My wife took this...

...out in our woods. The subject is her friend, who apparently thinks she's an elf. The photo is a little squished (formatting), but you get the idea.

What say you all?

Where?

I need to go there...


Especially after the insane week I've just had.

Grr. Thats annoying. I haven't seen this picture quite this big. There is a reflector in the lower, left-hand corner.

I need to edit that out.

No way, it looks good BIG.

That's an awesome picture--very peaceful and restful.



.

yeah, i took my dear friend schaina out into the woods and made her pose for me all afternoon. i need more models. volunteers?

Colonel effin might have to model for you..

Oh, he models for me, occasionally. I once dressed him in a red cloak and had him pour water out of this vase over and over and over. He was pouring for an hour or so, prolly.

He is rather unwilling to model very often.

hehe I don't blame him.

Ya srsly.

We must have wasted gallons upon gallons of water trying to get the perfect shot.

"Hold it up higher, honey"

"What, like this?"

"No no, above your head and out at arm's length... now pour"

*me pours*

"TOO FAST... now we have to do it over... go get some more water"



hehehehehhehehehe, I wouldn't want to be married to ANYONE else.

I like modelling >.< haha

What kind of camera do you have, Jenny? We may have more in common than first realized.

Before my career as a mother/homeschooler, I was a photographer/commercial artist. I have used only Nikon cameras - everything from the old Nikkormat to the F4. That's where I stopped - at the F4.

PeacethroughX wrote:What kind of camera do you have, Jenny? We may have more in common than first realized.

Before my career as a mother/homeschooler, I was a photographer/commercial artist. I have used only Nikon cameras - everything from the old Nikkormat to the F4. That's where I stopped - at the F4.

Wow, we do have lots in common! I use a Nikon D50. It is a very nice camera. I love it. I am also getting into using actual film (which seems rather backwards to me). I have a little 35mm Minolta for that.

I would love to see some of your work.

Hehehe - seeing some of my work would be difficult. Remember my age and the cameras mentioned. All are film based and my work was newspaper, concerts, commercial advertising, portraiture, weddings, and restoration.

I do have a portfolio and several awards, but the work is too much to scan and upload.

You know how nowadays everybody uses photoshop to enhance and restore photos? I used brushes, dye, pencils, and airbrush. Client would bring me an old photo of Grandpa, torn and tattered. I would then copy it using my Mamiya RB 67 medium format, then create a large B&W work print in the darkroom. I would use liquid dye to fill in all light spots from holes and to sharpen soft edges.

After that, spray it with the airbrush to create a workable "tooth" on the print and fill in details with the pencils. (I actually still have Macdonald flesh tones and gray tones pencils.)

Final step would be to mask off the image and airbrush a new background to compliment the portrait. Re-copy the finished art print and use the new negative to print new portraits for the client.

We would have two or three in the works at all times, allowing a week for complete print to be back in the client's hands.

Now, any body with any digital camera can shoot, upload, artistically enhance and even create an entire new piece of artwork from a photo in a matter of hours! It just amazes me...

Where's the female version of this?

Wow. That is just amazing. I can't even imagine. When and why did you get out of photography?

Photo editing really isn't my thing. It can be a really cool way to make really cool art but I just like to take photos and take good photos. I do sometimes tweak my exposure...but I don't even like to do that.

I am a very amateur photographer...have been taking pictures for maybe two years and just recently got a camera that works well...:) So, please give me advice!!! I need input.

As I said before, I stopped to homeschool. I would still do photography, but on a personal level only, never again commercial. I even did my son's high school graduation photo.

Advice? Study Rembrandt lighting and butterfly lighting. Find and study the Old Master's techniques and incorporate them in your natural lighting. Learn from your natural lighting and use the seasons. For example, in spring for best lighting, I always shot outdoors early am to mid-morning. Autumn would be late afternoon to early evening. Never between 11am and 2pm - the sun was always too high and too bright - washed everything out.

When you see a portrait or style you like, study it. Look at the lighting and rip it apart in your mind. You know the science of light and shadows, so examine it with a scientific mind. If you don't know the science of light and shadows, study it TO DEATH! Mastering light is the key - make it work for you.

And lastly, don't copy fads - create your own style.

On a personal note... I hated any prop that nature did not create.

I love photography too, although I also don't have much equipment or whatnot (just a moderately expensive digital camera that will probably need replacing in a few years because technology will leave it behind..). We should have a photo thread.

A photo thread would be very nice.

Thanks for the advice, Marcia! I still have so much to learn.

Mrs. Wigrid wrote:A photo thread would be very nice.

Thanks for the advice, Marcia! I still have so much to learn.

Yes, there is a lot. But it is a fun thing to learn and you have an easy way to learn with your driveway and your child. Plus with digital, you can see the results instantly. I had to always wait until I could process the film and compare. (I could never afford the Polaroid backs.)

Here's project for you, but it will take one full year to complete. Find your favorite section of your driveway that shows it in its most natural beauty. Shoot it now for a summer scene.

Shoot the EXACT scene again in October or so for orange, gold, and red leaves falling.

Again, in Jan or Feb for a bare, cold and hard scene.

And again in April or so for soft greens, flowering buds, and tender new growth showing.

Make sure all are shot at pretty much the EXACT same location to give you the perspective you need to compare.

Plus it makes for a beautiful and interesting photo array in one's living room!

PeacethroughX wrote:

Mrs. Wigrid wrote:A photo thread would be very nice.

Thanks for the advice, Marcia! I still have so much to learn.

Yes, there is a lot. But it is a fun thing to learn and you have an easy way to learn with your driveway and your child. Plus with digital, you can see the results instantly. I had to always wait until I could process the film and compare. (I could never afford the Polaroid backs.)

Here's project for you, but it will take one full year to complete. Find your favorite section of your driveway that shows it in its most natural beauty. Shoot it now for a summer scene.

Shoot the EXACT scene again in October or so for orange, gold, and red leaves falling.

Again, in Jan or Feb for a bare, cold and hard scene.

And again in April or so for soft greens, flowering buds, and tender new growth showing.

Make sure all are shot at pretty much the EXACT same location to give you the perspective you need to compare.

Plus it makes for a beautiful and interesting photo array in one's living room!

I am totally going to do that!

Thats just an amazingly beautifu forest you have captured with your camera!! Editing or not. whats the big deal? I want to see the trees!

The ony thing I have to say about this photo as improvement is that she should have taken it up in the forest, among the trees, away from the road. To make it even more nature-ish.
What country is this from anyhow?


/the treehugger

I believe the Colonel and his lady are here in the USA.