Sometimes, creative juices dry up and we find ourselves wishing we had projects to work on. We could mope about in the world, slice off the nearest passerby’s arm, then run and hide in a cave somewhere OR we could throw the mope aside and loudly proclaim, “IT’S CHALLENGE TIME!” I’m personally going to go with the latter. Specifically I am drawing inspiration from the 52 week challenge envisioned by Lindsay Adler. She is an amazing photographer with a very clear vision and has the great ability to teach others. I highly recommend you check her out if you haven’t already heard of her. Alright enough fangirling, back to the post. During the time of me trying to define my brand/find my style, I stumbled across her book and was quite curious. With her challenge she had specific techniques or solutions that she wanted the shoot to answer. She planned a different challenge for each week of a year. But, considering I have a full time job and don’t have access to an endless supply of models, I’m going to modify this challenge and make it a monthly one. A couple years ago, […]
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Today I would like to address something that has seemingly fallen through the digital cracks of the internet: how to photograph print art work. We live in a majorly digital world, but there are still times when having a printed representation is required. Typically, these times will be interviews, reviews, or for commercial purposes. This is something that is essential to illustrators, graphic designers, & fine artists for their portfolios & if they run an e-commerce store. It is true that people could simply post digital versions, but if they were originally intended for print, photographing them like this will help show the context in which they were made. Another advantage is that the images can be used for both your online website & your physical portfolio book. I am most experienced with graphic design prints, but I hope these tips can help other types of artists as well. I apologize though for fellow photographers as these may not be applicable to your work, but if you have a friend that asks for your services for their portfolio, then perhaps these 6 considerations can help you. Have high quality prints. Aside from looking professional, a high quality […]
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It all began with a youtube video. I know, sounds strange, but the path that ultimately led me to becoming a photographer was not straightforward at all. Back when I was in highschool, a junior or so, I loved watching youtube videos.] Like…everyday for multiple hours a day. Because in 2009 that was still relevant. I remember thinking that the people I watched seemed to be having so much fun making these videos. I knew viewers like me enjoyed watching them, so I decided that I wanted to start making my own videos as well. I began on a “trusty” point-n-shoot canon powershoot that was hand-me-downed from my dad. The quality was questionable of course, but I was having fun and that’s what really inspired me in the beginning. I wanted to answer questions and help people, but in a humorous way. Eventually I started to include more fashion and natural hair videos to help & inspire people too. (In case anyone is interested, my youtube username is ShekinahShazaam and there’s still a bit of content on there.) I haven’t made a video in quite some time partly due to my aging macbook’s weakness with […]
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Hello Dear Reader, thanks you for joining me today! This post marks the start of my blogging adventure for 2017. I plan to post every Sunday. No matter what. I know what you’re thinking… Gosh Shekinah, sounds like you’re making some cliché New Year resolution that will ultimately fail and make a bigger explosion than the Death Star! Thanks. Thanks a lot for that load of confidence. Dramatics aside, you’ll be pleased to know I think I’ve found a way around that sort of painful end. Over the past handful of months, I have made a list of topics I’d like to discuss. All of them relate to photography in one way or another. I have drafts, I have ideas, and best of all I have a plan! Sometimes it’s hard to stay consistent. On my design site I gave blogging a try. What had happened was I blogged about many different things…then stopped. There was no focus or schedule I upheld. No subject matter was off limits, I did reviews, travel recollections, fashion posts, and lifestyle stories. I know that my favorite blogs focus on only a small amount of […]
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