David Holland Talks to Photo Students

David Holland visited with some photography students last Friday [4/8/11] and talked to them about how he developed an exhibition and a book of images he took while in Iraq. David has created an exhibition of fine art photography from the thousands of images he captured while on active duty in Iraq. They were exhibited at The University of Southern Mississippi and the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum earlier this year. The collection will be coming to Mississippi State University September 3rd to October 30th 2011.   The body of work is also included in a book published by Skarlet Press titled Bagdad Beyond the Wire: Faces from the Fair Garden. The book will be available soon on Amazon and other locations.

David talked to the students about how he started creating the work while in Bagdad. He talked about the importance of editing, cropping, and selecting the right scale for an image. He stressed the importance of being aware of the people around you so you can be in the right place for the best photograph. He reminded the students that one must respect others cultures as you are photographing. The camera can open doors but one must not overstay a welcome.

Students were able to see how a project went from idea to product. They heard how important it is to make personal connections. And most of all carry that camera with you whenever possible - never know when the 1st image of your book will be taken!

David took several photography classes with me while he was at Mississippi State University.