A week off....


This week I was supposed to be working on exercise #6 from Chris Orwig's book but I have to confess that I played hookie from photography.  Instead, I decided to work on several small mixed media projects to get my creative juices flowing.  I really love creating mixed media art and I am very happy when I can incorporate my own photography into a piece. 
I cut several pieces of water color paper into 6 x 6 squares and then applied gesso to both sides.  I decided to make it into a book for myself so I could go back and look at it when I needed a little inspiration.  Everyday I tried to complete one square and tried to do something different each time.  
I think if you read art and photography blogs you will find that so many artists love the creative process and I'm no exception.  If my heart is heavy or my stress level nearing its peak I love to be transported to another place.  Taking my camera out or creating a piece of art just makes me so happy.  For me that is a really good thing.
Here are a couple of pieces that I did.  I transferred my photographs of the coffee cup and the cherries using matte medium. I'm going to continue this week so I will have more to show another day.  I have 9 so far.

 

Exercise # 5 Narrative Portraiture

Today's exercise is #5 from Chris Orwig's book and it is learning to take a narrative portrait.  We were to choose a person with a dynamic personality, use natural or ambient light, choose a location that acts like a stage, and choose one photograph that tells a story.  Ater 30-45 minutes of shooting, then processing, we were to choose only one photograph that captures the essence of the person and narrative being portrayed.

I chose my 16 year old son.  He has a very dynamic personalty, the location was his room ( in it's natural state), and the room was filled with beautiful light.


The story that I was trying to capture was of a budding musician/singer/songwriter slowly emerging.  Someone gaining confidence and finding his voice, both literally and metaphorically.  Choosing one shot for this was harder than I thought.  I chose this one in the end.

If you are following along with the exercises from this great book please stop by the other blogs listed below and see their results.  As for exercise # 4 ( black and white film) I'm almost finished but still have to send it off.  Hopefully by the weekend I'll have the post up.
As always comments and feedback are always welcomed.  That's the way I learn.

Binkies and Noseprints Photography-- http://binkiesandnoseprints.blogspot.com/
Group -- http://dc2011women.blogspot.com/
Claudia Muir Photography-- http://claudiamuirphotography.com/
Greta S Garcia -- http://gsgphotography.wordpress.com/
Elaine Janet Photography– http://elainejanet.com/
The New Diplomats Wife-- http://thenewdiplomatswife.blogspot.com/ 
What Eyes See Daily -- http://whateyesseedaily.blogspot.com

Black and white FILM....

If you have been following along with the 30 exercises from Chris Orwig's book People Pictures you know that this week is #4.  This is open ended because we have to use black and white film and it has to be sent away to be developed.  I switched to digital about 6 years ago.  I really wasn't sure that I wanted to do that since I had been shooting film for 20 + years and had my own black and white darkroom a while ago.  I really missed being in the darkroom but with children and life in general I decided to make the switch.  I was very excited to dust off my film camera but it took awhile to feel comfortable with it.  I'm almost finished the exercise and should be ready to post as soon as I get them back.
Now I have a confession to make... I started exercise 3 but I never got to finish it.  I gave myself permission to skip this one.  If I can I will make it up later.


I decided to post a couple of black and white people pictures that I took quite a long time ago so when I post my new ones I'll see if I got any better.
Check out the other blogs as we continue with this book.  Please leave a comment as they are always welcomed and appreciated.


Binkies and Noseprints Photography-- http://binkiesandnoseprints.blogspot.com/
Group -- http://dc2011women.blogspot.com/
Claudia Muir Photography-- http://claudiamuirphotography.com/
Greta S Garcia -- http://gsgphotography.wordpress.com/
Elaine Janet Photography– http://elainejanet.com/
The New Diplomats Wife-- http://thenewdiplomatswife.blogspot.com/ 
What Eyes See Daily -- http://whateyesseedaily.blogspot.com