Bubbles: Take One

May 22, 2010

A close-up of a bubble reflecting the sky and trees.

Bubble close-up

I felt like a kid today as I walked through the toy aisle in Wal-Mart with an armful of bubble accessories. It reminded me of the time I got a sudden urge to have a play date with Play-Doh and dragged my boyfriend with me to Toys R Us.

Today, however, I was more interested in playing with my camera than the bubbles. My other mission was to create a nice custom header for this site.

Unfortunately, by the time I got the chance to start shooting it was after seven, and the sunlight was fading fast.  I thought using a strobe might have a cool effect, but it just made them look more like a miniature fleet of alien spacecraft. Focusing in the dark was another challenge, so I packed it up after 100 shots.

My bubble blower/boyfriend (Greg) came up with an interesting idea while he was smoking a cigarette, and exhaled into the bubbles. Although smoke-filled bubbles aren’t as beautiful, it was interesting to watch the soapy film slowly disintegrate and pop, leaving behind a swirl of smoke.

Bubbles filled with smoke

Smoke-filled bubbles

Well, I did get my header image, but I’ll have to re-shoot later this week. The bubbles that are in focus are small compared to the ones that are blurred. I’ll make sure to start photographing much earlier next time.

Showing your best side

May 20, 2010

As you may already know, faces are not symmetrical. Which side is better may be a matter of opinion, but it is the photographer’s job to present each person in the best light possible.

I’ve been reading up on posing in Steve Stint’s book, Digital Portrait Photography, and I’ve learned how to hide common imperfections like double chins, long or wide noses, and even size and height differences in eyes. It’s amazing how the right composition of a 2-D image can conceal so much of the 3rd dimension.

Thinking about all this led me to perform a little experiment on myself. I split an image of myself and copied each side to create two symmetrical images: one of the left and one of the right. The original photo isn’t exactly straight on, so that’s why there’s such a drastic difference in width, but you get the idea.

My conclusion: symmetrical people look like aliens!

[slideshow]

Dominique’s Photoshoot

May 18, 2010

Dominique and I had a great time on her photo shoot!

She was an excellent model; she didn’t even hesitate when I suggested she lay on the ground in her new white dress. I’m not sure I would have done that.

Thanks girl!

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