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Artistry - Week 4

Audience, continued. This week, we're shooting for the home front over at Who We Become. Will the grandparents love it? Undoubtedly. Will I love it? Less of a guarantee. I need to be better about getting back to why I got into photography in the first place. When it comes to photographing my family, it's not about the perfect shot, it is about the memories. I also am trying to be better about making sure there's proof that I was there, too. 

Rainy Days are Here Again

It's been a little quiet around here, with the gallery show and some unfortunate computer issues slowing me down. However, I got out for a little shooting in the rain today with my favorite sidekick and thought I'd share a few from our walk.

One {November}

As this month draws to a close, I am taking a long grateful moment to hold the ones I love a little closer to my heart. Which, yes, means babies on the blog.

And speaking of loved ones, please pay a visit to my beloved friends as we take one more step towards closing out our One Circle this year, starting with the amazingly talented Jessica Remus in Chicago. 

Photo 52.2: Framed {Week 49} - Multiple Exposures

Only four weeks left of Photo 52.2: Framed. We've nearly made it through another year! After a bit of a breather, those of us participating over at Who We Become hope to come back with a new and different project for the coming year, so please stay tuned.

September is here and we're closing out the year with a few creativity exercises. This week is multiple exposure. I hope to learn how to properly do this with film but digitally these images can be created in-camera, if your camera body has the technology, or in Photoshop. Since I have yet to learn how to use Photoshop, in-camera it was for me! Figuring out how to make a dynamic composition will take some time to master, but I had fun creating these cityscapes - a little skyline juxtaposed with our newly minted bike-rider in action.

Please head over to Who We Become and see the other fun my friends have had this week - the sneak peek I had of one of the images blew me away and I can't wait to see the rest!

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Photo 52.2: Framed {Week 44}

August! Nearing the end of summer and the end of our P52. At this juncture in our year-long study of compositional techniques, we bring it back to basics, starting with the Rule of Thirds. Simply put, a photograph is generally (generally!) considered more pleasing to the eye if the frame is divided into a grid with nine equal sections and the subject of the image falls on one of the intersection points. Or with landscapes, the horizon falls on the upper or lower third of the frame rather than in the center. 

This week, my guy and I headed out for a photo walk and took a few pictures...in this case, of each other. In my image, his face is on the intersection point at the upper left side of the frame. In his image, while I don't really fall on any intersecting points, the stroller and I occupy the right two thirds of the frame. Fun ideas to work on as he gets started.

Please head over to Who We Become and check out our collaborative page this week!

Photo 52.2: Framed {Week 43}

July is coming to a close and with it, our month of creativity exercises. This week's assignment was a fun challenge for me. Our goal was to use layering as the compositional foundation of our images by consciously giving weight to the content in the foreground, middle and background of the shot in order to tell a story.  I found it difficult to purposefully bridge the technical layering - intentionally creating three physical layers - with the story-telling elements.

By way of example, I specifically shot this first image with layering in mind.  I like that the seals act as sentinels, framing my son as he stands in a pool of light. There is a clear background, middle and foreground and the subjects in the image layers are cohesive. However, there's not much of a story going on.

Whereas this shot, which I took a few weeks ago without this assignment in mind, more successfully accomplishes the storytelling layers I had intended to create this week. Small boy taking a break from a family meal - the foreground tells us not only where he is but the drinks and placemat signal my active presence in the scene, despite being behind the camera. The background shows the family and some detail of the restaurant and the middle layer is reserved for my subject. Good food for thought for future shooting. Please pop over to Who We Become - layer week is a good one!


Photo 52.2: Framed {Week 40}

July, already! As we start to approach the end of P52.2: Framed, we will spend the month using a variety of photographic techniques and tools to imbue our images with a creative complexity. This week, our focus is on Depth of Field as a compositional element. For a great overview of depth of field - the technical details, how it is often used and why a photographer might make certain selections - please head over to Who We Become. 

As for my selections here, I like how these images form a story-telling series, in large part due to the changes in depth of field. I was shooting with a zoom lens, so while my aperture remained the same, these are examples of how depth of field changes substantially in a wide angle shot versus a tighter frame.  

Photo 52.2 Framed {week 36} - School's Out For Summer

I have to admit, I miss getting out there with my camera. These days, with a new baby and a kid on summer vacation and other things keeping us busy, I am finding it hard to shoot for myself. My goal is to make a return to street photography more of a priority in the coming months but in the meantime, I am going to cut myself some slack and try to ease back into the swing of things by focusing on my small boy/big city project instead. So, if you come across a random woman running around the streets of New York cajoling a four year old to try and look less miserable doing things he normally loves to do in exchange for some form of sugar, while also attempting not to knock the baby tied to her chest senseless with her camera...do say hello. 

This week in our portraiture study, our compositions are built around half or three-quarter body shots. Unlike the traditional headshot, the partial-body composition often also includes more contextual surroundings and is a fundamental compositional basis for many classical artists. I attempted some different angles on my happy camper on his first day of summer break and found the partial-body shots angled from above (and below) to be my favorites.  

Please pop over to Who We Become to see what else we all found above the belt this week. 

P52.2: Framed {Week 35}

It's a new month, which means we Photo 52.2 participants have a new topic. During June, our focus within the frame will be on compositional methods in traditional portraiture. For our first week, we are experimenting with the classic headshot. A headshot generally includes just the head and shoulders in the frame. While neither of these would work well for a business profile, they meet the "head and shoulders" criteria and are images of two (and a bit) of my very favorite heads, so I think they'll do nicely.  

Continue over to Who We Become and check out the cuties and beauties featured in headshot week!

p52.2 Framed {Week 28} - Low Key

This week on P52.2 Framed, we continue to use lighting techniques to add mood to our compositions. Low key lighting emphasizes darks and shadows, giving a dramatic or contemplative feel to an image. While the technique is a favorite of mine and makes for beautiful shots, this week's exercise demonstrates how much more of an impact low key lighting can have when the mood of the subject matches the tonality of the image.

And yes, there was also a hair cut.

Please pop over to Who We Become to see everyone's work this week!