Family Photographs

Remember my photo class? The one called "Finding your Vision Courage?" Well, it finally ended. After many weeks of shooting, editing, writing and crying. It finally ended. And I survived.

The hardest part? Writing the damn Artist Statement. Me. The one who started out with an interest in writing. Who discovered a passion for taking photos along the way. Struggled to write the damn statement.

And I know why. It's the same reason I always struggle with writing for classes. It becomes too personal. The thoughts that I keep bottled up inside me. That I never want to see the light of day. Are the only ones I seem to write about in class situations. Because if I'm going to write. It has to mean something to me. And the things that mean something to me. Are the things I don't like to talk about.

And of course we had to read our statements aloud. Or rather our partners read our statements aloud. And in my case. She read. While I bawled. Yep. Big heaving, gasping tears. Totally embarrassing. It sucked. And then to top it all off? My partner told me to basically cut out everything I wrote.

Later others in the class made me promise not to change it. And told me not to read it on the day of the reception. So I wouldn't get emotional. In the end, I did edit it. Basically making it longer.

At the eleventh hour BSD found out he would not be home for the reception. Needless to say I was crushed. But the reception turned out to be a lot of fun. Thanks to some very dear friends. Who came to support me. And stayed the whole two hours despite an absolutely gorgeous beach day passing them by.

A table filled with snacks and drinks kept the ballerinas and their friends happy. And my friend's father-in-law volunteered to keep us all entertained as our very own piano man. What a treat that was!

In the end I learned a lot. About myself. About my vision. About courage. I'm sick and tired of the photos I took in this class. But I look forward to taking more. So I'd say the class was a success.

Family Photographs
Growing up, I have fond memories of my father as the family photographer. The worn leather strap of his Leica hung from his shoulder throughout our family travels. He photographed our family, doing ordinary things in extraordinary places, and he brought that world back home for us through slides projected onto our living room wall.

Just like my father, my family inspires me to pick up my camera. Beyond the family trips and birthday celebrations, I am captivated by capturing the everyday moments. Those moments that I don’t want to forget: the way my youngest curls her blankie around her fingers before she drifts off to sleep, or the dozens of chocolate chip cookies we’ve baked together over the years; even a simple hand-scrawled note or a family game of cards.

The photographs displayed here are simple: a family doing ordinary things in ordinary places. This collection represents a season of our family life, literally and figuratively. Other seasons will come and go, and with my Canon hanging from my shoulder by its patchwork strap, I will continue to document our “ordinary” life. As my father did before me, I will leave a legacy in the form of photographs for my children. Simple. Ordinary. Extraordinary.


***
Note: The two photographs from the reception were taken with my dad's camera. *big cheesy grin*

Self portrait. Or not.

Our last assignment for our photo class was to turn the portrait assignment inward. Apply the same questions to ourselves and create a self portrait that spoke of who we are. Or not.

We were to consider these questions...

• How do you see yourself?
• How do you want others to see you?
• Would you tell us the truth or try to make us believe something else?
• You are allowed to use some photoshop magic if you wish. 

We studied some photographers who have made a name for themselves shooting self portraits. A few, like Natalie Dybiz, are photoshop masters. I. Am not. So I chose not to go that route.

Instead, inspired by Cindy Sherman, the queen of self portrait photography, I decided to answer the first two questions, and then tried to have some fun a la my favorite collection of Cindy Sherman's works. Her Untitled Film Stills.

I had soooo much fun doing this portrait. Way more than if I had just taken a picture of myself. This was like being a kid playing dress up. I even wore two pieces of my mom's jewelry that I doubt I'd ever have the opportunity to wear in real life.

But I have to say. After doing so, my admiration for Cindy Sherman soared. This was NOT easy to do. There was always some little detail that went awry. The lime was covering my face. Or the magazine was flopping over. Or one of my legs was cut off. Using a digital camera I could figure this out in a matter of minutes. But Cindy Sherman did all of her portraits for that series with a film camera. I cannot even imagine how she managed.

And...I'm proud to tell you that this photo will also be in the show. My teacher wants me to blow it up really big too. Not sure how comfortable I am with that idea. But, heck, it's me. Yet it's not.

Perception, baby, Perception.

Note: If you have an extra 10 minutes, click on the Cindy Sherman link and then click on the Watch Now button. The interview with Cindy Sherman starts at about 15:45. It is so worth watching. She is a really interesting person. Bizarre, yet fascinating.

I chose...

I want to thank everyone for your input on my portraits. It was so fun to read everyone's thoughts and opinions. I really appreciate that you shared. It was like having you all in class with me.

After reading the comments and taking these pictures I learned quite a bit. About photography. About perception. And about myself.

I learned...

• I've always tried so hard to take pictures that do not look "posed." To catch the person doing something. But I found that I really enjoyed trying to take a portrait of someone that was more formal.

• that taking a good portrait is not easy. Giving directions is hard. And I'm not confident enough in my ability to take a good picture for someone else.

• that a good portrait conveys something about the individual.

• that things are not always as they appear. I've always strived to take photos that are "real." But I'm finding that, for me, playing with reality can be a fun part of photography. You can alter the viewer's perception simply by what you leave out of the frame. Or add in.

With that being said, this was my favorite photo of M...

because I had to "work" to create it. I chose that specific location for her. I loved the spray painted numbers on the wall. I asked her to sit on top of the weights.

And then I had to face my fears. Can I get her to look the way I envisioned? Can I convey to the viewer that she is young, beautiful, strong, confident and down-to-earth? Yes. She is gorgeous so that made it easier to get a pretty picture, but her expression and the location make it for me. It feels like a true reflection of who M is.

This photo was a close runner-up.

 

I love her concentration. I love what others mentioned in the comments also. Her incredible body. Her strength. The curl of her toes. The looseness of her fingers. And again. The location. While I love all of these things I think this photo, on its own, brings out a different perception than the first.

The teacher asked for a print of the first photo to be displayed in a show at the Contemporary Art Center. So cool!

I haven't yet shown the photos to M. But I did try to give copies of the photos of my artist friend to her. She took one look at them and said, "ewww!" Completely wiped away the high of being asked to display M's photo in a show. Perception, baby. Perception.

Next assignment...Self-Portrait. Perception, baby. Perception.

 

More than just a pretty picture...

Turned in my photo assignment. We were given two weeks take a portrait of someone. But it couldn't just be a pretty picture of someone. And it couldn't be a family member. The directions were...

"When you are taking your portraits I want you to think about the person that you are photographing. Ask them, as well as yourself, what defines them. Is it their job, where they live, their hobbies, etc."

"I’m not just looking for a pretty photograph of someone. Your portrait should have a strong message as to what defines your subject. You can put your subject in an environment that defines them, use props, etc."

So...of course I did what I always do. I thought about it. And thought about it. And thought about it. I came up with grand visions of who I was going to photograph. And then two days before the assignment was due I asked my neighbor if I could photograph her while she was working.

It was hot. It was muggy. Everything in the background was interfering with my vision. And after much fiddling and cropping I was stuck with these.

Now I know what she's doing. And I know what message I was trying to get across. But I'm pretty sure those of you who don't know her won't. But it's what I had. And class was two days away.

I had no one else in mind. I was going to suck it up and just use these. Until I got to the gym on Tuesday morning and it hit me. 

The gym is really just a warehouse. Totally devoid of frills. And windows. Or the glimmer of any decent light. But it has grit. And dirt. And "M." Perfect.

This is "M." 

She's our trainer. 

She is the nicest, most down-to-earth girl you've ever met. 

She was willing to do anything I asked her. Why wouldn't she looking like that?

There were so many good ones. I had a hard time choosing. But in the end, I had one clear favorite. And a close runner-up. What about you? Which one would you have chosen for the assignment?

Oh. And to set the record straight. When I sent BSD the last photo and asked him, "What message do you get about her when you see this photo." His response was really...

The only thing I can think of is I want a picture of you like that cause it's sexy. Sorry.
Not your usual gym.

Not quite what I was looking for. But OK. I'll take it.

When I grow up, I want to be...

 

HER!

Just a sneak peek. This picture is for my photo class. More about that later. But when I sent the pictures I took of her to BSD for his advice on which one to choose. He suddenly decided he wants to give up surfing. And join my gym. How strange is that?!?!?

Project Orange: Check

My homework got done. It was even done by Wednesday afternoon. And I was able to see Water for Elephants that evening. So glad too because the movie was gooooodddd. It was two hours long. And I never once looked at my watch. That is how I rate a movie. The imagery and costuming alone kept me enthralled.

On Wednesday afternoon, the teacher emailed saying "extra credit" if you turn your photos into a collage. Since we're not taking the class for any kind of grade, we all kind of scratched our heads on that one. One of the women even asked, "What do we get? Money?" My kind of gal! The teacher promised cupcakes. I heard that one and I was in. Will work for cake.

We're also supposed to keep a journal. Write about what works. What doesn't. What we've learned. Here's my journal entry for this assignment...

Limited Color Palette Notes: 

• I chose orange because the ballerinas have been really into oranges lately. I've been buying the big eight pound bags so I had plenty of them to photograph. Plus, BB has that sweeettt orange beach cruiser. Easy choice.

• very hard to shoot two kids together. One is always looking off, striking a cheesy pose, or not cooperating.

• I need to learn to give directions better.

• Make sure your kids poop before you drive them to a field where there are no bathrooms. Because even though there's no one around for miles. And you have wipes. She'll refuse to go. And all your pictures will look like this. Or you'll have to cut your shoot short.

• It's hard to take good pictures of things you're not that excited about.

• It's hard to find things that are orange that excite me.

• I don't like super saturated pictures.

• Don't plan to take pictures with balloons on a windy day. (Kim recently blogged about the same thing. I should have paid attention.)

• Discovered the "scale" slider in Lightroom. LOVE!

• Need to figure out how to crop proportionally in Lightroom. It never looks right to me.

• Need to learn how to selectively add brightness in photos (to faces, etc.).

• Bring along a stepstool to make it easier to take pictures from above. Climbing on your car hood is not a good idea. And your DH will kill you if he finds out you did that.

• Even though artistically you're supposed to group things in odd #'s, make sure you bring along EVEN numbers of props when you're shooting your kids. Or they'll fight. And you'll yell. And your pictures will suck.

Here are the photos I turned in...

And the cupcake collage...

Project Orange...

My photography class started last week. The syllabus looks great. Lots of things on there that I want to learn. And a plan to go out together to shoot during the Golden Hour. Looking forward to that in a big way.

So...assignment #1 is due on Thursday. It's Tuesday. And I just started. I told you I was good at procrastinating. I guess Tuesday night is better than Wednesday night. Right?

Assignment #1: Shoot photographs that have a limited color palette. Pick one color for your palette and bring in 3-5 printed photos as examples.

I chose orange.

I've been working on my homework since 7pm. It's now 11:14pm. Here's what I've got so far.

Don't you just love that shade of orange? Ummm...yeah. I suck at following directions.

Off to bed. I'll try again tomorrow.

Chasing Vision...

Last year I took a beginning photography class at the local art center. It was a great class, and I'm really excited that the teacher will now be offering two more levels of the course. The Intermediate class finally starts at the end of this month. I'm so excited!

This class will focus on off-camera flash, custom white balance and shooting in RAW, as well as continuing to explore aspects of composition and light. There will also be weekly photo critiques and possible off-site meet-ups for shooting. I cannot wait!

I've wanted to learn about off-camera flash for a while now. I have come to realize that no matter what I do, I am not going to be able to shoot strictly "natural light" in my house. I'm going to have to learn how to bounce flash. The only problem? I don't HAVE an off-camera flash. I will need to get one. So, of course, I turn to my photo bloggy friends out there for recommendations. Anyone have one they love? Hate? Care to share?

There's also a reading list involved this time. Shoot! This class is hard core. I've got both books already. I started the first one. I'm loving this one so far because the author is a choreographer. So, even though the book is for any creative pursuit she does refer to dancing quite a bit. And you know, we love us some dance around here.

I'm not even halfway through yet, but I like the message. A lot of it is basic. But, I like that she's saying you don't have to be born with the gift of genius to be great at something creative. You can LEARN it. Through practice. Copying. Commitment.

"There's a process that generates creativity -- and you can learn it. And you can make it habitual."  Sounds like a resounding endorsement for a Project 365. No?

She also says that you need skills to be creative. You need the proper prep work. "Without the time and effort invested in getting ready to create, you can be hit by the thunderbolt and it'll just leave you stunned." So, I'm hopefully going to get me some skillz by taking this class.

The other book is written by a photographer. This one is a beautiful book. Filled with amazing photos. I've only read the intro and I'm on board already. The book is "not a manual." It's not going to teach "technical stuff." It's a book about vision. And how to "chase it."

It's a rainy night. Excuse me. I'm off to chase some vision.