L' oeil ailleurs

INTRODUCING NICOLE TIERNEY
I am from Wisconsin. It’s very much a nowhere state where nothing really changes besides the weather. I’m fairly cozy here, but one might say I’m itching to explore beyond what’s comfortable. I’m 18. When I was little my mom used to carry around these old disposable cameras wherever we went. It wasn’t then that I was like “hey i’d like to be behind the camera” because most of the time I was eager to jump in and ruin any nice shot with a huge smile or thumbs up. So, as a result of many years spent beside these old disposables I developed this strange love for the sounds the cameras make when you wind the film back. My mom finally gave up carrying these around as my sisters and I grew older and I hadn’t heard that lovely noise again until I was fifteen. One of my really good friends got this old film camera and when she took a photo and wound the picture I felt this overwhelming sense of nostalgia. So it was then that picked up my first film camera and began to document my small adventures. I like the idea of taking a moment and capturing it on a little piece of paper. It’s like you’ve made the moment concrete, you’ve preserved it into someone timeless. Right now I don’t have my mind set on any particular goal with my photos. If I could somehow integrate photography with a career like traveling- something like documenting people and places I think that would be fascinating. I wouldn’t say my life has changed much. I have become more aware of my surroundings and the way people perceive things and such. This may sound ridiculous, but it’s like hearing about the anatomy of plants. You see a plant and it looks like any old plant, but then you learn about all of the tissue and cells that make up that plant and how it grows from a seed and the parts like the epicotyl and the difference between dicots and monocots. And then you never look at a plant the same way. I guess I just sound crazy, but when I look at things I try to look beyond their appearance. I think that’s also why I find people so intriguing. We are all so much more than bits of carbon. I’m a big fan of my mamiya. This is one of my favorite places. It goes by the name Scuppernong and I have explored these woods time and time again. This particular day was freezing and overcast, but the springs in the creek still seemed to erupt from their tunnels in the sand. I had the hardest time holding my camera still for this photo because I was laughing so hard due to my sisters terrifying yelps about how she could feel the wall moving along with intermediate cries of excitement as she described to me how far she could see across the land. I guess it might be more humorous if you knew Jaci. It’s rather difficult to describe this kid, but despite that she has the most witty humor and is quite the free spirit. I think Julie Lansom’s work is brilliant. The tones and emotions are off the wall.

I am from Wisconsin. It’s very much a nowhere state where nothing really changes besides the weather. I’m fairly cozy here, but one might say I’m itching to explore beyond what’s comfortable. I’m 18. When I was little my mom used to carry around these old disposable cameras wherever we went. It wasn’t then that I was like “hey i’d like to be behind the camera” because most of the time I was eager to jump in and ruin any nice shot with a huge smile or thumbs up. So, as a result of many years spent beside these old disposables I developed this strange love for the sounds the cameras make when you wind the film back. My mom finally gave up carrying these around as my sisters and I grew older and I hadn’t heard that lovely noise again until I was fifteen. One of my really good friends got this old film camera and when she took a photo and wound the picture I felt this overwhelming sense of nostalgia. So it was then that picked up my first film camera and began to document my small adventures. I like the idea of taking a moment and capturing it on a little piece of paper. It’s like you’ve made the moment concrete, you’ve preserved it into someone timeless. Right now I don’t have my mind set on any particular goal with my photos. If I could somehow integrate photography with a career like traveling- something like documenting people and places I think that would be fascinating. I wouldn’t say my life has changed much. I have become more aware of my surroundings and the way people perceive things and such. This may sound ridiculous, but it’s like hearing about the anatomy of plants. You see a plant and it looks like any old plant, but then you learn about all of the tissue and cells that make up that plant and how it grows from a seed and the parts like the epicotyl and the difference between dicots and monocots. And then you never look at a plant the same way. I guess I just sound crazy, but when I look at things I try to look beyond their appearance. I think that’s also why I find people so intriguing. We are all so much more than bits of carbon. I’m a big fan of my mamiya. This is one of my favorite places. It goes by the name Scuppernong and I have explored these woods time and time again. This particular day was freezing and overcast, but the springs in the creek still seemed to erupt from their tunnels in the sand. I had the hardest time holding my camera still for this photo because I was laughing so hard due to my sisters terrifying yelps about how she could feel the wall moving along with intermediate cries of excitement as she described to me how far she could see across the land. I guess it might be more humorous if you knew Jaci. It’s rather difficult to describe this kid, but despite that she has the most witty humor and is quite the free spirit. I think Julie Lansom’s work is brilliant. The tones and emotions are off the wall.

1:05 pm • 28 April 2011 • 11 notes