Jun 13, 2014
Want this hanging on your wall? Just click the photo to buy now!
Creeping up behind my neighbor’s Fiat, I was balancing between stalker and antisocial weirdo. The car wasn’t there at 6:00 am, when I was examining the bushes for close up photo ops as Gracie sniffed out the perfect poop spot.
When I returned it was noon and, on the other side of the car, my neighbors were having a tag sale – which explained (without alleviating my frustration) why the damn thing was parked right in front of the pretty flowers.
Weekend traffic and the tag sale led to a high frequency of slow, gawking drivers. One guy stopped next to me and called out the window, “Why are you crying?” I think he was a little embarrassed when I turned around with a big, fake smile and a camera in my hand.
I wonder how many other passers-by assumed I was a weirdo crying in the bushes.
What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!
May 2, 2014
Want this hanging on your wall? Just click the photo to buy now!
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 |
Want this hanging in your house? Just click the photo to buy now!
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!
