The article on Bending Light has only been online for a day and already the response has been terrific. I’m really glad people are finding it so helpful in getting them motivated to either try shooting portraits, or trying it again.
The above shot is one I decided to leave out of the portfolio selection because I’d recently submit it to another publication. It feels good to have such an extensive body of work that I’m happy with to chose from.
I’m thrilled to announce the launch of the latest online issue of Bending Light Magazine. I was asked to contribute an article on “Overcoming the Anxiety of Portrait Photography”, as part of their current theme of Angst. It was a very interesting subject for me to explore and realize how far I’ve come since I first began photographing people. I am very pleased with the article, and would love to hear back from people about it. Please leave a comment for me here.
It was challenging to have to select only nine shots to accompany the piece and have them be a good representation of my portrait work. I wanted there to be a good variety of faces and poses, show some of my best recent portraits, and to not just use work I’ve featured before. I’m probably even more pleased with the image gallery than the article. I like it when my work looks so good.
Thank you to Ariela at Bending Light Magazine for selecting me to write on the subject, to Joanna for her usual fabulous editing assistance, and to all the lovely people who posed for me and are featured in the article.
Before Catherine Jamieson started Utata, she led a much smaller private group that I was a part of called Woman. As you can guess, it was comprised of only female photographers and it provided a private place for “talented women who take their art seriously.” It didn’t last very long but while it did we worked on a few themed projects, much as Catherine still does now with the larger group of Utata. My favorite of these was “What to do with old love letters…” which inspired a series of shots I’m still very pleased with that involved the challenge of photographing fire.
The following text is taken from the You Are Beautiful website:
“You Are Beautiful is a simple, powerful statement which is incorporated into the over absorption of mass media and lifestyles that are wrapped in consumer culture.”
“This statement and the context in which someone finds it gives meaning to its message and purpose to this project.
The intention behind this project is to reach beyond ourselves as individuals to make a difference by creating moments of positive self realization in those who happen across the statement: You Are Beautiful.”
“Intention is the most important aspect of the You Are Beautiful project in its idea of purity. Graffiti and street art are an act not a style, but stylistically large corporations have been copying and using the ‘urban decay’ look to sell products.”
“It all comes down to intention. Nothing is sacred. Everything that has a perceived value becomes commodified. Companies hire out teenagers to slap up stickers and posters, and pay their fines when they are caught by the police. This is not street art, but a marketing campaign.”
“The reasons why street artists are doing what they are doing, in the way that they are doing, is not simply to question their surroundings; but to provide alternative perspectives, meanings, or values to those of consumerism.”
“Advertising elicits a response to buy, where this project elicits a response to do something. The attempt with You Are Beautiful is to create activism instead of consumerism.”
“You Are Beautiful uses the medium of advertising and commercialization to spread a positive message. Projects like these make a difference in the world by catching us in the midst of daily life and creating moments of positive self realization.”
I very much like the idea of this project. The message is simple, yet powerful, and couldn’t everyone hear those three little words said to them…?
I was feeling self-portraity tonight. A little red pashmina here, a few dried leaves there, and voila! My creative urge has been satisfied.
Taken in the bathroom under ambient light with a black black cloth pinned up in the background.
Try to not let the crooked borders drive you nuts.
I decided to post these shots after photographing the newborn baby of my friend Pidge yesterday. I hardly get the chance to photograph kids these days, but I always enjoy it when I do. It’s a fun challenge because little kids don’t stay still very long and I try to capture them in their natural element without intruding. The above photos were taken last summer while visiting my friend Nikki in Ontario. Photographing her kids during the visit became a hilarious game of chase (literally), that ended with me in a puddle of sweat on the couch because it was a very hot day. I’m not sure who had more fun – me or them.
I don’t usually take portraits with the Holga because it’s always seemed like a ridiculous thing to do. I can’t get close enough to my subjects in the way I like, and the camera distortion didn’t seem right for portraits. Now after getting this shot back, I’m not sure why I’ve shied away from photographing people with it. I obviously need to reconsider.
To my surprise, over the course of the past year self portraiture has become part of my artistic practice. What began as a very tentative and conservative foray into taking pictures of myself is now an endlessly creative outlet for exploring ideas and personal expression.
My most recent foray into self portraiture builds upon a series of shots taken in the summer called “Burning” where I created the illusion of fire by playing around with sari fabric and in-camera blur. I’ve since decided to turn this into a larger series exploring the four elements, with water as the natural succession to fire.
The idea for the water images was inspired by the underwater portraits of Howard Schatz.I specifically had in mind his beautifully published book “Waterdance” which is now out of print but I was lucky enough to come across in a used bookstore. With “Floating” I sought to simulate the murkiness and lighting quality of underwater using textured fabric in front of the lens and a wavy lighting pattern falling on the black background.
I am fairly happy with the results from this shoot, but feel they could be stonger with a further exploration on the same theme. Stay tuned for the next attempt.