Fresh Perspective and Creative Energy
Written by Heather Kuchma, IACC Program Chair
​First things first, the headshot (to the right) included with the information about Tarra Kongsrude presentation, Tell Me a Story, is of Tarra and an actual bear (with all his teeth). No Photoshop! The image was captured at the Innisfail Discovery Wildlife Park (so was the image of Tarra kissing the wolf that was included in the presentation).
 
When developing her presentation Tarra noted, “when I sorted my story-telling photos, I was surprised by the subject matter areas that showed up: heritage, childhood, quirky, inspirational, and spooky. I didn’t deliberately set out to gather those types of stories. My unconscious obviously had other plans.”
 
Over the last three years, Tarra’s desire to develop her photographic skills has evolved for two key reasons. The first is to better capture her travels - the essence of a place as she remembers it. The second is to use the photos as an inspiration for her artwork or as part of her artwork. After the presentation, Tarra elaborated further on this topic, “all my life I’ve been a writer and I make my living telling stories in one form or another. It’s only natural that I would want to combine the visual art forms that I’ve been pursuing (painting, printmaking, sculpture, jewellry making, mosaics, photography) with my natural attraction to storytelling.” She also mentioned that “learning technical skills to make my photos better has also made my artwork better. I know how to better draw the eye to a focal point, minimize distraction, use interesting angles, use colour to create a feeling, and take advantage of dramatic lighting.”
 
Throughout the presentation, Tarra shared some of the lessons she has learned along the way:
  • take lots of pictures because you’re lucky if 10% turn out
  • learn how to post-edit your work
  • lighting really matters in creating a good photo
  • identify the story you are trying to capture at the outset rather than simply taking a cool picture
  • always have a camera with you (even if it’s just your cellphone), because you never know what you will come across.
 
During the evening, members also had the opportunity to view a collection of Tarra’s printed photos captured at two events organized by the Edmonton Steampunk Society, one at Fort Edmonton Park (May 2015), and the other at the Alberta Railway Museum (September 2016). These collections and many others are available on Tarra’s website at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/91613124@N05/albums.
 
We are very fortunate that Tarra joined the Club in 2013, following the recommendation of an IACC member she met at a photography class. She has brought with her a fresh perspective and a wealth of creative energy!
Photographs below © Tarra Kongsrude