Challenge 7: Go Beyond the Print or Digital Image

Creative 52 Challenge 7: Go Beyond the Print of Digital Image

This week the challenge was about getting my images off my computer and digital galleries and, instead, presenting my images as works of art. 

Lately I've been seeing so many images printed on metal. While I'm not sure I would like the medium for every type of image I couldn't stop thinking about how my grainy concert photos taken with my point and shoot camera would look as metal prints. I decided to send in a couple of photos I had taken at a Brandi Carlile concert. I am thrilled with the final product and love having them on display in our music area. Thank you again for the inspiration Lindsay Adler!

Until next week keep challenging yourself and stay creative!

Challenge 6: Go to a Museum

Creative 52: Challenge 6: Go to a Museum

Inspiration: For this challenge Lindsay asked us to get out of the house and see the art around us. Well, it's been just a tiny bit cold in Minnesota so a trip to a museum didn't quite work out. Instead I went online and absorbed myself in art. All art! Sculptures, paintings, photographs even graphic design! I was especially drawn to paintings, primarily portraits of women. But what was drawing me to certain portraits over others? I concluded the portraits I was drawn to made me want to go back and look at the painting again. And what made me want to go back and look again was often a feeling that I  wanted to know more about the person in the painting. What were they thinking or feeling at that moment? I was also drawn to unique lighting and the use of light patterns.

My Solution: My model, Amber is a budding makeup artist so after we picked out her clothes and talked about the concept she applied makeup to play up her eyes. As I was playing with the blinds on the window I saw a creative possibility to highlight her look even more by letting the light create lines across her face that almost mimic a warrior look. The window was to the right side of the photo and I used a reflector on the left to even out the light. While I took a number of photos I was especially drawn to this one. The little hint of a smile and the arch of her eyebrow  seem to imply she knows something the rest of us don't know yet and I found myself wanting to know more about what was behind this look!

Credits: I want to thank Amber Lamar for being both my model and make-up artist! You are always such a joy to work with. And, as always, thanks to Lindsay Adler for her continued inspiration.

Until next week, stay creative and keep challenging yourself!

Challenge 5: Create a Symmetrical Image

Creative Challenge 5:  Create a Symmetrical Image

The fifth Creative 52 weekly challenge involved symmetry. I had so many ideas for this challenge and ended up home sick for the majority of the week. By Sunday I had resigned myself to the realization that I would have to be my own model again (forcing me back to my week three goal of getting more comfortable in front of the camera).  I was especially challenged with me as a model as I am far from symmetrical. My eyes are incredibly different in size, my lips are crooked, I have moles on one side of my face that are not present on the other and even my nostrils don't seem to be the same shape! I was not hopeful about this! I wrapped my non-symmetrical hair in a scarf and was determined to use posing and lighting to attempt to make me look more symmetrical and was not beyond the assistance of photo shop if I could get an image that was close. I knew I wanted to shut my eyes and they seem to appear closer to the same size that way. So I put the self timer on my camera and repeatedly put myself in front of my camera and tried to compose myself for the shot in my 10 second window. I took shot after shot and was not happy with any of them. I only seemed to see how far from symmetrical each of my images appeared. Preparing for one shot I must have hit my focus button (which would have focused on nothing since I was not in the image) and was surprised when I cam across this completely out of focus image. The more I scrolled through my images for a final shot the more I was drawn to this one for this challenge. Because our minds are always seeking symmetry I was able to find symmetry in this image that lacked the amount of detail necessary to prove my eyes and brain wrong. While in real life my eyes are still incredibly different in size, my lips are crooked and my nostrils are not the same shape, in this moment, in this photo I don't notice any of that. My brain sees symmetry. So while this is not the image I imagined in my head, this image taught me a very valuable lesson about perception that I can take forward with me in my photography journey!

Until next week, keep challenging yourself and stay creative!