internship, day twenty

my first boudoir shoot with susie, as well as the first day of susie using a lighting set up for her boudoir photos.

there is an inn located in downtown wilmington where susie shoots the majority of her boudoir sessions - it's a great location/studio space and has amazing window light. the only problem is a certain room doesn't quite get the light she needs when it's not a bright, sunny, cloudless day. one of my first tasks as her intern... figure out how to light the room. the requirements are that it must be easy to use, continuous, and portable. enter RCC photo education. because of my studio lighting classes with kevin and my on location lighting classes with jay, i was able to mix the two together to come up with a light-weight umbrella kit.

it's far from rocket science, but was exciting to know where to start looking... as well as having susie say to me "it's very apparent you went to school for photography." - that comment alone makes all those student loans worth it!

once we got the lighting set up and tested, susie gave me the chance to watch her work for a bit before jumping in to shoot, as well. this experience was very, very different from shooting engagement sessions - even very different from close up portraits shot in the studio at school. but jody, our client, was so sweet and fun to work with, and getting to see susie go into her happy place during this session was great to witness as a student.

i didn't take too many photos during this session, as i was taking it in and digesting as much info as i could from susie. but i was able to get a few with the new light set up...

flash bulb

carnation

seeds

coffee

habañero pepper

broken shadow

nikon 60mm macro lens. shot 1:1 "life size"

maggie

assignment: classic b&w portraiture

the lumen project

The Biocommunications Concentration in the Department of Photographic Technology 

at Randolph Community College presents...

In the beginning of this semester, the Creative Problem Solving class worked on an assignment to create lumen prints. (how to lumen). This project has been done for years, but our instructor, Kevin Eames, was so impressed with our work, he decided to take on the first ever lumen book project. With the class broken up into teams, we spent the majority of the semester digitizing our lumen prints, creating the book, and producing a companion calendar.

Not only was this an amazing experience, but it gave everyone in the class a chance to really get to know each other. After many long hours and changes to the design of the book, our final product is complete!

All profits from this project go to the Randolph Community College Foundation for Photography Student Scholarships. For more information about the RCC Foundation, visit randolphccfoundation.org.

Help support all the artists and the RCC Foundation by purchasing a book: 

http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/2670463

assignment: studio portrait

we were asked to use one model as part of a long term portrait project. the first of the bunch - a studio portrait. huge thanks to maggie for being such a great model!

assignment: photo illustration

Photo Illustration is used to communicate topical ideas or concepts, which aren't necessarily tied to a specific person, place, or location, but are news worthy topics.

This is the article I chose: (NY Times) Congress Blocks New Rules on School Lunches

The article addresses the Dept of Agriculture's plan to incorporate more fruits and veggies into school cafeterias in an effort to fight the increasing numbers related to childhood obesity. Congress decided to shut down the plan after listening to lobbyists representing sodas, potatoes (aka french fries) and frozen pizza. They did, however, compromise by adding tomato paste to the fruit/veg category so schools can continue to serve pizza to children for lunch every day. The only rule, there must be one-quarter cup of paste on each slice of pizza for it to count.

my illustration for the article:

millie

my lovely friend (and amazing photographer): melissa melivin-rodriguez. 

assignment: water

the purpose of this assignment was to capture water... not something that contains or produces water. not something that is associated with water. plain and simple, show the water.

assignment: superfoods

"what appears to be an average everyday food is far from average and ordinary. contained within it are a vast array of 'super substances' that are thought to be absolutely essential for good health. could this be hope for the future of our health or just another unfounded claim?"

this was our starting point for the project. as i researched superfoods, i discovered countless nutritionists and dietitians who oppose the idea, maintaining the thought that it's all a marketing ploy and there aren't any special benefits to eating exotic foods that cost you three times what you'd pay for something just as good for you and simple as...

... blueberries.

assignment: panoramic

this double-stacked panoramic was created using 22 vertical frames of the scene 

(11 across the bottom and 11 across the top) and sewn together in photoshop

[click on image for larger view]

assignment: pottery

light the pottery. watch out for too many specular highlights. 

background must have white to black gradation. make it look pretty.

this made my brain hurt. one day i'll be able to do it with my eyes closed.

[pottery by adam wiley]

assignment: architectural details in the city

country kids, meet the big city.

this past weekend our class was given the opportunity to visit new york for the PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo, thanks to a lovely scholarship from our school's photo foundation. lots of fun toys to look through on the showroom floor. lots of schmoozing. not as much time as i hoped there would be to get around the city and take lots of pictures.

for many of the toddlers in the department, this was their first trip to new york. i found myself jealous of them as they stared up at the skyscrapers for the first time in awe. i wish the novelty of the city still existed for me. instead i was annoyed by the crowds, the cost of a beer...and the snow! (in october???)

maybe i've been living in the boonies too long, but i was actually happy to get back to north carolina.