Lost in the Trees by Alyssa Reichardt

Information

Submitted on: 10 Mar 09

Category: North Carolina

Rating:

Description of Essay as provided by photographer:

This essay follows the Chapel-Hill based band, Lost in the Trees, as it tours around North Carolina and much of the Eastern and Midwestern United States.

Very much still a local band, Lost in the Trees is only beginning to aim outside its local scene. However, rather than focusing on the difficulties that are often a part of life on tour, this essay instead celebrates the excitement and vibrance of our surroundings on the road. For–as much as touring can be at times exhausting or frustrating–the new places and colorful settings we inhabit are exactly what make it worth it all.

All photos are from between August and December of 2008.

http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/digg_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/reddit_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/dzone_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/stumbleupon_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/delicious_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/blinklist_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/blogmarks_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/furl_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/newsvine_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/technorati_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/magnolia_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/google_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/myspace_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/facebook_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/yahoobuzz_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/sphinn_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/mixx_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/twitter_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/jamespot_48.png http://vewd.org/contest/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/meneame_48.png

Viewing 15 Comments

    • ^
    • v
    Judges Comments:
    Alyssa – Your use of light and color is great. There is a lack of closeness and intimacy with the subjects that I really crave to make this story stand out from the mix. Most of the time people feel more like compositional elements than subjects. The band story is something that has been done before and done well, so to make this successful you really have to push the aesthetic boundaries to make it pop. Your camera-to-subject distance is similar throughout and lacks the push/pull needed to keep the viewer engaged. Try working as physically close to your subject as possible, then move as far away as you can, with your back to the wall and work from there. The comfortable distance in the middle always comes naturally. I can see that you are coming into your style and am excited to see how that develops. There is lots of potential within the subject you have chosen – capitalize on it with bold imagery and keep pushing.
    • ^
    • v
    Hey Matt,

    Thanks so much for your comments. I can't really say much other than that I completely agree with your criticisms.

    This contest has been a great opportunity for me to get feedback and one of the main things I keep getting--which you also highlighted--is that there is a real lack of variety of in my photos, particularly in my distance to the subject.

    More than that though, your critique that the people end up more like "compositional elements" than subjects was the one that I really appreciated. You're entirely right. I had set out, I guess, to try to do something where that was almost purposefully the case, so that the photos were more about my bandmates within the surroundings than about my bandmates themselves. But--as it keeps getting pointed out to me--that alone isn't effective. I think now that I'm going to keep some of those photos but that I'm going to have to make new photos that focus more on the people to create contrast.

    Thanks again,
    Alyssa
    • ^
    • v
    May I suggest something: you have a lot of cool detail shots that I've seen on your flickr page. The essay, however, doesn't include enough of them. The medium shots start to get repetitive, despite the awesomeness how you work with the lighting.

    What I'm thinking: this should really be an essay about a band always on the move, but in order to do that, you need to give some placeholders. I'm talking about images of the band in various cities or titles to give us an idea of where the band is.

    But really: there are some incredible images in this story. Well done, Alyssa.
    • ^
    • v
    Alyssa,
    This was really amazing to see.
    Just every moment feels intimate, whether it is around a fire or getting prepared to go on stage.
    Everything is captured so beautifully and artistically, ah, I love photographs and taking them, if only I had your talent!
    My favorite one was the one with the open door in the midst of the wall with the painted branches, it's just opening up to not only your band, but so much more. Amazing.

    • ^
    • v
    One minor change--

    I not only mis-spelled Annie LEIBOVITZ (oops), but I shouldn't have made it seem like her American Music fell into the same category as those other works. Honestly, more than any other project on musicians, American Music is the one most influential to me. You don't see her subjects performing on stage, or their interaction with the crowds and fans. Instead, we see them resting before a set, standing beside their cars, sitting on hotel beds, hanging out in their kitchens, in a tanning bed, and so on. There is still a distinct difference between my photographs and those in American Music, but both get at a similar point: musicians can be understood as more than performers, and that a different setting and focus can get at different truths.

    Best,
    Alyssa
    • ^
    • v
    Reply to Jamie (for some reason I can't hit reply):

    Hi Jamie,

    Thanks for your comments. I do in fact see this as a long term project—and the edit here is very outdated.

    There’s one thing that I guess was not really conveyed in my description on vewd. The current description of my project (which, also has a new title, 'Never Lost') might do a better job:

    “Never Lost is a collection of photographs made over 2 years in the North Carolina Triangle region and on the road with two Chapel Hill-based bands, The Never and Lost in the Trees. The collection is a celebration of destination and travel—a counterpoint to the traditional “band” story. It’s not about the difficulties of life on tour, or a glimpse into a culture of sex, drugs, rock and roll, or an idolizing look at well-known stars (not that photographs of The Never or Lost in the Trees could ever have been any of these to begin with). Instead, Never Lost is a meditation on the places that we inhabit, and how the alternating quiet beauty, vibrance, and color of these—sometimes-unexpected—worlds are the very reason we pack up our instruments and take to the road.”

    I myself am a member of Lost in the Trees, and I felt like I could provide a different perspective from what’s already widely recognized. I love those essays you allude to (I guess one more that I would tack on is Annie Liebowitz’s American Music). But as much as I love all that work, that’s exactly what I’m trying NOT to do. Not only is it almost impossible for me to photograph the band on stage, but I don’t want to.

    To me, the shots of the band performing and of the fans and the crowd are superficial—they’re what anyone at that moment would already be looking for and taking. You don't need to search for the slew of camera-wielding audience members at a show--they're always there. I love that type of photography, but it's far apart from what seems to me to be documentary work. Those photos require no access, no relationship to the subject. I know that I still have a ways to go with the project, but I feel like I’ve been trying to do something extremely different, and something that considers the band as more than just performers.

    I guess, more than anything, what I tried to explain in my description and then in my exchanges with Panos, is that this ultimately isn’t really about just the band itself. My project is more about how we fit into our surroundings. In my new description, I allude to how 'Never Lost' is part of Wanderlust--that desire to travel and explore. And in that regard, in some ways, I was a little surprised to hear you say that this project is repetitive. There are only two photographs in my project that were even made in the same location/city. If the photos begin to look similar, that is more a remark on the similarity of our destinations (which is really what this project is about).

    I don’t know if this boils down to a difference in methodology—photojournalism versus documentary work—but I guess I’m just interested in something unlike what’s been done in Rolling Stone. At the same time, maybe what I'm going after wouldn't be of interest to anyone beyond the band the way more traditional projects have been. I guess that's something I'll have to consider going forward.

    If you want to see a more current version of 'Never Lost,' you can see it here: http://web.me.com/alyssareichardt/Site/Documentary_Projects/Pages/Never_Lost.html

    (Despite what I said earlier) I’ve included one shot of The Never from above stage, and one shot of the crowd from onstage with Lost in the Trees for you to see. If I am to use them at all, I definitely plan on using them at the beginning, to provide those expected shots, and then use the remainder of the project to try to dig into something deeper.

    Best,
    Alyssa

    • ^
    • v
    JUDGES COMMENTS:

    Alyssa, I think this is a good start on a long term photo essay but there's more work to do here. The images are technically good and well exposed. But there's a lot of the story that missing or needed. If this is a band, I'd expect to see some highly stylized shots of them rockin' out during a show. The overall essay could use a tighter edit too. There are a lot of similars in it. However, the repetition really shows me the isolation and stress these guys are under to keep their dream alive. Basically, to do a strong band story, you'll need shoot the fans, the crowds, the players on stage.

    Stories like this are hard to do because so many have been done but there is potential there for a something out of the oridinary and exciting. Look at Rolling Stone or some of the classic behind the scenes stuff of the Rolling Stones or Sex Pistols. There are some great photo essays out there to find inspiration.

    Good start on this and I'd look forward to seeing more work from you!
    Jamie Rose

    Director of Workshops | Momenta Group LLC
    http://www.momentaworkshops.com
    • ^
    • v
    Wow, Alyssa, awesome photos! I was just looking through facebook and saw this on your profile! Its so cool what you've done, I guess you have gotten into some new stuff!
    Hope all is well and I look forward to seeing some more work,
    Jordann
    • ^
    • v
    Excellent attention to detail and use of lighting. The personality of Lost in the Trees really comes through well in these pictures, Alyssa. Amaaaaaaazing!!
    • ^
    • v
    I love the yellow room picture- so beautiful with the shadows!
    • ^
    • v
    I love these photos and I love the band's music as well! Great work, Alyssa!
    • ^
    • v
    great photos alyssa! i especially like the one with the guys lounging on the bunks in the bus :)
    • ^
    • v
    Beautiful juxtaposition of the show and setup, gorgeous photograph!
    • ^
    • v
    ( from Panos Skoulidas)
    Self portrait is part of the game,..
    Is respect. Is a photographic and a philosophical approach...
    It's showing that your "subjects" are not "objects"...Are not lesser than you!...
    They dont have to be obvious either...
    And since you are part of the band ( i think ) it would be a nice addition.
    :))))))
    • ^
    • v
    Hi Panos,

    That's very much in the vein of Ruth Behar (the whole "vulnerable observer" idea). I definitely agree with that approach and it's something that I've tried to do in other ways. It's also something that my documentary studies professors and advisers at school VERY MUCH agree with and have tried to hammer into us as students. I guess I was more curious from an aesthetic point of view, but I'm sure I could find ways to make it gel with the other photos. Do you have any suggestions on how to do that? (Also, i AM part of the band, so i agree that it's a little strange for me to be so absent.)

Trackbacks

(Trackback URL)

close Reblog this comment
Powered by Disqus · Learn more
blog comments powered by Disqus