May 2, 2014
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Two weeks ago I showed you a before and after of my calla lily photo. Today I want to show you the simple lighting change I made that took my photo from blah to wow.
First, though, I want to let you in on a little secret: Contrary to what my website might lead you to believe, most of my photography hours are not spent on pets or flowers or abstract art. Most weekdays I’m holed up in a dark room taking pictures of boring things you use everyday like cell phones, and tablets, and coffee makers.
Why have I never told you this? Well the shortest answer is because it’s boooorrrrrriiiing. I spend all day making sure that everyday products look like everyday products.
Don’t get me wrong, I owe so much of my knowledge to my boring job, but even the freshest piece of bread eventually goes stale…
It’s so hard to stray from my methodic approach to showing things the way they are supposed to be shown (clean, neat, and on white). This is most likely the reason that everything I light starts off the same… one light on the left and another on the right.
Then, it’s time to play! Who wants to see what everyone else sees anyway?
I popped a light right into the back of the leaf and the crazy glow tickled my retinas. This is my setup below and a glimpse of my modest home away from home in Guatemala.
Apr 25, 2014
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Photographing a flower is a process for me, it’s not an event. Think of this lily as a jungle and my camera and I are explorers… of course there’s nothing dangerous about the jungle on my set but there are endless things to discover.
A movement of my light can cause drama, a shift of angle can reveal a new detail, and then there are all those amazing things I can do with the camera to change the look and feel of my flower.
Sometimes I discover that my flower doesn’t have to be a flower at all… it can be a peacock if I want it to be! Do you see it?
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
Apr 18, 2014 |
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Ever ride a yo-yo? I feel like I do-every time I set out to create.
Feeling inspired is pure euphoria and I often spend weeks, days, and even months, daydreaming about my next photo.
By the time I break out my camera though, I’m falling down again. I take a photo, it sucks, I change some things, and repeat. Sometimes I’m on to something right away, but other times I just can’t get there and I start to feel like a tails up penny on the floor… there’s no picking me up.
My first attempt at this photo (after 3 hours and 100 shots) was a total failure. I took a break. I slept on it. Then I tackled it again. What’s my point? If I had given up I wouldn’t have gotten this. Now I look at it and the euphoria returns.
P.S. Thanks to Melissa Dinwiddie for making me realize I’m not alone in this vicious cycle of artistry! Check out her blog post on the creative process. This is also what inspired me to do what I’m about to do next… oh no…
P.P.S. I’m going to share… gulp… an ugly outtake. Quick scroll down and look at it before I change my mind!
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
This is my lump of clay before I molded it with light.
See another photo from this series & a sneak peak of my setup!
Apr 11, 2014 |
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Twenty-four hours before my flight back to NY I felt desperate. Desperate to stay, desperate to go, and desperate to capture every detail of my Guatemalan existence.
This was the hand-carved dresser that was in my room. Every day the sun would crawl across the wall, slide down the wood, and by afternoon had reached the orangey tile on the floor
On the floor that bright, slanted box served two purposes: it made a wonderfully warm spot for my chilly feet and it threw a beautiful fiery glow right back at the blue daylight above.
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
Apr 4, 2014
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Flowers, glass, and water. There seems to be endless possibilities when it comes to these three elements.
A few minutes ago I was twirling my pen in my hand, staring at this photo, and wondering what to write. It was a sudden realization that these subjects are repeating elements in my work.
There’s this periwinkle photo, and this underwater close up of a flower petal, and one more I call “Loves Me, Loves Me Not”. (There are even more, but I’ll stop here)
Perhaps I should spend some time seeing what else I can come up with. What do you think?
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
Mar 28, 2014 |
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Every morning I dragged my butt out of bed at 7 am while I was in Guatemala.
The two tiny windows in my bathroom were beacons of colorful light that guided me, with half-closed eyes, in the right general direction. Every day I would stare at those windows in the early morning light and promise myself to capture it before it was time to go.
It was one of the last days I was there that I finally did. I could have a lot of fun if I had a piece of wavy glass to play with… another thing to add to my shopping list.
P.S. – When I take my art to the abstract level I love to reveal just what it was that I was photographing. Do you like finding out what you’re looking at or does knowing what it is ruin the abstractness of it all? I’m curious what you think, just leave a quick comment to let me know!
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
Mar 21, 2014
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Prying my eyes open in the morning is usually such a chore for me, but when I wake to a scene like this I can’t complain.
I love the first day of spring. It inspires me. It gives me hope. It makes me so effin happy that we’re finally at the end of winter’s long, miserable tunnel!
This wasn’t taken today, but it was taken in the land of eternal spring, on the day we were leaving the comfort of our guided tour group and embarking on our own adventure. I was sipping on a glass of excitement mixed with a splash of fear. It felt like a dream but I was awake.
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
Mar 14, 2014
Bits of rock and grit were digging into my cheek as I pressed my face into the ground and peered through my camera. It was an inch off the ground, propped up on twigs and stones, and wobbly as a drunk mother.
As I laid across the narrow step my shirt had ridden up a bit, and I didn’t feel a thing as the tiny carnivores jumped on for an all you can eat buffet.
“What happened to your back?!” My boyfriend yelled later on. After examining a mirror, I muttered something like: at least it’s not itching, but I totally forgot to knock on wood… 12 hours later the bites swelled up and I figured only a sandblaster could get rid of the itch.
The moral? Bring your tripod next time stupid.
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
Mar 7, 2014
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“196…” I staggered, “197…” I dragged my rubbery leg up one more step, “198…” This ‘million dollar view’ better pay out a million too, I thought. “199…” One more step ’til the next rest stop… “200,” I sighed.
The path weaved back and forth and always upwards; following it revealed tiny cottages built into the mountain, and lookout points from dozens of perspectives. We were nearly at the top.
I huffed, I puffed, and I plopped my ass down. The seat was built into the wall and the cool stone felt refreshing as I pushed my back against it.
So worth it, I thought as I looked out across Lake Atitlan at the stunning Volcán San Pedro.
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
Feb 28, 2014
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Not more than 100 feet off the shore of Lake Atitlan, I crouched over the swaying flowers in the late afternoon sun.
The wind was bittersweet. Even at 5,125 feet the sun is hot in Guatemala and my skin welcomed the air, but keeping the teeny tiny flowers in the frame of my camera and in focus presented its own challenge.
It’s not often I find myself outside photographing flowers. I hate the harsh natural light most hours of the day. The garden at my hotel was breathtaking though, so I took the opportunity to make it my playground for the day.
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
