Water. Our most valuable resource and the one we take most for granted. Very rarely are we confronted with the concept of what life would be like without water; the occasional power outage, a weekend camping trip, an excursion to a Third World nation. But in the comfort of our American consumerist society, it’s quite easy to forget how irreplaceable water would be in our lives, from taking showers to watering a garden, from cooking and cleaning to brushing our teeth to caring for our beloved pets. To have contaminated water, or no access to water at all, seems almost unimaginable. But for the residents of one small Pennsylvania community, the risks of this reality are all too real and one they presently face.
Kunkletown, Pennsylvania is the picturesque vision of what you’d call a rural town: it takes you roughly 5 minutes to drive from one end of town to the other, the hoppin’ spot is the local general store, and the church bells chime every Sunday on the hour, every hour. As beautiful as it is flawed, vulnerable as it is tough; where what some would call naivety, the residents would call trust.
Nestlé, silent as the night, crept into this community, approaching one Kunkletown resident, Rick Gower, with a proposal for his property’s usage. In the shadows, corporate officers negotiated to drill on Mr. Gower’s land to access the 30-mile-wide aquifer that supplies the entire town’s water supply and to extract and bottle water for Nestlé’s corporate profit. Having arrived at a mutually beneficial agreement between company and individual, Mr. Gower began strategizing how to alter the zoning ordinance in a manner that would reclassify water extraction. This bureaucratic change would allow Nestlé to extract water from his property, bypassing the fact that extracting on his property was considered a commercial activity not permitted under the township’s zoning laws.
It was the summer of 2015 when Nestlé’s endeavors began to come to light. Donna Borger Deihl, a life-long resident of Kunkletown and an outspoken advocate for her community, first noticed something amiss when she saw surveyor’s stakes well inside her property borders when Nestlé began marking the boundaries of Gower’s property. They did this to her brother Doug as well, who happens to live next door. “They had the stakes actually up here in our yard, and all they told us was that they were reference stakes. Which, I understand how surveying is, they may have been reference stakes, but the point where we were at, with Nestlé and Rick, it kinda comes down to 'stay the hell off our property'...So I took them up [the stakes] and I threw them right on Rick's porch...Here's your goddamn stakes back,” he stated as he showed us where the stakes had been placed along the two properties. They were found many feet inside her actual property lines, encroaching on their land and marking it as Nestlé’s. But this was just a mere sign of things to come as the corporate giant began its slow but steady intrusion into Kunkletown. Very soon after this incident, Mrs. Deihl discovered Nestlé was proposing to drill mere feet from her home - and extract over 200,00 gallons of water a day, with the possibility of up to 500,000 gallons a day.
There are several alarming aspects to this massive corporate enterprise put forth by Nestlé; the first of these being the decisions that essentially allowed one man’s potential personal profits put an entire town’s water supply at risk. After reviewing hundreds of emails, on-the-record statements, and various conversations/tapings of town hall meetings, it becomes quite evident that Kunkletown is exactly the type of place that Nestlé seems to target in its pattern of water extraction locations. The area is somewhat removed from society, isolated and rural, with low population density and had local politicians who might be able to manipulate the regional governance.
It was a perfect storm of conditions in the worst way and magnitude possible, and a grave danger to all the residents of this small town. And with such a corporate Goliath (Nestlé has over sixty different water brands, including the ever-popular Poland Spring, Deer Park, Perrier, and Aqua Panna) pursuing a future that many residents felt is to their disadvantage, many are preparing and learning how to fight and protect themselves from such an industry giant.
While several hydrogeologists have confirmed that Nestlé’s water extraction would most likely not drain the entire aquifer (which is replenished naturally through water recharge), it would potentially drain the region’s water discharge (which supplies rivers, lakes, and most importantly, citizens’ wells). Should that occur, residents throughout the town would need to drill new wells, which is at least a several thousands of dollars expense that many Kunkletown townsfolk can’t afford, and the risk runs high as the area has a great deal of shallow wells. A community without access to water is one that faces higher cost of living while watching its property values diminish, and has to live with intolerably increased tension in its residents’ daily lives.
As someone who grew up in Kunkletown, and knows firsthand how naturally beautiful and peaceful this area is, it breaks my heart to see neighbors turn to enemies in this bitter battle to protect both their livelihoods and land. Vandalism and aggression have run rampant, from spray-painting anti-Nestlé protestors’ cars in the dead of night to mysterious explosions occurring near the drill site. The nature of Kunkletown’s community and structure has been fundamentally altered in the wake of Nestlé’s presence. Decisions made by a select few local leaders, some of whom potentially stood to gain financially from the arrangement, are now effecting the entire population.
With a legal battle looming, pitting a town of limited resources against an international corporate monolith, these deals and makeshift politics highlight the dangers we face in our own backyards. Soon, even our status as Americans might not save us from a fate faced by the less fortunate the world over; it hasn’t saved my community. For those not as familiar with the practices of the bottled water industry, there is an undeniable lack of transparency when it comes to their water extraction methods, and communities throughout the United States, from Maine to California, are slowly falling victim to an extraordinary level of corporate greed.
My Fashion Photography Challenge!
A few months ago, I had a fun but unusual writing assignment for a photography blog. They gave me the challenge of creating a fashion shoot on a $200 budget, the goal being to emphasize the ability to produce quality imagery on any price point. While it was definitely a tricky assignment, it also proved to be both engaging and entertaining in unexpected ways, and was a nice way to shake up my typical photographic approach.
Selecting all the equipment you would need (including lighting) with only $200 to spend is a near impossible task, but I eventually elected on a metal backdrop setup, a muslin backdrop, and a continuous light source. While not ideal, it fit the parameters of the assignment well, especially given the high price tags associated with strobes or speedlights. The continuous light was not as bright as I'd hoped, but given the brand I had to use and the price point I was restrained by, I could only set expectation so high.
Several of my wonderful actor friends were more than happy to be my test models, and I am pretty impressed with what a solid job all of them did; it certainly made my job easier! While it was supposed to be a challenge, it certainly allowed me to focus on making the setup work rather than purely focusing on posing, which was a welcome change of pace. We of course treated the shoot with the utmost level of professionalism, but that doesn't mean somem fun outtakes with stuffed animals and balloons weren't to be had as well. A big thank you to all of my friends who helped me out with their fantastic modeling skills (Lauren A. Kennedy, Rob Ceriello, Shannon Terrel, and Neil Brown) and can't wait to see what the next assignment brings!
Featured on: Lady Guns Global!
I know it's been a few weeks since I posted here; big and exciting things have been happening! One of these recent positive developments was inclusion on Lady Guns Global, a movement recognizing talented, driven women from across the globe, working in a variety of fields with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Needless to say, I was thrilled to be nominated to such an esteemed and prestigious group of women, and it is such an immense honor to be included in their ranks.
Not only did this wonderful opportunity allow me to share my photography on a more public platform, but it also gave me a chance to discuss several other passions of mine, including civil rights issues, environmental issues, and mental health stigmas. It was a refreshingly pleasant opportunity to talk about my photographic pursuits in relation to my personal interests, as well as some of the other inspirational women I've had the honor of knowing, important aspects of my life I don't often get to delve into. From start to finish, working with LGG on this interview was an immense pleasure, and I can't wait to see how it continues to grow and build steam. As a strong believer in the importance of women helping other women, I could not be more proud to be a part of such an incredible movement, and greatly appreciate the opportunity to be a small part of it.
You can read my interview here, and please be sure to check out all of the other amazing and incredible women on Lady Guns Global!
Seeing Double: An Adorama Article
About a month ago, I was asked to write an article on the concept and process of working with double exposures, both in camera and digitally through Photoshop. It was quite a challenge to determine how best to articulate what my process was, since double exposures by their nature are so experimental and versatile. But I think given the abstract nature of the subject matter, I wrote an article that could help emerging and new photographers begin to explore the concept of multiple exposure images. It was a little tricky to write, as most of my Natura work is a little too provocative to use in an article so targeted towards a general audience (alas, the fine art nudity was the unfortunate blow), but in the end, I'm very happy with the images I created to accompany the article. Below is one of my favorites, from a senior portraits session with my wonderful firecracker of a friend, Mina, who I have no doubt will take the world by storm one day.
© Alyssa Meadows
If you want to see the article on the Adorama site itself, feel free to check it out here! There may or may not be a few friendly and familiar faces featured on there, as I had to create more digital examples of the photoshopped technique. Overall, I'm happy that I was able to write an article that may help others within the photography community, as it never hurts to lend a helping hand to fellow peers; if there's one thing I've learned after 2 years here in New York City, it's that everything seems to fall in place when you work together to create something special.
Michelle Jones; Experimenting with Light
A few weeks ago, Adorama asked me to do a review on a light kit they were launching, and so I jumped at the chance to do a light test with my good friend and fabulous actress Michelle Jones. We really wanted to play and experiment with the versatility of the light, and spent a good portion of the afternoon into the evening shooting a variety of different looks and aesthetics, and I could not be more thrilled with the results. As someone who started on traditional natural light techniques, working predominantly with studio lighting that day was a welcome change and happy exploration of how dramatically imagery can change with simple lighting adjustments. While it was a lot of firsts, I enjoyed the process of experimenting with the possibilities and discovering what would make the photograph.
Here are some of my favorites from our photo play-day, hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
The VelociPastor!
If you read my blog with any regularity, it's no secret that I work on film sets often, and that it's one of my favorite places to work. I love my film-family, it's such a large and supportive community that I am unbelievably blessed to be a part of, and so I try to return the favor as often as possible. That's why I'm so excited to share with you news on the newest project some of my best friends are working on, The VelociPastor!
Illustration by Wyeth Yates
The film is written and (to-be) directed by my fabulous friend Brendan Steere, whose previous feature, Animosity, not only received global distribution, but was also well-received enough to show at many film festivals in the last year, including Fantasia, where it screened alongside Guardians of the Galaxy and Boyhood. It also won Best Picture and Best Actress at the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival in 2013; As you can clearly see, he definitely knows how to make a good movie.
Originally a spoof trailer of epic comedic proportions, Brendan's finally ready to develop VelociPastor into a full-length feature of dark humor, and I for one could not be more excited about it. If you want to see the concept's origin, you can check it out below.
Not only is it retaining Matt Ziegel from the original short as the lead and VelociPastor, but it also will star Alyssa Kempinski as his college educated and provocative love interest. I've also had the pleasure of working with her several times, most recently on the set of Six Windows! They were also both cast in Animosity, and I'm so excited to see them work together again. Not only are they both immensely talented, but they are both joys to work with on set, which I can personally attest to.
Along with Steere, two of my closest friends, Brandon Taylor and Gabryal Rabinowitz, have joined the teams as respectively Producer and Associate Producer. Not only have I known them for years, but had the pleasure of working with them on many previous projects including Six Windows, The Remembrance, and They Hunger. With a killer crew such as this one, I have no doubts this film will go above and beyond in the realms of creativity and craftsmanship, with a touch of insanity-bordering brilliance.
If you believe in this project like I do (which, in all seriousness, you really should) please check it out on Facebook, Like/Share, and Donate to help make this project a reality!
PDN's Photo of the Day!
I am so thrilled to share with you all that last week I was fortunate enough to be featured on PDN's Photo of the Day along with my fellow YPA mentees, which you can see here. It was truly amazing to not only have my work shown on such a prominent and reputable news source for photography, but to also have such a positive response to the work I submitted. While it may seem a small thing, this has always been a goal and dream of mine since I began pursuing photography professionally. I can't believe how far this organization has helped me come, and I have so much gratitude and respect for our mentors Andrew Hetherington and Steve Giralt, as well as the photo editor of PDN, Amy Wolff, for all of their encouragement, support, and enthusiasm about our work.
I got a wonderful little reminder of this step forward by seeing it in a weekly PDN newsletter email I received today. It's so surreal to see my photo on such a mainstream news source, but I am forever grateful for it, and couldn't help myself but instagram it. It's so validating to see how hard work pays off.
FAQ #1: Wedding Photography!
Lately, as more and more of my friends have been getting those beautiful engagement rings, I've found myself answering one of the most frequent questions I encounter: "Why is wedding photography so expensive!?" I'm sure I'm not the first to try and tackle the subject, but as it seems to be a consistent question, I thought I would give some insights into what drives photography prices so high when it comes to a wedding.
One of the most pressing aspects of pricing comes from the basic essential; the cost of equipment. To be a good photographer (as in, well-prepared with a backup body should something dreadful happen to your primary camera), the minimum amount of equipment ranges between $3,000-$10,000, depending on the level of quality you want to achieve. And that isn't a one-time fixed cost; a photographer has to continually upgrade their camera body every few years to keep up with the competition of other wedding photographers, as well as replace damaged/broken equipment (because trust me, accidents happen, batteries corrode metal contact plates, and lenses get dropped). Then there's the cost of bags, batteries, memory cards; you know, all the "inexpensive" stuff!
When you couple this base cost with the expenses associated with running a business, the high cost of wedding photography (as well as photography in general) becomes much more transparent to those outside of the photographic business bubble. Photographers (again, people who don't just buy a DSLR camera and think that makes them a photographer) have to invest in photo editing programs (such as Photoshop, $500; Lightroom, $100; CaptureOne, $150; and/or Aperture, $80), which also have to be upgraded every few years to accommodate new file formats on new camera bodies. This also is not including the cost of storage, both in terms of additional hard drives and cloud storage, which range in costs depending on brand/provider, but are also not easy on a budget. And this is all in addition to the cost of an actual computer with which to use all of this equipment on. But this is only one portion of the business expenses.
Unfortunately, hosting a professional-grade website also costs a fair bit of money, both for the domain as well as the hosting, and can range from $50-$300, depending on how professional you choose to go. Add to this business cards, advertising, a studio or workspace, transportation, equipment insurance, and liability insurance, and it becomes quite apparent why there is such a price tag when it comes to running a photography business. And we still haven't gotten to actually paying the photographer for both their time and expertise!
On average, a wedding is a 10-14 hr day, and an additional 1-2 weeks of editing time (because let me tell you, editing the images is 80% of the work when it comes to producing the beautiful images you want at the end of the day), and most photographers have a second shooter or an assistant that they also need to pay for the day of (which typically is anywhere from $100-400, depending on their experience/rate). Wedding photography is also seasonal, where the bulk of work occurs from Apr.-Oct., so a photographer needs to be sure they will make enough in those months to sustain themselves for the whole year. Even if a wedding photographer is booked for every single weekend, all year round, that only totals 104 days of the 365-day year, and typically there are very few, if any wedding bookings from Nov.-Mar., so pricing appropriately is essential to survive the slow season of winter.
So, if you're looking at a photographer that is charging what seems to be a fantastic deal, chances are they don't run a professional business, or have the proper equipment to deliver the quality of imagery you deserve to have on your big day. While you may save some money in the short run, chances are if you're booking something for $500-$1000 on craigslist, you're going to have sub-par pictures. In this particular industry, you really get what you pay for, and unfortunately, once your wedding day is over, the photos will be all you have left. So, my personal bias aside, if ever there was an aspect of your wedding to skimp on, the photography should not be it. And hopefully after reading this, you'll understand the high price tag of wedding photography, and perhaps even respect it!