Home > Culture > Mentor Showcase > The 2006 Best-of Series: Caryn B. Davis
The 2006 'Best Of' Series
For the second annual Best Of issue of the ASMP Bulletin, we selected twenty projects from a field of nearly sixty candidates. It was a tough decision and we thank all those who submitted their work. We hope you will enjoy reading about the projects featured in print and here on the ASMP Web site.
Chester Stories - Self-assigned project about residents of Chester, Conn.
Once she moved to Chester, Connecticut after traveling the world, Caryn B. Davis became fascinated with the strength of community in her new home. For more than a year, Davis has interviewed and photographed her neighbors with the ultimate goal of producing a book about the town, the residents who contribute to its vitality, and the meaning of community in the context of modern society.
Self-portrait of Caryn B. Davis
All images in this article © Caryn B. Davis
ASMP: How long have you been in business?
CBD: I changed careers from a producer-writer of documentary television programs to a photographer in 1999.
ASMP: How long have you been an ASMP member?
CBD: Since 2001, I think.
Portrait of Peter Walker
ASMP: What are your photographic specialties?
CBD: Photojournalism (I am a regular contributor to INK Magazine as both a writer and photographer), nautical photography (I am a regular contributor to Offshore Boating and others), portraiture, fine art and architecture.
Portrait of Karli Gilbertson
ASMP: Please summarize the equipment used in this work.
CBD: I use a Canon Mark II. I download straight to my Dell Optiplex GX620, and organize, rename and edit my files in ACDSee Pro, convert from RAW to working JPEGs in the Canon software, and work with individual images in Photoshop CS2. For strobe lighting I use Hensel Integra 500 watts or the Canon 580EX for on-camera flash, or natural light or a combination.
Portrait of David Hays
ASMP: How long have you been working on this series?
CBD: For over a year. It will probably take another two years to complete, as I intend to make it into a book.
ASMP: Does the interview process enhance the portrait session with your subjects?
CBD: Yes. I always interview the person first to establish a rapport and gain their confidence. This helps them to relax and enables me to perhaps get a more intimate image than if I had just gone in cold.
Portrait of Therese Desjardin
ASMP: You’ve done work with both studio and environmental portraiture. Do you have a preference?
CBD: I like both for different reasons. I like the control of studio lighting in that, once it is set, you can concentrate more on the creative aspect of the shoot because the technical is fixed. With environmental portraiture, I never know what I’m walking into in terms of a back drop or lighting, which makes it more challenging and more interesting. However, this can impede the creative process if you get too focused on the technical and forget about the creative content.
Portrait of Leif Nilsson
ASMP: Does your approach differ between the two?
CBD: Not really. I am still always looking to make a connection with my subject in order to create a strong, truthful and emotional image.
ASMP: Do you view personal projects differently than commercial work?
CBD: Both hold my passion because I love photography, and I am thrilled to be able to do this type of work for a living. The difference with a personal project is that the vision is solely your own. Because you don’t have a client to please, you never have to compromise your vision.
Portrait of Dina Varano
**ASMP: Have you received paying assignments as a result of this project?
**CBD: Yes, I had a few assignments generated as a result. I have also sold a lot of the images as fine art.
ASMP: What is your approach to promoting or exhibiting this work?
CBD: I submit it to photography magazines that publish photo essays, I enter competitions, I send out press releases and query letters to try and get articles written about me and the work, and I submit to juried exhibitions and galleries in general. Thus far, as a result of my PR efforts, I had a solo exhibition of the work in November 2005 at the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery at the University of Connecticut, had three articles written about me, and I have another solo exhibition tentatively scheduled for late 2008.
Portrait of Claude Martin
ASMP: Have you identified grant opportunities or sponsorships to aid in that process?
CBD: I have probably written eight grants for past projects but have been unsuccessful in getting them.
ASMP: Please describe any impact this project has had on your place within the community.
CBD: The community has been extremely supportive of my project. There are a small group of folks who have been in town a long time from whom I can seek advice when I get stuck. There are two professional photographers who live in town and help me critique my work. A very well known writer who also lives in town is helping me to fine tune the text, and other prominent artists and residents offer their suggestions as to who should be included in the book to keep it well rounded. I am also going to donate all the transcripts from the interviews and one print of each subject to the Chester Historical Society when I am finished.
Portrait of Katie Wright
ASMP: Do you feel this work has relevance beyond your local community? If so, are there particular hooks that you feel will be helpful for marketing this?
CBD: I think this essay has a wide appeal because it is about community. That is my hook. Community life as we know it is rapidly disappearing. Right now we are making decisions in this country that are greatly changing the way we live. Mom-and-Pop shops are being squeezed out by super conglomerates. Acres of our open space land are becoming housing developments and shopping centers. The media continues to dictate how we define success and what value system we should follow. So, how do we hold on to our sense of community and our responsibility and accountability to that community, as we continue to become a fast-paced, throw-away society with a value system steeped in materialism, consumerism and superficiality? These are the aspects I am looking at and, more specifically, how the community of Chester has managed to hold on to what it has, and why so many interesting people from a wide array of backgrounds seem to gravitate to Chester and make it their home. People here seem to recognize what they have and do their best to preserve it. There are many reasons why this community works, and those are the areas I am exploring.
Portrait of Justin Good