alison tyne photography

Oh, 2011.

2012-01-05T09:00:00.024-05:00

Oh, 2011. What am I going to do with you? You have been a crazy challenging, amazingly beautiful year. Thank you for that. So much learned, lost, gained. Ups are always so much sweeter when shared with a few downs, and this year's experiences have attested to this. More than anything I have learned the importance of family, friendships, inner strength, and taking time to take care of oneself. It has been an interesting year, to say the least, and I am thankful, so thankful, darling 2011, for all the lessons, gifts, and sucker punches you have dealt. You've been sneaky, you've been memorable, you've been beautiful. And I'm grow grow growing, because of you.

2011 was both quiet and yet golly(!), so busy creatively. While I only created a few new pieces, I finally dipped my toes into the local art scene this summer, and spent the rest of the year jumping in and promoting my work. I confess I've been a bit shy about connecting with the Rochester art scene until now, but oh my, I've learned it is very. much. ALIVE. And I love it.

In July, I sold my work at the Corn Hill Arts Festival, and ended up winning first place for photography. Oh pleasant surprise! So much fun:

Oh hey, Dad! Both my parents were so helpful during the festival. :o)

I also participated in a handful of smaller art and craft fairs this year, where I met some amazing artists and musicians. Many have now become incredibly dear friends to me. Each fair left my heart smiling, so much talent in this little city.

Hearts and Crafts Indie Craft Market, Java's. Image courtesy of Lisa Barker Photography.

Holiday Art Bazaar, The Yards.

I was featured in the Fairport-ER Post in September, and one of my pieces found its way to the pages of the Democrat & Chronicle as well. Yay. :o)

I also got to work with some AMAZING couples this year. I love witnessing the love between two people and feel so honored when asked to document it. What better way to spend a day?

Most importantly, I had my first solo exhibit in Rochester! My show, Dreams & Other Worlds, was on display at the Genesee Arts Center from September to October. The opening reception was honestly one of the most moving experiences I had this year... so much support from so many people... I reconnected with some amazing friends and met so many local supporters. Thank you, Community Darkroom. You have been so wonderful to me.

Image courtesy of Bethany Young, Fairport-ER Post.

This has been a year of firsts and a year of gratitude. I feel so utterly blessed for everything I have been given, and so excited for the future. Thank you to all the wonderful, magical, darling souls who have made the time go by easily and have shown me how blessed I truly am. And to all my supporters near and far who have been cheering me on, you've been so kind to me and I am truly thankful for you.

And now, it is a new year, a year which I know will be full of creativity and self-love. I have big, big goals this year--artistically, musically, and personally--and could not be more excited. I'm shimmying and shaking, full of smiles and optimism... for life is moving forward in a very great way, and I don't want to miss a second of it.

2011, here is a mix dedicated to you:

1. Go Outside, The Cults

2. Pumped Up Kicks, Foster the People

3. Help I'm Alive, Metric

4. Bad Street, Twin Sister

5. Cruel, St. Vincent

6. Holy Holy, Wye Oak

7. Serpents, Sharon Van Etten

8. Calgary, Bon Iver

9. I Met up with a King, First Aid Kit

10. Polish Girl, Neon Indian

11. You Wanna Freak Out, My Morning Jacket

12. Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes

13. Lover's Spit, Broken Social Scene (featuring Feist)

14. Please, Tom McRae

15. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, Bob Dylan

16. Lost in my Mind, The Head and the Heart

17. Black Water, Timber Timbre

18. Video Games, Lana Del Rey

19. Lindesfarne I, James Blake

20. Lindesfarne II, James Blake

21. Little Bird, Lisa Hannigan

22. Midnight City, M83

23. Punching in a Dream, The Naked and Famous

24. Ho Hey, The Lumineers

2012, bring it. :o)

love & hugs,

Alison Tyne

ETSY SHOP SALE! 20% EVERYTHING FOR FACEBOOK FANS!!!

2011-06-22T20:12:00.002-04:00

Hello, beautiful blog friends!

I've reached over 400 facebook fans!!! To celebrate, I'm offering a 20% discount on ALL prints and cards in my etsy shop (www.alisontyne.etsy.com) to all facebook folks!!! Just "like" my facebook art page (www.facebook.com/alisontyne), send me a facebook message requesting the code, and I'll send it to you straight away!!! The code is valid until July 1st, and may be used on ANYTHING in my Etsy shop!!! Yippee! :o)

Love + Hugs XOXO,

Alison Tyne

Heartsy!!! ♥♥♥

2011-06-04T22:41:00.002-04:00

Hello, dear blog friends!

I was hoping you guys could take a minute to vote for my work on heartsy.me here:http://heartsy.me/deals/3726/like . I'm trying to get a coupon for my etsy shop featured on heartsy (it's like groupon for arts&crafts!) to generate more business for my etsy shop (www.alisontyne.etsy.com) and get my work out in the internet world! I hope you can help me out! And if you're feeling really swell, could you help spread the word? It would make my day full of sunshine!

love and hugs to you all!

Alison Tyne :o)

some Saturday inspiration

2011-02-19T13:04:00.006-05:00

Dear friends, have you seen this video? I've been meaning to share it for awhile... it is gorgeous and beautiful and I love it! I've been infatuated by this music video from Florence + The Machine since last year, and it's not very often that I am compelled to watch a music video this long after it comes out. So take a watch, and be inspired! And stay warm! It is cold here in New York, so we could all use something beautiful to cheer us up!

"Dog Days Are Over," Florence + The Machine

a most curious afternoon tea

2011-02-05T13:56:00.002-05:00

a most curious afternoon tea

I just wanted to share with you my newest piece, and let you know that it is now available in my print shop in large and small sizes! I hope you like it! I'm going to post a before and after on the shoot next week, so stay tuned!

my 5 favorite photographers

2011-02-01T00:02:00.018-05:00

I wanted to share some of my favorite photographers with you today. Some of them I've admired for years, and some of their work I've only recently discovered, but all of them are extremely talented and have somehow effected my work. They are true artists, and some of them push the limits of the medium so far that the line that separates photography from other mediums, such as painting, wears thin. So here you go! My top five favorite photographers. :o)

5. Jerry Uelsmann
Married to another one of my top-fivers (can you guess which one?), Uelsmann's work is surreal and fantastical. And.... his work is all done in the darkroom. Yep, you read correct. This is all layering of negatives, friends, no digital manipulation here. Just layers and dodging and burning. Jealous? Yes? Because I am. Beautiful? Compelling? Most definitely.

Untitled, Jerry Uelsmann, 1996.

4. Tim Walker
I stumbled upon Walker's work after falling in love with digital and manipulating pieces with my computer, so imagine my surprise when I learned that much of Walker's work is done without digital manipulation. With a use pastel, Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette colors, and dramatic sets, Walker's high-end fashion work is one part cinematic, one part dream. And he's young, so he's inspiring to someone just starting out, as well. I keep a copy of Tim Walker: Pictures on my nightstand. Sweet dreams to me. :o)

Caroline Trentini, New York City, American Vogue, Tim Walker, 2005.

3. Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange's work is what made me want to be a photographer, although I didn't realize this until much later. She is what made me fall in love with photography. I discovered her in middle school when I checked out a book of her work from my school library. I remember leafing through the book every night for weeks, amazed by Lange's ability to combine documentary work of the Great Depression with an extremely artistic and emotional side. Ever since, when doing any type of photojournalism, I am compelled to try and catch the personal side of an event to help tell the story. And my middle school is lucky they ever got the book back....

Migrant Mother, Dorothea Lange, 1936.

2. Maggie Taylor

When I finished the first piece in my Dreams series, entitled Sisson, and showed it to my college photography professor for the first time, she quickly pulled out a book of Maggie Taylor's work to share with me. I was blown away, who was this artist, and why hadn't I heard of her before? It was like we were kindred spirits, influenced by the same surreal subconsciousness. Her work is absolutely stunning. Is her work a photograph? A painting? Taylor takes old black and white or sepia-colored photos she buys at random estate sales or online, tints them digitally, and manipulates them, meticulously combining layers upon layers of photos, digitally drawn images and textures. The overall effect is haunting, humorous, mysterious, and beautiful.

Moth Dancer, Maggie Taylor

1. Richard Avedon

I. Love. Richard Avedon. Avedon had such an ability to capture the essence of someone, it is phenomenal, and his work has ranged from fashion photography and photography of celebrities (including the Beatles, lovelovelove), to a collection of portraits of quirky, murky working people growing up in the West. I love his minimalist style- he used a large-format camera to photograph people looking at the camera straight-on in front of a white background. Simple, yet so much is captured in his work; each image animates its subject with such a unique, distinguishable personality. And do I need to remind you that he photographed the Beatles? And Marilyn Monroe? And countless other celebrities? As well as this favorite of mine:

Ronald Fischer, Beekeeper, Davis, California, Richard Avedon, 1981.

And that's five? But shoot, there are so many other photographers that I reallyreallyreally love... William Eggleston, Scott Mutter, Diane Arbus, Man Ray, Robert ParkeHarrison, and, and... I mean, I could just keep going! So maybe this isn't my be-all-end-all list of favorite photographers, because there are so many amazing ones! But these are the five photographers to whom, time after time, I find myself drawn, looking through their work again and again. I hope you get curious and learn more about these artists... maybe you will fall in love with them, too.

I'd love to hear about your favorite artists, whether they be photographers or artists of other mediums, young or old, alive or from the 1600s (Rembrandt, anyone?)! Please leave a comment and share what artist makes you tick. I'm always looking for new inspiration. :o)

fPOE treasury- warmer day dreams

2011-01-22T14:23:00.000-05:00

I just made my first etsy treasury of work by some of the lovely ladies of fPOE. Check it out!

warmer day dreams

6x6x2011 at Rochester Contemporary Art Center

2011-01-20T22:57:00.005-05:00

Hello, all!

I just wanted to inform you of a really cool art exhibit at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center in Rochester, NY that is coming up this spring: 6x6x2011. Each submitted piece should be 6x6 inches, with your name signed on the back (not the front!). The pieces will end up covering pretty much every each of RCAC's walls, and will sell for $20 each as a fundraiser for the museum. The artist names are kept a secret until sold, whereupon the name of the artist is revealed. How cool is that? Artists from 43 states and 22 countries participated last year! I didn't do it last year, but I am definitely looking forward to participating this year. :o)

Check out their website, their facebook page, and the submission information.

A video they did of their show last year:

love&hugs,

alison tyne

upcoming events and fPOE

2011-01-19T01:25:00.005-05:00

bordeaux

I have some upcoming events in the Rochester area that I'm really excited about and thought I'd share with you! Hopefully you'll stop by and say hello!

Monday, February 7th, 8-11 pm, I am the featured artist at Lemoncello Café in East Rochester. It should be a lovely evening with music and lots of delicious food. :o)
Tango Café and Local Visionaries are putting on an amazing female artist showcase, entitled "Re-Hatched". A featured artist will be displaying their work at Tango Café each month, from April through August. I will be the featured artist for the month of May, and will also be performing there another night: Saturday, April 2, at 8pm!

Thanks to Local Visionaries for all of your support and helping me find these great events. You are an amazing organization and I look forward to working with you!

I'm also very excited to be a new member of Female Photographers of Etsy (fPOE)! They are a lovely group of ladies that have built such a supportive community... I can't wait to get to know them! They are in the process of starting a second book (you can check out their first book here), and I hope to be helping with it. Stop by their blog and learn a little bit more about this great group of artists. They also featured my print, plane attack, in their most recent Mosiac Monday post:

And last but not least, stop by my etsy shop! There are some new images, as well as postcards (!), for sale!

rainy mondays...

2010-03-22T15:32:00.011-04:00

Hola, friends!

As far as I'm concerned, Mondays--in particular, rainy ones--can go one of two ways:
1. They can induce extreme lazy and sleepiness, wherein one lies around the house/apartment/office all day, accomplishing little to nothing, wishing the rain and drudgery would go away, or
2. One can take control of the situation and be uber-productive, saving the laziness for a day when the weather is bright, equaling lovely lying-around-time under a bright blue sky and warm sun.

I choose option two. I had a breakfast meeting with Tom Flint, where I was at first a caffeine-deprived zombie, complete with glassy eyes. But once we started really working on our product plans, we suddenly were getting so much done and I became so excited! Cue: zombie dissipation. We accomplished so much today and I am now so much more excited about what we're working on... the end of the paperwork tunnel is quite near!

Then I shipped a couple print orders for etsy customers, discovered a bunch of new music, and cleaned my room! Another lesson I'm learning, things get much messier before they can get clean. My room is a case in point. I decided to completely tear it up in order to make it the ultimate clean. We are in phase two: sorting and purging. This one is taking a bit of time, but it will be so worth it once it's done.

Now all I have to do is fit in some photo editing and shoots!

Also, I'm in a Rochester area art show in April!!!! Mark your calendars, because I'm participating in ArtAwake April 10, held at 35 State Street, an abandoned bank building. The exhibit is from 5pm to 2am, and consists of a ton of local artists and musicians showing/playing their talents for a night of grandiose fabulousness!

And I promise new work soon! I have big plans in the making!

And in case you're wondering, the picture is from a dinner party my friend Alicia and I threw a few months ago. Yes, we had a bin filled with animal masks. No, we did not steal them from children.

Spring Cleaning!

2010-03-16T14:04:00.021-04:00

Spring is almost here, and with it, spring cleaning! Oh, 'tis the season of tax returns, gardening, and organizing! Here are a few finds I love that are ideal for upping the organization ante:

1/ Epiphan!e Bags

Finally, a camera bag with style! With tons of space for all your camera supplies, plus little pockets for extra stuff, Maile Wilson's new line of camera bags double as a purse. Less bags, more freedom! Her bags are also great because nasty pickpockets won't know that you're carrying around your expensive camera equipment. The only problem is picking which bag to get!

2/ Weck Canning Jars

Darling, no? I love the silhouette of these jars, a nice change from other jam jars. Plus they have glass lids instead of metal ones, which is very unique and rust-proof!
In addition to canning, they're a great storage alternative for teas and spices or for small office objects like paper clips and rubber bands.

3/ Paper Shredders!

Oh yes, I am a big fan of paper shredders. I don't think you could possibly fathom how cool I think they are. They're a great way to protect yourself and make your secrets recyclable! Scraps can be used as protective packaging, cage lining for small pets, or, if you're feeling really crafty, to make your own paper! Oh, the possibilities!

To prepare for a lovely season of new shoots and new beginnings, I've been sorting through and working on pictures from old photoshoots. Out with the old, and in with the new! Here's a piece I just finished for my "Animals" series.

the transformation

And another picture from the archives:

fables

To see more pieces I've been working on, stop by my flickr site.

news, news, news!

2010-02-10T21:32:00.006-05:00

I've been gone for over a week, but that's a good thing. A really, really good thing. It means that I've been oh so very busy doing photography-related work and boom, boom, boom, I have so much wonderful news to share!

Ok, first of all, I received my lovely business cards from moo.com in the mail today, and I am so excited to start handing them out! In fact, I brought my cards to my website design class and handed them out to my peers. So excited! I've gotten mini business cards before from moo, but now they offer the option of uploading your own designs. Each card is different, showcasing one of my pictures, and the back of the card has a spiffy fancy design I created too, yay!

Also, I was contacted from both the Artists Wanted and the Photographer's Forum competitions this week, and I've made the second round of judging for both! So who knows? Maybe I'll place!

And finally--and most exciting/fabulous/awesome of all--I will be working for the amazing Tomas Flint. He is an internationally acclaimed destination wedding photographer, and I will be helping him design photo albums and so much more! Plus, since he is so very nice and supportive of young photographers, he is going to teach me about the business of wedding photography and help me improve my technique/skillz/knowledge of all things related to the business. Wow wow! I am going to be surrounded by photography and I am oh so excited!

Ok, au revoir for now! I will be sharing some actual photos soon, once I can sit still enough to edit my work!

Hugs and love,
Alison Tyne

Bunny, bunny. Happy February!

2010-02-01T12:06:00.004-05:00

Etsy shop Flowerleaf featured my balloon print in her treasury this week. Yay! With a piece by Elle Moss, my secret photography hero!

And last week Dan and Alyssa's wedding was featured on The Budget Savvy Bride, a fun blog all about weddings!!!! Since I photographed the wedding, some of my work was featured:

Have a great Monday!

dear lisboa

2010-01-27T00:18:00.006-05:00

As I was working on a piece tonight, I remembered a wonderful moment I had while in Portugal. My two fellow adventurers and I were sitting on a bench in a plaza, resting and taking in the city after a long day of sightseeing, drinking Port and eating chocolate, and walking along streets paved with white-speckled stone. As we were people watching, we saw an old man sit down near a statue, pull out a bag of birdseed, and proceed to cover his lap and surroundings with it. Soon a flock of pigeons whirred all around him, surrounding his head, feet, and lap.

It was a once in a lifetime moment. An amazing snapshot that I will always think of when I contemplate my excursions in Lisboa. That and that as we were watching the whole spectacle, my friend Jahan's bag was stolen. Well shoot.

I decided to go through my photos from my semester abroad and finally edit them. I'd like to eventually make a small book to have as a keepsake, and make a couple for my lovely travelers. Especially Jahan, poor guy. At least we got some cool photos.

animals

2010-01-25T12:30:00.003-05:00

A couple photos from my new Animals project.

inside out

still

indie icing

2010-01-25T12:13:00.005-05:00

Last week I was featured in another blog! Indie Icing featured me on Friday, and it just made my Friday fabulous.

Indie Icing is a group of people who love all things vintage and handmade. I am in love with some of the artists they feature, and will definitely be following them in the future. I feel so honored to be featured!

Also, check out contributing writer Robin's etsy. I may have to buy a couple things from her in the future....

artists wanted contest!

2010-01-18T00:41:00.004-05:00

I entered the Artists Wanted contest... please visit my contest page and vote for me! The winner gets free living in New York City for six months, a big NYC show, lots of exposure, and also gets published! So please, please vote for me; you can vote every 24 hours!

And a new piece:

the queen

I did a bunch of shooting last week, so much more work coming soon!!!

Little Lovables

2010-01-12T10:08:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Lisa from the shop Little Lovables featured me in her blog.

Lisa also makes some beautiful jewelry, so check out her etsy shop for lovely, vintage-inspired goodness!

A New Year's REVOLUTION!

2010-01-11T15:30:00.021-05:00

My roommate and I have been working on our goals to ring in the soon-to-be-great 2010! I thought I'd start by posting my photography goals in order to inspire myself and perhaps other photographers who are working to start their own business or just trying to find time to follow their passions.

Alison Tyne's New Year's Photography Revolution!

Finish my website, www.alisontyne.com
I'm so excited about this! I'm taking a Dreamweaver class and will hopefully be finished with my site within the next couple months. Score!
Get a commercial photography job.
To build my portfolio and get commercial photography experience.
Complete a photoshoot a week, even if it is a simple one.
Sometimes it can be hard to make time to fit this in, but since photography is my love, I need to take time for myself to do this. It's important to do this regularly to maintain and improve my skills.
Post at least one photo to flickr each week.
In order to keep up with fellow flickr members and maintain connections, it's essential for me to use the site more frequently. Also this will mean finishing the editing process of a photo each week, which means Photoshop knowledge upkeep!
Blog twice a week.
Blogspot is a great way to brainstorm, keep track of my ideas, build a fanbase and meet fellow artists! Yay!
Use social networking tools to promote and market my work.
Whether it be etsy, blogspot, flickr, or facebook, I want to take advantage of the tools that make promoting my work easier. I've got to get out there! And figure out how to connect all of these to be efficient!
Show at two art festivals this summer. I'm leaning towards the Rochester Corn Hill and Park Ave festivals.
Make a photobook.
Do something with photography every single day, whether it be taking pictures, editing work, reading about photography, or look at other artists' work. Live and breathe photography.

And since this is a photoblog, here's an outtake of a new series I'm working on, entitled, "Animals." Stay tuned for more to come!

my etsy shop is open!

2009-11-20T11:10:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited... all images from my Dreams series are now on sale in my etsy shop! And, drumroll, please... I've already made my first sale!

If you're interested in prints from my flickr site that aren't currently in the shop, just contact me- most photos are available.

And now, back to my current project, editing photos from the wedding of my good friends, Alyssa and Dan. Working on their photos is so much fun! When they first asked me to take photos at their wedding, I was very nervous; Alyssa and Dan are both very talented photographers and artists, so if I messed up, they would know! As soon as I started working, though, I stopped worrying, because the wedding weekend was amazing and I loved every second of it! It was an absolutely gorgeous wedding... outside on the most perfect summer day, with some of the most lovely people I've ever met. And it was a Scottish wedding, which meant kilts and bagpipes and fabulous Scottish dancing!

I made a huge pot of green tea to drink because the rest of my day I will be editing the rest of A&D's photos! I'll post a few of my favorites once all of them are finished, but wanted to leave you with one of my favorites so far of Alyssa. To me, it just illustrates her perfectly: elegant and classy, but so hip. I mean, shoot, look at her sunglasses! I love her and Dan so much, and feel so lucky that I was able to take photos of their wedding!

P.S. Besides being a talented photographer, Alyssa takes her creativity to the kitchen. Check out the blog she just started, Artistic Eatables, which includes some of her fabulous recipes, recipe alterations and cooking/baking tips. Yum! Visiting her is always a treat, because we cook together and I always learn so much from her in the kitchen! A modern Julia Child. Or Martha Stewart... without the insider trading.

Photography Blog!

2009-11-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello there!

I moved back to the Rochester area at the end of September with the main focus of starting a small photography business, but ended up spending about 3 1/2 weeks of my time since then traveling. Nashville, Michigan, Texas, back to Michigan... Now that I am finally staying in one place for awhile, I decided to really start things.

I've created this blog to help myself and others keep track of my photography business, show behind the scenes of shoots, and support/meet other artists.

I'm almost done setting up my etsy shop. I've figured out pricing, shipping, policies, etc. and will be posting prints for sale tomorrow! I can't wait to mail my first sale... I have some snazzy shipping ideas to make buyers' days upon receiving their orders. So please, check my shop frequently for postings and buy something! The holidays are quickly coming, and a piece of art makes a great present, hint, hint....

A blog! A shop! And soon, my very own website! I'm pretty excited. Yay!