In keeping with the vintage theme, I decided to rest two film cameras (Canon and Minolta) on some old photo albums and newspapers. I had these albums tucked away in my closet. I recently acquired a candle holder and candle at a consignment shop. I decided it belonged in this image. In creating this composition, I tried to convey the beauty of these treasures that took such beautiful pictures in the past, but can still be used. A fresh green apple sitting in the front adds a pop of color to the arrangement.
Joyce Portraits and Identity Crisis 2020
I had an assignment for Chicks that Click photo group to come up with an image representing Identity Crisis. I enlisted my friend Joyce who is a wonderful model and had her pose gazing into a mirror. I did this in my studio upstairs and put the soft box with my AD200 strobe light on the left side with a grid over the box. This was done to achieve a low key effect. In editing I added both a blue texture to the mirror and then I added a shattered glass brush over it.
I like the effect–it looks like an identity crisis to me. Then Joyce wanted some portraits too. She is a great model and doesn’t require too much instruction on posing.
Wet Glass Portraits
I did some experimenting by taking my own portrait using the self-timer in the studio with strobe lights. I then edited the photos using Light Room, Photoshop, and NIK. I then applied a texture called Wet Glass on top and edited the image using the Blend Modes (Screen) in PS with lots of manipulation of the layer. Finally, I used NIK – Brilliance and Warmth, and NIK Center luminosity. After adjusting everything, here they are. The first one is me “trapped” behind wet glass. The next one is somewhere maybe in the shower trapped too.
Pink Flowers and Reflections
I have an endless fascination with flowers, particularly pink ones. My friend Fran had these gorgeous pink flowers blooming right on a bush in her back yard back in late February. She gave me permission to cut a few off the bush. In the studio I placed the flower against a black reflective surface and used my strobes. The other shots were lilies in my studio in March 2019, again on a black reflective surface. The flowers in the saucer were on a white background so I added a texture to punch things up.