©2009 John F Rash
Snowed in at home, due to a mild snow fall which rendered the roads powdery enough to cancel school for the day, I had some extra time to create a Valentine image. Not having anything remotely romantic on hand, I decided to hit the stores for some props. Once the snow had melted away I ventured out to Target, which resulted in a purchase of some new bowls and a $1 box of chocolates. For the time and money involved, a fairly nice image evolved by the end of the afternoon.
HDR Self Portrait: Burlington, NC
©2009 John F Rash
Rash Photographs Selected for East Carolina University Photo Biennial
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
John Rash, digital photography instructor at Randolph Community College, has had two photographs selected for exhibit at East Carolina University's 6th Photographic Image Biennial Exhibition, which runs Jan. 20 - Feb 18 in the Wellington B. Gray Gallery on the ECU campus.
One piece, titled "Night Bastard," was selected as one of five top works to receive a monetary award and publication in the exhibition catalog. Rash said the image "was captured in the park beside the Grand Street metro station in New York. Local youth gather here to play handball and socialize on a daily basis. I observed the lighting conditions created by overhanging trees combined with available light reflecting from the park wall. The effect was a natural silhouetted image of the kids interacting under the tree canopy."
The other work that will be on display is titled "Connection Xi'An," which Rash took while walking along the city wall in Xi'An, China in May 2008. "I peered at eye level into a kaleidoscope of repeating cell-like apartment buildings, high above the ground level," said Rash. "This particular image captures a man speaking on his cell phone, caged behind the bars of his apartment window. He is placed into context of the Xi'An cityscape by means of a backdrop of rooftops, windows, TV antennas, and satellite dishes. Here, a lone man reaches for communication among a nation of billions who have been reeling from the quickest and most dynamic societal shift of our past century."
Rash has spent the past 10 years exploring the world through visual images captured by both traditional and digital photographic processes. A North Carolina native, he was born and raised in the mountain highlands of Avery County. After graduating with a BFA in Art Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2000, Rash worked for several years as a public high school AP art instructor. In 2004, Rash accepted a full-time faculty position as instructor of digital photography at RCC. Since 2006, he has embarked on several trips to China for both language and photographic opportunities. Rash has been invited to visit Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China, in March 2009 to present a lecture on digital photographic workflow.
If you would like to view Rash's work, the Wellington B. Gray Gallery is located off of Fifth and Jarvis Streets, Greenville, N.C., in the Jenkins Fine Arts Center. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. An opening reception and lecture by the jurors will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22.
http://www.randolph.edu/Chinatown Cafe
©2008 John F Rash
Snow Chevy
©2008 John F Rash
Last weekend was the first big snow of 2008 in North Carolina. As per usual, Greensboro just saw a mere dusting, yet my childhood hometown in Avery County accumulated quite a few inches. Looking for a chance to put my new Canon 50D to work, I tossed by gear in the car and headed for the mountains and snow. I imagined I would capture white wintery landscapes, trees dripping with melting icicles, and frozen moments in nature. However, I quickly found myself drawn to the folksy shops and tourist traps along the way. These pit stops, their over abundance of hand-painted signage and rusty Coca-Cola adverts, could easily be considered an eyesore. However, those elements become somewhat signature to the area, just as any modern beach town would not be complete with out Dicks Crabhouse or Wings surf shop. On my return home, I saw a blue Chevy truck with a flat tire parked under an orange streetlamp. The colors of the streetlight contrast nicely with the cyan truck body, but also cast some interesting anglular shadows. But what makes me love this image is that it warps me between my current life, and days of the past. This image of the snowy truck decorated with handpainted signage evokes nostalgia for my childhood in the mountains of North Carolina. Yet, seeing a Chevy truck parked in the snow with a flat tire, broken down but maybe not down for the count, also calls to mind the current situation with the GM corporation. Someone will have to fix this truck to make it work again, and maybe that same person needs this truck to navigate the snowy landscape. Are we lost in the frozen landscape, or are we merely broken down and just need to do a bit of work to help ourselves?
WINNER 2008 CHINA EXPERIENCE CONTEST: 1ST PLACE
PRESS RELEASE
NOV. 13, 2008.
John F Rash was announced today as the 1st Place winner in the China Experience Photo Contest held by the North Carolina State University Confucius Institute. The photo "Hao Hai Zi" was taken in May, 2008 when Rash was visiting a school for migrant children in the city of Beijing, China.
The children seen in the photo are not provided free public education as migrants to the city. Hao Hai Zi Kindergarten is a small school which offers an affordable education to the children of migrant workers. Hao Hai Zi offers classes in History, Math, English, and Music, as well as hot daily meals for less than the equlivalent of US$4 eash month. John spent a day at Hao Hai Zi photographing the children, observing their routine, and talking with the owner and principal who built the school in 2006.
John F Rash hopes to return to Beijing in 2009 to spend more time documenting migrant children and women who are facing the challenge of intregrating into the quickly developing cities of China.
John F Rash also received merit awards in the photo competition for two other photos taken during his visits to China in 2008 and 2006. All three images will be on display at the NC State D.H.Hill Library in November to help celebrate International Education Week.
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Obama 08
©2008 John F Rash
Barack Obama spoke to an estimated crowd of 28,000 in Raleigh, NC on October 29, 2008. With just a week before the general election, North Carolina is being seen as a battleground state for the first time in more than two decades.
Asia Snacks 1.0: Yan Yan
©2008 John F Rash
Sepia Rose
©2008 John F Rash
Testing speedlights on a Saturday night was never so much fun. A few pieces of black foam core, a few exposure checks - - - and a simple image with interesting light emerges. I haven't set up still life or object shots in quite some time, so this was a bit of fun practice after drinking too much coffee too late on a Saturday night. Insomnia can render creative results if you apply yourself!
Chinese Environmentals
