Welcome to the "First Years' Focus and Fire" blog!
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| Professor Fiander a.k.a. "Prof. F" |
I'm
a native of the Washington D.C. area. I attended Lynchburg College in
Virginia and received my B.F.A in Studio Art and in English. I
relocated to Portland, Maine in 2005 and studied documentary photography
at The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. After completing the
program at Salt, I began my graduate studies at Maine College of Art and
received my M.F.A. in Studio Art with a concentration in photography
and video. Once I had completed my studies, I started up my own freelance photography business, dubbed "Fiander Foto".
I hosted and curated my first short film festival called "The Fiander Film Festival" in February of 2012, a sold out event that was held at The Dunes in Northwest Washington D.C. Artists and directors from all over the US, England, Italy, and Bermuda were screened at the festival including one of my more recent videos done in collaboration with a Bermudian artist, Jim West, titled Heartbeats. Directors with many different levels of experience in film entered their pieces into the Fiander Film Festival. Some of the films seen in my festival were also screened at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, SXSW Festival, LA Skate Film Festival, the Catskill Film Festival and the Anchorage International Film Festival. Plans are currently in effect for the next Fiander Film Festival so stay tuned! The event will occur biannually.
I hosted and curated my first short film festival called "The Fiander Film Festival" in February of 2012, a sold out event that was held at The Dunes in Northwest Washington D.C. Artists and directors from all over the US, England, Italy, and Bermuda were screened at the festival including one of my more recent videos done in collaboration with a Bermudian artist, Jim West, titled Heartbeats. Directors with many different levels of experience in film entered their pieces into the Fiander Film Festival. Some of the films seen in my festival were also screened at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, SXSW Festival, LA Skate Film Festival, the Catskill Film Festival and the Anchorage International Film Festival. Plans are currently in effect for the next Fiander Film Festival so stay tuned! The event will occur biannually.
I
have also shown my work at the Portland Museum of Art, Jason Simon's
One Minute Film Festival, The Institute for Contemporary Art at MECA,
The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, Space Gallery, The Drawing
room and Constellation Gallery in Portland, Maine. My work has been
published in United with Love Blog, The Photo Review, On Tap Magazine and The Blue Room.
So what's the purpose of this blog you ask? ...I'll tell you...
This
blog is intended to reach out to students at the Art Institute of
Pittsburgh Online Division who are in their first few years of the
program: Certificate, Associates and Bachelors. For example, if you are
taking PH123, PH124, PH133, PH136, etc... this blog is intended just
for you and what you'll be learning in those courses. That being said,
if you have bypassed those courses and are looking for a "refresher" or
some "inspiration", you are more than welcome to "hang out" and enjoy
the blog too!
Typically,
a post might include information on a photographer whom I think could
be inspiring to your own work. I might also post a blog that is a "how
to" tutorial. I will also be introducing you to many websites
that can also help you as you move through our programs at AiP Online. I
envision three posts a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Each
of these days will have a general theme:
- "Make It Mondays" = Tutorials, Advice for Class, Photography Tips, History of Photo
- "Website Wednesdays" = Introduction to Educational and Inspirational Websites
- "Pho·tog Fridays" = Learn About New Photographers
Enjoy!