Another Class Assignment

8-Months

I feel like the title should be something hard core like 8 Mile... but no, we have 8 Months.

8 Months is the term in which I have been a parent. Some days it seems as though it's gone so quickly, and others I feel like I am lost within this new life of mine. Though my days have sunk into somewhat of a routine (as much as they can get for being a student, wife, mother, and business woman) it is as if I am watching life whirl-wind around me.

I find it frustrating that some of the smallest tasks have become some of my biggest daily battles, yet there are those moments where I look into the eyes of my little one and all I can think is how I couldn't live my life without her.

So here's to 8 months!

Mid Term

Sorry I have been away... this last week has been very busy with mid terms,... I thought I'd post my mid term assignment, being it went over so well :)

The theme presented is... Who Am I?

.... Student, Wife, Christian, Mother, Photographer

Seeing double?

... wait triple?

Just posting a fun little photo assignment I did for class. Unfortunately I have been incredibly busy this last week and have had no leasure time to photograph or post anything non-school related.

Untitled

As I was trying to figure out what to call this post... I thought well, why can't I figure out what to say? I just can't seem to find an explanation for this photograph.

You know, some of the most prized photographs have been untitled... I suppose in the earlier years of photography an image didn't have to be titled. It just was. It spoke for itself. Well... I suppose you could say that many years late the images do still speak for themselves. Or people put words out there for the photograph.

I find it interesting how they teach you in school to take a photograph that can be explained in 1 maybe 2 words, but better yet none. However in real life application it almost seems as though you can't take a photograph without having to explain it. Either in title... short descriptions, or even sometimes by a corresponding quote. Whatever the case. People like to add words to an image that is supposedly supposed to attain 1,000 of its own. Why is this?

I suppose it could be argued for 'titles' sake that a photograph needs a title because it needs to be catalogued.... categorized, and placed so that it is easy enough to find. This I suppose I can understand, but I'm more or less referring to the 'titled' image that one seems to need a word to catch the meaning of the photograph.

I have said this before, and I will say this again. I don't like to over analyze why I do or don't like to take a photograph. I don't want to explain why the aesthetic resonates deep within me... when it comes to taking a photograph, it is strictly visual. I like what I see. And therefore I try to recreate what I see that I like. Simple.

So there you have it. I photographed this at sunset. I suppose you could say its a reflection of the sunset, or a reaction of the affects the sunset has on the world... whatever the case. The visual affects were pleasing to my eyes.

Photo Contest

The boutique is open! 


And to celebrate we're starting up a cutest kid photo contest! 

So please join us. Submit pictures of your little one, medium sized one, cousin, niece, nephew, or just cute neighbor! 

Winner receives free merchandise (great for a gift!) and their photo will be featured on the website.

Share with you friends who have kids or who just enjoy photography!

www.eclectictreasuresboutique.com/contest

Back Talk to Back Lighting

.... Well not literally (^to the title that is).

I want to talk about back lighting. Something photographers almost always SHUN. But then you go out and you look at photographs by famous photographers and you're like... 'Hey! Wait a minute now! You're not supposed to take a photograph like that!' Ok, well maybe, maybe not.

So maybe you're trying to get a shot with a friend, but you're sitting in front of a brightly light window. And your friend's like, wait! Lets move! We're 'back light!' (Insert cheesy sound affects...dun, dun, dun)

There's a couple of ways that you can fix the problem. Shoot with a flash. The effects most likely will be a little harsher than you wish... if you're far enough back it'll be ok. Or if you have a manual setting on your camera over expose a little..

Anyway, I"m not really here to give a lesson on photography. Just was out taking some photographs this afternoon and I realized that all of what I took was back light situations. I personally strive for the opportunity to work with back lighting. In a way its sort of a signature of mine. It's one of those photography 'guidelines' that I break. And I do so often!
Its almost like that ... because they say you can't do it, I want to do it sort of things.

So break the rules and work with back lighting! It's fun!

Thirsty?

A topic that we have been discussing in class this week is called 'photo-seeing'. It's the way that a photographer see's the world, but doesn't really 'see' the world. (If you can't stop kicking yourself for leaving your camera home when you go somewhere, because you find yourself reveling in what lies before you, then realize when you do have the camera that its almost like you miss out on what's around you because your so caught up in capturing the perfect picture, then you know what I'm talking about) Well, that's my point of view on the subject. 


Which leads me to another thought. As discussion progressed, I realized that everyone's take of this lady's opinion on how photographer's see was completely different. I saw it for what she was saying... I agreed and I didn't quite get how people could derive other conclusions. Of course maybe they thought the same of me. Who knows? Whatever the case, photography is 100% perspective... we photograph what's in front of us, while imposing our perspectives on the final recreation of the image. But that's what make photography so interesting in my opinion. It's the challenge not to take a photo like I've seen someone else do it, but to take it for what originally inspired me. 


It's also funny how many interpretations can be made out of a picture.


So that said... these are a couple photos I took one day while the lighting was just perfect. 

A couple more thought s... (for photographers out there). What is it that makes you point your camera at your subject? What is your end goal in taking a photo? Generally speaking, I like to photograph something, because I just like how it looks. Whether it be the texture, or just how the light falls onto my subject. 

Comments

I have been made aware that my photo blog doesn't allow comments. I cannot seem to figure out a way to rectify this issue.

I'd like to see how many people are interested in being able to leave comments? Maybe I can revamp and see if it will work...

If you're interested hit the 'interesting' button for the thoughts on this page below.

Summer has 'FALL'-en away

Daniella and I enjoyed the beautiful fall weather this afternoon. It was just Mommy and baby for most of the day. We had a very good afternoon together. I took Daniella out for her first experience in the leaves. She just loves the texture of grass, and she seemed to enjoy the crunching noise of the leaves even better. I had hoped that we could make a little pile for her to sit in, but my parent's yard is still pretty clean in comparison to ours here at the apartment. She spent about a half of an hour kicking, and crunching the leaves in her fingers. She even tried sampling a few. However I managed to catch her before she got any into her mouth.
It was fun watching her exploring and learning. She is so content in the out doors, after a while we went for a walk and she fell asleep, so I just kept walking. Days like these  you almost wish would never end... what a beautiful afternoon we had.

We Lost to a Politically Correct Cliche

So, I entered this photograph of Daniella into a cutest baby portrait photo contest, and we lost to a politically correct cliche of a photograph. Pictured were two homeless (or by appearance poor), let me try to be as politically correct as I can while I'm on topic, African American boys photographed near a vehicle-less tire. Not an all bad photograph, however when I think of cutest child portrait I cannot say that would even come to mind. If you're talking best child photojournalist portrait... maybe then I would deem it fitting. So I guess the question comes down to... did the judges truly see this as cute? Or was it driven by an agenda? Just a thought. What makes a photo cute? I personally believe that this is highly subjective to the viewer/judge. 

I can't say that I am walking away without disappointment, because yes, a part of me did hope for my baby girl's photo to win, because I believe that she's the most beautiful baby (and of course for bragging rights), and the other part of me hoped to use the money towards starting my boutique. Well here I am, no prize money, however this photograph is the boutiques feature photo as it is a great representation of what we are selling. In the mean time... I will have to continue to work on getting everything up and running without my prize money. 

Whatever the case... I deem this photo the most beautiful baby portrait. Not because I photographed it, but because my little girl makes it beautiful. 

It Started With a Text

Its interesting to look back upon the occurrence of events throughout a day that can lead up to a certain photograph taken. Such as these that I'm about to share. It all started this afternoon with a text message from my mom. Which coincidentally lead me to photographing this, what I like to call an 'intriguingly disgusting fungus'.
I didn't plan out my day following the text message with the intentions of photographing the very same mushroom that was sent to me via text message, however as my day dragged on I decided that I needed a mental break from school, from photographing assignments and from the apartment. So I called mom to see if she was still at Grandma's and headed out for a little country air (having completely forgotten about the mushroom of unusually colossal size for growing off of a tree). When upon arrival mom mentioned that I go and photograph the shelf of a mushroom.
Hence these photographs:

Its not every day that you see a mushroom that you could rest a glass upon.

Where to start?

Testing, 1, 2, 3...

The Biggest question always comes to mind when starting a blog... or journal entry... 'where should I begin to break the unsettling silence of my whole life preceding this moment?' I guess that's why I have never finished a journal in my life (almost did once... ) and why there have been so many failed attempts since. I never seem to know where or how to break that silence. So here we go! I'm just going to jump into things.

I'm starting a little bit of a new approach on a blog. Well, new for my personal blogging experience I know that this is not new to mankind. I am starting a semi-photo blog/semi-business promo blog.
Though I may not always be writing down inspirational quotes that will be remembered through generations, I am almost always taking photos. Between school assignments and every day life I manage to bog down my computer's memory with a larger number of images. In my opinion its a little easier to break the silence of days past between entries with a photo, because the photo does the speaking.

That said, let me briefly introduce myself. I'm 23 years old, I have been married for nearly four years this coming November, I am an art student majoring in photography, and a new mother to my beautiful little girl of 7 months now. She has been probably the greatest wellspring of inspiration for me lately, of course any parent can probably relate.

I am currently in the process of starting up a small online boutique (www.wix.com/etreasures/boutique) I have been looking for ways to fund equipment and supplies while in school, and further promote my photography, and this seemed a great way to meld the two together.  Feel free to check it out, and also let me know if anyone's interested in anything.

Enough said.... I am bringing this post to a close (No pictures this time. Sorry). The next post shall not be lacking in photos I promise!

Let the posting begin!