Bil Brown's Little House of Hicupps.
Bil Brown's Groups
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Toy Camera
(10 members)
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Art for Art's Art
(34 members)
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Places
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Slow Shutter
(46 members)
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Portraits & Candids
(32 members)
Bil Brown's discussions
Photoshelter "Shoot The Day" July 20
Replied 9 hours ago
Forecastle Fest - Looking for Photogs .. for free
Replied 10 hours ago
Latest Activity
7 hours ago
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9 hours ago
Profile
- LEVEL OF EXPERTISE:
- I think I am a Pro!
- I SHOOT THE FOLLOWING:
- Artistic, Event Coverage, Models & Headshots, Editorial, Portrait, Commercial
- MY PHOTO GEAR:
- Canon 5D on occasion, 20D, 30D, 400D/XTi for most things - cause I have small hands and don't give a damn about full frame. Various Leica, Canon and Nikon film bodies that are in ill use and ill repair. Tripod. Ghetto lights.
- MY DIGITAL DARKROOM:
- Canon scanner. Epson printer. CS3 suite and various little wacky apps (Photomatix, Capture One Pro, Cinema 4D, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, and numerous other little helpers). Wacom tablet (now broken cause the cat chewed thru the cord).
Powerbook G4 (yeah, old school) will travel.
- FILM OR DIGITAL:
- Both
- ABOUT ME:
- I am a published art, fashion and entertainment photographer, graphic artist and illustrator with 15 years experience in art direction and digital art and production. Primarily working in the publicity, entertainment and fashion industries. Commercial work also welcomed.
Trained as a poet and artist at Naropa University's The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics (BA/MFA). Worked and lived in Prague, Czech Republic as a film industry art director for feature films and commercials while co-founding Prague School of Poetics in my free time. Worked in Chicago and New York as a freelance graphic artist and videographer. Returned to Louisville in 2003.
While I have dabbled in photography since the mid-nineties, I didn't call myself a photographer until I picked up a camera out of necessity while working on graphic and video projects for a modeling agency. Have been a freelance photographer since.
Although I keep a few high-profile publicity and design clients, and loosely maintain a consulting business, fashion and illustrative photography is my primary business.
I have been blessed with being close-to and/or working-with some of my poetic and artistic heros: Allen Ginsberg (poet), Robert Frank (photographer), Harry Smith (archivist/shaman), Stan Brakhage (filmmaker), Francisco Clemente (painter), Jan and Eva Svankmejer (surrealist/animator), David Lynch (filmmaker), John Waters (filmmaker), and others.
I am a divorced father of two lovely children, Diamanda (6) and Dorian (2.5).
I understand lighting, set design, composition, working with a team and fashion and commercial photography. However, I rarely use a studio. I rarely covet more gear. I do with what I have and offer up a down-n-dirty stylistic approach to my imagery.
Ideas are everything. without them, you can have all the skill and technology in the world and still be noting more than mediocrity.
- IN WHAT PART OF LOUISVILLE ARE YOU LOCATED:
- Highlands/Clifton
- WEBSITE:
- http://www.bilbrown.com
My recent published work - Available at Borders March 21st.
Bil Brown's Videos
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Ellen von Unwerth Added by Bil Brown
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In this video Brad Will will die Added by Bil Brown
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JUERGEN TELLER Added by Bil Brown
Bil Brown's Blog
Commercial Art should be my mortal enemy. I am a commercial artist.
Posted on April 4th, 2008 at 12:00pm —
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Generative Art as Figure Photography: Bil Brown's Underground Aesthetic - Article by Jamie McDermond
This academic paper was written by one of my favorite models and is being reworked for further publication. I found it charming, and also, she got a lot of the things that I could not put into words. Sometimes critics aren't all that critical. Thank you Jamie! - bb
I chose to write about Bil Brown for several reasons. Most obviously, I enjoy the aesthetics of his work; I appreciate the way his subjects inter… Continue 
© 2008 Created by Ryan Armbrust
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I just ran out of my shitty cards, maybe I could trade for some with some small print shop. I am really, really broke. I thought of offering services to other photographers as a retoucher. Switching gears from design and art direction, to publicity, now to this (which has been the most rewarding) has been a real bear. Things are happening fast and not fast enough...
This all comes at the worst and best time. I have work going up on two websites, and three print mags - and had to fire three clients because I was getting baked by them and I just couldn't take it anymore.
A good resource for you also, could be Yono. He does models and fashion photography. Give him a bottle of Maker's Mark and he may be of some help to you. Not to mention your new BFF. LOL!
What about networking with a make-up artist(s)? Since this area of the country is not like LA or New York, you are going to have to find creative ways to make a buck. Get in good with a make-up artist and give her a stack of your cards. (Bethany Tiesman is a good one. She does funky stuff and is beginning to travel) She could be a good contact.
And go knock on the door at these modeling agency places. Leave a stack of business cards there. Target the TV stations and anything related to Derby. Hell, make a basket of cookies and go knock on the door at the CW Louisville. Couldn't hurt! When they do fashion reports or things of that nature, they will remember who brought them chocolate cookies and go and dig your card out of their drawer. You know?
American Idol is coming to town and I bet you could find some work with that. Remember when Extreme Makeover was here a few months ago and refurbished the home of Patrick Hughes (the guy who plays the trumpet for U of L... in a wheelchair... dad pushes him on the field) Anyway - Amy Shepherd is primarily a wedding photographer, but somehow she got the gig for the still photos they shot while here in town. So I KNOW there has got to be work out there. You just have to turn over some new rocks.
HTH!
Mehhhh...... the local market can be a dirty lover at times. It is definitely a tightrope walk/balancing act. Each time I get knocked off the rope, I just grab both cheeks of my ass and get back on and try again. Anything I can do to help you?
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