I arrived at Photoville unexpected, yet very excited. The many trailers filled with photographs from talented artists was just the way Professor Johnson described it. The first photographer I met was Harmen Meinsma. He’s been a photographer since he was 14 years old. I found Meinsma’s method of capturing his subjects in his Photoville display to be unique. He finds his subjects on the street and makes a connection with them. Meinsma gravitates towards vibrant, high energy people for his photos. After consent, he connects his subjects with his stylist and finds outfits that fits their vivacious personalities. I also admired his Photoville photos for showcasing vibrant older adults. My favorite Harmen Meinsma photograph at Photoville is the one with the three black women in a garden with a windmill behind them. They are dressed in bright color outfits and posing like Destiny’s Child. Meinsma’s photos capture his subjects in an essence that balances reality with fantasy perfectly. He loves colors, finding black and white photos to be boring. He took a Polaroid of me and we took a picture together for the ‘gram. Harmen Meinsma was very fun to meet.
Next, I met Adama Delphine with Professor Johnson and a couple of classmates. I joined the conversation just as Delphine was reminiscing about the days of beepers. Friends using beepers to communicate with each other is very 1990s. Delphine has spent years photographing many things and people, including documenting hip hop culture throughout the years. Delphine revealed that she would love to photograph Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$ and current day Nas. She’s been working on a hip hop documentary since 1995 and strongly believes now is the time to release it. I personally enjoyed her photos because I am a big fan of hip hop culture. It was a pleasure speaking to and getting to know Adama Delphine.
I really enjoyed my Friday trip to Photoville. I felt very inspired looking at all the different works from the amazing artists/ photographers there. I am more excited to continue learning how to capture journalistic photographs.