World is Still Gray, but in a Good Way

 I guess the white on white series was a way to explore the gray that is my world, but in a positive way. And since digital black and white always feels kinda fake to me, it was a strange challenge for me. And definitely doing all white images in black and white was a tonal challenge for sure. I'm not sure I always got it right, but it was fun trying. I enjoyed it so much I completed 26 shots in 8 days.

My favorite shot is this one:

Because, it's a self portrait of sorts. I'm wearing those men's underwear, inside out (at the time that was unbeknownst to me). And I even added a bulge for some reality. I have never felt so goofy, but I just couldn't NOT do it.

All of the shots were taken with one light and a lot of white paper used for fill light.

Lighting wise this is my favorite:

First, it took forever to find an all white toothbrush (Whole Foods to the rescue and I was only there because of a fluke). Second, that is taken in my bathroom with the toothbrush on the lid of my toilet. That doesn't sound amazing until you realize my bathroom is 5x8. I barely fit in there, much less me, a light, and a tripod. I'm surprised nothing caught on fire. And now that I think about it, I could have taken the lid off that darn toilet and put it somewhere bigger! But how authentic would that be? It's just one brolly box pointed straight down at the toothbrush. Well, as straight down as it could be before hitting all the walls!

And what's odd is, while I really like that picture, I think it has more to do with the design of the toothbrush then my skills as a photographer.

White On White

Whenever I get burnt out on photography, I start a 30 Days series. I pick some basic element of photography to focus on and I take one picture every day for a month. It gets the camera back in my hands and usually sparks that creativity in my brain that has been laying dormant for a while.

This time I picked white on white as a theme. Mainly because my friend Jen left me with a bag of cotton balls and q-tips that has been sitting out on my vanity for a month. I've been looking at it everyday and the other day, I just wanted to shoot something and that's what I grabbed. And while I've never been to photography school, I've heard that one class assignment is to shoot an egg on white. That's a great way to learn to control shadows. So for a month, I'm going to play with white. By the end of the month, I should really appreciate shadows and how they define an image.

Here are my first two attempts. I'm happy to say, I'm excited about photography again.

You will be able to see the series progress here:
White on White

Finally, New Photos

I haven't taken any images since my trip to Key West in May. When I returned to my home it was still full of grief and sadness and it's hard for me to take pictures when the world looks and feels gray. But I have been working through that grief and I believe that the color is returning to my world.

I took a trip to Jarrettsville, Maryland where there are acres and acres of sunflowers. The bees and butterflies were out as well as the tourists. I even helped a few get family portraits, tourists that is. I'm not sure if the bees and butterflies were interested in portraits.

On my way back, I stopped at the old Paper Mill Road Bridge (which is a stone's throw from the new Paper Mill Road Bridge). They are hoping to make it a footbridge someday. I hope they do because it's gorgeous.