Picking up the camera for me, again

It's been an unusually stressful and busy couple of weeks, and my photography has not been anywhere near the top of my to-do list.  I have been asked to take some photos at the jobsite for work, but as appreciated these photos can be at work, I can't share them with the rest of the world, due to sensitivity issues with building a power plant, or whatever...  But I made a point this weekend to break my camera out, no matter how little, to get some shots of my days off.  I grabbed this shot on Saturday:

I took the rest of these photos this afternoon.  I had to spend a good chunk of the day devoted to juicing, which I've learned to do all at once, one day every couple of weeks, in order to have a jar of fruit-and-vegetable juice every day at work.  It's a pain in the ass, but it's a great way to get fruits and vegetables into the system.  My brother got me tuned into juicing, and after watching "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", I got completely hooked.  I am able to get twelve jars of juice and freeze them - allowing me to enjoy the benefits of more fruits and veggies in my diet for a couple of weeks - all in one afternoon.  Totally worth it - and a great feast for the eye, too!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpLQwWKb3l8

Oh Calgary, My Calgary

It's been a stupidly busy week at work, and I haven't had time to take pictures of any facial parts - just time to think about them.  It's a bit frustrating, but because of this I was able to take some time here and there to take my camera around the city.  It's not something I've done in awhile, and I remembered how much I want to improve my city eye.

Although it's been awhile since I've actually taken pictures around Calgary, I think just living here for nine months has helped me improve what I see.  I definitely know the city a lot better, which is a welcoming feeling.  It's an interesting change, living in the heart of a city after spending most of my life on top of a hill in the middle of Kansas...

Playing Around

I'm having a blast taking pictures of people's face parts at work, and compiling them in different ways.  Here is my latest batch.  I'm having a little more fun with putting the parts together - plan to hone in on my compilations a little more next week.

Evolution

Taking off with this new idea of mine has given me all sorts of flashbacks to school.  Remembering to take it week by week, to set small goals that may change the next day.  To think about what the photos mean, and how to make them better.  It's an exciting feeling, to have something to work on, to sculpt.  Here is my next batch of face-part photos - slowly but surely evolving into...something.

The Beginning of a New Idea

 It's been a hectic week - Brian and I were both pulling 13-hour days at work, and needless to say it nearly got the best of me.  It was a good week, though, and I was able to get a shot of some icicles formed by the wind on the light poles outside our trailers.

I also got the type of idea I feel like I haven't had since I was in college.  Maybe it was the lack of sleep?  It came to me near the end of the week, and I was able to start pulling out some photos this afternoon with Brian.  Not completely what my ending idea is, but it's a start.  I'm hoping, with the dozens of people I interact with every day, I can get closer to my dream collage by next Sunday...

Walking a little farther down the hallway

I've been spending the past week focusing on the less exciting and more anxiety-ridden part of my photography business - that is, putting a portfolio together to be able to show off to different galleries.  I don't really feel like I know what I'm doing, but I have to take some sort of step forward in order to get my pictures out into the world.  As they say, a well-marketed bad photograph will sell more than a poorly-marketed good photograph.

SO.  I am trying to remember what I learned in school about putting a portfolio together.  It needs to be cohesive, and it's good to have an underlying message in the overall collection.  I've come up with a couple different portfolio options.  The theme looks to be about the city, the country, and all the little things that make them up.  Very broad, I know, but it's what I seem to focus on.  I hope it makes sense - to see the beauty of everything in the world, and to take a moment to truly appreciate what is actually sitting in front of you, regardless of the context of the day.  Here is the first portfolio option:

The second portfolio I've put together has a little more color to it.  Still the same idea - being able to appreciate what can be seen, rather than glossing it all over with the film of "just another day" mentality:

I'd like to think my mixture of everyday scenes mixed with manipulated objects can help to broaden one's visual thinking when they go out into the world.  But maybe, what I need to do, now that I see these two portfolio options laid out, is to have two separate groups - one of the everyday scenes, and the other of manipulated things.  "Everyday scenes and manipulated things" - kind of has a nice rhyme to it.  

Bottom line of the week is, I'm frustrated.  It's hard to figure out what, exactly, to do with my photography.  I miss school precisely for the reason that professors and peers both could help me hone in on my own vision.  Any comments, tips?  I'd be happy, and relieved, to take them!