Week 11 Boc: Self Portrait

This week the photo challenge was to create a self portrait with full creative range. I quickly realized that while I take well over 2000 photographs a month and have no problem being creative I have no creative examples of me as the model. The next thing that I realized is I truly enjoy photographing models and not being the model myself. I enjoy retouching images for my clients, fixing blemishes things like that but when I have to retouch my own image it’s different. I decided to stay simple headshot in black and white for no other reason than it’s my favorite type of self -portrait. I used one Paul C Buff Einstein Strobe with a 36 inch soft box six inches from the side of my face, placed my Nikon D700 with a 70-200 lens at 200mm on a tripod set to the timer and got in position. Actually I lied first I placed my son in as a test subject to test lighting and focus then I got in position. Once everything was set I started shooting, it took a few shots to get the framing and expression the way I wanted it but I got there. The next step was processing the photo in Adobe lightroom and Nik Silver Effex to make it black and white and finally in Photoshop to retouch and sharpen. I think the end result was a success and I definitely learned that my place is behind the camera and not in front of it, being behind the camera I have a level of security and comfort where in front of the camera even when I’m setting the timer and taking the shot I feel a certain level of vulnerability that I don’t like. 

Week 10 EOC: The List

The list of the things that I need to do by week 11 in Business of photography is fairly extensive and stressful. I have been fairly busy with business and have fallen a little behind on the business plan as far as having it organized. Most of the work is done and different folders all over the place so the real trick is getting it together and presentable.  I will list everything out in bullet points so I can later go down the list to make sure they are complete.

·      Organize all documents related to the business plan on my computer and get them ready to print.

·      Review all section of the business plan making sure it is double spaced and all grammar is correct

·      Review all sections of the business plan and check for quotes from the book

·      Review all sections ensuring they are 800 words each

·      Create business stationary

·      Create business card

·      Print out tweets

·      Print out blog posts

·      Print all photo challenges in color

·      Print 20 magazine articles

·      Reprint all sections

·      Purchase page protectors to put pages in

·      Put all elements together into binder to present to class

Week 9 Boc: Fashion

Week 9 Boc: Conflict

The weekly photo challenge this week was a conflict Photo and was left to our creative interpretation. Conflict photography can be many different types the most common being documenting wars. Living in Las Vegas there isn’t a lot of wars going on so I decided to use a piece that I did a few months ago called Till Death. In this series I had a bride and groom that wanted Zombie inspired engagement photos, the session was shot at The Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles California. The overall feel of the Zombie Engagement photos was romantic with a dark side, with the exception of a few that were just dark. When I couldn’t find any conflicts in Las Vegas to shoot, the cemetery photos were the first photos that popped in my mind. The photo I chose has the bride and groom laying in front of two headstones as if they had past and are still together. The couple has branches covering them with a vulture sitting on their legs as if it is stalking them. In this shot I used a 24-70 lens at 24mm to get nice and wide from right behind them to make it look like you are on the grave with them. In post-production I aged the photo a little to give it a little more of a scary look and that’s it. I have never photographed any thing related to conflicts and this was the closest thing to a dead body that I have ever photographed, and even though I knew they just had their eyes closed it was still creepy. If the opportunity ever came about for me to photograph in a conflict area I would do it, I think it would be a great to help out the world with my photographs.

View Complete Zombie inspired Engagement Session