TonyWardStudio.com

Dutch Treat

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Tony Ward

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………Fetish model and songstress, Rachael V continues to turn heads both in her native Holland. and here in the US where she can be seen on the March cover of the popular New York based, Leg Show magazine. I had the opportunity to photograph Rachael during her tour, and edited a few new photos from our sitting: that have not been previously published.

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TWS contributing photographer, Alejandra Guerrero was also featured and interviewed for the publication.

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Rachael V

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Rachael V

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Rachael V

Rachael V

Editor’s Note: To see more pictures and learn more about Rachael V, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Myra-1

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Meghan Hussey

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……….Myra is one of the most dynamic people I know. I was interested in using photography to capture different aspects of her personality and identity. This year she cut her hair short, inspired by the classic beauty Audrey Hepburn. I asked her to dress however she liked, and she came in a simple outfit that I thought well suited her: a t-shirt and jeans, with a leather jacket that captures her spunk and edge, as well as a beautiful scarf from Pakistan and feather earrings that were both bright pink – a color that captures her vibrant personality perfectly.

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Myra - 2

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Myra is Pakistani-American. She was born in the US and can project the cool confidence of her native Texas. Her love of this country shows through her love of politics and public service. She is also brilliant: she speaks 5 languages and in May will leave to take a gap year in Asia improving her Chinese and Korean before going to law school.

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Myra - 3

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Myra is the youngest in her family and is not afraid to be silly. She has an amazing ability to lose her inhibitions and act like a kid again. Since we have become friends we have accumulated hilarious stories that could go on for days.

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Myra - 4

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Recently, it was revealed that the NYPD has been monitoring a number of Muslim Student Association groups, including the one at Penn to which Myra belongs, without their knowledge and with no cause for suspicion other than their religion. This experience with profiling, along with the lack of strong support from the University, has ignited a sense of anger in both Myra and myself as her friend. They don’t see all of the pieces that make her a unique individual. All they care about is that she is Muslim, since that is enough to make her a threat in their eyes.

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Myra - 5

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Myra is also a ball of energy and fun to be around. Her global interests come through when she enjoys herself. She loves to dance to Bollywood music and sing Karaoke to Taiwanese pop songs. She has a large and multi-cultural circle of friends because of her caring nature and her ability to light up the room.

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Myra - 6

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Yet, Myra embraces Islam as an integral part of her identity. During our shoot she took a break to pray, like many faithful Muslims do at certain times of the day, covering her hair with her scarf. She does not hide her heritage or feel ashamed of it, even though she has faced ignorance and racism. I hope that one day people will be able to accept her Muslim faith as a beautiful part of what makes her whole, and also realize that identity is multi-dimensional and it is in that complexity that our real humanity lies.

About The Author: Meghan Hussey is a Candidate for BA in International Relations and Political Science Minor in International Development, Certificate in Mandarin at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2012

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Copyright 2012

Janeman

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Sonrya Sanjaraya

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……….This project is about the place of the modern woman in our occidental society. I live in France, specifically the town of Hoosegort – known for pro surfing. The female character in the drawing represents one of the many things a woman can be: a lover of course – but she also represents motherhood, a quiet relaxing friend, and much more. She can also be the jewel that men adore, exhibit and also treasure for themselves.

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Self-Portrait - 2012

Live Targets

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Ted Adams

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ARTIST STATEMENT

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I’m generally interested in what things look like (as opposed to any sort of inherent meaning), although sometimes events converge to create irony, humor or interesting juxtapositions. These usually happen by accident – I think that when you’re actually taking the pictures, you have to react to things in an immediate, visceral way – then something akin to “meaning” creates itself later when you’re looking at the negatives and deciding what to print.

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Cig Lady

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Barrier

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Picture-taking also has a psychological aspect which reminds me of going fishing or sifting through junk at a flea market: It involves an obsessive-compulsive drive to put your line in the water to see what you reel in – a subtle mood, an ambiance, a visual structure that tickles your brain.

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Double Hugs

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I’m also interested in photography as a way of cropping the world into rectangles, as a way of selectively taking things out of context – which often results in stripping the original meaning out of the subject matter, or at least in making the image open to interpretation. Kind of the opposite of photojournalism, whose intention is to create “narrative” and “context” rather than to discard them.

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The Saint

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Jesus Number

Photography is, in its very essence, the art of cropping – whether in the camera or in the darkroom.

About The Author: Ted Adams was born in Louisville, Kentucky USA. The artist resides and works in Philadelphia as an Art, Street and Documentary photographer. He is also Owner/Director of the Southwark Gallery, Philadelphia. To learn more about Ted Adams’s work log on: www.TedAdams.net.
Copyright 2012

www.TonyWardStudio.com

Posted on January 20, 2012 – Copyright 2012

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Yang Hu

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Yang Hu

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……….If I could have the power of changing the proportion of day and night in one day, I would make every single minute of a 24-hour period – full of sunshine. Growing up in a tropical city, that has only one season a year, which is summer: I’m used to being spoiled with unlimited sun light. I didn’t realize how I took wearing sundresses all year long for granted until I came to Philadelphia. I always like to work and hang out in places with big windows that let in a lot of light.

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Yang Hu

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For this series, I chose windows/glass and architecture as my theme. The Comcast Center, La Colombe Coffee Shop, McDonald’s, Pottruck Gym; seemingly unrelated subjects magically came together because of their common possession of glass windows – which embrace a generous amount of sun light.

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Yang Hu

. Sunshine is a theme that can be traced back to my childhood. Thanks to photography, I understand who I am and where I came from better than any other moments in my life.

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Yang Hu

Copyright 2012

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About The Author: Yang Hu is a senior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2012

Self-Portrait 2011

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Tony Ward

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……….I would like to thank all of the contributors, friends and colleagues who have supported TWS over the course of an extraordinary year of growth. You have made this a very special year for the audience that follows TWS. Your contributions have been most inspiring. I look forward to the coming year with great enthusiasm, anticipation, and the expectation that our audience will continue to grow and expand – well in to the new year and years to come.

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I would like to especially thank my colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania for providing an exceptional venue to share information, and most importantly, the students who have taught me the joy and importance of teaching. Happy New Year!

Butterfly Beach: Santa Barbara, California

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Katy Villanueva

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HOME

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“Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my ma and pa, not the way that I do love you.
Holy moly, me oh my! You’re the apple of my eye. Girl I never loved one like you.
Man oh man you’re my best friend, I’ll scream it too if nothing else. There ain’t nothing that I need.
Well, hot and heavy pumpkin pie. Chocolate brandy, Jesus Christ. Ain’t nothing pleased me more than you.
Home, home. Let me come home! Home is wherever I’m with you.
Home, let me come home! Home is wherever I’m with you.”

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………. My home is my favorite place in the world. Not because it is a vacation spot, or on the beach (although those things do add to the spectacular parts). I love my family, my pets, my house, my friends, and my town. The Edward Sharpe song quotes above always reminds me of home and how much it means to me.

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Ian

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The lead photo is of my very favorite place, Butterfly Beach. The second one is of my extremely hungover cousin Ian. He is one of my favorite cousins, and was unhappy with me for waking him up with the sound of my film camera advancing. The third photo is of my dog, Chico. He is usually the forgotten dog, as he is the smallest and the oldest, but I love him to death.

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Chico

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The fourth photo; my favorite, is of my foster sister, Jaynesha. This feisty little girl has been a part of my life for three years and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. She has taught me so much, and I could never think of home without her in it.

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Jaynesha

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The final picture is of the cross that overlooks my town. It is traditional in Latin American towns to have a cross on a mountain above the city. This was taken at sunset, ending the perfect day at home.

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The Cross

About The Author: Katy Villanueva is a freshman enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2014 – Copyright 2011

Grace DeMann

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Grace DeMann

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……….When I first went to Occupy, it was completely by accident. My friends and I had gone to Chinatown to eat during Fall break, and on the way back we decided to take SEPTA’s 15th Street station, right under City Hall. What we found surprised all of us: protesting, music, dancing, smiles, and lots of signs. Some people invited us into their drum circle while other places had free snacks. I remember distinctly that my friends and I were confused, what exactly were these people protesting? The signs didn’t all go together, some were unrealistic or even illogical. The people didn’t seem to care though, they were passionate as ever, thinking they were going to make a change, even if no one agreed or knew what it was.

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Grace DeMann

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In a way, they did make a change. They made people notice they were suffering, but in terms of actual accomplishments, they didn’t do much of anything. When I returned to Occupy to take pictures, I was extremely disappointed. Gone were the smiles, drum circles and free snacks. In their place were cardboard tattered signs, trash, and random tents. It looked almost like a refugee camp, and in a way, it was. Most of the activists had left, and the homeless had moved in, taking the opportunity to Occupy for safety.

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Grace DeMann

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Trying to find an aesthetically pleasing picture was difficult because there was so much chaos, but I tried to have a balance between chaotic and simple images. At one point, I saw two men in suits with briefcases walking by and scrambled to take a picture, which ended up being one of my favorites. It shows what I think the true purpose of Occupy was trying to show: there are people suffering while those who can help just walk by and don’t care.

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Grace DeMann

About The Author: Grace DeMann is a freshman enrolled in the School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2014