Joyce Bellefeuille

You can read lots more about it on Joyce's web site, but the project delivers free flowers, donated from funerals, weddings, banquets and church services that would otherwise be discarded, to deserving recipients chosen through community outreach programs, friends, home care organizations, elder services, senior centers and cancer clinics.


The Power of Flowers ProjectI think creating photo essays like this to go along with editorial environmental portraits, that are the basis for the articles, gives the reader a much better connection to the subject.

The magazine went out to subscribers this week and will be on newstands on September 15th. See the magazine's web site for locations.

It could be that the client knows me. Obviously, networking is important, but it cannot be the only thing. Some would disagree, but every kind of business is different in this regard, and I think the arts, as a business, is always difficult. Given the turmoil that technology has created, that is especially true of photography today. Another reason that they might choose me is that they have heard of me by other means, such as social media. But again, there are many other photographers from which to choose. One could compete with those others on price, but that is a losing strategy that will have the photographer competing with the mall studios. Since those stores offer sittings for from $0 to $20, well, do the math. And then I would say, don't bother.

So if someone is looking for a photographer, or a photographer is looking for clients, why would the client choose photographer A over photographers B, C and D? On the face of that question, the answer is, they might, but not for any reason that is predictable or controllable. A needs to be A+x, where x is what makes him or her unique. Say I am looking for a TV. The store sells 4 models that fit my criteria. 3 are almost identical, aside from the fact that one of those three is a little cheaper. But the other one, number 4, has some unique feature, some ridiculous refresh rate (insert techno yada yada here), and is either the same price as the two others, or is even a little higher. (hint: I bought the more expensive one with the yada yada thing).

What makes your work unique?

Western Avenue Studios, Lowell, Massachusetts - 2007

Westford, Massachusetts - 2007

After using this shot (above) for a while, I did a semi-environmental portrait, in my living room (right). But after a while, my son informed me that this was not up to my usual standards. I am paraphrasing ;-)

Then there was the shot below that I created for a group art show in Lowell. I think I would call this a self-portraits [sic].

Western Avenue Studios, Lowell, Massachusetts - 2009

Or there is always the action shot...

Western Avenue Studios, Lowell, Massachusetts - 2010

So yesterday, I needed to do a shot of my studio for another purpose, and I decided to put myself into the scene...

Western Avenue Studios, Lowell, Massachusetts - 2010
Whatever.

Ok. So what would I do for some other middle-aged guy who wears jeans and has no delusions about looking anything like George Clooney... Simple. I'd go with dramatic lighting, black background, no props, no chair, little to no retouch.

As I have mentioned, I am doing some portraits for the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project here in the Merrimack Valley. Meeting up with the farmers in their fields in Dracut can be a little touch and go, so I tend to drop by at different times of the day on different days of the week. A week and half ago, very early in the morning, my wife and I stopped by the fields and found Justine tending her crops. My wife Amy has become very interested in local, sustainable farming, and has become a very enthusiastic and happy CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share holder in Lowell. So she was very interested to see where the veggies are grown and to hopefully meet some of the farmers who grow them. This is where Justine comes in.

I had met Justine the day that I was escorted around the farms when this all started, but this time, at first anyway, she didn't recognize me until I mentioned McKenzie's name, the Technical Assistance Coordinator of NESFP, at which point her face lit up with recognition. She then allowed me to photographer her, guiding me to her crop of corn, of which she was justifiably proud. But what really struck Amy was how generous and appreciative Justine was of our taking an interest. Justine insisted that Amy take some veggies and gave us a short tour of the greenhouse. Amy has recounted our visit much better than I ever could in her blog, here.

I have embarked on a project to profile some of the participating farmers, who are working this year on three plots of land in Dracut, Massachusetts. The weather has been unseasonably warm this summer, especially lately, so it's been challenging to shoot around schedules dictated by the intense heat. I initially was given a tour of the three farms by McKenzie Boekholder of NESFP, and took a few grab shots of some of the people that I met.

My first real shoot though, was with Heidi and Bruce, who work on a plot at the Ogonowski Memorial Site in Dracut. It struck me that the two of them take a lot of pleasure in working their plot, and that they were both extremely gracious to me, as I invited myself into their world.

There will be more portraits of the NESFP farmers to come!

I am constantly saying this to people who have not visited Lowell in a while, so at the risk of repeating myself (which almost never occurs!), Lowell is rapidly becoming a destination. Great food, art, music, festivals, businesses and community, as well as the national park. Duey and I were discussing where we should go for our photo shoot when she suggested the Riverwalk, behind the Lawrence Mills. The mill buildings there, like many in the rest of Lowell and some surrounding communities, have been converted to beautiful living spaces, and the grounds, including the previously mentioned River Walk, are a real asset to the city. Like many people though, I had never been there. It's an incredible space which I discovered thanks to my guide for the afternoon!

In spite of the day's intense sunlight, the Lawrence Mills building afforded us lots of shade which, in cooperation with the beautiful landscaping, made for perfect portrait lighting conditions.

One such person, referred to me in the latter category, was Fru Nkimbeng, originally of Cameroon, and now President of the African Cultural Association of Lowell. The association puts on the Lowell African Festival along the river each year, and which took place just last weekend. Fru works in Information Technology, so between our common experiences in that and our short conversation in French upon first meeting, I think the trepidations that Fru had in my photographing him were lessened. But being very active in the local African community, we both thought that he should be shown in traditional dress of Cameroon. For a photographer, the oranges, reds and blues in his garments were a gift.


If you are a photographer, and you like to photograph people, but don't know whom to ask, my advice is to just start somewhere. Ask that first person if they will pose and then ask if they might know other interesting people who would also be interested in posing. Keep doing that and after a while you will have a very long list. Networks work for more than just getting referrals for business in the traditional way.

We decided to move inside. The walls of the room to which I was led are a great yellow. I really do like warm and lively colored walls in general, and they are a gift to photographers. I mean what is more difficult to deal with than white walls? But while the light had been really amazing when we were outside, before the rain began, inside the house was another story. It was dark. So even though it was raining, I decided to put a speedlight with a warming gel and a bounce umbrella outside the window that faced the sofa to simulate late afternoon. I really like the reds, yellows and the richness of the wood floor turned out.

COOL, The Cultural Organization of Lowell, is a 501(3)(c) tax-exempt corporation affiliated with the Office of Cultural Affairs & Special Events in Lowell, Massachusetts. Do checkout their web site to see all of the things they do for the cultural ecosystem in Lowell. See you at the Lowell Folk Festival July 23rd, 24th and 25th!