Interview
with the Artsy
BK: When did
you first realize you had a creative flair?
I was in the
3rd
grade, living in Queens, NY at the time. I used to trace Garfield
comic strips out of the NY Times. On this particular day, I decided
to draw it free hand (no tracing paper).
To my
surprise, I drew Garfield exactly as it looked as when I traced it. I
was extremely excited at the fact that I could now draw.
Then in the
7th
grade, I drew a portrait of Tupac, which was on the cover of Rolling
Stones Magazine. Surprising myself once more, I was ecstatic that I
can now use my pencil and draw people.
From then on
for the entire school year, most of my classmates took turns having
me draw them. I also charged a small fee of $2 to draw them as well.
I’d say I was a budding entrepreneur.
BK: What
inspires you most?
My visions are
my biggest inspiration. I visualize the vast majority of my
photography and drawings before I even attempt to capture it
physically. My visualizations either come to me in my dreams as I
sleep or in day dreams.
I honestly
don’t how this happens but I do consider it a blessing and I’m
very thankful for it.
BK: What
inspired the creation of your latest book?
I always say,
I didn’t choose Feminine Transitions, she choose me. On the early
morning of August 26, 2009 I awoke from my sleep with concepts,
images and the book title in my head. I grabbed my journey, which I
kept slightly under my mattress, sketched a few portraits and wrote
down the title, Feminine Transitions.
Once again my
visions (or messages as I always say) blessed me with a powerful
book.
BK: If one
would say they wanted to be creative, what is one piece of advice you
can give for those that weren't lucky enough to have a God-Given
talent?
I believe we
are all born with a creative God-Given talent? The best way to bring
it out is to discover our hidden talent. I highly suggest taking any
and every type of class to learn and diversify what you more or may
not know. Get out the house and get creative!
BK: Explain
what you see when looking through the lens of your camera?
When I look
through my lens I see beauty. The thought of capturing what is in
front of my camera in still form is absolutely amazing.
BK: What
emotions do you experience when you're utilizing your creativity?
Expressing my
creativity is freeing. For me, it releases stress, calms my nerves
and simply allows me be myself. When I am not being creative, it
definitely takes a toll on my spirit. It’s healing so I make sure
to keep it close to my daily life, even incorporating my children in
projects as well.
BK: What is
one Photoshop tip you can give to our readers?
Please keep
photos of people realistic. All images are pretty much air brushed
way too heavily now a days. The imagery looks nothing like the actual
subject/model.
I believe we
have to draw a line somewhere. Are we not encouraging the negative
outlook that society has on natural beauty?
Alyscia Cunningham is a lifestyle photographer. Her main focus
is human images and how it can be incorporated with light and
shadow. She tends to use dramatic lighting in many of her
images because it fosters greater interaction between you and
the photographs, as you tend to analyze it a little more.
Likewise, the use of close ups creates a sense of intimacy and
usually draws a greater emotional reaction from you.
Website | Facebook
FEMININE TRANSITIONS
"Life on the planet is born of woman"
Adrienne Rich
For women, aging brings with it an inner
grace and beauty that is more than skin
deep. From birth to old age, women
transition through many physical,
psychological, and emotional phases that
are recorded on their faces.
Feminine Transitions: A Photographic
Celebration of Natural Beauty is a
refreshing and inspiring, full-color, hard
cover, book of photography. Its pages
present a series of portraits that reveal the
elegance and subtly honest beauty of
female faces between the ages of 7 weeks and 103 years.
Copies will be available and mailed in September 2013 (exact date TBA).
Never before has a book so vividly projected the images of women in all
stages of life in a way that reveals who they really are as women.Feminine
Transitions unmasks women and exquisitely demonstrates that young is
beautiful, old is beautiful, and natural is beautiful.
1 comment:
Thank you so much for chatting today Alyscia.
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