Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 2

Funny Face Homage


This is an example of completing two photo projects in one week. Long time fans of Jill and the keenly observant will note that she is wearing the same shirt as in Psyched Up (Not Out). That is because these pictures were taken moments apart.

Another observation that could be made is that this is the inverse of the June picture in the 2010 Photography 139 Calendar.



Funny Face Homage Inverse


The positive image (image at the top) is the image that was originally designed. The image in the calendar was something I did later in post production for fun. As it turns out, Jill actually prefers the inversion and while her feedback may have contributed to its inclusion in the calendar over the originally designed image the real reason is one of practicality. An image that has this much dark and black is hard for a printer to print with any kind of quality. So the much lighter inversion was selected. This is why calls by Baier to include moon photography in the calendar have been ignored to date.*

I indicated in an earlier entry that this picture was placed on June because it represents a darkroom technique. This was another contributing factor. That image was created in Photoshop, but it is an image that could be made in the darkroom and was inspired by many of my darkroom failures. Failures that can be seen in my newly christened "failure trunk" that resides in my basement.

Memory is a funny thing. The original picture was inspired by the Audrey Hepburn movie Funny Face. I'm certain that they settled for Audrey Hepburn because they didn't have a Jill Gorshe. Fortunately, I didn't have to settle.

It had been a couple of years since I watched that movie, but I do remember being inspired to make this image immediately during my initial viewing.

A few days after taking this picture, I re-watched Funny Face. It turns out that it is in color. I remembered it being in black and white. That is okay, I prefer my image to be in black and white.

Here is a still from the scene in the movie Funny Face that inspired this picture.





This picture did take a little bit of groundwork to make. The inverse image in the image comes from a test picture I took of Jill a couple months ago when she posed for the hand picture.





I converted this picture to black and white, cropped it and made it into a negative image.





Admittedly, Jill isn't crazy about this image of her. That might be why she likes the FFH Inverse better.

Although I personally love all of these pictures (mostly because of my ego problem) my favorite picture is actually somewhat of a joke.

As anybody has modeled for me can tell you, I don't give much direction. Therefore, when Jill sought direction, I told her just look at her picture. I didn't want any kind of a modeling pose.

She replied, "That is good. Because if I tried to model it would look goofy like this..."

Then she did the following.





Hilarious!

Next week's personal photo project involves a creature that did not live to see its artistic contribution to the world unveiled. Despite the insinuations of Jay, I didn't commit murder. It died completely independent of my actions. I do confess that it was convenient for me that it passed on because I have no clue what I was going to do with it, but fate bailed me out. Not my own actions.

*Incidentally, tonight is a great night to go out and watch the moon. It is the perigee moon. The largest full moon of the year. It is as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than other full moons you'll see later this year!

Throwing Apples

Sometimes when I'm driving to the Computer Mine in the morning I eat an apple for breakfast.

When I get out of my car I like to throw that apple into the woods before I descend into the Mine. I do this because I figure that the apple is better used by many of the woodland creatures that scurry around out there than it would be sitting and rotting in the garbage can next to my bench.

Today when I threw the apple I disturbed a crow. I love crows.

So I watched the crow fly up and out of the woods and into the Ames sky.

As I tracked his flight I noticed an abnormally large brown thing perched on a tree behind the mine. Then I noticed its white head.

I didn't bring my camera to work today but I was able to borrow the camera of a fellow miner to snap off a few shots of the beast.











This is the first time that I have seen a bald eagle in Ames.

The 52 Themes

I have been asked by a couple different people if I knew all 52 Themes for RWPE couldn't I think ahead?

The truth is that I could think ahead, but off the top of my head I couldn't tell you what maybe 5 of the themes are that haven't been used yet.

Plus I have to admit that I don't feel the need to think ahead on RWPE, when I'm already planning very far ahead for my Personal Photo Project of the Week. To put it somewhat bluntly, thinking ahead defeats the purpose of the project. The point of the project is spontaneity and being forced to think creatively when faced with a timeline. But admittedly there is a factor of convenience involved as well.

During the first 3 weeks, the photo that I have ended up taking (all 3 weeks) has been my 3rd or 4th idea. The first ideas just haven't worked out because of time and sometimes the weather.

However, I do want to afford other people the opportunity to "think ahead", so below I have listed all 52 Themes:

1 means available 0 means used.

1|~|Active
1|~|Adventure
1|~|Calm
1|~|Colorful
1|~|Communication
1|~|Discover
1|~|Dry
1|~|Explore
1|~|Fast
1|~|Harmony
1|~|Hope
1|~|Love
1|~|Motion
1|~|Peace of Mind
1|~|Silence
0|~|Soothing
1|~|Spiritual
1|~|Strength
1|~|Wet
1|~|Wild
1|~|Restaurants
1|~|Market
1|~|Paths
0|~|Plants
1|~|Painting with Light
1|~|Smoke Photography
1|~|Long Exposure
1|~|Rule of Thirds
1|~|Leading Lines
1|~|Symmetry and Patterns
1|~|Viewpoint
1|~|Depth of Field
1|~|Framing
0|~|Use of Space
1|~|Macro
1|~|Odd Camera Angle
1|~|Unfocused
1|~|Panning & Camera Blur
1|~|Light Placement
1|~|Still Life
1|~|Diagonal Rule
1|~|Self Portrait
1|~|Food
0|~|People
1|~|Silhouettes
1|~|Feet
1|~|Hands
1|~|Eye
1|~|Reflections
1|~|Face
1|~|Shadows
1|~|Signs


Some of these themes are somewhat specific photography techniques that some people might not understand. Don't worry, when "Depth of Field" or "Painting with Light" or chosen, I will do my best to explain what that means. Of course, there is no reason to have to think inside the box and feel obligated to use that technique literally.

RWPE #3 - People

Last weeks Random Weekly Photo Experiment Theme was PEOPLE. Here are the submissions:



Christopher D. Bennett



Michael Vest



Jesse Howard



Becky Perkovich


There were also a couple of different types of submissions. The first of the different types of submissions came from Shannon Bardole. Her submission breaks the one and only rule of the Random Weekly Photo Experiment. That rule is that the picture has to be taken the week of the theme.

However, I'm going to allow her submission because her take on this experiment is art appreciation and not creating new art. The picture she submitted I actually took.



Shannon Bardole


Dawn Krause also had an interesting take on this RWPE. She has elected to participate this week via her medium of choice - poetry.

People
The world wants lovers never pain
To dance in sunshine without rain
Our very nature will cause a rift
Away from Eden we slowly drift

Human nature a cunning score
Breaks the heart whom we adore
For want of love unconditioned
Search the world for our rendition

Young love will often never last
For inner tensions we are cast
Still we search for a kindred soul
A companionship to make us whole

Dawn Krause

I hope at least a few people are in suspense about the theme for RWPE this week. The Random Generator spit out the following theme:

PLANTS

That should be interesting considering most of the vegetation is covered in a thick blanket of snow and ice, but I have faith that a few people will be able to come up with something of interest.

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 1

My new Friday tradition is to post my Personal Photo Project of the Week. This is not to be confused with the Random Photo Project of the Week that is posted on Mondays. The Monday pictures are random. The Friday pictures are personal.

One of the goals I developed near the end of last year was to complete a personal photo project every week. This isn't a 2010 goal. This is a "until I run out of what I view as creativity goal". I'm hoping that this is a 2011 goal, a 2012 goal, a 2013 goal...

Because frequently "fate takes a hand", sometimes I don't complete my personal photo project every week and sometimes I complete more than one project a week I'm giving myself a very generous buffer. Although this is the first week that I'm posting my personal photo projects I have a buffer of 6 weeks. That means, that this project was completed 6 weeks ago and if you participated in a weekly project, you won't see it posted on the website for roughly 6 weeks.

PPPoftW #1 was to get a picture of a foot to match my hand picture. Jill graciously agreed to pose for the foot picture so that the hand and foot pictures match (well, they are at least attached to the same body). So without further adieu, I reveal Psyched Up (Not Out).



Psyched Up (Not Out)


Not all photo projects will be taking new pictures. Some projects involve framing pictures. Some might involve hanging up pictures. But some projects involve taking multiple pictures. Here are a few other pictures from the "Psyched Photo Sessions".














I am choosing not to publish Jill's favorite picture from this photo session because it is more of a "behind the scenes" type photo and although I think most people can figure this picture out, I still like to leave some things to the imagination.

The Baiers

On Carrie's birthday she requested that I take a few pictures of the Baier clan. Here are my favorite pictures from that day.

But before we got too deep into these pictures I need to point out a couple of things.

First, the addition of these pictures to the Friends Album makes it over 500 pictures in the Friends Album. A milestone worth celebrating. I think I will go to Jason Baier's favorite restaurant tonight to celebrate.

Second, there are times where I forget that I'm not invincible. This photo experience was one of those times. I insisted on climbing on top of a rock in the middle of a frozen stream to get the picture that I wanted.

I did get the pictures that I wanted, but when I came off the rock I planted my feet not so firmly on rather thin ice. The ice did not hold and I went crashing through into the freezing water below, up to my knees.

While the cold water was a few notches past invigorating, the real pain of this experience came from bashing my right knee against a rock on the way down. A knee injury that plagued me for weeks and undoubtedly contributed to some weak performances on the basketball court.

I don't bring this up because I desire sympathy, but merely to point out why in the middle of this collection of pictures of the Baiers there is a seemingly random picture of your humble narrator, photographer and hero.

























































































Unfortunately, the lighting conditions couldn't be worse for portrait photography, but I think we came away with some good stuff.

RPotW #2: Soothing

The photo assignment for last week was "Soothing".


Dawn Krause



Michael Vest



Christopher D. Bennett


Vest has yet to submit his photo to me, but when he does I will post it.

The subject for this week is "PEOPLE".

That is a fairly easy subject so hopefully a couple more people choose to participate.