Ofrenda 2008

Originally uploaded by akkleis

Be sure to check out Art Outlet’s Ofrenda 2008 show this weekend. I have installed murder scene photos of myself along with fake newspaper articles.

One of them reports my grisly murder one year ago, and the other remembers the artist who was brutally killed in her apartment. Don’t try to make sense of these articles; I only wrote a few sentences and then copied and pasted them throughout the columns to fill space. Some of them are a little funny, though

The idea was to mimic that of a serial killer’s wall from movies and create a sense of possession.

DCist mentioned my death and dying series in today’s Arts Agenda!

Art Outlet’s second annual Ofrenda: Art for the Dead arrives this weekend. Thirty-five local artists (including DCist Exposed winner Angela Kleis, who’s been practicing her creepy death scenes on Flickr all week) and bands of nearly ever genre will provide entertainment from 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday. Check it all out at the Almaz Ethiopian Restaurant, 1212 U St. NW. Free, and you’re encouraged to come dressed “Day of the Dead style.”

74/365

Originally uploaded by akkleis

Since I started the Flickr 365 project, I’ve found taking my photo every single day isn’t as easy as it sounds. It can quickly become redundant and boring, which is no fun!

I love Fall and October is my favorite month and look forward to Halloween and horror movies all year. This horror theme began as an afterthought, which morphed into a real series. I’m not necessarily trying to copy movie scenes as much as looking for ways to portray death and horror, in general.

In the process, I have learned how to set my eyes to appear dead, how to completely relax my muscles so they are not engaged, and the importance of placement and sublety. And, how much of a pain in the ass chocolate syrup is to clean up. Won’t make that mistake again!

Besides incorporating myself into my photos more, setting them up is a departure from my usual approach of shooting what I see. Lighting, positioning…these are all things I have really learned through trial and error. Searching through Flickr for related photos has also proven an invaluable resource for details and styling.

I have many more ideas and will probably continue this series well past October 31. I am interesting in where this is going…

Today’s Google Alert, uh, alerted me to a really cool website that has me and this very site you’re reading as one of the 20 Awesome Photography Blogs in Washington, D.C. Can you say AWESOME??

Lots of friends, there, too. So, please go check every single one of them out!! Right now. Go!

The week of November 15-22, 2008, will launch the region’s first annual celebration of the photographic medium. Fotoweek DC will bring together photographers, museums, galleries, and other unique venues from Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., in a wide-range of shows from both established and emerging artists.

I had the opportunity to become involved with the Fotoweek blog, and will be interviewing many of the galleries about their Fotoweek exhibits. Hopefully, there will be time to also talk to artists, as well.

With the extensive list of galleries and alternative art spaces offering Fotoweek shows, be sure to make a list of the exhibits you want to visit. And, don’t forget about opening receptions!

Check it out: Fotoweek DC Blog

just ’cause it is

Originally uploaded by volcanojw

I started a new group on Flickr, because there just aren’t enough groups, already.

Check it out.

Film is Awesome!

100408-3-18

Originally uploaded by akkleis

A few months ago, I started noticing how people were so caught up in each other that they didn’t care who saw them. And, I started taking their photos. I’ve learned a lot about people in the process.

View my project here .

18/365

Originally uploaded by akkleis

If you’re familiar with Flickr, then you may have seen the 365 project a lot of Flickrheads are doing. Take a photo of yourself every day for an entire year. See what happens, what changes, etc.

A few things have changed so far this year. So, to kind of document my progress over the next year, I decided to start my own 365 project. Take my photo every day, huh? Seems pretty easy to me. Well, it’s not.

For starters, I only shoot film. I don’t have a digital camera. I can’t possibly turn around a roll of film every single day. Luckily, my cell phone is a handy little device with a pretty decent little camera. And, we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well over the past 56 days. There are a few film photos thrown in when I can do them, and a few using the digital camera from work, but mostly, it’s all from my cell phone. It’ll be interesting to see how this progresses.

My 365 photoset may be viewed here.