Inner Vision: 56 - 60

Day 56: My Block
My third walk around my block, camera in hand and Carl in tow. Colorful scooters caught my eyes - colors and hues what a surprise!

When: 16 May
Where: my block, South Beach
Inner Thoughts: I think I'm starting to get it now, thanks to a walk around the block with Carl.

Jennifer Kay is a Miami-based reporter for The Associated Press who has enrolled in Iris' IPC Visual Lab. Before moving to Miami in 2005, Kay was an editorial assistant in the AP’s Philadelphia bureau, and previously graduated in 2001 from Dartmouth College, where she was the photography editor of the daily student newspaper. Kay is looking to expand her knowledge of the visual language and to engage in the process of visual story-telling. Her blog will be a common feature for the next several month on the Iris PhotoCollective's Iris Rising series.



Day 57: Game
A tighter crop (sense a theme in this batch of daily frames?) draws the focus to the game that's just begun.

When: 18 May, 5:36 p.m.
Where: poolside, South Beach
What: A game of hide-and-seek begins.

Days 58-59: Blanks
Something interesting probably happened on these days, but I was too preoccupied to pick up a camera to capture it. Photo student failed.



Day 60: Mayor
I tried to fit in photographing someone I was interviewing at a conference before he had to leave. What I didn't anticipate was how routine the experience might be for him, a public figure in Haiti. As soon as I pulled out my camera, he began a series of "official poses" that he's probably accustomed to making before or after interviews at home. It was very formal, and I was kind of at a loss as to how I would make a portrait that was interesting while he was taking up what little time we had with his posing.


When: 20 May, 10:37 a.m.
Where: Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference, Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale
Who: Yvon Jerome, mayor of Carrefour, Haiti
Inner Thoughts: I'm trying to taking pictures of the people I'm covering, but under the time crunch this just came out as a headshot.

Inner Vision: Day 51 - 55

Day 51: Graffiti
The narrow view of the graffiti through the fences gives a "peeping tom" sense to this scene. It's as if the curtains are being pulled apart on a secret scene.

When: 11 May, 7:29 a.m.
Where: Alton Road between 9th and 10th, South Beach
Inner Thoughts: I just liked how the light looked in this empty lot and coming through the green fences.

Jennifer Kay is a Miami-based reporter for The Associated Press who has enrolled in Iris' IPC Visual Lab. Before moving to Miami in 2005, Kay was an editorial assistant in the AP’s Philadelphia bureau, and previously graduated in 2001 from Dartmouth College, where she was the photography editor of the daily student newspaper. Kay is looking to expand her knowledge of the visual language and to engage in the process of visual story-telling. Her blog will be a common feature for the next several month on the Iris PhotoCollective's Iris Rising series.



Day 52: Light
Cropping out the tree at the bottom eliminates the composition problem the tree posed. Doing so focuses on the light and abstract elements in the building reflecting the morning light.

When: 12 May, 7:17 a.m.
Where: 6th and Alton, South Beach
Inner Thoughts: I wish the tree was better framed here. This flyover is the favorite part whenever I drive onto the beach, and on this morning I really liked the tone of the light reflecting off the glass windows and the concrete.



Day 53: Imbalance
There would be symmetry, except for this group of people oddly clustered together at one end of the frame.

When: 13 May, 8:47 p.m.
Where: Terminal D, Miami International Airport
Inner Thoughts: I really like airports, the feeling of perpetual motion toward a vanishing point. This group of people had so much escalator space available to them, yet they all clustered together, even though I don't think they were traveling together.



Day 54: Red light
I could have solved the light problem by just focusing on the hand pouring the drink in the first place, instead of trying to get in the whole scene.

When: 14 May, 11:35 p.m.
Where: The Elbow Room, Pensacola
Inner Thoughts: Someday, I'm going to notice the bright white spot of light that distracts the eye in my frames *before* I press the shutter. Someday.



When: 15 May, 3:33 p.m.
Where: Pensacola, Florida
What: Sherman, my friend Kris' miniature pincher
Inner Thoughts: I don't know how to solve this problem: Where should I have been setting my light meter, on the dog or the porch?

Inner Vision: 46 - 50

Day 46: 2 Women

When I shot this frame, I mostly saw the symmetry of the two women on either side of the trash can. Carl saw an analysis in the frame: What the women carries reveals information about where each is in her life, how much she needs to buy from the same store.

When: 6 May, 7:02 p.m.
Where: outside Publix, 6th and Alton, South Beach
Inner Thoughts: I saw these two women outside the grocery store, and the way they were standing immediately reminded me of something Carl and I had discussed: put something between two things, and you show that those two things are equal.

Jennifer Kay is a Miami-based reporter for The Associated Press who has enrolled in Iris' IPC Visual Lab. Before moving to Miami in 2005, Kay was an editorial assistant in the AP’s Philadelphia bureau, and previously graduated in 2001 from Dartmouth College, where she was the photography editor of the daily student newspaper. Kay is looking to expand her knowledge of the visual language and to engage in the process of visual story-telling. Her blog will be a common feature for the next several month on the Iris PhotoCollective's Iris Rising series.



Day 47: Blimp
The tiny blimp in the sky is the most interesting thing in the frame. I was initially interested in just the blank space of the white towel, about whether it meant someone was gone or coming back, and why someone would bring such a short towel to sunbathe.

When: 7 May, 3:32 p.m.
Where: poolside, South Beach
Inner Thoughts: I should have kept trying for a different angle. I was really just interested in this white towel and the blank space it was creating in the frame, how it could mean either that someone was coming back or that someone was gone for good.



Day 48: Yulia
This is my second attempt at the round-my-block assignment. I met Yulia early one this Sunday morning, not long after she finished working at my neigborhood bar. I shot several photos of her and two other bartenders whose happy hour happened to be breakfast-time for most other passers-by.

When: 8 May, 7:41 a.m.
Where: outside Dewey's, South Beach
Who: Yulia, a bartender who's just finished work on a Sunday morning.
Inner Thoughts: I'm still documenting my block, and Yulia and a couple co-workers who happened to be some of the people I encountered on my block this morning.



Day 49: Reflection
A tighter crop enhances the monochromatic composition, broken by the red T-shirt. It works because there's a sense of scale, the curves and the straight lines play off each other, and the subject is interacting with his environment. There's also a distortion at his fingertip on the glass, where reality meets imagination.

When: 9 May, 5:29 p.m.
Where: "Morris" sculpture, Lincoln Road, South Beach
Inner Thoughts: I love this glass bubble sculpture because it always has someone in it or walking right up to it, staring into the distorted reflections. I shot this from the second story of the parking garage on the north side of this plaza, and I liked how this angle gave a sense of the sculpture's scale.



Day 50: Circles and Lines
A tighter crop focuses more sharply on how the circles in the bowls and spoons break up the straight lines in the sink. The emptiness of the bowls and jars gives the frame an abstract quality.

When: 10 May, 6:48 p.m.
Where: kitchen, South Beach
Inner Thoughts: Sometimes it's really, really hard to leave the house.

IPC Visual Lab Open House - Sept 16th, 2011

IRIS Rising
IPC Visual Lab is holding its Open House and Exhibition on Friday,
September 16th, 2011 in conjunction with the Rhythm Foundation's Big Night in Little Haiti Third Friday event.

The photography of present and past IPC Visual Lab students along with the works of instructors, André Chung, CW Griffin, Carl Juste, and Jeffery A. Salter will be showcased inside the beautiful gallery of the Little Haiti Cultural Center.

Instructors and students will be present to answer any questions.




IPC Visual Lab classes begin September 24th and ends on December 3rd, 2011.
IPC Visual Lab offers Beginning, Intermediate, and Advance Study classes for both adults and youths. Registration for classes is $20.00 and tuition is listed below.


Youth/Adult
Beginning Class 400.00/550.00
Intermediate Class 500.00/750.00
Advance Studies tba/1250.00

Inner Vision: Day 41 - 45

Jennifer Kay is a Miami-based reporter for The Associated Press who has enrolled in Iris' IPC Visual Lab. Before moving to Miami in 2005, Kay was an editorial assistant in the AP’s Philadelphia bureau, and previously graduated in 2001 from Dartmouth College, where she was the photography editor of the daily student newspaper. Kay is looking to expand her knowledge of the visual language and to engage in the process of visual story-telling. Her blog will be a common feature for the next several month on the Iris PhotoCollective's Iris Rising series.



Day 41: Restaurant Reflection
This frame was from the first of my three around-the-block attempts. I shot this frame in the early morning and I wanted to get the reflection of the sunrise in this restaurant window, while also revealing glimpses of the restaurant's interior. I just needed to find an angle where the sun wasn't too high over the buildings across the street.

I woke up early on May 1 with really good intentions about documenting my block. I picked the early morning instead of the evening because the block faces east and the light is better in the mornings. For the first time, I noticed what a weird shadow the pigeon-deterring owl on my balcony casts on the drapes in my apartment. I knew the rising sun's light would make the colors of the buildings richer and make for interesting reflections in the windows; I was thinking about how the Caribbean Market was reflected in the windows of the building across the street. I thought I could find the graphic elements I like and then have them broken up by passers-by. What I didn't count on was someone seeing me with my camera and deciding I was some kind of threat; he followed me and kept yelling at me and generally made anyone who might have walked into my frame give me a wide berth. I cut my walk around the block short because he just wouldn't leave me alone. So, I tried, but I have to try this again, maybe on a less paranoid block.


Day 42: Shapes
There's not much to say about this frame, other than I found the repetition of the L-shape in the pipe and the dreamcatcher and then it's inversion in the wall interesting.

When: 2 May, 7:14 a.m.
Where: Garage, South Beach

Inner Thoughts: I really liked how the shape of the pipe was mirrored in the dream catcher. Also, I had never noticed the dreamcatcher until that morning.


Day 43: Alley
I like the blank white space of this house. It's like a blank canvas.

When: 3 May, 4:50 p.m.
Where: alley near Dewey's, South Beach

Inner Thoughts: For a few days, I kept passing an abandoned couch in this alley. By the time it occurred to me to photograph it, the couch was gone.


Day 44: Luke at Debate
The frame illustrates the problem with this particular candidates' forum and the special election in general -- no one showed up, so there wasn't a real exchange of ideas amongst the candidates or voters.

When: 4 May, 8:50 p.m.
Where: Booker T. Washington High School auditorium, Overtown
Who: Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Luther Campbell gets a little bored during a sparsely attended town hall meeting.

Inner Thoughts: Carl has assigned me the task of photographing the people I interview for work. The time management that requires is proving difficult. I need to find the time to pull out the camera when I won't be missing something I need to write down for a story.



Day 45: Shapes
Look, more shapes! That is all.

When: 5 May, 6:48 p.m.
Where: kitchen, South Beach
Inner Thoughts: I'm getting a little tired of taking a picture every day. I will never get tired of avocados, though.

Inner Vision: Day 36 - 40

Jennifer Kay is a Miami-based reporter for The Associated Press who has enrolled in Iris' IPC Visual Lab. Before moving to Miami in 2005, Kay was an editorial assistant in the AP’s Philadelphia bureau, and previously graduated in 2001 from Dartmouth College, where she was the photography editor of the daily student newspaper. Kay is looking to expand her knowledge of the visual language and to engage in the process of visual story-telling. Her blog will be a common feature for the next several month on the Iris PhotoCollective's Iris Rising series.

Day 36: Airport
We didn't have much to say about this frame, other than that it was a success.

When: 26 April, 5:29 p.m.
Where: Miami International Airport
Exposure: F3.3, 1/320, ISO80

Inner Thoughts: Yes, you've seen this composition before, graphic element, reflection, plus a person. But, this is what airports look like to me: people carrying bags hurriedly walking past windows.


Day 37: Problem Tree
The original frame I sent had a glaring problem: A tree sharply in focus in a distracting block of light between two boys sitting on a stoop. Cropping the frame down to just one of the boys eliminated the problem and revealed something interest about his expression and the distorted perspective of his hands.

When: 27 April, 5:24 p.m.
Where: 13th and Meridian, South Beach
Exposure: F3.3, 1/200, ISO80

Inner Thoughts: Can I at least get credit for trying? How is that I miss the giant block of light in the background every single time? #annoyed


Day 38: Dryers
After awhile, the machines start to look a little alive, like one dryer is trying to block the other.

When: 28 April, 6:47 p.m.
Where: laundry room, South Beach
Exposure: F3.3, 1/100, ISO800

Inner Thoughts: I fall back on the familiar when I'm still frustrated about the frame that I didn't get right the day before.


Day 39: Luke on camera
Again, relying on a crop to highlight what's interesting in the frame. I just didn't have the right angle or height to get the shot I intended to.

When: 29 April, 3:58 p.m.
Where: Liberty City youth center. Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Luther "Luke" Campbell poses for cell phone pictures with staff and teens.
Exposure: F3.4, 1/125, ISO1600

Inner Thoughts: I was thinking about a photo Evan Vucci recently moved on AP wires from a presidential news conference, in which he captured an image of Obama at the podium in the screen of someone holding up a cell phone. It was an interesting picture for a routine political event, and I wanted to capture something similar.

Inner Vision: Day 32 - 35

Jennifer Kay is a Miami-based reporter for The Associated Press who has enrolled in Iris' IPC Visual Lab. Before moving to Miami in 2005, Kay was an editorial assistant in the AP’s Philadelphia bureau, and previously graduated in 2001 from Dartmouth College, where she was the photography editor of the daily student newspaper. Kay is looking to expand her knowledge of the visual language and to engage in the process of visual story-telling. Her blog will be a common feature for the next several month on the Iris PhotoCollective's Iris Rising series.



Day 32: Glass
It's almost a mirror image, but the asymmetry gives the frame more interest because it raises questions: Who left these here? A half-empty bottle makes sense, but who carries around a glass tumbler and then leaves it on a wall outside Whole Foods!

When: 22 April, 6:51 p.m.
Where: outside Whole Foods, South Beach
Exposure: F3.7, 1/500, ISO800
Inner thoughts: The larger assignment is to explore my block, so I'm trying to incorporate that into the daily frame assignments. Sometimes it's not the people that are so interesting to me as the evidence of people.



Day 33: Themes
A tighter crop on this frame focuses the viewer on its opposite themes: age and youth, hands and feet, beginnings and endings.

When: 23 April, 5:27 p.m.
Where: Mundelein, IL
Exposure: F3.5, 1/80, ISO1600
Inner thoughts: I have to be honest, I really didn't want to do anything more than hang out with my family. I feel like I should have worked the angles on this more while my mother put tiny sandals onto my niece's tiny feet.



Day 34: Eyes
When I shot this image, the focus for me was on the strawberry and the girl's gesture. She wanted to feed me this strawberry. What Carol focused on, though, was the kindness and determination in her eyes. A clean background also makes this image work by not distracting from the girl's face or gesture.

When: 24 April, 2:22 p.m.
Where: Mundelein, IL
Exposure: F4, 1/100, ISO2500
Inner thoughts: Toddlers do, in fact, toddle, and quickly. It was difficult to get a clean frame of a fast-moving person in low light.



Day 35: Window
Again, a tighter crop sharpens the focus on the relationship between these train passengers, and between the passengers and their environment. I liked Carl's interpretation of the image, that the passengers looked like fish looking through the glass of their fish bowl.



When: 25 April, 12:10 p.m.
Where: Metra train, somewhere northwest of Chicago
Exposure: F4, 1/200, ISO2500
Inner thoughts: This marks the half-way point of this daily frame project. I wanted to capture the light coming through the windows on this train on a cloudy day.