While getting my materials together for my photography class at ATLOSCon I realized that I have in mind what I want to teach people, but I have no idea what they want to learn. So, quick question: what do you want to learn about improving your photography? Any specific issues I should discuss? Please leave your feedback in the comments.
Thanks!
You know what? I’m kinda tired of the same old pregnancy package photos. You know the one when the man stands behind the woman and they both cup the belly and look down at it lovingly? That’s nice and all, but I’m in the mood for something different.
I had a lovely Sunday yesterday with Reid and Kelly yesterday. We met up with Aaron at Ted’s for a delicious lunch and then set off to the High Museum to see the Titian exhibit. We had a good time on the train ride over talking about Lord of the Rings (which Reid and Kelly are obsessed over and I’m just now listening to) and crazy people we’ve met on MARTA.
The Titian exhibit was beautiful. Not all the paintings were by Titian; some were by his Italian contemporaries. I was a bit disappointed that the exhibit was so small; only two rooms compared to the vast area taken up by the Dali exhibit, a waste of space in my opinion. Nevertheless, I did enjoy looking at all the paintings, discussing the stories behind them, and sharing opinions on the works. It was much more enjoyable to have friends there to talk about the paintings and hear their points of view. I also decided that I really want to be painted as a Greek goddess or a damned woman in the Bible. I would especially love to be Venus! I enjoy posing for classes and artist meetups, but the works produced are always half-done studies rather than a finished concept painting. Here are some of my favorite paintings from the show:
Venus Anadyomene (Venus Rising from the Sea)
Afterwards we walked through the permanent collection and visited some old favorites. Reid also pointed out pieces he was drawn to and we noticed a definite pattern of depictions of confident, often scholarly men, deep in concentration. It was interesting to contrast the paintings I was drawn to, which were often beautiful, confident, usually feminine women with my body type. I think both of us were drawn to art that embodied the traits we admire within our sexes and want to see in ourselves. I’m really glad he came with us and had a decent time.
Towards the end of the trip I browsed a photography exhibit by Peter Sekaer. The photos were taken mostly during the Depression and were informal and subtle images of people and places. While none of the images blew me away, I could definitely appreciate the kind of personality it takes to enter people’s homes and neighborhoods and shoot such relaxed photos. The subjects always seemed straightforward without any kind of walls between themselves and the camera. Here are some of my favorite photos:
(heh)
On the drive home Reid and I talked about art and listened to Lord of the Rings. All in all, it was a good day. Now I want to visit other museums!
After several months of living in panic- I hate my job! Now I don’t have one! Where am I going to live?! Am I wearing out my welcome?! Am I going to have to go back to Kentucky?! What the hell am I going to do?!- things have finally settled down. I have my own apartment, a steady(ish) stream of income, and the confidence that everything is going to be ok. Now that I’ve gotten the basics of food and shelter out of the way and I’m not an emotional wreck, I can move onto other concerns.
My original purpose for quitting college and moving to Atlanta was to discover what I wanted to do with my life. That process was set aside while I got back on my feet, and now I’m ready to go after it again. Here are my interests and possible options at the moment:
So, I’ve got a lot on my plate. 
Having too many options was one of the reasons I left school. Now it’s time to dig through them and see which ones work best for me. At the moment, this is the plan for each:
That’s the plan. There’s a lot in the works and I’m very excited. I’ll update as things progress. Please leave any suggestions for the blog or pursuing my interests in the comments. I’d love to hear from my readers and get a dialogue going.
I problem I frequently run into in photography is whether to shoot life events or not. I feel like I have two decisions: to focus on taking photos or to soak up the moment instead. I find it very hard to do both, and often feel guilty if I try to. (Guilty for not focusing on taking the best photos possible and also guilty for not immersing myself completely in the experience.) And afterwards I’m either left with great memories, but no tangible record or great photos, but no real experiences to go with them, other than the joys I had shooting. My shoot from last year’s PJ Valentine’s Day Party is an example. I had a blast running around the party creating different photos and playing with the light. But I don’t have specific memories of jokes or conversations from that night to pair with the photos. I just have the images.
I haven’t quite figured out the balance yet. I find it really difficult to just meander between shooting and living it up. If I’m going to do one of the other, I want to do it full out. (Because if I’m going to haul that big ass camera around, I better do something with it and do it damn well.)
Any other photographers out there face the same problem? Got any advice?
This past week was my very first photo modeling gig with GemTiques in Marietta Square. It was quite different from most of the modeling I’ve done in Atlanta, because this time it was clothed (really!) and was more for advertising than art. The process was very different. Rather than holding the same pose for hours on end, I did lots of poses with many wardrobe changes. And I also had to focus more on my facial expressions and smiling. Here are some of the photos:
While I’m happy with the shoot, I think I’ll stick with modeling for artists for now. It was very strange not to be the one behind the camera directing the shoot. Like I’ve said before, I think photo modeling will be the hardest for me because it’s my own craft. But this was a great learning experience and opened me up to more job opportunities involving photography and social networking. I look forward to working with the shop more in the future.
Update: I’ll be working as a hostess at GemTiques tonight (11/12) from 5 to 9. It’s their Christmas Open House and I think other businesses in the area are opening their doors to the public. If you can, come see me and the jewelry!
I’ve seen many multimedia stories in my time at WKU. To date, this is still my favorite. I do have several criticisms of the piece- I think it’s over idealized- but I think it’s a tight story that evokes emotion and is accessible. I love the photography in it. I think it’s creative and sensual and really shows how much love there is between the subjects. I’ve heard a lot of criticism over the photographer Matt Eich covering his own life. I don’t really have a problem with that. Is it hard hitting news or something I would run in the paper? Not really. But I think it’s an incredibly heartfelt and happy piece amid lots of depressing stories (just look at everything else on MediaStorm). I think this quality of documentation and emotion Matt got is something only he could do, because he was a part of the situation. People keep scrapbooks to track their lives; Matt did the same with multimedia. I’m glad that he created the piece and shared the story. I’d love to do something like this about my own life (and eventually will).
I couldn’t get the full project to embed, but here’s a preview for it and the full project is here.
I was gong to enter the Atlas Shrugged video contest, but not anymore. I found out about it just as it became open to submissions, and there isn’t an ice cube’s chance in hell that I could get it done by the deadline of December 8. (And honestly I think the sponsors did a poor job of advertising it in time for people to get videos together.) I might have been able to whip something up if not for the move and job search, but nothing I would have been truly satisfied with. So I won’t be submitting a project this year.
But I do plan to go ahead and shoot it anyway, as a personal piece and probably as a promotion for AOS, since it will feature members. At the moment I’m visualizing the piece in my head, planning out shots and working out what quotes from the book I’ll use as voiceovers. Here’s a few bits of inspiration I’ve found on the internet. Keep in mind I like the style of these pieces, but not always the content.
I think the theme of this piece is god awful. It’s so depressing and the characters walk in a fog of their own sad vagueness. My characters will be the total opposite: purposeful and happy. But I do love the way this piece is plotted out with a single voice telling a story and nothing but stills to match. The combination makes for an intriguing but slow pace, which I like. It definitely makes you ponder the scenes more. I also like that the photos are less journalistic and more free form. Things fall out of focus or creep out of the side of the photos. I’d like to incorporate some of that style in my own storytelling works.
I like the quick movements from scene to scene in this piece. I’ve often found transitions the hardest part of editing, and this one moves pretty smoothly. I also love the various types of shots she got, especially the last one under the trampoline. The style of quick and lively shots used in the banjo(?) part is exactly the type I would love to show off Stoney’s Pub.
I do love the continuation from one character to another in this piece. I also love the combination of stills and video, and the different shots used. And I love love love the shots of the environment around the characters moving. I think it gives it a nice sense of place and a feeling of going somewhere.
The picnic was a blast. I had so much fun shooting portraits of my friends and their families. I haven’t shot anything in a while, so it was great to get back to the camera. After the portraits we hung out and chatted while the kids played. I only wish I could have played a bit as well on that sweet playground.
