seeing lawrence iv

rwaggoner — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 03:42:35 +0000

A few new images in my ongoing series ‘Seeing Lawrence.’ I’m getting pretty serious about this project at this point, and I’m working on expanding how I want the images to be seen. So the frames are very connected to their geographic location, at least in my mind. The idea that someone could walk up to to a print, be familiar with Lawrence, and not know where exactly I took the image is something I’m trying to play off of.

So, I started thinking about maps, and satellite imagery. When I go to a new place I always look at Google Maps before I leave, even if I know where I’m going. I often randomly kill time looking at street view and Google Earth. Seeing a place through satellite images gives such a new and interesting perspective, which is what I’m trying to accomplish with my images. With that in mind, I started thinking about the idea of making diptych images with my image on one side, a screen grab of a satellite image of the exact same location opposite it. I tried it out with one of the most recent images, so I’ll put that at the bottom of the post.

Sometime soon I’ll post a more concise edit of what I’ve shot so far. For now, enjoy the images below, and please share any feedback/thoughts you have in the comments.

Tallgrass Brewing Co. shoot

rwaggoner — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:14:12 +0000

My friend Spencer Lott is a genius. He is an incredibly talented puppeteer, actor, writer and comedian who also happens to be one of my best friends. (Side note: Spencer’s “Cupcake” video was recently featured on Funnyordie.com, check it out here)

So when he told me he’d been approached by Tallgrass Brewing Co. to help promote their new beer, Velvet Rooster, I was not at all surprised. When he asked if I could help him with some promotional shots of the puppet he built, I was pumped.

Spencer had already filmed a hilarious commercial with the puppet, Victor R. Bantum, which you should watch here.

We met up on Sunday in Kansas City for a very quick shoot. Forgetting my sync cord in Lawrence, I used window light, and the modeling light on my AlienBee B800, which ened up working out quite nicely. Here are some photos from the shoot, including a couple of the processed images:

Spencer preparing Victor for the shoot.

Spencer in action.

seeing lawrence, a couple more

rwaggoner — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:53:15 +0000

Here are two more images I shot on Sunday. The more I shoot on this project, the more scenes I see that I want t shoot. My love of Robert Frank’s The Americans drew my eye to this huge row of American flags in front of a new retirement home near my apartment. I used a slow shutter to give the flags a little blur, as it was an especially windy day. I’m not sure yet if I quite captured these flags like I want to, but I drive past this place everyday so I may be revisiting this scene.

I’m hoping in a couple months I can edit down a selection and get this series shown somewhere.

seeing lawrence — update

rwaggoner — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 05:18:01 +0000

Here are a few recent frames from an ongoing sereis on the city of Lawrence. This series has me looking at the places I’m very familiar with in a very new way. Trying to find new vantage points and scenes that are new to me has proven difficult, but I get the feeling that I will be shooting this sereis for some time to come, so I’m not in any rush. I’m just going to keep my camera handy, and shoot when something sparks my interest.

9/11/2011

rwaggoner — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:56:50 +0000

Everyone remembers where they were. What I remember most from that morning ten years ago is a conversation I had with a classmate shortly after learning of the attacks. She had not seen the T.V. yet, and I was telling her what happened. At first she thought it had been an accident, but as I told her about the second plane and an explosion at the Pentagon her facial expression change. I’ll never forget the look on her face as she realized that these were attacks were intended, and not an accident.

Ten years ago I stood on Memorial Drive at a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the attacks, and tonight I went back, for another candlelight vigil. The mood was somber and peaceful. Here are a few frames from the evening:

seeing lawrence

rwaggoner — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:13:48 +0000

Tomorrow I turn 23 years old, and I have spent all 23 years living in Lawrence, Kansas. To say I know the town well would be an understatement. And for as well as I know it, I am still surprised by things that I see; more like the way I see them.

Today I decided to start a new series, focused on my hometown — the only place I’ve ever called home. This idea was sparked by the feeling of seeing something you have seen thousands of times in a new way. That feeling I get when I leave Lawrence for a while, then return with fresh eyes, often saying to myself “right…that’s what that looks like.”

Some of these images will be familiar to you; hopefully some are not. That’s about all I want to say right now…here is what I shot today:

in progress – club baseball

rwaggoner — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 02:42:02 +0000

About a month ago I began a project on the club baseball team at KU. I have been thinking about working with this team for a couple years, and eventually I’ve gotten around to actually doing it. I wanted to post a few frames from my first couple times shooting with them. I’m most interested in their interactions with one another, even more so than the game on the field. So, without saying much more, here’s what I’ve got so far:

Two years, 27 images: my favorites from my time at The Kansan

rwaggoner — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 01:25:57 +0000

I have spent the last two and a half years of my life working as a photographer for The University Daily Kansan. During my time with the paper, I photographed everything from sporting events to portraits to general news and even a fight between football and basketball players. I got to travel with awesome people to amazing places like New York, Las Vegas and many less glamorous Big 12 cities such as Waco, Texas, Ames, Iowa and Lincoln, Nebraska. I gained unbelievable experience that I could have obtained no where else, and I made some really great friends.

Last month I left The Kansan to take the position of Collections Photographer at the Spencer Museum of Art, and while I am very excited about this great new opportunity, I have become sentimental about my time at The Kansan (just ask fellow photog Jerry Wang about my last basketball game). So, looking back I decided to pull together some of my favorite images I took while at the paper. Without getting too sappy, I’ll just say this: looking back through these images and thinking about the years I spent with The Kansan, I will miss it greatly.

CPOY entries

rwaggoner — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:03:41 +0000

Last month I submitted several of my images to the College Photographer of the Year contest (cpoy.org). Tonight, on the eve of judging in the two categories I entered (Sports Portfolio and Portrait), I thought I would share with you the images I submitted. The first three are for the portrait category, with the remaining seven images making up my sports portfolio.

Sports Portfolio

An appetite for energy

rwaggoner — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:23:36 +0000

My newest project is focused on energy waste in the United States, and what drives our culture’s need for such a large amount of the energy produced in the world. The United States uses roughly 23% of the energy in the world, yet we have less than 4% of the world’s population. This statistic is the driving force of this project, currently under the working title of ‘An Appetite for Energy’

My project is based on four fundamental facts: 1. 25% of the energy consumed by commercial entities is used on lighting…..2. 71% of energy produced for transportation is wasted…..3. Heating and air conditioning units account for 44% of residential energy consumed…..4. Phantom load (the electricity used by appliances and electronics left plugged in while not in use) costs the United States $4 billion a year. (Sources: New York Times, 2008; U.S. Department of Energy; Minnesota Energy Challenge)

My final goal for this project is an installation featuring 4 videos projected on the walls, audio and large prints. I am in the early stages of this work, however I wanted to post a couple images that I have taken so far.