About

If you are either Catherine Opie, Cindy Sherman, or Sally Mann… will you please hire me as your intern!! Haha, a young mother can dream, right? I began this blog while attending Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA as a senior. I recently graduated with an art history degree (at age 28), but gained an incredible interest for the photographic medium via a photography project I created for an art history course (documentation and final paper are within this blog under categories: The history of Photography Through Lennon Project). I decided to continue this blog in order to document my exploration with photography, while also being able to see my growth and evolution through the photographs I create. In other words, this blog doesn’t have an exact focus yet! I hope that will become more apparent the further I get into exploring photography. I am a mother of two young children and I have just begun dreaming about photography day in and day out since this past January. I plan to attend Georgia State to continue my education in studio art and eventually, I hope to make a career out of photography after I pursue a masters in the medium. If you like my work or know of a photographer around the Atlanta area in need of an assistant, please feel free to let me know (in a dream world I would love to work for a studio-art photographer… or one that is an artist and explores their life and thought through photography… not sure I really want to be a wedding photographer… the monotony might drive me insane… but I guess most working artists have to have a real job too… don’t get me wrong though, I truly appreciate and respect great wedding photographers… I’m just not sure I want to get stuck there.  But I love people watching!)  ;).  I would, however, be extremely interested in photographing concerts and musicians and creating album covers, etc.  But that would probably be a far off dream also… if you feel like blessing me with tips on how to go about being that type of current photographer, let me know.  I need support and all the advice, tips anyone is willing to throw my way.  I am a HUGE music fanatic… and that would pay the bills plus be a way to express my art and arty self.  Anywho, I am currently unemployed, yet I am spending my time expanding upon my passion for photography. My heros are CATHERINE OPIE!, SALLY MANN, MAN RAY, CINDY SHERMAN AND JULIA MARGARET. 🙂

P.S. I am also a poet, a painter, a thinker, a drawer and an artist… self-taught pretty much except for one oil painting class and one studio art course at Agnes Scott… it appears I have a lot of catching up to do if I want to even think about applying to grad school… but a young mother can dream, right? 🙂 I also enjoy reading blogs… it has become a new love of mine… it might phase out… but it helps me see the other artistic/photographic worlds out there.

361 thoughts on “About”

  3. thank you for liking my 85/85 project. I’ve only briefly checked on your blog, but I think I would need an entire week to get trough all the images on here. Seen some nice experiments here, and I’ll certainly get back 🙂

    cheers,

    ludwig

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  4. Thanks so much for liking my post! I just started my blog 3 days ago and am really excited to see where it leads. You are a talented photographer and I have enjoyed looking at some of your work. I am following you know so I can keep an eye on what you capture next!
    Take care,
    karen

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  10. Hi Polly–

    Thanks for stopping by and liking my blog. I’m glad I found yours, but not for the usual reasons! I read your “about” page and couldn’t help thinking that I needed to stop you from throwing money at a post-graduate degree.

    You have a good eye for subject matter and composition. You also have the creativity to make the usual look unusual and intriguing. I almost wished the rain shots had no description accompanying them because some of them were so mysterious that I really didn’t want to know exactly what they were.

    Now, to my point. As the long-time significant other and collaborator with a professor at Chicago’s School of the Art Institute, I can say with a great degree of confidence that an advanced degree will not help you in your career as a photographer. A person who is already creative and driven needs to find connections in the real world (as you are doing in this blog) and pursue them relentlessly. The more people you know who can help you on your road, the better. You don’t need advanced credentials–the work always speaks for itself. If you go to grad school, chances are you will lose some of your creativity and vision because schools often want you to follow their idea of how to create. Or, at the other extreme, they leave you completely alone to follow your muse. Which you can do anyway without paying for it.

    Apprentice or do the intern thing so you can learn the business side of being an artist. Promoting yourself every chance you get will bring many more opportunities than having a piece of framed paper hanging on the wall. If there is a special area of photography that you want to learn about, find someone who can help you or look for a class specifically covering that topic. But above all, work hard at developing your connections in the photography world. You may not know right now which direction you want to take, but the more people you discuss this with, the better your chances of finding your way.

    Good luck to you, and keep up the good work!

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  11. Thank you for taking the time to give me the advice and criticism I really need to hear. I’ve been torn about whether or not to go to grad school. I only took one art course in college and my professor told me to go to GA State University because it’s in-state tuition and they have top notch work coming out of their grad program. Since then, my husband took an art course at GA State and, turns out, his professor was not an ordinary, by the rules professor and has work in galleries all over the world. Same with his wife who also is a professor there. I know I’d be wasting my money at SCAD or some other school like that, which is geared towards the fashion industry and graphic design. My professor pushed me to go to grad school because she said it was important for me to find a community where I can get feedback, criticism, etc.(since I only have a few friends that are actually artists… and many of them only make crafts). I’m glad I was an art history major and not an art major because I definitely think art schools can hinder ones creativity. I had an elementary art teacher that was wonderful and I created amazing things that were in school art shows over the holidays. Then I had an elementary teacher that told me I had to do things a certain way and never liked anything I ever made. She wanted me to make my art like she would. I quit art all together, after having her as a teacher, because I thought I would never be as good as other artists… and didn’t pick it back up until I was 21. Sad. But, perhaps you are right. I think I was better off learning and experimenting on my own. Kept my mind thinking like a child. I appreciate your words of wisdom and am still torn about grad school. I have been doing photography for a non-profit in the meantime, but taking still images of rugs isn’t what I want to be doing for forever. It’s for a great cause so that keeps me motivated but, like every other tortured artist out there, I want to create things that move me personally… photographs that are real and that are not just created so that I can make a dollar. I’ve gotta pay the bills too though. I’m glad to hear first hand from a professor’s spouse that it is not worth it to pay big bucks to go to school. I just don’t know how to connect with other artists, galleries etc. An internship or apprenticeship is definitely on my list… I’ve applied to one studio. We shall see. Thank you again for taking the time to write such thoughtful words. I needed to hear them. Hope you will come back again! 🙂

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  12. Hello Polly,
    Thank you dropping by my little 356 photog. You are right, having the right art teacher will hinder or encourage you. I have recently been attending college for photography and so far the teachers I have had have all been wonderful. They really encourage and critique you graciously.
    I do recommend going to ratemyprofessors.com and look up the instructors at the university of your choice. Other students have rated and review their professors so you have an idea of what you are getting yourself into.
    Good luck with it all!

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  13. One other little tidbit, just to keep you from thinking that you are all alone! Many years ago I decided to challenge myself to do something that on the face of it seemed impossible. I tasked myself with setting up and teaching an art program to visually handicapped children. I recruited a cadre of my fellow artists to help, and then the really big task was to find a place to do this. I mustered all the courage I had (I had never taught any kind of class, let alone the one I was proposing) and called the principal of a public school in which all of the students were visually impaired to a greater or lesser degree. To my utter amazement, she was immediately enthusiastic and gave me the go-ahead to teach two sessions once a week, and to do it exactly as I had outlined it to her.

    I learned many weeks later that the reason she was so enthusiastic was because as a child she had joyously created her vision of a cat, only to be told by her teacher, who held the drawing up in front of the class, that her work certainly did not depict a cat and she was not to draw that way again. As a result, she never drew anything ever again. When I explained how my plan was to let each child be totally free to create whatever came to mind in whatever way that child wanted to express it, that memory came flooding back to her and she jumped at the opportunity to give those kids the chance that had been taken from her by an ignorant authority figure.

    So, the point is, critics can be devastating. Don’t fall for their pettiness. Follow your muse. Carefully consider constructive criticism and toss aside anything cruel or snarky. And forget about that long-ago critical teacher.

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  14. Wow… thanks for ‘liking’ my blog; I probably wouldn’t have found you otherwise… gorgeous work. Please, don’t give up!

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    • Thank you for stopping by here as well! And thank you also for the encouragement. So far, I haven’t given up and I’m still creating and experimenting every single day. I can’t stop. I don’t think I could give up if I wanted. 🙂

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  15. Hi Polly – thanks so much for stopping by and reading my poetry – you have absolutely lovely photography here. You do have a gift! Keep it up and show it to everyone who will look. It’s a bit of a jungle out here in the blogosphere (not fond of the word but there you go) and I am glad to have found your spot. It was worth the trip.

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    • Thanks so much for stopping by my site as well! I truly appreciate your kind words and encouragement. I will take your advice and put it into action. 😉 Thanks for the comment and I really enjoyed reading your poetry! 🙂

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  16. Hi,
    Recently http://elladeewords.wordpress.com was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Pete Denton – Writer http://petedenton.wordpress.com.
    I have posted the award details at http://elladeewords.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/the-versatile-blogger-award-7-things-about-elladee/.
    The rules for accepting this award are as follows:
    1. Thank the award-givers and link back to them in your post.
    2. Share 7 things about yourself.
    3. Pass this award along 15 or 20 bloggers you read & admire.
    4. Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.
    Your blog is amongst the 20 that amuse & inspire me I nominated as my part in fulfilling rule 3. If you feel so inclined, please accept from me the Versatile Blogger Award, and my congratulations for great blogging, and pass it on to others also deserving.

    Best regards,
    EllaDee

    Reply ↓

  18. Thanks for your like on my blog. You take great photos; I’ll be looking through your blog for some inspiration. I identify with you, seeing that we have many things in common … although I’m not such a young mother anymore, I still dream of things to do! LOL!

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  23. Greetings Polly

    It took me a long time to begin to understand that photography is more about your journey than any destination.
    You may feel that you should have a specific level you want to reach. However along the way you experience and learn things that change the way you approach the pressing of the shutter.
    By all means attain an academic photography qualification, if you want it to be part of your journey. However this will just be a rest stop not the end point.

    Thanks for stopping by and following my blog. I’m glad that chose to deem it worthy of a second look.

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  24. Hi there Polly. Since you came by, and pushed the like button on my latest post, I checked out your blog, read some of your posts, and looked at some of your photographs. I was especially interested in your self-portraits. If you had ‘portraits’ listed among your categories, I would certainly have checked that out as well. I’ve had a long career as a studio photographer, and also been a college professor of art. It could be that you would find me too old fashioned for your taste. A lot of things have changed in photography since the beginning of digital photography. I agree with another visitor, who advised you not to continue to study for a post graduate degree. I think that the only reason to do so, would be to find a place for yourself within the academic world… that is, to teach. But if you want to work in photography, it won’t help you much. On the other hand, though there is a lot to be learned by trying to produce works that resemble the masters, it is always important to learn the basics of a craft, in order to translate your personal vision to the paper, or the screen, as the case may be. And then, to become a successful artist, one has to have a personal vision which is unique. I think it would be to your advantage to find a framework; either a school or a photographic club where students or photographers criticize one another. In the blogosphere, it is common for people to flatter each other. So often, works are described as ‘awesome’. This may give confidence, or bring happiness to the student, but it is not a good way to learn the craft. Mutual criticism can be an excellent study method.

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    • I greatly appreciate the time you put into writing on my “about” page. Funny enough, you have actually visited my blog before (sorry my memory is freaky), right when I began. The reason I remember you is because you left a couple of really thoughtful comments that have stayed in my thoughts for almost a year. I have done a lot of portraits that mostly involve my children so they are primarily listed under the category: The Children Must Grow Up Series. I appreciate your advice on pursuing a master’s degree. I actually need to update my about page because I am currently at a point where I’ve decided to learn from a photographer through shooting weddings. I get to be a second camera in July and it will be my first professional experience as a photographer. I plan on learning the technical but continuing the development of my “art” works on the side. I thank you so very much for commenting and i hope you will return to my blog!

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  26. Amazing photos! And this totally feeds my Southern obsession. 🙂

    Sorry, it took me so long to react, but just started reviving the blog again, and I hadn’t checked my email in ages, so only noticed your comment just now. Am definitely planning on writing a decent post on the Skagen painters and Finnish art, which I think you’ll enjoy. And if I did it right (still learning the ropes with WordPress), I should be able to follow your blog now, too.

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      • No. I was trying to set it up so I’d be sent emails everytime you post. I thought I’d try to trick it by unfollowing and following but apparently that didn’t work. I guess I need to fix things on my main computer. Sorry.

  32. Let me know what school you are going to where this darkroom is.

    I am teaching in a darkroom and we need to sell or donate darkroom materials.

    Thank you

    Hadley Breckenridge

    Reply ↓

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