My early explorations in photography

I recently emailed Mr G., my 10th and 11th grade photographer teacher at International School Bangkok, to thank him for igniting the spark of my love for photography. He wrote back a lengthy email which included digital versions of prints I had made in the darkroom back in 1996 and 1997. This is one of the many, many reasons why photography teachers are awesome: they actually hold onto your work when you’ve swept them under the rug.

I’m amazed that he kept these. It feels really good to see them again.

“When I read your note last night, I began to think back to those far away years at ISB… and call up impressions of you in my class. I can remember being impressed by your dedication and passion for photography at your young age. You also made some very experimental images in the darkroom and on the computer. To hear that you have found a path to follow using your vision and skills is very gratifying… You have a lovely style, very sensitive to the light and the mood. I think when you see the attached you will see the connection between your early explorations and some of your personal images.“

Self portrait: Silver gelatin print, treated with bleach and sepia toner.

Polaroid Transfer. Phitsanulok, Thailand, 1997.

Pressed — a short film about creative ruts.

This past weekend has been one of the most creatively stimulating and satisfying. Let me back up by admitting that I’ve been in a creative rut for a really long time. If anyone identifies with this, it is torturous. I’m not usually the most open person, but over the past week or so I’ve let people in because I needed the support and to know that I’m not the only one who goes through this.

Since Thursday, I’ve been shooting and editing a 5 minute piece through Bill Gentile’s Backpack Journalism Workshop. Bill is a former Newsweek photographer; covered the Sandinista conflicts in Nicaragua in the 80s; worked all over the globe. Essentially, he’s a total badass.

Serendipitously, I met artist Joren Lindholm on the first day of the workshop. He was getting ready to create a monotype print and graciously agreed to be filmed… for 4 hours. We talked about art, the DC art scene and found out we have friends in common. But what I really wanted to know was if he had ever been in a creative rut and how he worked through it.

And here it is, my interpretation of bringing oneself out of a creative downswing.

Filmed on a Canon 5D MkII on a 24-70mm lens, handheld.

Special thanks to Joren Lindholm, Bill Gentile and assistants Maria RM Howell, Kelly Donnellan and Nick Ray, and Pyramid Atlantic Art Center.

On aging and Tulum

These are from last year’s trip to Tulum, Mexico. My bestie and I had both turned 30, and this was our gift to ourselves. I turn 31 next week. I have to admit that I don’t take well to growing old (even though I’m fascinated by aging an seniors) and is probably the motivation behind unearthing these photos: to see my state of mind last May.

All images copyright Tara Kocourek.

old san juan, puerto rico

Old San Juan is absolutely gorgeous and a total sensory overload. Lingering memories: the tangy tartness of freshly squeezed orange juice washing down the sweet and greasy Mallorca breakfast sandwich, filled with egg, cheese and ham sandwich topped off with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. Vowing not to eat again for two days and walk it off by exploring the small town. Feeling the centuries-old smooth cobblestones underfoot, running your hands along the rough concrete walls that circle the city. Paint peeling off historic buildings, the glare of the sunlight and the dancing shadows. Watching the sunset at El Morro with dozens of other couples. Breaking that vow and indulging in limey ceviche, followed by a shot (or three) of Barillito at Cafe Nuyorrican. And repeat. All with the ever presence of religious iconography.

camera bags – an addiction

I have a serious problem when it comes to bags. I’m addicted. A few years ago, my fiance wagered that I couldn’t refrain from buying a bag for 5 years. I actually made it through 3, and then caved in.

Camera bags aren’t exempt. I’m pretty short and am always on the hunt for a more ergonomic, convenient and utilitarian camera bag. As a frequent traveler, I don’t like to carry anything that screams out “camera inside!” I always tape over any branding on my camera body, lenses, and accessories, and I remove or cover the labels on the camera bag.

For the most part, I use Domke F-3X Super Compact RuggedWear Shoulder Bag. It’s compact, easy to carry on one shoulder, and it is brown-waxed canvas, rather than the traditional black. I’ve even sewn fabric over the labels on the side flaps to make it a little more inconspicuous. Domke also sells a padded strap that is absolutely worth the $13 investment.

As much as I love my Domke, it’s not convenient to carry when shooting events. I recently invested in the Shootsac Lens Bag. I plan to test it out at tomorrow’s wedding shoot and will post my review as soon as I do. Some thoughts behind the purchase: it is worn across the body and is slim and not bulky. Not only does it feature pouches for my lenses and/or flash, I can also store extra batteries, CF cards, phone, contracts, business cards, and pens – things that don’t fit into my pockets.

I also have the ThinkTank Airport Antidote, which I had purchased for a documentary shoot in rural Honduras. While it’s a sturdy bag and serves nicely as a footrest in the airplane, for a person of my size and height it’s terribly cumbersome and heavy. So, I use it to store my dSLR and medium format cameras and accessories at home. (Note – the link takes you to the newer model of this bag).

My dream bag is the Billingham, the Hermes of all camera bags. I learned about this stunning bag during a National Geographic travel photography seminar with Bob Richardson and have coveted it ever since. The khaki canvas and cognac colored leather makes me daydream about explorers from the Royal Geographical Society, and quite simply, it looks badass. One day, it will be mine.

If you think I’m nuts about bags, check out this video of David Alan Harvey. He is way worse than me.

Images from left to right: Domke, Shootsac, ThinkTank, Billingham.

impromptu headshot session

My co-worker, Jacques, spontaneously asked me to make some quick headshots to submit to A/V Technology Magazine. We set up the shoot at American University School of Communications‘ Wechsler Theater, an appropriate location with theatre seating, projection booth in the background, and beautiful tall windows for natural lighting. I also used a classroom whiteboard (hey, gotta use what’s available) to fill just enough light to contour the right side of his face. Et voila.

bridal portrait

this is one of my all-time favorite bridal portraits: the detail of the dress with the silhouette of the bride in the background.

wedding site is up!

www.tarakfotoweddings.com is up and running!
my first gig was in 2006, and i was flown to san francisco (best city ever) to photograph a beautiful and intimate wedding at city hall (love the grand staircase). the images are the first set in the wedding gallery of my website.

today, i’m shooting a courthouse wedding and i’ll post the images over the next few days.

jess + david

here’s a look at a bridal brunch i helped organize, style and (of course) shoot. thank you to tala, nancy and yiting for helping to make this all happen, and to david for keeping it secret and waking up the sleepy bride-to-be the morning of the brunch. jess has been a great friend to me for almost 5 years now, and while i won’t be able to be in sweden for the wedding, i’m so excited to be part of the washington dc celebrations. it’s sure to be mad fun =)

Chedi

I pulled this from my archive of images. This image was shot on 120mm film in 2005 (wow, time passes quickly). It was part of my 2008 exhibit at Artomatic. I love this particular photograph because it makes me nostalgic for Thailand – especially with all the unrest over there right now – and shooting with my medium format camera. There is very little color adjustment on this; shooting with expired color film can be very serendipitous, and I love giving up that little bit of control. Just a little bit =)