dane verret - photographer

Dane VerretPhotographer New Orleans, LA

Street * Island * Field Music * Fashion * Dance And so on and such and such

The photos in my portfolio are part of a diverse collection taken from 2008 to today. I take pictures wher-ever I go, but my goal is always to capture the mood of a place, and to see things in ways that the eye nor-mally can’t. Thank you for your in-

terest and enjoy!

email: oathello@gmail

II started taking pic-tures in high school. It was 2006 months after Hur-ricane Katrina swept in and gave the city a black eye. Afterschool program-ming was important to the school: it kept us out of trobule. I chose photog-raphy. Everyday I would drive into the city and see wreckage. To keep my-self sane I began to look at it in different ways, sometimes for very spe-cific images, othertimes I wanted to capture the way I felt in the moment. Photography helps me to translate what I see and how I feel most easily. Since high school I’ve experiemented with both B&W and Digital photogra-phy. My current weapon of choice is the Nikon D40. If my pockets ever swell up I’ll get an upgrade.

In my photography, I like symmetry and contrast. Between light and shade, subjects, and an-gles. My lifestyle and pockets do not limit my art. I can find a story or mood wherever I go. All I need is my camera. The challenge in any given situation is part of why photog-raphy interests me. That, and I like a good challenge.

When I was younger my goal was to get around the world using my cam-era and my eyes.

Knowledge and travel motivate me.

I aspire to be: a Black, Male Doro-thea Lange.

Another goal: Get a studio to prac-tice portraiture. * * *

My style of photography was influ-enced by my home and my first teach-er. New Orleans is a port city, a mythical place, but also a tourist attraction. I’d walk past all these postcard bins with the typical shots of the city--the French Quar-ter, Mardi Gras, etc.-- and imme-diately ask how the image could be better. When I got my camera I set out to do exactly that. I wanted to show the grain of whevever I was. I feel that there are very subtle forces at play in an area, person, image.

My photography attempts to draw out those forces and emotions we feel towards certain places and people.

Hire me.

I met my first photography teacher back in that first high-school class. He was a grungy Buffalo, NY Yan-kee Carpetbagger who liked Ken Kesey. I picked up on his cynicism. He taught me how to use the camera, of course, but mainly it was his philosophy that I collected bits and piec-es of. And of the parts I collected was the phrase: “Art removes fear.” I first thought it removed fear for the viewer. Now I think it removes fear from the creator. If you be-lieve in hoodoo-ish kinds of things, anyway.

Peace and Afros,

Dane Verret

Dane W. Verret │devansve@middlebury.edu/oathello@gmail.com│ New Orleans, LA 70126 │

EDUCATION Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT Bachelor of Arts, expected 2012Major: English – Creative Writing Minor: ArabicNew Orleans Charter for Science and Math, New Orleans, LAEnrolled 2006-2008• Graduated in top 10% of class (68 graduates) GPA 3.4Redeemer Seton Catholic High School, New Orleans, LAEnrolled 2004-2005

HONORS House of Blues – Blues Ambassador Scholarship Award for Academic Excellence Asante Cultural Arts Award - Poetry

EXPERIENCECenter for Campus Activities and Learning, Middlebury, VT October 2009 - PresentTechnical Assistant• Maintained AV Equipment in campus Student Center and at additional sites (concerts, presentations) when required.• Assisted supervisor with equipment layout and documented events.Middlebury Externships: Dandelion Films October 2009Production Intern• Assisted Film Producer in completion of a documentary biopic on Spoken Word Poet Lemon Andersen. • Worked at sites in and around New York City. Assisted the Producer with organization around the set. Learned basics of film production. Allianz Foundation Fellowship - Island Press Publishing Company June 2009 - August 2009Foundation Fellow/Publicity & Marketing Intern• Received a grant and the opportunity to receive hands-on experience in the Publishing field.• Drafted promotional materials for pending book releases, author events under the guidance of Island Press staff and Assisted in coordinating long-term marketing campaigns.• Completed two major projects as an Allianz Fellow: 1) Development of a promotional strategy to improve company re-lations with college students and activist groups. 2) Creation of a database to store contact info and marketing re-search.Times Picayune, New Orleans, LA June 2008 - August 2008Student Reporter/Photographer• Reported and photographed stories focusing on the recovery of New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina. • Interviewed locals and mission workers to record their personal experiences and insights.• Collaborated with fellow interns and Times Picayune staff to create a news publication titled The Youth Times.

ACTIVITIESDistinguished Men of Color, Co-President/Founder (2009-Present)Verbal Onslaught Spoken Word Lounge, Emcee (2009-Present)WRMC – Middlebury College Radio – DJ (2009-Present51 Programming Board, Board Member (2009-Present)Middlebury Capoeira Club, Member (2008-Present)