So Exhausted

A good portion of my Sunday was spent at the Strobist meet-up at Vicci in downtown Austin. From 1pm until about 6:30pm I took pictures (along with 40 other photographers) of models in different lighting set-ups around the club.

Things I should have done differently:

A) BE BRAVE. I'm a novice at best when it comes to flash photography. Continuous lighting is no problem for me, but when it comes to tons of equipment with transmitters, soft boxes, optical sensors, etc. . .it makes me want to flee in terror. I should have asked more questions. What does this do? What is this called? How does this work? It was a crowded and hectic shoot, but there WAS down time during which I could have learned a little more. But, I am too afraid of looking like an amateur.

B) BE HELPFUL. Instead of standing around simply waiting for my turn I should have tried more vocally to give assistance wherever possible. Not knowing enough about the equipment made me worry that I might abuse it in some way. Helping another photographer achieve a certain look would definitely have helped me retain that knowledge and I shouldn't have been so timid.

C) THINK DIFFERENTLY. Many times after I shot in a particular set up the next person decided to totally change scenery, mix it up, and use the space more creatively. Yes, there wasn't much time overall. But, it was my shoot, too, and I should have opened my mind to the possibilities around me.

Things I learned:

A) Models like to put their arms up over their heads. Unless you tell them differently, they seem to gravitate to this.

B) There aren't enough female photographers interested in this kind of thing. What's up with that? Me, Tali, Julia, and one other girl out of 40+ people.

C) Natural light still kicks strobe's butt.

D) There are a lot of cool, talented photographers and hobbyists in Austin.

E) Bring water. Bring water. Bring water.

At the end of the day I have some cool shots. I spent a lot of time yesterday kicking myself for things I did wrong and things I didn't do. However, it was my very first shoot of this kind, surrounded by tons of guys and their gear, I should have had more realistic expectations.

Nadia. . .this is you speaking. . .you are allowed to make mistakes.

My feet hurt, my knees, my back, even my elbows hurt.

I think I would definitely do it again.

Next time with a D3! *crossing fingers*



ZION


MICHELLE


JESSA

Actions and other PS Jewelry

I have a very hard time getting into actions and borders. . .fake Polaroid or film frames.

I admire them when they are done well by other people. But, when I go to use them I feel like a dog who's just been shown a card trick (thank you Bill Hicks). It is frustrating to figure out which shots merit this kind of treatment and I always come out of it feeling like. . .well. . .a fraud.

What a silly conclusion to reach given how "fraudulent" it is to use Photoshop itself. When it's used for more than mere enhancement of the image. When you use it to remove power lines or, gasp, people from your otherwise perfect frame.

A million years ago when I was taking far worse pictures than I am now I used to look at Photoshop as the ultimate cheat. I wasn't being an actual photographer if I leaned on a piece of software to trick people into seeing what was never actually there.

But, then I learned how to use it. And, much like the conversion from film to digital, I haven't looked back. I suspect that any trepidation I have over the use of actions, textures, etc., will fall by the wayside as I learn how to use them appropriately.

Still, I wonder if I will ever go back to showing people what I really, actually, truthfully shot.


this is john and ellen. they play beautiful music together.
realistically as well as metaphorically.

Here we go. . .

My first blog post. This one is certainly easier than my earlier Wordpress version. For that I am grateful. This will be the place for any and all ramblings about current and future projects. Hopefully I can avoid using this space to rant about the world outside of photography. It might be hard.

I might need your help, dear reader.

And, for the inaugural photo post I give you the PEEPs of Easter-time.