:: exercise #7 results {descriptive portraits} | 30 people pictures ::

My 3 children are like characters out of a Dr Seuss book -- their little personalities are colorful, occasionally non-sensical, yet complex. So for this assignment, I decided to capture portraits of one of my Bar-ba-loots in her natural habitat as inspired by the maestro's work.

To see my fellow photographers' descriptive portraits, please visit:

Abbey Road Designs

Claudia Muir Photography

GSG Photography

Elaine Janet Photography
What Eyes See Daily

DC Group

:: WARL 03.24.2012 | washington dc pet photographer ::

There's no better way to brighten a gray, chilly weekend than to spend some time with the cuddly pups at the Washington Animal Rescue League. Learn more about these dogs, who are now available for adoption, on the WARL website or better yet...in person!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Look for my "People Pictures" Exercise #7 tomorrow!

:: m family | new york city family portrait photographer ::

This is such a fun & loving family. Each child has a distinct personality and each is adored by their doting parents :-) To see more photos from the M Family mini session, please visit my Facebook album.

:: j-s family | new york city family portrait photographer ::

A couple of weeks ago, I travelled to New York City to hang out with a group of talented photogs from near and far -- one came down from Cambridge, Mass., while another made the trip all the way from Germany! During this retreat, I had the privilege of photographing the families of two of the photogs and a couple engaged to be married.

Since the area around Bethesda Fountain in Central Park is such an iconic space, we decided to do the shoots there. We were accompanied by sparkling afternoon sunshine and fresh Spring air. Here is a selection from the mini session with the lovely J-S Family. For more of this session, please visit my Facebook album.

:: exercise #7: descriptive portraits | 30 people pictures ::

SPECS

• Goal: 10 descriptive portraits
• Tools: Camera; normal or telephoto focal-length lens.
• Light: Natural or available light.
• Location: Your choice.
• Theme: PORTRAITS INSPIRED BY CREATIVE USE OF WORDS.
• Duration: 10 minutes per photo shoot.
• Subject(s): Anyone.

CHALLENGES

• Step 1: Brainstorm for 15 minutes and generate portrait ideas based on creative descriptions or words.
• Step 2: Select & write down the best 5 to 10 ideas from the brainstorming.
• Step 3: Sketch out a few locations & people you'd like to photograph based on your favorite ideas.
• Step 4: Review your favorite ideas right before the shoot & use them as internal guides to bring your ideas to life.

PRODUCT

• Ten descriptive portraits.

For more tips and inspiration, please read Chris Orwig's "People Pictures."

:: taking a break...or not | washington dc portrait photographer ::

Tuesday is usually the day on which I introduce our next "People Pictures" exercise. However, since I have about 6 sessions to edit from the past two weeks, I will need to finish editing those before I return to the exercises. I will post excerpts from the sessions this week and the next. Stay tuned!

I hope you are enjoying the fantabulous, nearly-80-degree weather!!!

:: exercise #6 results {less is more} | 30 people pictures ::

For Exercise #6, we were supposed to explore the poetic aspects of people pictures -- to make thoughtful and reflective shots which are simple yet profound.

Ever since I was a kid, I've always been fascinated by e.e. cummings's work. Oh, how I wanted to be just like e.e. -- I swear I didn't start re-capitalizing my words until I started architecture school (where everything written in a drawing is capitalized).

Cummings's poems are intriguing in that their true meanings are not always clear-- yet they evoke very strong sensory experiences in the reader through rhythm, rhymes and punctuation. The poem "a pretty a day" is a perfect example of how he uses words to manipulate how one experiences simple,everyday objects (flowers), in order to evoke a deeper emotional experience.

While I was in NYC last weekend, I took some head shot portraits of my friend, A,  for this exercise (see the narrative portrait of A from Exercise #5). Like e.e. cummings's poems, a good head shot should be simple, yet be able to convey the more complex mix of personality and experiences of your subject. My friend is a talented actor, who is a Broadway wardrobe dresser, who is my photography mentor, who is also the loving dad of the gentlest bull-mastiff in the world. All four portraits are taken with the Canon 5D Mark ii, 50 mm F/1.2 L prime lens, indoors with natural light from large windows.

See my fellow photographers' "less-is-more" portraits:

Abbey Road Designs

Claudia Muir Photography

GSG Photography

Elaine Janet Photography

What Eyes See Daily

Workshop Group