[caption id="attachment_268" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="In the stairwell at Fairbanks Hall at Oregon State University, Daron Jackson, right, and Tyler Sessa look over the photographs in the online auction they created to raise funds for relief in Haiti. (Scobel Wiggins/Gazette-Times)"]
Here's the link to the online story:
http://gazettetimes.com/news/local/article_58d0b228-21e0-11df-b327-001cc4c03286.html
today i have finished the last of the month's photo shoots. this relief is dampened slightly by the fact that there's still loads to do for the auction and for the exhibit on saturday! so i am feeling more than a little frazzled, and i know i'm not being as patient or good to myself (or people around me) as i should be. and sure proof that you get what you need, when you need it... this song just came on my last.fm radio: "i am not a robot" by marina & the diamonds.
you've been hanging with the unloved kids, who you never really liked and you never trusted, but you are so magnetic, you pick up all the pins, never committing to anything you don't pick up the phone when it ring, ring, rings, don't be so pathetic,
just open up and sing i'm vulnerable, i'm vulnerable I am not a robot
so! in the spirit of taking myself less seriously, i will now take a deep breath and share these model shots i took of thihi. i photographed her friend faith last year, and hopefully i'll be able to do a shoot with both of them sometime this spring. i took these on one of the nicer days a few weeks ago. she's beautiful and very nice, and has an envy-worthy wardrobe.
[caption id="attachment_248" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="the white walls in studios offend my color-loving sensibilities. i've been super into tinting lately. weird i guess"]
[caption id="attachment_249" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="her hat reminds me of TLC haha"]
[caption id="attachment_251" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="i knew when i took the one on the right that this was going to be my favorite"]
and now i will take a justly deserved break from editing on the computer. i do it every day at work, and when i make work outside of work, it is a bad bad situation. time to catch up on my reading, cooking, and film photography! thanks for reading (if you are), and please don't forget to check out our Help Haiti Benefit Auction! Exhibit on Saturday, auction open till March 9.
megan has been my most constant model for years now - and it wasn't always fun: i once had to photograph her every single day for a month. the term 'photograph' became 'pester'. our collaborations have really improved since then, but the reasons she's a great model haven't changed: gorgeous blue eyes, fierce expressions, and glowy skin. this is one of my favorite shoots from this winter, mostly because i think the clothing and makeup work really well with the gloomy weather. we had to work fast before it began to rain profusely, and we were using the self-timer on my camera (which is always fun - you get to scurry back and forth and strike a pose before 10 seconds are up, especially good times in heels).
[caption id="attachment_120" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption=""...you can see it from the surface...""]
it was fun to play dress up. we felt like two little kids, prancing around in dresses and heels in drizzling, overcast weather. and, since the dress i wore belongs to megan's mother, we kind of were! we tried to go to a different location at first and were politely told that we were trespassing, but i used to run by our plan b property a few times a week and i wish it was mine! it has a beautiful little orchard and greenhouse.
[caption id="attachment_121" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption=""oceans won't freeze, so loosen your heart...""]
the song ageless beauty by stars came into my head while i was editing these and i couldn't get it out. i feel that the lyrics describe the concept we were working with: an audrey hepburn-style sort of elegance. ageless beauty embodies patience and contentedness. it is selfless love, the light that is so obvious, that "you can see it from the surface."
[caption id="attachment_122" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption=""we will always be a light""]
after we got rained out, we decided to use the window light in my kitchen, since we were all dressed up. it was rather cramped, but worth it.
[caption id="attachment_124" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption=""time will hold its promise""]
the way meg wrapped the scarf around her head reminds me of vermeer. all she needs is a pearl earring.
fin. <3
originally, i wanted to photograph brie as alice in wonderland. we went to an abandoned amusement park, and the whole alice-in-wonderland concept didn't really pan out, visually. but thematically, it works for me - alice is about being displaced, confused, and lost - all the while retaining this childlike solemnity and practicality and i think brie's expressions really lend themselves to that. and i still like the eerie, decrepit feel of the torn-down rides and, because it was drizzling pretty much the entire time we were there, the misty quality of the light.
there were obviously no seats on the "tilt-a-whirl"; brie was perched very precariously on metal.
[caption id="attachment_96" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption=""It would be so nice if something made sense for a change...""]
[caption id="attachment_97" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption=""Well, when one's lost, i suppose it's good advice to stay where you are until someone finds you. But-but who'd ever think to look for me here?""]
[caption id="attachment_99" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption=""I want to go home! But I can't find my way." / "Naturally. That's because you have no way. All ways here are the queen's way.""]
[caption id="attachment_100" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption=""Then it really doesn't matter which way you go.""]
there are film shots of this adventure as well - i'm excited to see how they turn out.
[caption id="attachment_101" align="alignnone" width="510" caption=""Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, did gyre and gimble in the wabe...""]
i think this last one is my favorite (of course, as it was the last set of the day):
[caption id="attachment_105" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption=""I was just giving myself some good advice...""]
alice in wonderland is my favorite movie of all time. i used to watch it every night before i went to bed, and i could probably write a thesis on why i relate so powerfully to the symbolism and themes of the story. but i won't bore you with that. i'll just say that anybody who's been lost knows just how good it feels to wake up from your bad dreams and be told, 'it's time for tea.' <3
a short rant: a friend of mine had a confrontation with a teacher over the meaning of his work, which got me thinking about the meaning of my own work. sometimes i think that people place too much importance on certain kinds of meaning. it seems like for some people, art has to be politically or emotionally charged to be respected.
what if my photography isn't revolutionary? what if it doesn't start riots or provoke life-altering conversation? what if it just makes you notice something small, about the beauty of someone's skin or the lines the body creates in relation to its surroundings?
when you look at my work, you are seeing what i see, and because of that, you're seeing me. and i think the most important thing for me about art is to truly see each other. to connect with each other, and with each other's perceptions and insights.
i am not discounting the value of gritty, intense, in-your-face work. but you know what? i've been through a lot in life. the art i made during the worst time in my life is interesting, and i would probably get a lot more attention if all my work were like that, but i've changed. and i am a beauty-lover now. i love the way the shadows form under someone's features. i love the muted tones of natural light. i love fuzzy halos of hair, a splashy colored wall, the way the lines converge on a horizon. i really really love seeing simple lovely pieces of this crazy life.
i still respect ugliness. there are dark pieces of each of us, and it's important to recognize those. but it's not required to do that all the time. even if you haven't got anything really earth-shaking to say, say it anyway! someone's going to appreciate it. even if it's just you.
