Buongiorno!

August 27, 2015 in Travel

For roughly the last two weeks or so, I have been spending my days in Rome, Italy. Cornell has a fabulously designed program that allows its art and architecture students to study on their campus in the heart of central Rome, among surviving antiquities, boisterous cafés, and, of course, museums. Exploring the city has been quite an experience, with hidden beauty tucked behind every street corner.

The people that I've met here so far have been wonderful as well. Everyone from my intriguing Italian teacher who told us about the nuances of Roman culture, to the barista at the local café who is an immigrant from Ukraine with an affinity for boxing, have all been a pleasure to get to know.

This past Saturday, we took a field trip around Rome to take a look at a few landmarks in the city. It was exhausting. The group walked a total of 11 miles that day, but in the end it was nothing short of amazing to get to see the different aspects of Rome that we may not have otherwise.

Overlooking the piazza near the Rome city entrance.

Since I won't be getting much, if any, client work in for the next few months I really hope to expand my artistic practice with other types of photography in Italy. I plan to work with my professor to develop some videos and photo series revolving around European conflicts and social structures. In the meantime, I still have so much to learn about how this city works and how to take full advantage of the opportunities and resources available to me here. Stick around for some further updates on my projects this semester, and follow my Instagram @julialuisacole for some more quick shots of my adventures!

All images in this blog post were shot with an iPhone 6

Three Easy Marketing Strategies for the University Student Photographer

September 16, 2014 in Tips

I've found that there are many great articles on how to transition from your full time job to owning a photography business, but there isn't much to offer in the realm of starting to establish yourself as a student photographer in a university setting. This post will look at a few ideas to get yourself established and known through marketing as a college student.

1. Facebook

This is probably the most obvious. Most of our generation is well versed in this sphere and to take advantage of this platform is the easiest and potentially the most powerful marketing tool for our demographic. Aim to make posts that are professional and concise with lots of visual information. Use your Facebook page to promote your Yelp, your website as well as any other social media accounts. Many businesses attempt to do contests on Facebook by sharing or liking photos, but be aware that the most recent privacy settings now make this difficult by not showing everyone who may be interacting with your page. Advertising to your surrounding community through Facebook promotions is an interesting way to get more likes as well, although it may not always be effective. The most important aspect of a successful and well trafficked page is its updated and meaningful content.

2. Business Cards

Business cards may not seem to be all that important, but if you are on the move often you may not always have time to spell out your email and website to every person interested in your work. Simple business cards can be ordered in bulk through services like Vistaprint and will be a nice resource for you to have on hand when needed. Additionally, if you're more of a do-it-yourself person you can experiment with laser cutting machines or screen printing which may be available to you at your college for free or for a fee.

3. Student Organizations and Events

If your school is anything like mine, there are plenty of student organized events happening every week. Such events are awesome opportunities for some quick networking. I often take my camera out unannounced to different rallies and happenings around campus and take pictures of students. Organizers and sometimes participants are usually very happy to exchange contact information and will remember you as a photographer for the future. You can also post the photos from the event to your Facebook page to get tags and likes. Check out an event at Cornell I shot, Holi at Cornell.

#ThrowbackThursday with the Canon AE-1 Program

May 29, 2014 in Tips

This #ThrowbackThursday goes waay back. The Canon AE-1 Program was introduced in 1981, well before I was born, and was an immense success. Celebrated for its ease-of-use, large viewfinder and its extremely accurate "Program" or auto mode, this camera continues to be in the hands of amateurs and professionals who are looking to step away from digital and revisit the world of film photography.

When purchased as a kit, the AE-1 Program comes with a 50mm 1.8 FD prime lens. Keep in mind that the system dates before Canon's switch to EOS, so this lens will not be compatible with your digital body unless you get an adapter which will grant you limited functionality. Fortunately an inexpensive EOS version exists, which you can get on Amazon here.

The AE-1 Program's setup favors the aperture-priority setting. When you set your f-stop on the lens to "A" or auto, all you have to do is choose a shutter speed and go! Speeds go up to 1/1000 and the LCD indicator in the viewfinder will display the exposure and blink if settings need to be adjusted. Additionally, if you set the dial to "Program" the camera will figure out all of the settings for you... just snap and go! If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, take the f-stop setting off of "A" and try setting it yourself in full manual mode. The LCD will still display the recommended settings so you will know if you are following the meter or not.

The camera accepts your regular 35mm sized film. My personal recommendation is the Kodak Tri-X 400 film, which is good for photographing a variety of lighting situations and produces rich black and white tones. Color film also works spectacularly on this camera, and you can experiment with different types of film, expired film and double exposures.

The price of the Canon AE-1 can vary based on the vendor and the condition. Online, you can find them used for anywhere between 50-100 dollars in good condition. Adorama sells good-condition bodies for $74. Amazon and Ebay are also good sources and may include additional lenses, although there's always a risk when buying from potentially inexperienced sellers, so shop carefully and always read up on the seller's return policy! I got my own AE-1 Program at a local thrift store for $15 dollars in great condition. If you decide to go this route, make sure to inspect the camera thoroughly before purchasing.

Happy shooting!