I recently shot some studio portraits for one of the models from the coffee shop shoot. Dave needed some portraits for his portfolio, some plain shots on black and white backgrounds. After we got those, we busted out the Elvis glasses for a few fun shots full of attitude. Funny how a single prop like glasses can change a model’s character persona. We had a great time and got some great images for his portfolio. Here are a few from his session.
The monthly self portrait project originated from Sarah Rhoads. Here’s the post that started it.
Sarah Rhoads has inspired me to share 12 self portraits—one for each month of 2010. Her recent post on the importance of self portraits resonated with me because from time to time I go through my image catalogs and find photos of myself that I had forgotten about. Inevitably I think, boy I’m glad I took that. Not because it’s necessarily a great photo, but because it’s documentation of the younger me in a different place in life. A different place creatively, spiritually, financially, educationally, relationally, socially, and on and on.
And the key thing about self portraits is they are inherently historical. They’re always of the younger you. I love the idea of looking back 20 years and sharing these images with my son. We’ll laugh at my ever-changing facial hairstyles. Giggle at my hats. And probably wonder what I was thinking with my earrings.
The self portrait isn’t new. Sarah reminded readers that its importance is not lost on great artists the world over.
On her blog she says, “Since the fifteenth century, artists have created self portraits of themselves. In every creative medium it seems a common practice that throughout the course of the artists’ career they create a variety of self portraits over the course of time.”
So this post marks the first of my 12 self portraits. Some of them might be from my point-n-shoot, or maybe even from my iPhone. The quality doesn’t matter. The record does.
I encourage others join in this project. Make record of your younger self. We spend too much of our time behind the camera. Let’s get out in front of it for once.
Thanks for the inspiration, Sarah.
For creative people, creativity doesn’t just happen in front of a canvas or behind a camera. It’s a 24/7 always dreaming, always thinking kind of thing. You can’t switch it on and off when you want. That’s its curse and its blessing.
So how do you keep all those great ideas, creative visions and thoughts straight so you don’t lose them? Put ’em down, log ’em, make ’em stick. Never believe yourself when you say, “This idea is too good. No way I’m forgetting this one.” That almost guarantees its flight the second you’re onto another thought.
Tools
One of my main tools for recording ideas is my pocket-sized Moleskine journal. It’s my notebook, sketchbook and brain-dump hopper. I jot ideas for images I want to shoot in sentence form, sketch out lighting diagrams and record plans for shoots I know I’m going to do. I don’t claim to be a great sketch artist, my sketches remove all doubt, but I do it for the sake of recording and planning, not art. (Click here to see the photo that resulted from the sketch at the top of this post.)
Poker Set Example
For the poker chip set I knew I was doing a straight forward product shot, but I sketched out the lighting layout prior to shooting anyway. Like going a step beyond pre-visualization. The benefit was I had a plan to follow when I got in the studio. A starting point. My strobe positions may have changed and I tweaked layout and added reflectors here and there, but the point remains, I had a good idea of where to start.
Another tool I use is an app called Evernote for iPhone. The main strength of Evernote is its ability to record all three: photos, text notes and audio clips. I always have my iPhone on me so taking a snapshot of a cool location or recording a voice note is literally a finger swipe away. Best of all, when scouting locations, Evernote will record my location automatically with the image if I want (or with notes and recordings if you’d like). Later I can load the Map app and I can get directions back there instantly.
You can send your notes, photos or recordings to other people via email right from the iPhone app as well. You can even access Evernote via the web, and any additions or changes you make there will sync with your iPhone. I haven’t fully tapped its potential, but so far I’m liking Evernote.
The Evernote website and blog have lots more great information about increasing productivity and getting the most out of this app, so head over there to […]