The Artists Project, formerly known as The Starving Artists Project, captures press

portrait photography Portrait photography, or portraiture, is a type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses. A portrait photograph may be artistic or clinical. Frequentl ...

. This project provides press photo sessions for

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

and then donates the rest of the day for artists, musicians, actors, or anyone in need of portrait photography, all on a donation basis. If attendees cannot afford to pay anything The Artists Project will provide press photography for free. This project uses the leverage of brands and celebrities to help get photography to starving artists. These press photos are taken in Los Angeles in the home of the project's founder Michael Bezjian, who is a Getty Images contributing photographer. Bezjian not only photographs celebrities, who are referred to as "posing heroes", but artists who have not yet broken into their careers, referred to by the project as "the artists".

''"We don't want their money. We will also set people up if they can't afford transportation."''
- Michael Bezjian, SAP founder

The Artists Project also offers internships to those interested in gaining experience with

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...

media coverage Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

videography Videography is the process of capturing moving images on electronic media (e.g., videotape, direct to disk recording, or solid state storage) and even streaming media. The term includes methods of video production and post-production. It used ...

, stylizing,

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, o ...

, graphic designing, professional hair and make-up, and all umbrella aspects of the project and its respective industry,

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

. An article in ''LA Weekly'' provided an ambiance for the project

History

In 2014, the press photographer Michael Bezjian started The Artists Project from his house in Los Angeles, California. In 2015, The Artists Project has had three additional articles describing what the project does and can do for both

and

artists An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the ...

. By July 2015, there had been over 500 artists helped, according to the website. In early 2016, the comedian Denise Vasquez met The Artists Project for a portrait session. She met the producer and photographer Tasia Wells for a Q&A session.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Artists Project, The American artist groups and collectives