Another One

     This week's portfolio composite was set in my apartment's kitchen. I wanted to recreate the hard, directional light from the window in the living room photo. I set up two Profoto D1s, one in the living room at the window as my main light and another at a much lower setting bouncing off of the ceiling as a fill light. I misplaced my remote, so I had to use the self timer on my camera this week. This caused a significant amount of camera shake, which created small issues when adding and masking layers that didn't quite line up. I focused on a light stand where I thought I would first position myself, and I did not change the focus throughout the shoot; I wanted the image to appear natural overall. I think the resulting effect makes the image as a whole seem out of focus, but I think some of that may have been motion blur as I was trying to watch the timer.

Mirror Mirror

     These pictures were taken with the Nikkor 500mm reflex lens. Recently I started as a work study in RCC's photo lab, and during our end of the school year cleaning spree I helped clean the equipment room. There were lenses and attachments that seemed long forgotten on the backs of shelves and behind newer equipment. Since stumbling upon the reflex lens, I wanted to check it out and see what it had to offer. Over the weekend, I finally had an opportunity to do just that. The lens can only be focused manually, and any out of focus highlights that would ordinarily bokeh out turn into rings because of the design and use of mirrors. It was tricky at first because there is no way to set an aperture; the exposure can only be adjusted through ISO and shutter speed. There was a bit of a learning curve, but I am excited about using this lens in the future.

Friends are Forever

aka "You're Stuck with Me"

     I am so grateful for my friend Bry. She is always willing to help me if she's able, and will send me pictures of her cat whenever I'm feeling down. I was testing lighting setups for a commercial assignment this week, and I asked her to lie on her back on her kitchen floor so that I could do a few test shots. I really liked how they turned out even though I later decided to rework the frame. I was surprised that she still had a smile on her face by the time she got in position. I'm glad to have her in my life.

Game Night at the Parker House

     For this week's portfolio image, I hosted a game night at my house. My brother and I both have a lot of fun hats around the house, and I wanted to incorporate several of them into this scene. I am having a lot of fun with this series, and I am excited about developing it even more. I would like to reshoot this particular scene with my main light on the porch to light the room through the window for a natural, directional light. I think the directionality of the last photo's light worked well, and I would like the lighting to be cohesive throughout the series.

De Morte Ad Vitam

          This week I created this portrait of my friend Kaylan. She is such a unique person, and I wanted a portrait that was pretty unconventional. Originally we wanted to try something where it looked like the skulls were levitating around her, but we thought that the four armed idea would be really cool and creepy. I really enjoyed editing this, and I love how it captured the feeling we were aiming for. The hardest part of this image was blending the arms together to look like a realistic deformity, which sounds rather ironic out loud.

Mother May I

     I love this portrait of my mom, which I took early spring semester. I had a lot of fun taking pictures of her because neither of us could stop laughing the whole time. I was practicing posing and lighting techniques, and she could not take it seriously. I kept explaining the idea of "turtling," in which the chin comes forward and down to reduce any double chin action. I also made a habit of asking "May I touch you?" before moving her hair or fixing her shirt. She thought it was ridiculous since she was my own mother, but I felt that it was a good habit to start. It was a good bonding moment for us.

Balanced Breakfast

     This week's objective was to create a conceptual image. The intent was to capture an idea rather than a specific product. On mornings when I have migraines or other pains, this is how my day feels. I wanted the bowl to look natural at first glance. The colorful pills could easily be mistaken for a fruity breakfast cereal, which makes the scenario seem more playful in spite of very real problems with substance abuse.
     I was playing with the idea that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day," which, for many of us, includes taking the morning's medication with coffee or orange juice in preparation for the day.

Let's Be Independent Together

     I enjoy working on this series, and I found it a lot easier to work with a larger space. I focused each position by sitting there with the camera, focusing on my tripod head, and locking it in. I also bounced light off my entire kitchen as a fill light. I wanted the lighting to read as very natural, and I wanted hard evening light coming in through the windows. I wanted to capture who I am when I am alone, and a big part of that is my refusal to turn on lights when they aren't completely necessary. A large part of my heart belongs to Agatha Christie, so The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, my favorite book, made a guest appearance in this photo.

Timber (with Mint)

     This week's client assignment was based on a small product, which we could choose for ourselves. I wanted to capture the feeling I associate with this type of scent, and I didn't have any men on horses to photograph instead. I also wanted to include mint leaves in the picture to suggest the actual scent of the product. I used a large gold reflector to create a warm, inviting light that could be from a fire.
     I wanted the mint, deodorant, and flannel to be in focus, so I took pictures at seven different focus points and stacked them. I spent a lot of time editing this image to look crisp and clean, and I am very happy with the way it turned out.

Big Plans in Small Spaces

     This was my starting point for my portfolio this semester. I wanted to show how small spaces are usually taken for granted, but I mostly pursued humor for humor's sake. I had a light set up across the hall in my bedroom to light the bathroom. That setup left odd shadows from the door frame, but it didn't distract from the picture as much as I thought it might.
     I think my favorite part of working on this was the moment company came over while I was wearing a shower cap, clothed, and standing in my shower taking self portraits. There are just some things you can't begin to explain. This composite was one of them.