Self Portrait (again)

11/22/09 #26

A Body of Water

Fall 2007 #11

A shot from my year in Rhode Island. This roll of film got exposed during developing which explains the murky effect. I think it actually works here.

Something Metallic

11/17/09 #5

#9 and a New Name

11/11/09 #9

I'm going to have to change the name of this blog. Coming up with a new photo daily has been a challenge and I think I've learned some valuable lessons from it. However, I think my daily posts are coming to a close. I'm thinking about transitioning to a weekly post consisting of a cohesive series of photographs. For example, one week I might work on self portraits, and another week I might shoot some still life in the studio. Once I finish the scavenger hunt, that will be the plan.

Lights at Night

11/09/09 #21

I always feel most creative when the sun goes down. I usually get the urge to start a new painting, write in my journal or rearrange my room after dark. I don't know why it never clicked with me earlier to employ the moon as my photography muse as well. I have discovered that there is something magical about night photography. It requires patience and experimentation. Its about letting the camera show you something you can't see. Its quiet, solitary and free. This is definitely a great realization that this blog has led me.

#1 & #24

Fall 2008 #1 & #24

Fall 2008 #1 & #24

This is one from my archives. I took this photo with my Spartus Full Vue, hence the square format. I was on a whole tangent of shooting straight up into the sky for a couple semesters. Here is the artist statement from this project:

"As an artist I strive to create art that is simple and easily understood. I find myself and the world around me to be extremely complex. I ponder them all the time. I try to make sense of something that I will never fully understand and become frustrated. I am a very emotional person and my feelings almost always take over in a way I cannot control and I again become frustrated. The most appealing art for me is art that can be summed up in one sentence or thought. The art I create can usually be described by "this is beautiful because the elements and principles of art are working cohesively." The emotions I most express in my artwork are peace and simplicity. It is an escape from my usual experience of chaos and difficulty.


For this project I took my usual formal approach to photography and gave it the constraint that I would be pointing my lens straight up. The unique viewfinder of my Spartus Full Vue led me to shooting in this manner. Holding the viewfinder like a regular camera, out in front of me, pointed the lens into the sky, exposing me to a new perspective. For this project I was in search of interesting compositions using the elements and principles of art as my guide.


I hope that when person views these photographs that he or she simply sees shapes, lines, pattern, etc., and how they come together to create something visually interesting. Perhaps the viewer takes them a step further and gains an appreciation for the point of view expressed by pointing the camera straight up. These photographs are meant to be taken at face value, and what you see is what you get. "

Links:
Elements of Art
Principles of Art

#22 & #26

11/05/09 #22 & #26

It was a full moon and a balmy 44 degrees out last night so I decided to tackle some more night photography. I really need to wear cuter clothes when I go out shooting because I always seem to end up in the frame.

Nothing much else to say about this snap so I'll share with you my digital archiving strategy. Storing all my photographs on my computer is tricky and I still don't have a perfect system down. But I have come up with a pretty good system for the photographs I take for this blog. I decided to implement a consistent way of naming all the photographs and organizing them chronologically. The photograph above is named 05Nov09_01.jpg. For the 5th of November, 2009, image 1 (I decided to name them for the blog posting date, since sometimes the snapping date is different.) All numbers lower than 10 get a 0 placeholder: instead of 5, its 05. I use an underscore instead of a space because when uploading photographs to the internet, the space can get lost in translation and result in an incomplete upload.

Now I just need to figure out a way to organize my snapshots, travel pictures, artsy photos, and portfolio documentation. Doesn't seem that hard, but when you have artsy photos from your trip to Greece, it gets a little complicated because it seems redundant to have them in two folders.

Scavenger Hunt

11/4/09 #7 An Interesting Doorway

I found this photo hunt online and decided it would help me come up with new and interesting photographs. Here's the list so you can play along:

|x|1. Cool or interesting architecture
| |2. A sign of the season
| |3. Something musical
| |4. Something sweet
|x|5. Something metallic
| |6. A landscape
|x|7. An interesting doorway
| |8. A reflection
|x|9. A cemetery
| |10. A pair of shoes
| |11. A body of water
| |12. A drink
| |13. A mosaic or mural
| |14. Rain or snow
| |15. Classic car (1970 or older)
| |16. A work of art
| |17. A church
| |18. A statue
| |19. An interesting sky
| |20. Something in motion
|x|21. Lights at night
|x|22. A silhouette
| |23. Something historical (pre-1900)
|x|24. A shot from an unusual perspective
| |25. Flowers
|x|26. Self-Portrait I & II

Links:
Flickr Scavenger Hunt

Bow Wow

11/2/09 Jalopy Dog

When I rounded the corner to go upstairs to my apartment after class, I was greeted with this scene. I immediately reached into my purse and grabbed my trusty Panasonic to snap a couple frames.

Links:
Brodie
SuperFetch