Hi Brooke,

I am sorry for responding this late, you mentioned that you wanted to shoot my idea, which I think is very kind of you and I would love to see your interpretation of it. Keep up the good work.

regards

Dom

To go to After Dark and have the opportunity to work & learn from you has been a goal of mine since my instructor Marico Fayre suggested I check out work. She thought that I would enjoy your work and find it inspirational. She was right, of course she was.

Not only do your create amazing images that push the imagination and bring to reality what is in our dreams but you are an inspiring person. You do so much for the community.

I would love to sit and have tea with you and chat and of course create some images.

I had not heard of After Dark before and so glad that you shared them with us. There are so many amazing photographers that will be there from March 30-April 2.

I started my business in 2007 and went back to school in 2009 and have been working on my MFA in Fine Art Photography. Currently, I am working on Thesis, Mental State, which is a series that explores my experiences and memories of depression using metaphors. There are several images that I need to still work out but there are many techniques that I’ve yet to master and know that you are able to do. I would love love to learn from you. It would help me to create several images for my thesis and to push my skills to the next level.

Melissa

*I many years back, let myself down. I wasn’t true to myself or my heart. However, as of recent, thanks to you, I feel I found a focus and have a desire. More than anything, I want to find the ability to express myself and do something I truly love in order to be a better father. My children are amazing and mean everything to me. They are incredibly gifted creatively and I no longer want to be the father that needs to inspire them by telling them to follow their dreams and passions to avoid ending up in a position like me. I want to be the father who leads by example; to be myself, to not be afraid to express my feelings, and mostly to follow my passions and dreams to be truly happy and fulfilled. *

These is my musings/ramblings about where that comes from if you care to read:

A little less than 20 years ago, I set off to college as an Art Major. Due to some struggles (time and money), I ended up taking the easy route and graduated with a business degree. Ever since I’ve been working jobs that allowed my wife and I to get by as she continued her schooling and pursuing her passion; working and teaching autistic children.
About a year and a half ago, I was really in a dark place and looking for a way to escape. I had gotten a camera 2 years earlier to take pictures of my children. I took a tech-school enrichment course and was introduced to a 365 being done by a local photographer. He did these amazing storytelling self-portraits. I was really inspired, though hadn’t done any type of art in 10+ years. I made a few attempts and they didn’t turn out anywhere near how they looked in my mind. Though, I was still inspired and didn’t want to give up, so I spend the next year trying to learn lighting, posing, editing and so one. My images were better. The lighting more interesting, the work was more polished, I was getting lots of positive feedback, but to me, the more images I produced, the more I found them lacking purpose when I would go back to look at them.
Jane, the model you invited to last week’s Creative Live, has been so good to me since I first met her about a year and a half ago. Even when I knew nothing, she made me feel welcomed at a time I struggled to find creative people to work with and learn from. She been a huge influence in my photography and was actually the subject of my first published image late last year. As a result of these things, I wanted to watch to support Jane.
Too be honest, I wasn’t completely aware of your portfolio or style prior to CL, but after taking a look I was very intrigued. Midway through the second day of CL, I felt as if my eyes were opened. I realized for how I wanted to shoot, I was going about it all wrong. It wasn’t about key and fill lighting, freezing you subject, perfect shots straight out of camera. It is about pulling your personal thoughts and passion out from within you., It is about expression of yourself through the model, their movement, their actions. After those three days, the way I wanted to think about creating images had change. You have inspired me and I am honored to be inspired by you.

A huge fan of you as an artist, teacher and motivator,
Sincerly,
Jason

But, let’s get to why I would love this AD opportunity. I want to learn and grow, and do so HANDS ON with someone I look up to. I would love to physically learn from a human being and observe professionals that specialize in what I love/dream about on a minute to minute basis. I love self-teaching and watching tutorial videos online, but I’m ready to be taught and surrounded by others that have my same passions….I have not found that community yet. Taking instruction and guidance from you of all people would be an absolute joy, honor, and dream come true. Thanks for taking the time to read this! I hope that just maybe I get to see you very soon! 😀 -Sarah