Stella Johnson

Stella Johnson, a photographer who gave a lecture last Tuesday at Northeastern University, had a lot of great advice for inspiring artists and photographers. The lecture focused on the photographs that will be featured in her upcoming book, Dancing with Turkeys. Johnson enlightened the audience with her tales from exotic locations like Mexico, and Nicaragua.

While she was in these remote locations, Johnson photographed the living conditions of impoverished people as a way of creating a historical marker. She agreed that photographing these people is like photographing a species that is coming close to extinction. The culture in these areas is also beginning to change as more people travel to the areas. These tourist bring new technological advances that these primitive villages have yet to see.

One of the most interesting aspects of the lecture was Johnson's advice to think of a picture in layers. Many artists are concerned with aspects like background space, lighting, and depth. These aspects are also fundamental to photography. A good photographer will be concerned with the rhythm of natural light as well as the layers in the photo. According to Johnson, layers in pictures create depth which is one of the most powerful elements in a composition.

The other important advice Johnson told the audience is to always persevere even if an artist has been rejected multiple times. Johnson was able to travel to these exotic locations via Federal grants. She said she continued to write the grants, and her third attempt was finally accepted. Similarly, Johnson's idea for her book almost never made it off the ground. She pitched the book to all the major publishing companies in America with no luck. Johnson was planning to fund the publication of the book herself until a friend became interested in the idea, and freed up some funds.

Johnson said that representing people's daily lives will never stop being exotic. The experience will never become regular to her. Johnson has her eyes set on the next location for her photography. Some of her interests lay in places like Ecuador, Peru, and Greece. Don't miss her new book, Dancing with Turkeys! Publication should begin as soon as next month!!

Here is a link to her official website.
http://www.stellajohnson.com/