it doesn't change you? If I was really trying to create an image I loved, I would always look to make it a level 3. Level 3's matter. While the 1's and 2's are nice and pretty and important in their own right, the 3's change you. I want to be changed.

The reason I went off on that photojournalism 101 lesson was because I've been thinking about those pesky level 3's. The tricky part to a level 3 is that most times it's subjective. Others feel what others don't.....also if you are there, or have experienced what the picture shows, this may give you an unfair advantage when it comes to connection with any given image.

When I look at my Colombia images I feel things. When editing through some of them yesterday I even got teary eyed. I don't expect that everyone (or anyone) will have the same response as I did because I was there. I held the baby, whispered the song in her ear. I kissed the hurt finger put in front of my face to make it all better. I saw the beds and smelled the roads. I touched hands and kissed cheeks.

My greatest hope is that I am not the only one that feels something... I honestly believe that my photography is pointless if it doesn't push emotion...but don't get me wrong I take tons of descriptive images. I love signs and details and colors and walls....but I would be lying if I said taking those images made me feel purposeful.

The whole purpose of me going to Colombia was to tell the story of certain people, certain children in need and hopefully in the story telling effort strike a cord in the viewer to act.

Global family. Everyone is responsible. If there is just one baby in a town starving it is everyones responsibility, not just the orphaned mothers. This is the part about knowledge that I think makes most people comfortable in a state of ignorance. Knowledge means you know and knowing means you then see and seeing means you have become responsible as a resident of human earth to do something.

Colombia was a level 3 for me, I know... because I came back different.

To donate/help/learn more, visit www.sxhu.org

Colombia-Bogota Day 1

I flew in yesterday to Bogota for a one week assignment shooting for Southern Cross Humanitarian. After my first flight was delayed an hour flying from LAX to ATL, I had to run, full force...camera bags flying, to barely make on my flight to Bogota. I actually had to yell to the gate agent as I turned the corner. So I made it, sweating, but my poor little bag did not and I spent my first day 1/2 in Bogota without a toothbrush...or my headlamp!

My group and I checked into our hotel and headed out to the "Tolerent Zone" around 12:30am. The purpose of our late night venture was for me to photograph minors participating in prostitution (the purpose of Southern Cross is to rescue children off the streets and into homes...).

I have lived in big cities, but have never had reason in the middle of the night to hang out by the brothels. 5 of us jammed into a tiny car and drove the streets. It was too dangerous for me to walk around with my cameras, so my only option was to photograph from the car and twice got out of the car, with the four others close by for protection.

It was a humbling experience and frustrating. This was one time where being invisible would have been perfect. I needed to walk around, talk to people, to really capture what I wanted...but the danger was too great. The feeling on those streets are hard to describe and most would have a hard time hearing the details. So many of children of God not knowing what they were worth, who they are and how great each of their spirits are.






The Big Island

Relaxation studied. Laying, reading, talking, turning, eating, looking, thinking...and I took some photos.

Anyone who knows my full name, knows how I love my Hawaii. I tend to dream about the island of Kauai most of the time, but you can find the humid, warm weather on all islands, so I take all and any.

I had an amazing week of lazing about with the Smith Family. No amount of good food or sleep time was spared.

This island has so many different looks. The Kona side, black with lava rock and the Hilo side green and covered with farm land. The first 2 images attached are about 3 minutes from each other. Amazing, right?!














Sundance, more please.

Here they are..some more.

I have officially spent more nights this past year with Mos Def than with some of my best friends. I hope he doesn't start thinking we're an item or something...and if he does I expect more eye contact when I'm pointing my camera in his face.

Michel Gondry (the director of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "Science of Sleep" and "Be Kind Rewind", among others), Jean-Michel Bernard and Mr. Mos Def all performed together highlighting music from their movie. It was pretty amazing. There is something about sitting cross legged on the floor in front of amazing music that makes you want to call everyone you know and freak out the second it's over.

Other performers that night included, The Everyothers and Patti Smith.

See more of my images from that night take a look here.

I also posted some randoms...1 of Danny Glover and another of a sweet sweater worn by a director from one of my screenings.

Enjoy and until next year, adieu.
















Sundance, Moondance

I realized looking at the sundance photos I was about to post, they were all dark, all taken at night....not very SUNdancy if you ask me. Why is the film festival called sundance anyhow? I should google that.

In January (which seems like it was 3 years ago) I shot up at sundance for Getty Images. It was...interesting. I shot a lot at screenings and some weird parties, but I did get to work at a couple of cool venues. The images I am posting are from a party that was hosted for the documentary group. If I get around to it I will post some images from a music party I shot there as well.

Out.





Peru 2007

There is no denying the pull I have when creating a photographic image. I pull towards people and color. This is not to say I am not frequently inspired by other things as well....shape, texture, the perfect stream of golden light, like a gift sent by heaven for me and only me......but eyes and color really get me. There is something so rich and expressive in both. Part of me really feels like I am cheating nature if I extract the color that is naturally found in or on something. It was probably my photography ethics class and my photojournalism class in collage that started this line of thinking. I'm already leaving out everything I decide not to include in my camera frame and I really wish I could include everything. Leaving out anything is hard....

So, this taste of the images I took in Peru last month is true to those two loves. Its hard not to feel connected when you lock eyes and lenses with a complete stranger. We may not have been able to carry on a conversation but there is definite communication...and if you browse through my other images you will see the amazing color that is found in Peruvian culture and landscape.

While is was there to hike the Inca Trail I was able to shoot for two different humanitarian organizations, Southern Cross Humanitarian and The Hope Alliance. One was in conjunction with an orphanage we brought supplies too and another was for a village assessment for future dental and medical teams to be brought out. Check out the bottom of this post to find links to the rest of the images.

I loved working with non profits and would love to take more trips like this one where I can give something I have to give. Peru was amazing and now I'm thinking Africa.....







To see more of my favorites from peru go to www.rachelthurston.com/peru
more from the Sunflower Orphanage, www.rachelthurston.com/sunflower

Torture

What it must be like for a child to have to be confined to a single seat in a stuffy airplane for hours is beyond me.

I know there are those people who cringe when a child is screaming a few rows behind them on a plane...and I'm not trying to be a saint when I say this, but I usually feel tremendous amounts of sympathy for them...so much so, that I have to restrain myself from wanting to try to calm the child myself. Maybe its the budding mother in me or maybe it's the bad parenting techniques I see implemented.

I think this child's airplane ride was different. He was so happy..and I dare say content. He lives most of the time in Utah (I think) with his mother and then comes to stay with his dad in LA once a month. Maybe he has become accustomed to airplanes being that he is constantly on them..or maybe he just likes to chill with his dad.

I liked peaking into these two's relationship for an hour or so. Sometimes I wonder how the little guy is and I hope he is still just as happy.








Is This Seat Taken?

Because of how much I have been traveling these last few months for work I came up with an idea to jazz up those long flights... environmental airplane portraits! So I decided I would try take portraits of the people sitting next to me in airplanes. I thought it would be an interesting exercise in personal comfort zones, some how portraying the awkward tension of two strangers sitting hip to hip on a crowded craft hovering hundred of miles above ground (not unlike being squished next to strangers on a crowded subway car underground). The task simple as it may sound, deemed to be trickier than anticipated. People ignore you. They want to sleep. They want to pretend I am not sitting inches away from them holding a camera on my lap. I had to get brave. I started asking when I knew I wouldn't get punched in the face (which would make for a extremely awkward flight). People were receptive. It was quite a bonding experience...but when is stealing part of persons soul not bonding?

Here are some of the first few attempts with more sure to follow.