A Georgia O’Keeffe Moment – Photographing Spring Flowers
And so begin the months of spending hours in the garden. This past Monday morning it was weeding, then mulching, then feeding the rose bushes. The problem with gardening is that the more work you do in them, the better and faster things grow. It’s a vicious VICIOUS cycle.
But D*MN my flowers look good.
Right now it’s mostly tulips and a few hyacinth (my favorite smell in the whole world followed shortly by lilies). I shot them after a brief sun shower so that everything would be happy and vibrant and there would be little rain drops on all the petals. (NOTE: when shooting after rain bring your Easy Knees if you don’t want wet, muddy jeans.)
Equipment-wise, I used my trusty Nikon D300 and a Tamron lens I’ve had for ages: an aspherical 28-300mm. She’s not real quick on the auto-focus but she’s lightweight and perfect for shoots like this one where things don’t move.
It was during the post-processing that I had my Georgia O’Keeffe moment. I decided to go with black and white for a few of these so you could really focus in on the sensual lines and graphic shapes.
Tulip after a rain storm in spring
Tulip after a rain storm in spring
Tulip after a rain storm in spring with Geogia O'Keefe inspired post-processing
Tulip after a rain storm in spring with Geogia O'Keefe inspired post-processing
Tulip after a rain storm in spring
Tulip after a rain storm in spring
Spring hyacinth
Spring Jewelry Part 2 – Amethyst Ring
I tried another spring + jewelry shoot Monday morning. I had actually awoken to a lightning storm but by 10 the sun was out and hitting the raindrops in all their sparkling glory – much like this ring!
My original idea was to make the ring look like it was sprouting from the ground like one of the spring flowers. It took quite a few different kinds leaves before I found a set that worked just right – the winners belong to a hyacinth.
One my way back inside, though, I couldn’t help but notice the lovely daffodils. No leftover raindrops on these blooms but I thought the color coordination was too good to pass up.
(No flowers were harmed in the making of these images :D)
Bracelets & Tulips
The sunlight and warm weather inspired me for this shoot. A colorful bracelet with spring tulips to show them off. They’re sapphires btw and yes, I did use my new favorite foil reflector :)
Trial by Foil
Last week I stumbled upon a rather cool link about a DIY home studio using a piece of white paper on a window and some foil. Seeing as I have an abundance of awesome perfume bottles in my house I chose the Lola variety to be my subject for my first go at it. My final result turned out rather well, I think. Now, to branch out. I’m thinking food…
Perfume Part 3
This is the last in the series and you can see it doesn’t have that same laying down bubble-y look. The Delices by Cartier bottle is more in line with the new styling of fragrances which tends towards the opulent and colorful. (People actually make a habit of collecting these despite their smell.) I decided to play off Cartier’s current ad campaign “How far would you go for love” which relates to their “LOVE” jewelry collection and create poster with Snow White undertones.
Check out other images in the Perfume series: Part 1 & Part 2
Perfume Part 2
This bottle is a bit more commercial than the previous one. Coco Mademoiselle is a Chanel fragrance and the bottle was given to me by one AWESOME sister, Danielle Fus, who is a Chanel connoisseur of sorts (her shoe and sunglasses collection is unrivaled). It is billed as “feminine and sexy, young and exciting” but I think all women make the instant connection between Chanel and pearls and the retro photographs of Richard Avedon.
Perfume Part 1
I have wanted to do this photo shoot since I was a senior in college. Have you ever noticed the way a perfume bottle looks when it is completely full? Well, the way it looks completely full when it’s laying down? and there are the little air bubbles that travel about? After the first spray, that look never comes back, which may be why it’s taken me so long to do this (I have very little self-control when it comes to trying out new scents).
This first pic is a bottle that I picked up on my cruise to Bermuda. It’s by the Bermuda Perfumery and can only be purchased on the island or online. The original scent, and the one I like best, is called Lily.
Painting w/ light – Test 1
Trying to learn the painting with light technique for a sports portrait idea I have. Here’s test 1. A glass on a table in my completely dark bathroom using a mini flashlight.
Settings: ISO200 Shutter:30s F/16
Mobile(n)
A mobile is one of two new art installations to be commissioned for the new City Hall. The mobile is comprised of three Black-Eyed Susans to represent the Triple Crown. Each of the petals will be 4 feet long and 1.5 feet wide. This model was photographed at the current Bowie City Hall in Bowie, MD on February 4, 2010. Bowie 2/4/10
Lilies
Somebody sent me flowers. The colors were just too good to pass up. Silver Spring/September 12, 2009.
Cafe Bello
The Lamb Osso Bucco at Cafe Bello in Leisure World Plaza in Silver Spring, MD on August 11, 2009. The dish is comprised of a lamb fore shank, braised overnight, served atop cannellini beans and sauteed escarole.