Yodith Dammlash

Disappearing Act

2011-09-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

My blog, this blog, is experiencing technical difficulties. And by technical difficulties, I mean that all my images have disappeared. Thanks to Google+, Picassa and Blogger all being discreetly linked together, Picassa deleted every image on my blog. EVERY image. A girl can't even keep her profile pic, smh. Of course I have all these images saved on my personal computer and hard drives, but it is a little disappointing that my main form of sharing imagery and my work for the past 3 years is now empty. The silver lining is that I am currently in the middle of working on an actual website which was going to feature a new blog anyway. So this mishap is just going to fuel me to finish it sooner. So, for you folk reading this, I'm just going to keep on moving and keep you posted on the developments and launch of said website and blog via this empty space and twitter. Thanks for following!

Gama Flicks

2011-09-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Not sure if these will go towards the "Gama Series" but I like them just the same. Especially the black & white one, of course. What say you?

Quote

2011-09-04T06:59:00.001-07:00

Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.
~ Andy Warhol

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Lego Camera

2011-08-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Actual working 4x5 camera made out of Lego bricks. This is sick.

Via Cary Norton. You gotta see how he did it here.

2011-08-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

Just testing out the new lens...

Baby Ava's Blessing

2011-08-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I photographed the blessing of my dear friend Catherine's daughter Ava. I could be a little biased, but I could shoot her all day. She makes funniest faces and is such a happy baby. I shot the whole event but my favorite pictures are the ones with little Ava in them, of course.

Ava and cousin Nana. This is my favorite shot.

Catherine's younger sister. Such a cutie.

The happy family!

Quote: Creativity vs. Professionalism

2011-07-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

"I’ll say this, making your photography, doing your art, is something that for a lot of people is a combination of technical skill, professional know-how, and personal dream and fantasy. Being an artist is this incredibly fantasized notion, and for a lot of people, it’s a place where they put their dreams. When you’re doing that, you tend to forget your practical business skills, or you tend not to think about bringing all the other skills you have to it. Because it’s about being “creative.” To put it in a concise term, being creative doesn’t mean not being professional." ~Ariel Shanberg

via APhotoEditor

EXHIBIT: 30 Americans

2011-07-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

This fall Corcoran Gallery of Art will be showcasing the exhibition "30 Americans", a group show of work by the past few decades amazing black artists. According to the website,

Provocative and confrontational, this exhibition focuses on issues of racial, sexual, and historical identity in contemporary culture, and explores the powerful influence of artistic legacy and community across generations.

The exhibit features work by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kehinde Wiley, Carrie Mae Weems and Lorna Simpson, just to name a few. It will be up in DC from October 1 to February 12. I don't know about you but I am excited.

From the exhibit website:

Jean-Michel Basquiat
Bird On Money
1981

Hank Willis Thomas
Basketball and Chain
2003

Beats Rhymes & Life

2011-07-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

So geeked for this screening tonight...Check the website for showtimes near you.

NY Colour, Water & Lights

2011-07-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

NYC B&W

2011-06-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy how this image turned out. It's the only one (so far) from the NYC batch that I shot in color but upon viewing instantly knew Black & White suited it better. How I miss Black & White film....

Teaser Flick: NYC 2011

2011-06-27T21:37:00.001-07:00

The Ego vs The Soul

2011-06-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

via the homie Student of Life

Art All Night Launch & Christylez Bacon

2011-06-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was the photographer of the launch party event for Art All Night - Nuit Blanche DC. In France, Nuit Blanche is a yearly all-night arts festival and celebration. There are exhibitions and installations in the streets as well as museums and galleries, that would otherwise be closed, open and free to the public that night. So this same idea is being brought to DC in September (click here to learn more about submitting work). I was actually in Paris, France in 2009 at the time of their Nuit Blanche. If DC's is anything like that, trust me, you don't want to miss it. One of the performers at the launch was progressive hip hop artist and all-around cool dude Christylez Bacon. Here are just a few of my favorites from Christylez's performance.

INSPIRATION: Photo

2011-06-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Mya
Photo by: Adam Bouska for NOH8 Campaign

Inspiration

2011-06-07T14:45:00.001-07:00

Via Pound Magazine

Quote

2011-06-05T09:32:00.001-07:00

"Have good trust in yourself -- not in the One that you think you should be, but in the One that you are."

~Maezumi Roshi

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.0

INSPIRATION: Photo

2011-06-04T18:20:00.001-07:00

Kara Walker
Photo by: Chuck Close

Documentary Trailer

2011-05-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Dark Girls
Directed by Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry

Dark Girls: Preview from Bradinn French on Vimeo.

Quote

2011-05-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

"All art is a kind of confession, more or less oblique. All artists, if they are to survive, are forced, at last, to tell the whole story; to vomit the anguish up."

~James Baldwin

PORTRAIT: Tsedeye

2011-05-21T10:45:00.001-07:00

Street Lights

2011-05-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

Let me know
Do I still got time to grow
Things ain't always set in stone
That be known let me know
Let me

Seems like, street lights, glowin
Happen to be just like moments, passin
In front of me so I hopped in, the cab and
I paid my fare see I know my destination
But I'm just not there

All the streets, glowin
Happen to be just like moments, passin
In front of me so I hopped in, the cab and
I paid my fare see I know my destination
But I'm just not there

In the streets
In the, streets
I'm just not there in the streets
I'm just not there
Life's just not fair...

-"Street Lights" Kanye West 808s And Heartbreak

"Do I still have time to grow..?"

TEASER FLICK: Tsedeye

2011-05-18T10:35:00.001-07:00

My Parisian muse...more to come soon.

PRESENTING: Mambu Badu | Memory

2011-05-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's finally here! Mambu Badu's inaugural PDF magazine is up and viewable. The awesome ladies of Mambu Badu, along with contributions from me and five other talented women, have compiled their first online magazine of photographic imagery "focused on the landscape of human memory." I've shared the issue below but you can also view and/or download the PDF file here. Thanks again to the ladies of Mambu Badu for including my work in this lovely first issue. Check us out!

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

UPCOMING: Memory

2011-04-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

I have been selected as part of Mambu Badu's inaugural call for entries, Memory. Mambu Badu is photography collective seeking emerging female photographers of African descent. So you can imagine how pleased I was to stumble across their site, let alone have my work selected for Memory. A PDF online magazine featuring me and other photographers is in the works as well as a tentative gallery exhibition later this year. I am so excited by Mambu Badu's vision and enthusiasm to nurture emerging photographers, I urge everyone to check out the site. Oh, and one of my favorite's from the Gama Series was chosen for the Updates from the Artists page. Exciting!

UPDATE: Gama Series

2011-03-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

INSPIRATION: Desert Flower

2011-03-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

"Let us try and change what it means to be a woman.."

Bonus: Waris Dirie and Liya Kebede for H&M

Gorgeous.

PORTRAIT: Mini Muse

2011-03-09T21:01:00.001-08:00

My cousin Sophie is my mini muse. I've been photographing her ever since she was eight, when I started my photography education. She's fifteen now and I just adore her face.

UPDATE: Gama Flick

2011-02-16T13:47:00.001-08:00

UPDATE: Gama Series

2011-02-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

Less than a week after my last Gama Series post in October, my grandmother, my Gama, had to undergo emergency neurosurgery. She not only made it through the surgery but she, at 89-years old, rocked it and recovered with the quickness. Five months later, you wouldn't know anything happened. That's how well she's doing. Out of respect for her I didn't take any photos of her during her hospital stay or recovery period. But now that she's back to her old self I'm all over her, haha. These days I've been more infatuated the little things about her. Her hands...the lines on her face...even her objects. It's like everything about her is a story to tell...more to come soon...

Quote + Gil Scott-Heron

2011-02-02T18:22:00.002-08:00

"An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one." -Charles Horton Cooley

I often feet like I come across a thought/quote/line exactly when I'm meant to hear it, EXACTLY when I'll appreciate it the most. The above quote is confirmation of this. I usually don't waste my energy dwelling over such things but this week I've been mulling over this thing called art and what qualifies one as being successful at it. The amount of people who agree? The amount of people who have seen one's work? The amount of work one creates? I think you have to determine the answer for your own self but this token from Mr. Cooley leads me to believe that I may be on the right track after all. That me being myself is a success. I did not have a choice in being an artist. Same as I did not have a choice in being a female, Ethiopian, black and having unruly hair, lol. What I do have a choice in, what we all have a choice in, is what we do with that success...

BONUS, similar thought I came across some weeks ago: "Just being yourself, being who you are, is a successful rebellion..." -Unknown

INSPIRATION: My People, My People...

2011-01-31T15:20:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being a part of a roundtable discussion on "Youth Arts", organized by Sound the Horn. The topics dealt with art/artists of the diaspora, art initiatives in the Ethiopian/Eritrean community and the participation of our society and culture in the arts. I met some amazingly intelligent people with some amazing ideas. I went to a four-year art school so I've discussed art and it's place ad nauseum but never in the context of how it directly affects my Ethiopian/Eritrean community and our youth. I didn't even know Ethiopian artists existed until I saw the exhibit Ethiopian Passages: Dialogues In The Diaspora my senior year of high school. That exhibit single handedly changed the course of my personal photography (and introduced me to the work of the amazing Aida Muluneh). I can't help but think where I would be now had I been exposed to art/photography/Ethiopian & Eritrean artists earlier on in my development. I want the generation after me to be exposed to art as an actual career, exposed to other Ethiopian/Eritrean artists, as well as artists of all cultures/backgrounds and, at the very least be able to nurture their talents. At the roundtable we discussed future workshops for the youth in our community, mentoring, the whole nine. Nobody is going to teach our community like us. All you need is knowledge of self and knowledge of your ultimate goal. I'm so excited for these future plans and can't wait to dive in.

REMIX: Farhana

2011-01-25T14:18:00.000-08:00

PORTRAIT: Farhana

2011-01-13T15:33:00.001-08:00

WEDDING: Farhana & Raja

2011-01-11T14:22:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Eve a few weeks ago I shot the wedding reception of my friend Farhana and her husband Raja. I'm still in the beginning part of the editing process but wanted to post just a few of my favorite pictures thus far. The bride was stunning, the traditional clothing was colorful and lovely...truthfully, I wanted to whisk the bride away and have my own little photo shoot with her. But alas, I had a reception to shoot. ;-)

Happy New Year!!

STILL LIFE: Let There Be Light

2010-12-26T11:09:00.001-08:00

WEDDING: Alli & Shane

2010-12-07T14:25:00.000-08:00

This past summer I assisted my friend and colleague Stacey Prosper shoot a wedding in Maryland. It was easily the most fun wedding I've ever shot. I have not a clue why I didn't post these sooner but anyhoo, here are just a few of my favs. The lovely Alli and Shane Healey...

Still Life

2010-12-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

Cancun Paradise

2010-11-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

I went to Cancun, Mexico for 5 days for my cousin's destination wedding. The resort was gorgeous, the weather was perfect and the wedding itself was lovely (shots of that coming soon!) Considering I was unable to leave the resort, I managed some dope shots. What struck me the most was, you guessed it, the sun and sky. Just like when I was in Europe a year ago. So I do believe this proves my theory...the sky just dosen't look like this in the DMV...

Teaser Flick: Cancun

2010-11-18T22:07:00.000-08:00

INSPIRATION: The Fire

2010-10-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

There's something in your heart
and it's in your eyes
It's the fire, inside you
Let it burn
You don't say good luck
You say don't give up
It's the fire, inside you
Let it burn

Yeah, and if I'm ever at the crossroads
and start feeling mixed signals like Morse code
My soul start to grow colder than the North Pole
I try to focus on the hole of where the torch goes
In the tradition of these legendary sports pros
As far as I can see, I've made it to the threshold
Lord knows I've waited for this a lifetime
And I'm an icon when I let my light shine
Shine bright as an example of a champion
Taking the advantage, never copping out or cancelling
Burn like a chariot, learn how to carry it
Maverick, always above and beyond average
Fuel to the flame that I train with and travel with
Something in my eyes say I'm so close to having the prize
I realise I'm supposed to reach for the skies
Never let somebody try to tell you otherwise

There's something in your heart
and it's in your eyes
It's the fire, inside you
Let it burn
You don't say good luck
You say don't give up
It's the fire, inside you
Let it burn

One love, one game, one desire
One flame, one bonfire, let it burn higher
I never show signs of fatigue or turn tired
cause I'm the definition of tragedy turned triumph
It's David and Goliath, I made it to the eye of
the storm, feeling torn like they fed me to the lions
Before my time start to wind down like the Mayans
I show 'em how I got the grind down like a science
It sounds like a riot on hush, it's so quiet
The only thing I hear is my heart, I'm inspired
by the challenge that I find myself standing eye to eye with
Then move like a wise warrior and not a coward
You can't escape the history that you was meant to make
That's why the highest victory is what I'm meant to take
You came to celebrate, I came to sever great
I hate losing, I refuse to make the same mistake

There's something in your heart
and it's in your eyes
It's the fire, inside you
Let it burn
You don't say good luck
You say don't give up
It's the fire, inside you
Let it burn

-"The Fire" The Roots featuring John Legend How I Got Over

"You don't say good luck, you say don't give up...let it burn"

Update: Gama Series

2010-10-09T18:03:00.001-07:00

Power Quote and Song

2010-10-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

I am not interested in money. I just want to be wonderful. ~Marilyn Monroe

INSPIRATION/RESPECT: Gordon Parks

2010-09-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

"I chose my camera against all the things I dislike about America- poverty, racism, discrimination"- Gordon Parks, 1967

When I read this quote from his 1967 autobiography "A Choice of Weapons", I felt like Gordon Parks was speaking directly to me. I adopted it as my own mantra. Then after studying more of his work, I came to the conclusion that his body of work accomplished more than just that. He covered portraiture, poverty, fashion, sports, broadway and documentary (racial segregation) photography--and covered it well. In my humble opinion, of all the photographers to go down in history, he is one of the few thoroughly well-rounded ones. Not only was he a photographer, but a film director, novelist, poet, musician...an artist in the truest sense of the word. And as the first African American to work at LIFE magazine, a trailblazer. I could be a little biased since he is one of my few favorite photographers...but can you blame me?

D dot C Festivals

2010-09-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

I keep forgetting summer is over. To prove it the past few weekends have been full of artsy festivals and fun. I treked around the city during the Arts on Foot festival and the Black Luv festival (supposedly the last one!) shutterbugging. Doc style on deck.

Assaba and Serge's Wedding

2010-08-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of my fav shots from a wedding I shot last month. The wedding was so fun to shoot, gotta love it when it doesn't even feel like work. Of course I made a lot of my fav shots black and white ;-)

DC Paint

2010-07-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

Some weeks back I accompanied my friend Saaret to document the painting of a mural near Rhode Island metro station by graffiti artists. She is working on a documentary, working title WHO IS JU?, about street art and graffiti artists in the DC area. I've always been a fan of graffiti so you already know I had to get in on this as one of the unofficial photographers. I love that I'm getting back on my doc style, I kinda missed it. Check the info on WHO IS JU?...

WHO IS JU? | In Washington, D.C., the most accessible art form isn't in the museums, it's on the metro. And nowhere within the city's subway system can you see more art on the walls than on the red line train between Union Station and Silver Spring. The ride along this outdoor segment of the red line is a showcase of various works done illegally by graffiti writers. Large, colorful, boisterous, tags brandishing the names of unknown assailants. How do everyday commuters interact with these common, yet anonymous artworks? What does graffiti tagging mean in the context of the D.C. metro? Who Is Ju? is a multimedia exploration of what happens when public space, public art and public transportation intersect. Using anonymous advertisements, social networking and first-person interviews to spark dialogue around JU -- a single, ambiguous, unknown name that appears along the red line -- my colleagues and I hope to re-engage a community with it's communal space. Is Washington's metro graffiti nothing more than "visual litter" or a cause for conversation in transit?

Mural/Paint Teaser Flick...

2010-07-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

Ms. Ariana

2010-07-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

Had the opportunity to meet and photograph a pretty awesome chick. Ariana is a writer, doing her thing with her blog CafeGlobalist and starting her non-profit organization. Gotta love a chick trying to contribute to the world. She found me on TheRoot wanted some shots of herself done. We did the shoot at Union Station, some indoors some outside. Never tried to finagle a photo shoot there but it worked out pretty well, we were both quite pleased. These are a few of my fave shots...

All I See Is Fireworks

2010-07-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

My 4th of July...

Young, Black and Fabulous: XOL Gala

2010-07-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

I photographed the gala of "DC Housewives" Stacie Turner charity XOL (Extraordinary Lives) Foundation on behalf of theybf. com. Check the pics out the here!

Closer to my Dreams

2010-06-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

I'm moving upward and over and beyond... (sometimes a song says it best)

Throwback: Sophie's Netela Shoot

2010-06-14T15:06:00.001-07:00

Some of my favorite work that not many people have seen. I photographed my young cousin wearing an habesha shawl a few years ago. I still love these images.

Update: Gama Series

2010-05-27T21:28:00.001-07:00

Inspiration: Chrisette Michele's new 'do

2010-05-11T15:40:00.001-07:00

Chrisette Michele did a photo shoot with photographer Derek Blanks showing off her new shaved do. The pictures are lovely. She spoke about her decision to go natural, how she feels about weaves/wigs and more. My hair has always been a major element in my life (not necessarily a good thing, but a fact). Black/African women and our relationship with our hair has inspired my work in the past (http://www.theroot.com/multimedia/strands-strength) and will again in the future. Thus I found Chrisette's candid thoughts about her own hair quite interesting...

" I’m definitely a stickler for playing with my hair a lot more than the average girl. But one thing I do love is to show my face so even when my hair is long, I wear a lot of ponytails and I wear my hair back. I love to show my face, it makes me feel like I have to be honest and that all I have is me, and I’m not hiding behind anything.
Black hair is so easy to change. We can go straight and there are so many hairpieces available to us. Black women are the queens of self-expression. We know how to express ourselves with the way we look and we enjoy doing that. We come from a colorful, colorful history so we’ve got a lot of places to pull from. " (http://www.vibe.com/posts/chrisette-michele-its-not-serious-its-just-hair)

I for one have thought of my hair as my security blanket...but after reading her article (and seeing the pictures), I think there may be hope for me yet...

I could really use a wish right now...

2010-04-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

California Love

2010-04-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

Spent a few days in LA visiting friends. I went once before in 2003 when I was JUST starting out with photography. I was looking at those pics recently so it's kool to see how I've grown. I also notice how my NYC shots with being gritty and black and white but my LA shots are more vibrant and in color. I think that may be how I associate the two cities. Gorgeous skyline tho..it always comes back to the skyline.

Brooklyn Bridge and more

2010-04-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

my version of Spring/Cherry Blossomy flicks

2010-04-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

Inspiration

2010-03-31T08:15:00.001-07:00

I think these 2 pictures are fly. The first is Trey Songz from Complex magazine. I love the shoots in Complex, edgy but still classy. Something as simple as this image made me wanna go and shoot something similar. Reminds me of my old black and white film stuff. The second image is of the fabulous Erykah Badu. Her face...striking. Nuff said.

Throwback: Senior Thesis project (Untitled)

2010-02-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

Flicks from The Half Note Lounge

2010-02-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

I shot a jazz band called Secret Society at the Half Note Lounge in Bowie. Nice spot. I like these joints where I played around with the flare and zoom some. Just tryin somethin new. Here are some of my favs. On another note, the band was on point. They did renditions of Bad Habits, Pretty Wings, I Like It, Tenderoni and, my fav, Sailing. Not mad at Secret Society.

Flicks from the BET Honors

2010-01-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

Some of my favs I shot at the BET Honors...

Young, Black and Fabulous

2010-01-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of covering the BET Honors on behalf of theybf.com. Pics will be posted here soon but in the mean time, here's the link!

http://theybf.com/index.php/2010/01/17/ybfs-exclusive-bet-honors-coverage/#more-21479

Teaser Flick...

2010-01-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

Updated "Gama" series...coming soon

Throwback: Lithography

2010-01-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

Growing up I loved looking at my mothers old photo albums. Especially the ones of her as a youth with her siblings and mother in Ethiopia. I loved looking at this country when it was a decent time to grow up there. I loved looking at my grandmother with all her children. I especially liked looking at all of her children together, before tragedy struck more than once. I think that may be another reason of my infatuation with old pictures of my mothers. It's my only way to see people who died long before I was even a notion. My senior year of college I fell into a lithography class. I didn't take to it at all at first but once I learned how to incorporate these old pictures of my family...it opened up so much for me. I almost wish my senior thesis revolved around this project. I don't know when I'll have the opportunity to delve into lithography again, but I am constantly on the look out for images of my family before my lifetime. It's almost been a therapeutic way for me to understand the happy at times, sad at others, past of my family. All I can do is interpret the images based on how I feel and the stories I've been told...but that's enough for me.

Baby Eyob

2009-12-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

Inspiration: Posing Beauty

2009-11-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

It's FotoWeek here in DC (google it). Deborah Willis (photographer, curator, photography historian, etc.) held a lecture at my old college today to speak about her new book Posing Beauty. It was really refreshing to here her speak at MY alma mater.I have to admit, other than my Art of the Harlem Renaissance class and Black Arts class, black photographers/artists were rarely on the curriculum. James Van Der Zee, Gordon Parks, Roy Decarava and maybe a few others were mentioned in History of Photgraphy...but only a few in the whole history? I didn't really buy that. I found out about Deborah Willis on my own in a bookstore. Hearing about a images of people that look like me by someone who looks like me AND knows there stuff x2? Really rejuvenated me artistically.

Bringing back sweet memories...

2009-11-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Though many songs and artists have inspired me, Reflection Eternal's album is probably the only one album where every time I hear it I always find something new.

More Europe flicks...

2009-11-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

What my trip was for me...

2009-10-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

I spent 3 and 1/2 amazing weeks in Europe. Two in France and one in London, to be exact. It was such a different experience in many ways. For one, this past year was one in which I was thrown into standing on my own in a way I wasn't used to. Not in a life-altering way, but one that was foreign to me nonetheless. Visiting another country on my own exactly a year after that change happened...for me it was a great way to end that year and solidify that I can stand on my own. (Who knew?) It was also...fun, I guess, for me to be somewhere where I wasn't understood. I spoke no French. I knew I was probably being judged, as nothing else than as a tourist...but since I didn't really understand..I didn't care. I found that sort of liberating to be my complete silly self, embarrassing my uncle (what I do best). And last but not least, because there really weren't people at my disposal to set up for shoots, I reverted back to my documentary style of shooting. Which, as we know, is something I've been telling myself to do for awhile. And of course, certain moments and sights that were simply enlightening: the view from the Eiffel Tower, the architecture of Notre Dame, gazing onto the water near Big Ben. So much more to see, though. Can't wait to go back. More flicks soon to come...

Paris Flicks: Skyline

2009-10-05T12:44:00.001-07:00

I don't kno if it's cuz I'm in Paris and my senses are tingling in a way they haven't in a long time...but my favorite shots coming out of my camera are images I have at home: the sky/sun/clouds. I almost want to swear that the sky does not look like this in the DMV. It's funny...I go almost 4,000 miles away from home to truly notice something I see everyday...

Inspiration: Kid Cudi song

2009-09-29T03:57:00.000-07:00

In France. Hoping to create something that reflects this feeling...

Portrait Shoot

2009-09-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

I have a friend I've known for almost 18 years. In all those years of friendship I've only photographed her a few times. I photographed her at the National Harbor recently, my first time behind the camera for a non-assignment shoot. We were goin for a natural look...

In other news, I will be heading to Paris, France in a week for 3 and a half weeks. I am excited for what my camera will capture. I keep trying to psyche myself up to take my camera out and just shoot like I used to but I often feel like I've shot it all (around my neck of the woods). In Europe, completely new territory for me, I would be doing exactly that. I feel like it'll be a breath of fresh air!

Inspiration: Liya Kebede photo

2009-09-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

Came across this image of model Liya Kebede by Robert Maxwell. I usually see her in fashion and make up ads, very pristine. Here she's made to be disheveled but she still has a polished look to her. Maybe it's her skin. This may be my favorite image of her. Stunning.

Been much too long/Inspiration

2009-08-30T13:05:00.001-07:00

It's been a looong time since my last post and that is simply unacceptable. I've decided that if I'm not prepared to share some art work, I will share things that have and still do inspire me and my art work..photos, music, art...it's all good. Now if we're talking inspiration, I have to start off with the photograph Spirit of Sisterhood by Aida Muluneh. I remember what I felt when I first saw it in the exhibition Ethiopian Passages: Dialogues in the Diaspora. By that time, I was just doing my doc thing in high school, hadn't really considered art school yet. It was so simple, these 2 women under one shawl. I had never seen anything like it before. So uniquely habesha (Ethiopian/Eritrean) with the netela (shawl), the strong gaze the women hold...I felt like they were looking through me. It was the first time I thought "I want to make work like this. I want to make work that will provoke what I feel right now in someone else when they see my work. I want to make work that reflects my culture. I can do this." It was an amazing feeling. Photographing women in netela is something I have done and gone back to for a few years now. Learning about Aida Muluneh and her work in general may have been the turning point when I realized I wanted to to pursue not only photography seriously, but art as a whole. Talk about inspiration...

Fashion Joints

2009-08-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some flicks for my first fashion shoot. Altho I have kept fashion in mind for shoots in the past, these are the first ones I did where I was trying to solely focus on fashion/style...

Random Joints

2009-07-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

While on assignment this week, I took some random color flicks on this nice flowery area around me. I used to love photographing plants, it was nice doing it again. Even tho these are simply shots of flowers and such, it got me excited to just pick up my camera and shoot for kicks again...I love the sun light in the last two and the way the cars twinkle in the last one. I will be getting my color on more, haha...

Doc Style

2009-06-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

So I just started freelancing for PG Suite magazine, a lifestyle joint about PG County. I'm pretty excited about it! I'm getting a good vibe and if nothing else I feel like I could learn a lot from there if everything works out. Since it's a magazine, I'm sure there will be times where I set up shoots with the feature subjects, but there will also be times when I simply shoot events and try to put my own spin on it, sorta documentary style, in my opinion. This opportunity couldn't have come at a better time becuz I've been thinking about the beginning of my interest in photography and how I originally fancied myself documentary photographer. I've slept on my doc skills, the days I would just grab my camera shoot almost anything around me...tryna get back on that grind.

here's some of my old doc style flicks...

Self-Portrait

2009-05-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

More Strands of Strength/Tsedeye Shoot

2009-05-27T20:08:00.001-07:00

The following is a couple of shots from the photo shoot I did with my cousin Tsedeye a few months ago. The hair theme was definitely still present here. This is the first thing I shot (at the time) since theroot.com Strands of Strength piece. Thank you shout-outs to everyone who checked it out!! Much love :-)

Stands of Strength on theroot.com!

2009-03-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Some of my work from my ongoing series Strands of Strength is going to be featured on The Root website (theroot.com) March 16 (tomorrow). It's about black women in America and the relationship we have with our hair. My hair has always been a major element in my life. As a child it was long and thick. By the time I hit middle school I began to chemically relax it, making it straighter and, looking back, lifeless. After seeing my older sister grow out her relaxer and wear her hair in twists, I too began to take pride in the way my hair kinks and coils, so different from the styles i would see on TV. I began to grow out my relaxer too. Another aspect to this theme I am interested in exploring is the stereotypes that accompany certain hairstyles. Hmmm... Anyways, I'm excited to have my work on The Root and be in the developing stages of group show at Dissident Display Gallery. Here's some of what I'm workin with...

This is my friend Charey. She's the only person i've shot thus far who had her hair styled a specific way. You know, with pins and whatnot. Everyone else just sorta had it down and out. I originally was gonna have her down but I like it this way as well. I think the first one is my favorite. She's giving off a confident yet vulnerable gaze.

This is my friend Metasabia. Her hair is really long so I tried so I tried a lot of things with her.

Shooting Anita was really interesting. Her hair grows uneven so is kinda in that asymmetrical style. She letting her frustration as well as her silliness out for the shoot. I prefer her straight on center shots.

This is my sister Bethlehem. When I shot here i was mainly concerned with the texture of her hair. I keep wanting to touch her hair when it's on the screen, lol.

This is my friend Aziza. I shot here near this large window Corcoran (my old school). It's near that window that I shot the majority of the portraits that were in my senior thesis exhibit. Her shoot was one of the 1st that I let the model play with their hair more and be less serious. This is my favorite image of the entire shoot, I think :-)

2009-03-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my blog :-)

My name is Yodith Dammlash. I am an Ethiopian American photographer. I took a photography class in high school and have been in love with it for the past 7 years. A Pentax K1000 was my first camera. I studied Fine Art Photography at Corcoran College of Art & Design. The first photographer i came to appreciate was Gordon Parks.

More to come soon...