Moods

Weekly Photo Challenge: Forward

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I’m at an uncertain point in my life right now. I’ve lived in Australia for 13 years, and I’ve been employed by the same company since the first day I was eligible to work here. In two weeks time, I’ll know if 1) I still have a job there and 2) if I do, whether it is the job I want. I have to look forward, planning contingencies in case my world is turned on its head in the near future.

Although I’ve lived in cities all of my adult life, I grew up on a farm. Part of the future I dream of is a return to the country life – the quiet, interrupted by the breeze whispering through the wheat fields, the cry of a dove, the orchestra of crickets and cicadas in the depth of the night. I’m just not ready for that change yet.

I took this photo in one of my favourite locations in Second Life. It’s a place called Far Away, and I’ve blogged photos from this spot before. For this post, I went back to that series of shots I took a few months ago, knowing I would find an image there to reflect my uncertainty. Of memories of the past that may someday be my present.

And always looking forward.

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In His Head

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Tie-dyed walls, beanbag chairs and me…

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A Head of the Pack

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Boy…I was SO tempted to go with a different title for this post, but I decided to keep it G-rated 😀

Head shots are one of the most challenging types of photos to do because the attention to detail is critical. If you get it right, it’s a close-up not only of the subject’s face, but also a glimpse into their soul. I don’t do one on every shoot, even though I do try to capture at least a few shots that I can play with. Eh…it doesn’t always work out. But I’ll keep trying, shooting those tight photographs and working on my technique. I want to be able to offer at least one to every person I photograph. Stay tuned as I work on realising that dream.

I also kinda fudge on what a true head shot is. Generally speaking, it should just be the face and possibly shoulders. But I extend that to include the upper body – basically, chest up.

That’s what I did with this photo of my friend, Fox. He has beautiful eyes and I wanted to show them off, but it just didn’t seem to work with a tight head shot. So, I extended the cropping to allow me to include an overlay that I think helps create a mood that reflects more about him.

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This photo of my cherished, Tylar, is actually a re-work. I wasn’t happy with the original, so when I started playing around with overlays, this was one of the first pictures I experimented with. It’s still not perfect, but it not only shows Tylar’s beauty, it gave me an opportunity to express my love for my dear friend.

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I’ve used myself as a guinea pig for head shots more than anyone else, because if I fail, I am not disappointing anyone who is expecting a usable finished product. I shoot photos of myself for a variety of reasons: sometimes to relax, sometimes because I want to test a new prop or pose, and sometimes just because I get the itch to try out new techniques and I want new material to work with.

One of my favourite effects is called Orton. It gives a dreamy, romantic mood to a photograph. It doesn’t work with every shot, but when it does, I’m overjoyed. I think in this photo, it worked. I love the warmth and softness it conveys.

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I’ll be revisiting this topic as I improve my technique. I’d love to hear what you think about head shots – either shooting them, having one taken of you and even if you think I’ve succeeded.

Or not. 😉