The Saran Wrap Effect

"Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible"

-M.C. Escher

I am always up for trying wacky things in my photography because I love to see what weird things happen when I do.

Sometimes those odd ideas turn into something really cool aaaand sometimes they don't.

This past week I tried using saran wrap on and around my lens.

I have done it once before, but it was too dark outside and nothing really turned out, so I decided to give it another go.

Some of the photos I liked a lot, and others I wasn't as impressed with.

For example:

[Without saran wrap & backlit]

[With saran wrap & backlit]

Personally I LOVE this. Call me weird because you can't even see her face let alone her form, but I just love the mystery and the almost 'light leaked' effect I got.

[With saran wrap & not backlit, but still in the sun]

Not a huge fan of this one, but I still love the ethereal look the image takes on. It became very soft, which in turn made all the edges soft. It seemed a little whimsical to me even.

After I got a few shots in the setting sun I wanted to head into a heavily wooded area where I would get little to no sunlight, so that I could toy with the effect of the saran wrap in that sort of setting.

For example:

[Without saran wrap & low light]

[With saran wrap & low light]

Again a very soft almost foggy look, but I like the way the saran wrap effected the low light situation a lot more than the way it effected the fully lit situation.

I feel like it adds a lot more emotion to the image.

[Without saran wrap & low light]

[With saran wrap & low light]

I changed the angle and things a bit here, but I just love the softness and mystery that takes place when using the saran wrap.

Don't get me wrong, the striking color in the images without are beautiful, but I think the emotion is so much more prevalent in the ones with it being used.

Now to get free-lensing down ;)

The Importance Of Photographing Your Loved Ones

"The Portrait I do best is of the person I know best"

-Nadar

(By the way if you are in portrait photography and you don't know who Nadar is....you have some research to do)

 A photograph is a memory.

When I photograph a family, I know I am capturing a moment in their lives.

I am capturing a moment that my clients will go back and look at years down the road.

They will giggle at mom's glasses, and their outfits that are way out of style.

A photograph is something that is cherished for years to come, and as a part time portrait photographer I am constantly giving so many families treasures like these, but I often forget to photograph my own family.

I get so worn out from photographing, and editing my clients pictures that it is sometimes a struggle to get my camera out to photograph my children and husband.

It is so important that we differentiate between our clients and our family, and that we see the importance of loving our loved ones from behind the lens.

We need and deserve the memories too.

Natural Light & Low Light Mood

I LOVE NATURAL LIGHT.

Let's set the record straight.

I only use artificial light if it is one of two things:

1. A last resort 

2. Going for a specific look that requires it

To me natural light creates one thing

Mood

And really that and emotion are what I really try to create in my images.

I don't want people to just look at my images and think "Oh that's a nice picture"

I want them to feel something.

I want them to smell the wet fall leaves, or the open grassy field.

I want them to hear the wind as it rushes past their ears, or the sweet snoring baby.

I want my images to evoke emotion, and the way I can do that is to use what natural light has to offer.

Lately I have been trying my hand at low light imaging in natural light.

I've always loved the way my favorite photographers are able to take advantage of a low light situation and make their photographs a beautiful moment.

This afternoon when both kids were asleep (I KNOW RIGHT!?), I went upstairs and everything was quiet.

Ahhhh

I went to check on my sweet daughter, and the door was just cracked slightly.

I saw her mouth open because her binky had fallen out.

Her chubby little wrists lie on either side of her tiny little body.

I could hear her sweet little baby breaths go in and out, and I knew I had to grab my camera.

I decided this would be a great opportunity to test out some low light photography techniques. 

I took 2 sets of images.

The first was at a higher ISO making up for the lack of light

I still got the look I wanted, but I wasn't sure about the mood

so I took my second set of images where I lowered the ISO significantly

and got this look...

Just a much softer look.

Both have pros and cons, but it's fun to only rely on the light you're given.

Daughter Of The Earth

Gosh what a hippie title.

But it's true

For this specific shoot I had planned a very "hippie" style.
I wanted the warm golden glow of sunset as a backdrop to a beautiful open field, with the possibility of an old barn.
I had the perfect location in mind. However, as most things seem to go, the day I decided to shoot we were very pressed for time, and the location was a ways away. Not to mention it was an overcast day.

I decided to still try anyway, and when we were on our way I spotted a beautiful grove of these magnificent trees covered in gorgeous red leaves.
After a little convincing, we headed out on foot to the grove, and it was oh so worth it.

I love being able to do more personal photography so that I am free to experiment.

I am a huge fan of pictorialism. If you don't know what that is you should do a little research, because it is one of my favorite parts of photographic history.

I have always loved the idea of freelensing to achieve a pictorialist effect, and I toyed with that idea while doing this shoot.

After playing a bit, I am considering doing an entire shoot dedicated to freelensing. It definitely isn't easy, but if you have an idea of what you are trying to achieve, the end result is usually surprisingly successful.

These colors and the lighting, although not what I originally wanted, was perfect for the outcome. I was truly inspired by the things I saw and felt, and I hope to get out again soon to shoot another series of images.

Introduction & Such

"A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels,

in the deepest sense,

about what is being photographed"

-Ansel Adams

I remember that day so well.

The day I fell in love with the thing I have become so very passionate about.

My family and I, along with my grandparents, were going to no-man's land Utah to visit my aunt. I was young. 

We came up over a hill and to our right was a beautiful field of these gorgeous violet wild flowers. I asked my dad if I could borrow his camera, and the rest is history.

Ever since that day I have had such a deep love for photography. I have taken every class I could in high school, and college to help further my knowledge, and I soak up every learning opportunity like a sponge.

On my 17th birthday I got my very first camera, and haven't been without one since.

I. Love. It.

I grew up with an artist as a dad so I have been fully immersed in the art world my entire life. I always knew there was never a limit to what art could do for someone because of the things my dad taught me growing up.

For me, photography is an escape.

In the more recent years I have taken up portrait photography as a means to make some extra cash for my family.

Photography, in terms of being an escape for me, has dwindled.

I find myself getting caught up in the fact that everyone is getting cameras, and within a few weeks are starting up their own photography businesses.

I forget why I started doing this in the first place, and everything just becomes a competition.

Photography is no longer a release and a mode of relaxation for me.

My hope is that with this blog I will be able to rediscover myself photographically, and learn to not be so cynical of what the digital age (and pinterest) are doing to my business.

I want this blog to be all about my personal photography, what inspires me, and maybe even a tutorial or two.

The goal here is not to gain a lot of followers or likes, it is solely a way to get back to my roots and express myself artistically while possibly helping others along the way.