One of my summer goals was to make a long exposure sparks piece. With a full moon and a 240 second exposure, the landscape was lit up as if it was dusk. The lake couldn't have been smoother and there's even a few stars hiding in the clouds.
Portraits /
Finally had time to sit down and edit the senior photos that I had the privilege of making a few weeks ago. Two friends asked me to do this with them so we spent the afternoon of a day off shooting around Central Oregon.
Astro /
Here are a few shots from my campout on top of Patjents Butte earlier this week. No place like the Central Oregon Wilderness to see the Milky Way.
Moonrise /
I spent last week hammock camping in a remote cove on Prineville Reservoir. Middle of the week brought us a full moon rising across the lake from our camp. My campers yelled for me to get my camera to get some pictures so I set up and got a little time lapse.
Lost /
Photography this last quarter was based on techniques used in location photography, like controlling different light sources, providing your own lights, and combining a number of frames together to create as seamless a composition as possible. Last week I created a composition using these techniques. I used two strobes placed in numerous places and combined about 8 frames including a 1040 second exposure for the star trails.
Abstract /
On the dock last week I noticed the way that reflections were distorted by the ripples on the water. I brought my camera out to see what would come of capturing just a small frame of the scene. Clouds and sky weren't separated anymore but turned into what seemed like impressionist brush strokes. Part of what I appreciate about being an artist is the continuous searching in a scene for anything, big or small, still or dynamic, that can be viewed as it's own expression of colors and textures.
Big Lake Week 1 /
For the third summer in a row, I find myself incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to return to this majestic place with such amazing people. I plan to share a photographic experience at least once a week throughout my summer. Hopefully I bring a little beauty into your day.
Jake's Jerseys /
Recently I was hired by St. Helena Cyclery to photograph some apparel for their new website. Although it was only three bike jerseys total, each needed a front and back view so it took several hours in studio and another several in post process to retouch and clean up before they were ready for the online store.
Special thanks to my photography professor, Brian Kyle, for connecting me with this opportunity.
Back-40 Boulder /
A low key series from a pre-dead week excursion to Mossy Rock last night. Take a break and get outside this week!
Thanks to Drew Macomber and Zack DeChicchis for their sweet bouldering skills.
Pomeranian Portrait /
Recently I was asked by a friend to photograph an elementary school teacher's dogs as a gift from the class. Those of you that know me at all can agree that I tend to fall much farther toward the feline side of the cat or dog discussion so I was almost hesitant to accept the request. It was a small paying job and I would gain some experience so I accepted. I knew that there would be multiple dogs but what kind and exactly how many I wasn't sure.
Come the day of the shoot, the owners husband met me at the studio and asked, "Would you like one at a time or all five?" FIVE?? Trying to keep as much professionalism about me I suggested we aimed for a group shot so all five it was.
Snapping the single moment when all five Pomeranians were looking in somewhat the same direction was, as you can imagine, a little difficult. Clapping, whistling, and holding chunks of bread in the air, we fought for their attention just to pop the flashes three times before one or another would hop off the table and go explore the studio. Eventually they became too distracted or the strobes had agitated them beyond the point of cooperation so I set out to find the most promising shot.
A print was requested to fit the frame that had been supplied so that the gift could be something tangible. When the time came to open the box, the 1st graders gathered around as young ones do, all trying to catch a glimpse at what could be inside. The moment the frame was uncovered, the teacher burst into tears in a sweet display of affection for her five Pomeranians.
After collecting herself she proceeded to tell the class about each one and what made each one special.
Seeing the video after the fact touched me in a rather profound way. This was the first time that I had brought someone to tears through a piece of my work. That in itself is far more valuable to me than having the experience of working with animals or any subject for that matter. Being a photographer has so many perks but this was something I'd not yet experienced. No amount of monetary compensation for any job could evoke the feeling of pride and accomplishment that I felt when I saw such a true emotional response.
In fact, knowing what joy I helped bring to another person almost brought tears to my own eyes.
Clean Cut /
Months have gone by without a trim and, after many a comment from my family and friends, the time has come to clean myself up. In light of this 'lifestyle change' I've taken some self portraits to share and document my first clean shave since October 17, 2014. 1 year, 6 months, and 18 days.
Canon 5D Mk III, 100 mm Macro lens, Yungnuo strobe set.
Footwear Fashion /
My winter quarter spare hours were dedicated to a studio class focusing specifically on techniques used in product photography. The basic idea of product photography is trying to accurately and attractively represent an object using a variety of propping, lighting, and perspective techniques. Quite often the applied use for product photographs is in a commercial setting in which someone is trying to sell something via these attractive representations of their products, or basic commercializing.
The final project was a series of five photographs each of which must be strong piece individually but also all had certain elements that would tie the series together.
I decided to use footwear as the subjects for my series. Due to the lack of branding on the assignments throughout the quarter I wanted to include basic logos and marketing names in my final series. The idea was to compose my shots to include space in which to add product logos in post processing.
As with any shoot, footwear brings with it its own set of challenges. First, odd numbers are more appealing, specifically three, but we don't have three feet so we don't have three shoes in a set but only two, hence the term 'pair of shoes.' Second, we typically see shoes with feet in them, or at least an ankle coming out, so it was also a challenge to accurately display the product in proper use, a good strategy for product photography. Third, due to lens choice and perspective, some angles can make shapes appear distorted which creates some unnatural displeasure when viewing the product, in this case a shoe with a giant toe and a tiny heel, or lace loops that look uneven and mismatched. Fourth, quite often the objects used to prop the shoe up into a dynamic position would be caught in the composition. This was remedied with the modern powers of Photoshop. Finally, depth of field becomes an issue when shooting smaller subjects like shoes. (we need not get into what happens when one tries to shoot even smaller things like rings and flowers.) Getting the entire shoe in focus required up to 13 different frames stacked together to combine the most crisp part of each image.
Despite the challenges, here is my final series. I'd love to hear feedback because that's a great way for me to learn and become a stronger photographer.
Going Green(Part II) /
About a month ago I shared the mason jar potato project. Since then I've gotten a little more involved. Again, turning to Chef Steps for inspiration, I found that they had a course on growing micro greens. These small sprouts are really just the early stage of many common greens we eat daily. I wanted to grow a variety and mason jars just wouldn't cut it so I headed home to build a window box using the endless supply of scrap wood my dad has saved for years and years.
Now to plant! Thanks to SeedsNow I could buy a bunch of seed sample packs for $.99 a piece and get hundreds of seeds which is more than enough to fill each 6x6 inch square. Four of the 5 boxes were filled with micros but SeedsNow had run out of watercress for me so they sent me a free lettuce starter instead.
Broccoli, chard, kale, lettuce, and mustard.
I did spend 10 hours of one day with a tripod occupying half my desk so that I could have my Canon with its 100mm macro lens snapping away at a time lapse. MaxStone makes a great bluetooth intervalometer that is controllable from my phone. Once I send the command to take a certain number of photos at a certain interval it will keep working away as long as the batteries don't die and I can walk away and come back hours later with all the content needed for a time lapse.
Microgreens have 10-100 times the nutrient and flavor density as the full grown plant (varies on how grown it is when you pick). This was probably the most interesting part of this adventure; the tasting. Broccoli has a distinct flavor of brussels sprouts, chard tastes like beets, kale resembles the grown plant fairly well, and mustard tasted like grey poupon, a french mustard made with white wine. I had not expected such variety in taste from little greens that all looked pretty similar.
This past week all four of the micro plots have been reaching a size and flavor profile that resembled micro-maturity so I picked, washed, and ate. To celebrate being done with our chemistry final, Reuben brought over some sliced turkey and I picked some mustard and kale for some rather tasty finals week sandwiches.
Post spring break will mark the start of round two microgreens. In the mean time, bring on the snow because Canada here I come.
The Peace of Pasta /
Very few things are able to fascinate me and frustrate me at the same time. Photography is definitely one of them, another is coffee making, but probably the most conflicting is cooking. I think it's the dual nature of all of these that keep me coming back for more. If I could master whatever I was interested in I'd get bored and move on. Of course there are always things that are difficult and have little importance to me so I push them to the side. Cooking is stressful and hectic and time intensive and sometimes the product is gone in minutes but what I find intriguing is the process of taking raw, unprocessed ingredients and turning them into a masterpiece that not only looks great but can bring a smile to someone's face, if not mine.
Almost every day I can find myself perusing the seemingly endless collection of recipes and classes on the Chef Steps website instead of doing my homework. Not only do they have creative and classic culinary crafts but their way of presenting is such that an artist can be visually satisfied.
I recently got a hold of an Atlas 150 pasta roller and I've used it once to whip up some linguini with some friends in the dorm kitchen (terrible place to cook but it was something I had challenged myself to do). Next challenge was Butternut Squash, Sage, and Goat Cheese Ravioli! I'd been planning this for weeks if not longer and yes, seeing empty plates at the end of dinner was very satisfying.
Pasta is a genre that is not only incredibly simple as far ingredients, but it can be incredibly diverse with a plethora of appearances and applications.
Butternut Squash, Sage, Goat Cheese, Onion, Heavy Cream
Each a hand pressed bite
Some may not understand what drives me to spend hours and hours prepping for a meal that is gone in minutes (my family eats at astounding speeds). Couldn't I have accomplished something else in all that time? Sure. However, as an artist with many mediums, there's nothing I'd rather do than create something with my bare hands and immediately experience my creations.
Cooking is inspiring, therapeutic, fascinating, time consuming, and sometimes absolutely frustrating...but at the end of the day I leave the table full and satisfied.
Happy cooking to all.
Going Green (Part I) /
Something about growing plants interests me. For being a relatively long term time commitment, there seems to be rather little attentive time spent actively caring for a plant. I was gifted a small succulent plant for my birthday in October. A few sprays of water every couple days seems to keep it alive. I bought a potato from the caf about a month ago and cut it up and dropped the eyes into some spare mason jars with potting soil I 'borrowed' from the planter boxes in front of my dorm. It took a few weeks but a pretty little plant emerged.
I had never grown anything in my life before so you can imagine my pleasant surprise when another plant sprouted in the same jar a few days later. I planted the rest of the potato two weeks ago and there are 6 shoots coming out of that jar. Maybe I'm Irish or maybe potatoes are just easy to grow but theres something relieving about growing. Direct rewards for my efforts. I can see and feel the life that I've nurtured into being. These little pieces of life that I see every day bring a little smile to my heart.
From a $0.25 potato to this flourishing farm. Go plant a potato.
PS: I hear that plants can actually produce oxygen so not only do you breath better but you're saving the planet...just an added benefit.
PPS: For those of you in school with me, I've got plenty of extra caf dollars so if you need me to spot you a spud just let me know.
Hello Internet /
For the past couple weeks I've been wanting to do something extra with what little free time I might have. As a photographer, I've been wanting an running portfolio somewhere where I could share it easily with whoever might be curious.
Choosing my favorite photos was fun but part of what I want to do now is find a way to share myself with friends, family, acquaintances, teachers, passersby, really anybody. Theres something sort of magical about collecting my thoughts, feelings, and actions on a regular basis and putting them in public. Im intrigued by the idea that someone, wether it be a stranger or a friend, may read what I have to say and be inspired to try something new, face a fear, or make a friend. It encourages me that I have the potential to touch someones life. My words and actions have meaning and I want to use that for the betterment of this world.
A year ago this week, a friend of mine died after being in a bike accident. This blog is partially inspired by her, Maddy. She wrote things down and had profound words to share. These bits of her thoughts touched so many people and taught many others important things to hold on to and believe. She touched hundreds and hundreds of lives just by her everyday actions. Throughout the past year the life of Maddy has taught me that I have the power to change someones day. I think that if everyone lived their life like Maddy did the world would be a better place.
My prayer for this blog is that my words can help you find something, and maybe I'll find something too.
