Kat Eye Studio

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A Stop at the Store

 
After spending the last week and a half either working hard at the computer to get my new ideas in place, or relaxing utterly by reading novels and watching the first season of Glee, I was ready to get out and photograph yesterday. While the day started with a tiny bit of sunshine, it was the kind that only lasts until the sun gets above the heavy cloud cover, so I needed to get out early. I tagged along with my husband on his morning errands, asking him to drop me off on the Oregon State University campus so that I could wander and take some photos. There is this metal shop building with fabulously textured (read: peeling paint) windows that we drive by often and I wanted to study it with my camera.

I had a great time photographing until the rain started. A little rain doesn’t usually bother me, I keep an umbrella in my camera bag, but this was cold, blowing rain. My fingers were going numb. I gave up and huddled in the bus shelter waiting for my husband to come back and pick me up. The bus route that goes near our house came by first, so I hopped on to get out of the cold. The bus doesn’t go right by our house, so I had several blocks of walking to get home after I got off. I opted to walk through the strip mall, using the protection of the overhang from the rain and wind. And then I saw it… the market/wheels picture! A very cute classic-looking bicycle, along on the bike rack in front of the grocery store. A completely serendipitous find, but making the sequence of photowalk-rain-bus-walk seem like a perfectly logical path to get a new image for my series. I can’t imagine getting here any other way.

A Stop at the Store

Don’t you love it when that happens?

Another synergistic happening yesterday… my photo “Window to the Heart” — the same image I shared on my blog yesterday as an example of a photo-heart connection — was chosen as the Photo of the Weekend by masteringphoto.com. It served to remind me that when I have a strong connection with an image, likely others will too. I would love to have you come by and show some comment love, if you have time. You might also spend a few moments to check out the site, run by Focal Press, publisher of many great photography books.

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Together we can do anything

Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to work with a fantastic group of photographers and volunteers for Help-Portrait. Help-Portrait is a “global movement of photographers using their time, gear and expertise to give back to those in need.” The idea is for photographers to find people who would not otherwise be able to have portraits, take and print their portrait and give it to them. The movement is all-volunteer, spanning 56 countries and with 101,596 portraits given to date.

In Corvallis, the local crew photographed 142 people in 75 sittings. There were 21 volunteers: 4 photographers shooting, 4 graphic designers (that’s what I did) and lots and lots of volunteers helping as assistants, with check-in, hospitality, food, etc. The day was an all-volunteer event, with support from local businesses who donated food, printing, and publicity, and the church who allowed us to use their space.

In the “graphic designer” role, I edited and printed the photos after the photographers completed their work. I got to sit with the clients and help them choose their portraits, hearing a bit of their story. I listened to what brought them there, what they were going to do with their photos, and learned a bit about who they were. Both through their words and through the images.

Here are a few images and stories from my day. (The clients and photographers have signed releases to allow these to be shared.) There was also an article in today’s local paper, the Corvallis Gazette-Times, where you can read more stories.

This beautiful woman was one of my first clients of the day. She quiet and nervous to have her photo taken, you could tell. She told me how she was working hard to get custody back of her kids. I see confidence and strength in her photo, I believe she can do it.

Photo by Helen Hilman

This is “Pops.” He is a self-designated mentor to the youth in the homeless community, trying to help them stay out of trouble. He was such a personable and happy guy, it was clear from his interactions that everyone who knew him loved and respected him.

Photo by Jones Oliver

This gentleman talked of his 16-year-old daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in 9 years. He was going to send his portrait to her as a Christmas present. He told me they were in contact, and he hoped to see her this year.

Photo by Jones Oliver

This group of friends was so excited to have their photo taken together. They met in a 12-step program, and their friendship is helping them with recovery. One of the girls said they will use the portrait to remind them of what they will lose, these friendships, if they don’t stay clean.

Photo by Jones Oliver

This was Luke, the last client of the day. He was a quiet guy, didn’t have too much to say. I love the confidence that shows in his portrait though. It makes me want to know him better.

Photo by Jones Oliver

Throughout the day, I heard so many times…
“I hate my smile.”
“I hate my hair.”
“I hate having my pictures taken.”
Yet again and again I saw images of beautiful, strong people come through on the screen. I told them all, “We are all our worst critics! You look beautiful, just look at the picture. The people love you will be so happy to have this.” And it reminded me that I have the same thoughts, and should take my own advice.

In addition to the stories I was privileged to learn, there were so, so many others. Individuals with beloved pets, families with children, new little babies, friends, grandparents with grandchildren… all who would not have a portrait any other way. So many people said they would be giving their portraits as gifts this year, since they had nothing else to give.

This day was a reminder of what photography can bring to people’s lives, as part of sharing their stories and seeing their worth. Everyone was so grateful and happy to have the opportunity to get the portraits. This is something that we who wield cameras and share photos all the time can easily take for granted.

Here is the crew that put on the day in Corvallis, those of us who were there at the end of the day. There were many other volunteers who came for part of the day and who were no longer around. Most of us in this photo were together dawn to dusk yesterday. I was honored to work with this group. This day was a reminder that when working together, we can do anything. I’m definitely “in” for next year’s event!

Today’s prompt for Many Muses Musing is TOGETHER. The next prompt is GREETINGS. Come visit to see the giveaway for today, and join us with your stories and images.

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Lanterns & Lights

This week I went exploring our little downtown area looking for holiday lights. These lanterns outside of a sushi place caught my eye, and I was delighted to find the holiday lights in the window as I moved closer. A bit of compositional play ensued. That’s the best part of going out exploring, when you find a scene that inspires you to play!

The red lanterns on this restaurant also reminded me of our travels around Italy. You see, we were always on the lookout for red lanterns along the street while we travelled. Why? They typically indicated a Chinese restaurant. I know, I know, Italian food is amazing. There are so many regions and so much variety to Italian food. My challenge to you: Try eating it for every meal for a week or two straight and see if you don’t want a little variety. There is not much variety in ethnic food available in Italy unless you are in a big city and know where to look. Chinese is the only ethnic food you can regularly sometimes find. And the Chinese food in Europe is awesome, a bit different from the US and we loved it.

When we saw the red lanterns during our explorations of the day we would mark that spot to come back later for dinner. We all had our favorite dishes and would rate that dish from one place to another. I would get to enjoy a nice pot of tea, another thing without much variety in Italy. It was always a welcome break from the usual and a yummy meal.

I don’t think I’ve even had Chinese food since returning home, I’m still trying to get my fill of Mexican food. Maybe we’ll follow the red lanterns here, and head out for some Chinese this week. It was fun to have these memories come back, as I looked for holiday lights.

Exploring with a Camera: Holiday Lights continues for another week. What are you finding? Go out exploring and then link in to show us. A little story about your photo is always fun to share too!



FYI - Links will be moderated. Please use a permalink, ensure that your linked image is on topic, and include a link back to this site in your post through the Exploring with a Camera button (available on the sidebar here) or a text link. Thanks!

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Aspect Ratio Revisited

So, have you finished your holiday shopping yet? Have you ordered any photo gifts to give to your family and friends? If not, there is still plenty of time! You can avoid all of the Black Friday craziness and order a few photo gifts online. There is also plenty of time for you to investigate Exploring with a Camera: Printed Aspect Ratios as you order those gifts.

Today I want to point you to Deborah’s contribution to our current exploration. For her image, the 4:5 crop (for an 8×10) worked great. My image today doesn’t work so great as an 8×10, too much would be cut off:

That’s why you need to play around with cropping your images, to figure out what aspect ratio works for both your images and your printing options. I would love to see your results, you are welcome to link in below or share them in the Flickr pool. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, I’ll be back online Monday!



FYI – Links will be moderated. Please use a permalink, ensure that your linked image is on topic, and include a link back to this site in your post through the Exploring with a Camera button (available here) or a text link. Thanks!