Perspective: the art of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to convey the impression of height, width, depth, and relative distance

As comfortable as I am with taking portraits of either myself or of other people, I do like tickling the shutter button for other subjects from time to time. I really like capturing unique perspectives or different angles that we humans do not see very much on a daily basis. I have always had a hard time taking a simple, straight on picture. Either the subject needs to make the picture stand out or my interpretation of the capturing of the subject needs to go one step further. My concept is hard to explain in words, so please refer to the visual examples below:

Image from a wedding I shot 2 years ago - A fun and different way to capture the details of a wedding and the personality of the people involved.

A capture of some blossoms at Red Rocks.  I took this image looking above with a Canon 50 mm 1.8 lens.

As you can see, I love animal pictures as well.  Not only are animals challenging, but they have their own level of expression and personality.

Black and white images still have that magic of creating a story out of your pictures.  Couple that with a sweet perspective and your photography will really have good story telling skills.

Sometimes to make an awesome image, you have to get your knees a little dirty!

The most simple subjects can be your most powerful images if you just change the angle of where you take the picture.

Everyday, ordinary things become more dynamic if you just change your shooting perspective.

As you can see, an image that shows a different view than what you would normally see in everyday life is so eye-catching, it causes the viewer to stop, examine the image and make the brain think about how the image is being represented. 

Fortunately now, I have a Canon 60D which has a unique pop-out and swivel LCD screen.  Before I had to put my camera in a funky angle and pray that I would get the shot I wanted if I couldn't look through the view-finder.  Now with the new screen option and live-view, I can get my shot the way I want it with fewer "point n' prays"!

The next time you take a "simple" picture, take another picture of the same subject and do something to add more personality or depth to that subject.  You might be suprised at how more interesting your photography can become!

~Rachel

self-portrait - noun: a portrait of oneself done by oneself

It amazes me how many people give me the jaw-drop look when I tell them that 99% of the pictures of myself are taken by me. When I first think about it, I wonder "Haven’t people ever heard of a tripod and remote?" Yet when I talk further with said astonished person, it comes down to a more complex question - Not how did I technically pull off the self portrait, but how "creatively" did I accomplish the self portrait.

It makes sense when people wonder how you can take a picture without looking through the view finder, adjusting the focus on the subject and making the composition work. It comes down to 5 simple concepts:
- pre-planning
-patience, patience, patience
-determination
-timing
-lots of pictures!

When I pre-plan, I usually am inspired by a painting, another photograph, music (usually a big part of the inspiration) and general thoughts or ideas that pop up in my mind. I work on a small to non-existent budget - read - the photo equipment I own, any props/clothing I have and whatever scenery I come across. Since I started my 52 Project, the outside has been a big part of my pictures (I LOVE natural light).

Patience is something I have had ever since I was born and it is very natural for me. Patience is knowing that something will go wrong or will not go your way and you have to be willing to accept this fact and make due with what you can. The lighting may not turn out the way you hoped, camera malfunctions, people are in the way, the idea in your mind may not be exactly the way it looks through the viewfinder, or you yourself may be having an off "ready for my close-up" day. This ties into determination to get the shot that you are wanting to create and taking lots and lots and lots of pictures! Sometimes I take over 30 images, they look great on the back of my camera and when I get home and upload them up on my computer, only one image looks marginally good enough to post as a final image. As the expression goes, s**t happens.

Timing is usually the trickiest part. Even with the use of a remote, the first few shots I have to get the timing down for my camera. Jumping, hair flicks, or just running to get in front of the camera all require the perfect timing needed to get the shot I want.

However, when you get that awesome day where everything works for you on every level, it’s like winning the picture lottery. Those are the days where the only editing I have to do is a slight levels correction the make my photos darker or adjust the saturation for my own personal "look" to my images.

Admittedly, as much as I would like a twin of myself in order to get the perfect angle and composition of my self portraits every time, in half of the time, it is fun to set the timer, run like heck, position myself and pray!

You just never know what masterpiece you will come up with :)

Here we go!

In my continuing effort to improve my photography, build new relationships with other photographers and just get out into the art scene a little more - I have decided to try my hand at the whole blog adventure!

I am currently approaching the middle of my 52 week project in which I take a picture a week for a whole year.  Last year I tried the 365 project where - you guessed it - I took a picture a day for a whole year, and boy was that challenging!  I admire the 52 week mainly because it keeps me snapping pictures without the pressure of producing an image once a day.  And with a busy lifestyle, it can be a bit too much to fit in if I want to create quality images.  Besides, quality is more important that quantity!

So as I continue on with my project, I will continue to expand my photography knowledge and put it to good use creating beautiful images and lasting pieces of artwork.

Thanks for reading!
~Rachel