time doesn't fly, it rockets.

apparently now i just blog monthly. sad.

since my last update i have:

-not passed my biology class....depressing.
-enrolled in summer school for, you guessed it, more biology... slightly more depressing
-by said passing and enrolling discovered that i WILL graduate and WILL walk at graduation.. not at all depressing.
-finished the biolan, the yearbook, my pride and joy - which is now on the presses & comes out in early may.
-am currently at h o m e for spring break: enjoying my family, jesus, and finishing up my senior show.

so many hard things, mixed with so many good things. it's hard too keep up, even with my own life.
but i'm glad for the challenge and the diversity. spending my last few nights in my bed as an oregon resident and college student. so weird. so so weird, but good.

only a few more days at home before its show weekend.
those of you located in lovely southern california check out my show!
VERSO: towards | reverse.
a fine art photographic exhibition (speaking to the concept of time & misplaced memories)

May 2nd-6th in the Biola Univeristy Gallery (13800 Biola Ave. La Mirada, CA 90639)
Opening reception is Monday May 2nd 6-9pm - I'd love to see ya!

take care dear friends.

w o a h

haven't blogged for like a month. crayzay.

since then i have been:

-conquering biology (and hopefully passing it)
-working like a madwoman on (school/ the biolan/my show, etc)
-enjoying friends
-not really sleeping
-not really eating regularly
-not really ever knowing what day or time it is
-having a very closeknit relationship with starbucks or really anything caffinated in a cup
-wishing the days towards graduation weren't ticking away so quickly.

my show is in TWENTY - FOUR days.
yikes.
can't wait for it to arrive // can't wait for it to be over.
such is life. bittersweet.

happy mind, happy eyes.

im f i n a l l y making progress towards my show! ptl.

for one of my classes we had to take 1,000 photos and do something interesting with them. dang.

all the while i was trying to brainstorm for my show, so i combined the two projects together.

below are a few sketches of ideas i would like to play out in my show.. really vague ideas at this point, but still ideas.

for these images i took a picture of my photo slideshow on my computer. as each image changed, they overlapped and i captured that overlap.

the interactions are so interesting and completely spontaneous, i had no control over their relationship, just over when i documented their interaction.

this was such a rich experience for me, i enjoyed every second.

i shot 500 of these interactions and printed 45 of them on vellum (an opaque paper substance) creating a book so you are able to see through both images to the images on the  next page.

this is just a teaser of a few, but i thought i'd keep you posted on what i've been working on/thinking about.

since this project i've made significant progress towards my show and it's changed quite a bit, which is great. not ready to post those yet though... you'll just have to see them MAY 2ND!

(copyright rachel mccord photography 2011... stealing is wrong)

i get paid to do this

just somethin for the yearbook.
even though i get paid to do this...i would still do it, even if i didn't get paid.
im making a divider for one of the spreads for the Biolan spelling out the word "academics" through books, by actually cutting through each word to spell it out.
it looks pretty rad, i'm really happy with it so far. even though i only have 3 letters, with like 2 hours spent on each... but nbd, i can never get enough of working with my hands and my headphones.
i love that this is my job. and that i get to do things that i love everyday, and get paid for it.
let's just hope that trend continues after my undergraduate career is over. [fingers crossed]

bits of things

first week of school. check.
after a a few classes, lots of emailing, meetings, shoots, projects, brainstortming, wandering about, best friend visits, quick disneyland nights, some old friend catch-ups over dinner and viewing of star trek 4... thus ends the first week, with heaps of sentimentality.

huge news. got a job offer this weekend (!!!) a real life big-girl job where i would be payed to do what i love to do. still praying, we'll see what God's got goin on. but real real exciting to seriously consider a viable option such as this so early in the semester before the final stages of "what the hell am i going to do with my life" panic ensues.

in other news, i realize i have posted z e r o proof of my visit overseas... so here you are. its a tease, with only one but let's be honest... there's no way you want to sift through over 2,000 that i took. forreal.

venice. only one of the most delightful/photogenic cities in ze world.

i move into my studio this week and will get to work on my show/life/work/humanity, ha.

so fascinating.

the story of a nanny who was an undiscovered photographer. her work was just found last year and had never previously been seen. its up to par with all the greats of 20th century photography. i just watched this twice. so obsessed. her work is beautiful and so interesting.
...the host of the show is a loser, but its worth it. i pinky swear.

big day.

today i decided what i will create for my senior show.

(!!!)

which is pretty much the most important thing i will ever do in my undergraduate career and will be my first professional body of work which i will use as a portfolio builder to launch myself into the world.

and today i decided what im going to do & how i'm going to do it.

it felt surreal to finally be at the place i've been daydreaming of since sophomore year.
but i'm beyond excited to get started and make work that i'm passionate about for no other reason than my desire to make something beautiful & meaningful for others to look at.

just hope my thoughts translate well into physical form. i suppose we shall see at my show come spring! so excited.

p.s... please come see it, okay? okay.

tuition dollars paying off

since i've been chatting so much about how out of control my schedule is... i thought i'd show you why.

my second home is mcnally 82: the art lab.

i spend more time here than i do in my apartment these days.

but i don't mind looking like this, if my work looks like this. 

here's some tidbits of projects i've been working on in my advanced photo classes & at work:

large format 4x5 film camera with natural lighting 

printed digitally; triptych format (3 images)

large format 4x5 film camera & studio strobe lighting

35mm film camera layering of multiple negatives

(digital version, darkroom version still to come)

trying my hand in sports photography for work at the biolan.

so much different than what i'm used to shooting, definitely still rusty but learning.

i seriously learn something critically important everrrry day. 

all photo, all the time. nuts. great. love it.

learning from the greats

soaking up their thoughts & images...

"I photograph elements of my life, places where I feel comfortable, 

where my way of thinking is in line with that I am doing." 

-Sebastiao Salgado

"I think if you don't love people and aren't fascinated by them, you'll never

 succeed as a portrait photographer, because your pictures will look cold."

 - Rankin

"I get excited about authenticity. I try to find something special. 

I don't even know what it is. It's intuition." 

- Rineke Dijkstra

"The key is to photograph your obsessions, whether that's old people's hands or skyscrapers. Think of a blank canvas, because that's what you've got, 

and then think about what you want to see." 

- David LaChapelle

as if i don't talk enough already...

... i have a n o t h e r blog. haha.
this one is more directive, though.
for my advanced integrated photography class i have to keep a blog of my inspirations, ideas, fave artists, responses to readings, progress on projects etc.
and since i wanted to keep my life-brain and school-brain somewhat separated, i just started a whole new space in which to think. so what i'm saying is, feel free to follow me here and there because i will still be posting on both.

>> THIS << will be my art blog, but i am def not abandoning this blog so, bounce around, feel it out, see which you like better. ha, not really. you are of course required by friendship to like them both, duh. 


happy wednesdaying.

el F I N.

here are some things i've been working on these past few weeks.

modernity final: visual response to manet's - the ragpicker

screen print and some hand painting on wood

first stages

during

finished piece

detail

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printmaking final

linoleum cuts printed on maps affixed to a lamp shade with hand stitching details

a bit of a close up

detail

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photo II final

click here to view photo blog i kept for the final

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and after all this i'm... 

done

DONE

D O N E!

i am a senior in college. both freaky & fantastic.

this year was a difficult and almost never ending with challenges, but despite that, it's been one of the best i've had yet. and i can't wait for this next and last year as a college girl. 

thank you summer for f i n a l l y gracing me with your sweet presence. it's go time.

Help a sistah out!

Hello my faithful friends,

As many of you may know, I have a this blog (duh, silly statement) in which I record life, thoughts, happenings and the general overflow that the walls of my mind can't keep in. 

But {here's the part where you get stoked} I've created another blog for a class project. That's right. Two blogs. I may be crazy, but I'm embracing it. This blog is a space for something entirely different, however.

For my Photo II class our final project involves exploring digital media and this new blog will be a reflection of my attempt at understanding digital media in our contemporary context.

I will do so by creating a process of taking 50 photos a day, posting them along with text/literature/music/video/scripture/media/news etc. to create a cohesive stream of thought. 

I can't guarantee it will all be great, but it will at least give me {and you, if you so desire} something to chew on and hopefully some pretty things will emerge along the way.

I hope you'll join me in this new little avenue of thought and art that I'm about to head towards. And please keep your eyes & minds peeled for any thing on here that may intrigue you.

And PLEASE feel free to comment as much as you like, it will be taken as a collaboration with my project that I would love to include.

So check it out >>HERE<< and see what I've got cookin' over there.

Thanks in advance, you guys are great!
See you here, and there...

xo, Rachel

duh. so cute.

when i get married i will be doing THIS. <<<

super cute, thoughtful & fun.

{here's a sneak peek if you're too lazy to click, ha}

NEW photos at rachelmccordphotography.com!

NEW photos are up!

In the following galleries on the portfolio page....

:: Love 

:: Life 

:: Lone

Check out my website here:

rachelmccordphotography.com

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Treat your eyes with a peek /bookmark the page /tell your friends /schedule a photo shoot with me!

Thanks friends : )

buh-zzzzing.

i've edited pictures for 5 hours yesterday. almost in one sitting. that's nuts.
i just wish i didn't love it so much because then i would be able to stop when my fingers cramp up and my eyes glaze over. but i can't seem to tear myself away from it, even though i know clear as day that i am too tired to go on anymore. stupid.

editing of: spring banquet guest photos (over 300)
&
editing of: shannon & joels engagement (just under 300)

that's a whole lotta looks. but i love em all.

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in other news:

today my future roommates and i face our fate for the apartment lottery. we could either get a this quad apartment or try to live on the streets. keep your fingers crossed in our favor and send some cozy house warming thoughts our way.

have a happy tuesday!