Kristen’s Bridal Session

Kristen’s wedding was yesterday so I can now show a few from the session.  It was an all indoor session which was a fun change of pace.

The ‘One’ Project

Last night I got together with several other photographers here in Raleigh for a special project. Instead of the usual meetings where we catch up on each other’s current events, this meeting was about creating images. The concept of the ‘One’ project is that several photographers come together and utilize the same subject and tools to explore their vision.

Each photographer took turns going into the shooting space. There was one model, one studio light, one background, one assistant with a reflector and another to time you. Everyone was limited to an 85mm lens and 1GB CF card, and no one was allowed to see what the others were doing. Each photographer was given twenty minutes to do whatever they wanted with the tools available to them. Once your time was up you then had to edit and enhance quickly to turn images in for the slide show during dinner.

The experience was amazing! Out of the seven of us that participated, the range of different looks and images was unbelievable. There were those who focused more on technique and less on the model’s expressions, and others who used straight forward technique but managed to pull so much more emotion and feeling out of their subject.

Even though we all seven used the same tools and were working under the same limitations, there were no two images that were even similar to one another. This reinforces my belief that great photography really has very little to do with the type of equipment a person uses and everything to do with their own personal vision of the world.

Here are the four images that I turned in for the show. I’m pretty happy with them. For next quarter’s assignment we are going to draw a color out of a hat and complete an assignment based on that color.

Why?

It’s a question my kid asks a lot and I thought I’d jump on the band wagon. So why do you come here?

Every day a bunch of people end up here and I’m not sure who and I’m not sure why. Of course it could be the same three people checking several hundred times a day waiting for something new, and then there’s the occasional person who Googled Winona Ryder and ended up here, but for the people who keep coming back let me know why.

So leave a comment to let me know that you’re here and what you like, what you want to see more of, or just say hey.

Memories

 Wasn’t I cute?  Look at all those faded 1970s era photos!  It’s easy to see where Will gets his blond hair and pinchable cheeks.

My Grandmother’s Funeral was Tuesday and it was really nice to see all the family who came in town  from all over and talk about the good old days.  By the way, no condolences needed in response to this post.  My Grandmother, (we called her Mema) had a very long, full life, and a very loving family that was there with her till the end.  The memories are very fond for me, and I am very much at peace with the fact that she and my Grandfather are together again.

The point of this post is that while everyone was gathered around in the  house, talking, eating, laughing, sharing stories, almost everyone was looking at photographs.  Whether in an album or just thumbing through a stack, these photos were helping all of our family to relive parts of their own history.  These little pieces of paper brought a sense of connection to the past and helped us to remember who we are or were as the case may be.

I really don’t remember it, but apparently my Grandmother would take me quite often to have my photos made when I was really young.  While there is nothing creative or interesting about the photos themselves, it is fun to see that crazy stuff I was wearing and it’s great to know that I was important enough to have professional photos made of me instead tons of snap shots that were just okay.

It’s also interesting to really see the trade offs that are made with the different photos.  We’ve always heard that you get what you pay for and you can see it in action here.  These photos are all about 30 years old.  You can see that the color is fading quite a bit in some but not others.

I do know that all of the discolored photos were done at different times but at the same studio which was in a department store.  The photos that are not faded were done at a photo studio that has been around forever and whose prices were much higher than the department store’s.  Now for the polaroids, the color is still as good as it was when taken, but the detail is terrible.  What does this tell us?  I’m not sure.  Everyone has different priorities, and of course I’m biased, but as I stated two posts down, it’s not worth it to cheap out on your memories.

Teresa & Scott’s *E* Session

 Another downtown Wilmington *E* session adventure.  Teresa and Scott were the first victims of my disposable wedding camera experiment.  They played along nicely and before we knew it we were walking along the river with the setting sun.  A perfect day really.

I Laughed Out Loud!

Fine, call me a snob, but when I saw this pack of cameras in the grocery store I just couldn’t help but laugh. I see these things at weddings, and never really thought about it, but these are marketed specifically for weddings. Like a person would really trust their memories to a $4.00 disposable camera. I have to admit though, the graphics on the camera are pretty convincing. They just put me in a wedding kind of mood and I feel that with this camera in my hands, nothing can come between me and photographic Nirvana. (uh, yea, sure)

 

On the positive side they are much more responsive than any digital point and shoot camera I have ever used. With these, if you press the button it takes a picture. There’s no waiting, no burst of three flashes to wait for, it just happens. That doesn’t mean the photos will be any good, just easier to take.

 

 

 

 

In an attempt to get my $8 (plus processing) worth out of these I will be taking this little gem to the next few photo sessions to see just how far we can push this little box. Here’s a grab I made from Friday’s session.

 

 

 

 

Alison & Josh’s *E* Session

Kicking off the spring season, Alison and Josh walked with me through the gardens looking for adventure. Although no adventure presented itself, we did manage to have some fun and create some great images for them. Meridith and I are really looking forward to being under the light house when they are married on Bald Head Island in September.

Bridal Teasers

So how fun is this. Since I can’t show bridal portraits before the wedding the same way I can engagement sessions, I’ll start blogging very abstract images from each session. The kind of image that gives you a little without giving anything away. Then if I can remember (no promises) I’ll try to blog more from the session after the wedding has happened (again no promises).

This is from yesterday’s session. We went executive boardroom style.

Spring Bridal Portraits

Spring is here and that means it’s portrait time.  Our schedule is almost completely booked for spring sessions which is exciting.  I have one image from today’s bridal session that I could use for show and tell since it doesn’t show the bride’s face or dress. 

Happy Daylight Savings!!

It’s not a holiday, but it should be.  It’s one of my favorite days of the year.  I would gladly trade one hour of sleep for another hour of sunshine in my day.  (besides, who sleeps?)  This means that Will and I can have more adventures after school, and we can finally scheduling those after work engagement sessions.