Alex Pullen next to his body of work from Kashmir showcased in “Exhibit 970” at the Durango Arts Center. Summer of 2015.
Written by Nathan Morris, durangodowntown.com.
We all remember the first time we’ve reached out and did something new. It can be frightening, risky and overwhelming, so much so that in fact, most of us don’t even try new things. Today I’ve got photographer Alex Pullen here, and we’re gonna get some details about what it took to create the first calendars he will be mailing out this December, for the upcoming year of 2017. With that, were gonna get a sneak peak into the unique angle he is incorporating into it – “Wild Women”.
Whoa, Alex congratulations, sounds great, but why is this such a big deal?
Alex Pullen photographing for the Wild Womanof 2017 calendar project near Susan Falls, Oregon.
Thanks Sam, I’m glad to be here. Yes, after months of planning it’s exciting to officially announce the calendars. It’s honestly a big deal because although I’ve been pursuing photography professionally for four years now and I haven’t really printed that much. I’ve done a few semi-successful gallery shows and some small print runs, but that’s it. So far I’ve learned that printing large prints for gallery exhibits is generally very expensive, time consuming, and reaches a rather small audience. I’m working up the momentum to keep printing for sure, and part of that is consistently printing smaller editions and getting them into the hands of more people. This year’s calendar is a huge step in the direction of just printing more and reaching a new level of sharing my work. So in that way it’s the first step in attaining a much larger goal.
Why a Calendar?
I guess to go deeper, one of my biggest goals is to get my work physically into peoples hands and homes. That’s one of the gratifying things about being an artist, one of the reasons I do it is to know my work is being seen, enjoyed and inspiring people in real life. Most of the work I’m currently creating goes online, which is cool, but to me it’s different holding a photograph in your hands or seeing it hanging on a wall… Also, the few large prints I’ve done in the past have gleaned resounding feedback from their owners and viewers, but from a relatively small audience. I want to keep sharing and inspiring, and calendars are a great way for me to accomplish this goal by providing reasonably priced, stunning and functional artwork that you can hold in your hands and hang somewhere it can be appreciated.
How many are you going to print this year?
As this is the first year, I’m starting out small – about 50 of each calendar. I’ll make a final decision once I see how the pre-orders go. That puts the total print bill for me close to about $450, which is the max I can do right now.
You said two calendars? Why two and what will they cover?
The cover of Alex’s 2017 landscape calendar features a stunning view Mt. Adams.
It kind of worked out by chance that I’m printing two calendars. My original goal was to print one calendar of my own landscape/astrophotography work, but then my wife and I decided to move forward with a spontaneous project to photograph women in nature, so we decided to make an additional calendar with a very different feeling and intention and promote them both side by side. Also, as I was already designing the template for one, it was fairly economical to slide in the photos for the other.
Investing in two calendars does take more time and energy but the feedback we got from the Wild Women project was too much to ignore, and I wasn’t willing to let go of my goal of creating a landscape calendar as well.
What is the “Wild Woman” project, and why did you pursue it?
Cover of the 2017 “Wild Woman” Calendar
Ha ha, the “Wild Woman” project was and still very much is an exploration of the divine, free, and wild aspects of the feminine, in nature. My wife and I began packing a red dress on hikes so that way she could be a part of the photos that I would inevitably take and we could have more fun together on our hikes. I wound up publishing a small series of these photos from a rather stunning waterfall hike we went on, and they gained three-to-four times the amount feedback and page views that my photographic posts normally get. People loved the simple yet powerful symbolism found in the images.
We discussed this feedback and decided to double-down and reach out and see if we could be more inclusive with the idea and see if other women were interested in volunteering their time and contributing to a “project” based around the idea of photographing women in nature.
We released a call for models asking for a diverse group of women that were willing to be photographed. That call gleaned about 500 page views on my website and about 15 women responded to our call through email. Heck yeah!
In the end, seven different women were able to participate in this years segment of the project and hopefully more in the coming year. Noteables include a 53 year old woman who drove out from Wisconsin to participate in the project. It was amazing to meet this diverse group of women from different backgrounds, ages, ethnicity and body-shapes who came out to participate. I’t was a gift as a photographer and man to create and share stunning artwork around these themes. I hope this project continues to gain traction and we can plan more shoots with more women in the future.
Why do you think so many women responded?
Well, first off I think it has to do with the classy and sensual feeling of the images we wanted to create. They are wholesome, inspiring and downright magnetic, you can not help being sucked into them. Although, some women may not at all be interested in being photographed semi nude in nature, I found that the women who reached out really wanted to stand up and embody themselves. Just be who they were and be proud to be them – wild and free, back dropped by nature. Some of our models were shy and some were more confident, but I think all of them really enjoyed being in front of the camera and being free. No makeup, no lights, no photoshoping natural curves, just some color coordination of the wardrobe, suggesting poses and picking good locations and lighting. I think its a combo that women were excited about relating to and being a part of.
How do I order one of the calendars?
Both the Wild Women calendar and my landscape calendar are available through the link below. There is a simple shopping cart and checkout function that will let you pay with a credit card or Paypal account. Orders are live now and be expecting your calendar(s) to arrive in mid December of 2016.
Order your Calendar
How do we stay updated on how the project is going?
Aside from ordering a calendar, and getting to see the images for yourself, the best way to stay in touch with the project would be to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, or follow me on instagram @alexpullen. I’m releasing most of the Wild Woman related images on Instagram, but I will say, the best ones from the project are going in the calendar exclusively and will not be seen online. The only way to see them, is to hold the calendar in your hands.
Anything Else?
Yeah, one last thing is please remember to support local artists in your community this coming holiday season. Purchasing handmade unique goods from artists really supports your local economy and honestly allows you to give much more unique gift to those you love. For every dollar spent at a “big box” store only about 10% stays in your local community, whereas buying from a local store or artist 90% of the money spent, stays in the community.
Additional Images:
Order your Calendar
Alex Pullen – Photographer & Designer
Alex Pullen is a traveling freelance photographer from originally from Colorado, but currently based out of the Pacific Northwest. To view more of his work visit him at alexpullen.com follow him on instagram @alexpullen
