WEDNESDAY,JULY 2.2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN - 11
ALUMNI
Design graduate returns to Kansas for reunion, visit
By Amy Kelly
akelly@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Behind streamlined shades, dimitre's eyes scan the flocks of people strolling in front of the Kansas Union.
"I can't believe I didn't bring my camera with me," said dimitre, who has dropped his last name, Barde. Dimitre earned his graphic design degree in 1990 from the University of Kansas and now goes by his lower-cased first name. "I don't usually wear jewelry, but you could say the camera is my jewelry."
Miles away from his Chicago studio, "The Temple," dimitre still seeks out arresting images while visiting Kansas
briefly for his high school reunion.
"For a while I used to chase things and go after what was on the other side of the fence," dimitre said. "I finally got to the point that I realized everything was right in front of me."
dimitre
While at the University, dimitre said he sometimes questioned his talent in the face of professors' criticism.
He entered his photography in a scholarship show his freshman year and walked away empty-handed.
The next year he entered the same works only rematted them. Dimitre took home several awards, which he said was probably because the faculty knew him better.
"That taught me a lot about politics," dimitre said.
Fast-forward to 2003, dimitre has used his knowledge of politics, a persistent work ethic and a passion for photography to not allow setbacks like the first scholarship show to bother him.
Now primarily self-employed at dimitre Photography Inc., his jobs have ranged from a Coors Light layout to an installation at Chicago's Midway Airport.
Dimitre's decision to move to Chicago was not due to just the allure of big-name clients. The student-on-a-budget motive played a large role as well.
"It was $39.95 for a round-trip ticket," dimitre said. "It was an easy way to get up there."
The Windy City's competitive job market proved to be challenging for dimitre, who sought a studio internship. The
Kansas native interviewed with about five companies, none of which wanted an intern.
With only one company left on his list of possible employers, dimitre decided to set aside his artistry briefly for a new tactic salesmanship.
When dimitre approached BW Productions, he opted to describe precisely what the company would receive from his services.
"I told them, ' Look, I'm going to bust my ass and you only have to pay me half of what you're paying everyone else,'" dimitre said.
It was an offer BW Productions couldn't refuse.
Although dimitre had to load film for the majority of the internship, once the company saw his photography skills, they were ready to hire him.
Dimitre said he credited Bruce McIntosh, former KU design professor, with helping him understand the business and marketing aspects of photography.
"I learned a lot about how to make things happen, about how to not be afraid to approach a company and how to find or how to find resources with nothing," dimitre said.
Dimitre usually has steady clients based in Chicago, but the photographer said the bad economy was not producing enough work. This has forced him to put some of his private works on the market.
"I don't ideally want selling my art to become a career," dimitre said. "I think if it turns into a career you start making different kinds of decisions."
The uncertainty that goes along with finding clients has already hit home for some KU photography students.
Jaime Sanders, Overland Park junior, said although she had worked as a freelance wedding photographer since she was 18, she wouldn't want the job as a future career.
"It's just so unstable," Sanders said. "You'll have five jobs at once and then you won't have any for two months."
Even though dimitre said his financial situation was similar to when he was a KU student — living from paycheck to paycheck —he was no longer concerned with dollar signs.
"I know I couldn't not take pictures," dimitre said. "I mean, that's how I breathe."
— Edited by Maggie Newcomer
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