Hello all!
I apologize for not being as active on here as I originally intended to be, but its been a busy year, and. a crazy busy quarter. There will be some announcements coming soon, but for now, I want to talk about one of the things I was doing this quarter.
I started taking another photography class this quarter, and one of the projects we did, Project 2, was all about analyzing our vision as a photographer.
For me, this project was a very interesting way of getting to know. myself as a photographer and a creative professional, as I have never tried to put my goals as a photographer into words before.
The assignment guidelines were to analyze what my “purpose” is as a photographer. It also asked, “What makes you tick? What is important to you as an image maker?”
I had never really considered this until I had class, but it honestly is something to consider. It is important that in addition to focusing on that “decisive moment” in our photoshoots, we are also decisive when it comes to why we are shooting and what our goals are as we are shooting.
In the assignment, we had to respond to the following: Define yourself; Define sources of inspiration; Find your voice; Know your goals; Know your market; Know your identity; What is your toolkit?; Establish a community; and Identify your gifts.
These were more clearly described in our textbook, but I want to share with you what my responses were.
- MYSELF: I am a photographer with a passion for capturing the emotions of others and my view of the world. I strive to communicate through my images. My limiting factors are my general understanding, my personal bias based on life experience, and the vision I have versus the image of others.Ā
- SOURCES OF INSPIRATION: I am inspired by many things. I am inspired by the falling leaves and snow, someoneās smile, the feeling I get when I have a good feeling about a shoot. I am inspired by the way I feel when I know I have captured the perfect shot. I am inspired by seeing the joy on peopleās faces when they view my photographs. I am inspired by the people I love and those who love me, by the kindness of others, and the work of my peers.
- VOICE: My voice is still being discovered. I have ideas in my brain that change over time and throughout shoots. I am still trying to discover my distinct style and voice when it comes to my images, but the tone throughout the vast majority of my portraits is the same, and that seems to be prevalent in the way I capture the joy on the faces of others simply enjoying the moment they are currently living in their lives.Ā
- GOALS: My goal is to be a portrait photographer and capture the smiles of others. I want to be continuously growing and learning in my craft as an photographer, whether that be learning different styles, techniques, technology, formats, or many other things. Every element of photography, whether or not it is my chosen style, is able to teach me something new that I can implement in my work in some capacity.
- MARKET: As a photographer, I cater more toward the demographic and age bracket I am currently in, which is the general college age population (18-24), however I do tend to maintain a style that can be classic enough for adults to resonate with as well, broadening my audience to families and parents with an interest in capturing memories as well.Ā
- PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY: I am a portrait photographer that currently presents most of my work on Instagram, as it is a good way to contact my key demographic of people 18-24 years of age. While trying to broaden my audience, I am creating a website to share more of my work with the public in a clearer and more professional standpoint. I want to present my work in an interesting yet professional capacity so that I will be taken seriously by the adult demographic while still maintaining a fun personality that encourages college students to work with me.
- TOOLKIT: In my toolkit I have a Nikon D5300 and a variety of lenses. I need to learn more about those lenses other than how to use them properly (which I already know). I have purchased a 45 in. round reflector I am still learning about and a tripod. I soon will also have an Olympus Trip 35 to add to my camera bag, which means I will be able to shoot 35 mm film, and that requires me to become more familiar with different films and shoot more. I have shot in black and white film exclusively, and would now like to branch out further into color film and figure out which color film profile will best fit my photography style.Ā
- COMMUNITY: Outside of class, I have worked with several different photographers. I have one in particular on Instagram that I admire very much, and she and I have corresponded several different times on each otherās work and the possibility of interning under her. I respect her work and drive to own a small business as a woman and I have learned a lot from her. On top of that, I have also connected with other photographers who have work I admire. Outside of them, I have a family who shares my enthusiasm for photography, and this has helped me grow immensely and created an environment that makes it easy for me to learn lots about everything I can.Ā
- GIFTS: I have been told I have a natural eye for photography that has only grown more prevalent with learning more about the craft each day. By sharing my images and commenting on otherās work, I am able to give back to the community by offering pointers and general tips to other photographers. I will contribute my personal outlook on the world through my photography, as my original goal when I began photography was to share my view of the world with others.Ā
After we had written this report, we needed to go out and shoot our first assignment of the quarter with NO EDITING, which was so incredibly hard to do. Once we had shot, we needed to analyze the shoot in a report and turn in our top 5 images from the shoot.
Here is my report, and my images are included. The one on the left is the unedited, and the one on the right is the edited version (which was not turned in for my project, but I wanted to include on the blog because I love the edits I made.)
For this photoshoot, I decided I wanted to do it in the snow. The model I chose, Lexi, has always told me that she wants to get married in the snow simply because of how clean and magical the photos are. The irony of this is Lexi is a Californian and hates snow and the cold in every other form, other than in photographs. When I shot this day, Lexi and I created a look together that would slightly pop against the snow without being too distracting. The simplicity of her makeup is contrasted with the bright red lipstick and the red scarf pops against her light gray and white sweater peeking out from under her white jacket.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā As far as location, we wanted it to be a little more whimsical, with very little in the background. I loved the look of the images we shot with essentially nothing in the background but the hill covered in snow. It almost gives the images a studio-shot feel, but with the snow in her hair and in front of the lens, it gives it that real outdoor touch, keeping the viewer captivated.Ā
1. Lexi standing with hands on jacket and scarf looking down (half close-up)
This image of Lexi shows her more serious side. I posed her according to what I believed would convey a more serious side to her. With her looking down and her hands holding her scarf near her heart, and her jacket edge as well, she seems more guarded, which is how Lexi tends to be when she first meets new people. This image may not work in my final set of images due to its somber nature, however I do think it will be nice once it is edited.
2. Lexi standing with hand on scarf looking down and smiling (close-up)
This image shows Lexi as she starts to warm up. She is still a little guarded, but the smile on her face is genuine. Her eyes are crinkled with laughter and her demeanor is more relaxed. This is very similar to the first image, however this one captured her genuine personality more. I think this one could be included in my final images, but it depends on if it fits in well with the other images I create this quarter.Ā
3. Lexi standing holding coat open looking straight ahead (midrange shot)
This image shows Lexi being a little more comfortable again. She is posing and strutting her stuff. She is smiling at nothing, but I have a feeling this would be fun to include in my final images because it really captures her as a person and me as a photographer
4. Lexi smiling looking down at the snow in her hair (close up)
This shot shows Lexi being herself and smiling because she is genuinely excited about how her hair looks with the snow in it. I think this shot is the most āLexiā shot I captured that day. She loves her look, loves the snowflakes and how cute they look, and enjoys the way she looks in that moment, and I think that is what I want to capture in these images.
5. Lexi falling while throwing snow
Lexi is Californian and has no idea of how to play in the snow. I asked her to play in the snow for these photos, and she had no idea what to do for this. She went to throw snow at me, and fell over, but in the process, I captured her genuine smile as she was filled with joy and I think this would be great to capture and include in my final images if it fits in with the rest of my images seamlessly.Ā
In the end, I think this project went pretty well overall. This photoshoot was also one of my favorites from the whole quarter, so I am glad that I finally have a place to share all five images with you. Also, I think it is kind of cool that I was able to show the before and after. Let me know if that is something that you would want me to do more of in the future!