The Art of the Personal Project is a crucial element to let potential buyers see how you think creatively on your own. I am drawn to personal projects that have an interesting vision or that show something I have never seen before. In this thread, I’ll include a link to each personal project with the artist statement so you can see more of the project. Please note: This thread is not affiliated with any company; I’m just featuring projects that I find. Please DO NOT send me your work. I do not take submissions.
Today’s featured artist: Blair Bunting
The World’s First U2 Spy Plane Photo Shoot at the Edge of Space
“Eight years of planning, and six months of training, all to sit in a cockpit for five hours to do a photoshoot while simultaneously being the furthest human being from the planet (other than those on the ISS). To put it simply, I would get into a spacesuit, climb into a Cold War spy plane that would then be chased by another spy plane to the Edge of Space to conduct a first-of-its-kind photoshoot.
Being overcome by emotions was not an option, as one cannot wipe their eyes in a spacesuit, and irritating them with tears can make focusing a camera impossible. It wasn’t the only wild challenge that faced me on this photoshoot. As to top it off, I could not get too excited or exhausted, for excess breathing and heart rate would immediately ice over the canopy at the altitudes we were at.
The sheer sight that existed at the apogee of the flight was (and still is) difficult to process. The sun sat not far from the half-moon, both against a black background as the blue sky I had seen all my life was behind me. Then as I veered down, the most emotional views I have ever witnessed existed, it was planet Earth. Beautiful blues, greens, and browns, but not even a hint of mankind could be seen, the curvature of the planet filled this absence.”
To see more of this project, click here
APE contributor Suzanne Sease currently works as a consultant for photographers and illustrators around the world. She has been involved in the photography and illustration advertising and in-house corporate industry for decades. After establishing the art-buying department at The Martin Agency, then working for Kaplan-Thaler, Capital One, Best Buy and numerous smaller agencies and companies, she decided to be a consultant in 1999. Follow her at @SuzanneSease. Instagram