The portfolio book

As graduation is approaching faster and faster, the importance of certain things when it comes to photography are really starting to seem more and more relevant. Thinking about taxes... like real taxes, not just paying for the little bit that wasn't taken out of my paycheck from Maggie Moo's, and car payments (although my car does not exist yet, these will start)... but honestly all of this is to deal with starting Monday, May 24, 2010. Before graduation, one major thing I have to think about for starting off my career is having a good book. The portfolio book gets sent to people you hope might hire you, or that your agent (if you have one) sends out for you to get work. Along with a good book, you now need your website, and some photographers, agents/reps, etc don't even accept or care to look at your books anymore and just go straight to your website. And although this is a fact, you still need that hard copy, beautiful portfolio book. There is something special about being able to flip through a portfolio, touching the pages with your fingers (which one day will ruin those prints...), seeing the ink (if digital print) lye on top of the paper, whether glossy, matte, pearl, whatever, there's a feeling that you get when you look at somebodies book that you do not get when looking at the computer screen. Another thing you have to think about, how will this portfolio book fit with your work? how will it relate to you? how will it show whoever is looking at it, that its unique because you're unique. Most photographers opt. for a black book, which is beautiful, it really is, and I know that half of my graduating class will go towards having a black book. But a black cover i don't feel is me. My images aren't the brightest in colors always, but they aren't mute either, so I wanted a color that I felt represents me and my work. I chose brown, to be exact its called "Chestnut Destiny" (chestnut brown), and its a fake leather just to save some money, but looks just like it. There are many portfolio companies, but I chose to go with a company called Brewer from New York city, because I heard amazing things about them, and from their website I loved the work that they produced. It was a big purchase, but I'm super excited to recieve it!!! (2 weeks!!!!) In my mind I think once I receive it I'll feel like a real photographer... here is a swatch of my brewer book color

Pouring liquids

Pouring water in a bucket of water is harder then it looks, end of story.

This shot is for my food photography class in which we the directions were simple, illustrate liquid pouring, it could be a splash, or simple as pouring milk into a cup with some cookies. for this assignment though, I wanted to make it more my style then the general "food style" (and by the way, if you want to see some amazing food photography, check out my friend Anna's website http://www.annarossphotography.com/ ). I feel my style is more graphic, and hard edge (because of the lighting that i like) then the average food shot, sooo for the past assignments I've gone by the book, and now its getting boring, now its about what I like more, and I like this more then the shot i did of milk pouring into a mug with cookies scattered around.

For the water I used the same lighting technique that I would use to get black line as i would with glass. The interesting thing about water is that although its nothing like glass, lighting properties, I feel, are all the same. The reflectiveness, the shiny, and the elegant feel you get from the two things are almost identical in my mind. Along with my lighting set up for the black line edge, I gelled the background lights for the color, and also individually gelled the water a bluish color. Hello color, i love you.

Also, if you haven't checked out my website yet, I just reupdated it (again) 10 minuets ago!! http://www.jessdavisphoto.com go check it out!!!

On a side, and completely not related note, I am in love with The Flaming Lips, if you don't know them, check them out because they're amazing, and you probably already know some of their songs, one of their songs " do you realize?" was in a car commercial a couple of years ago

WEBSITE!

It's true! My website is updated... again! Go check it out! http://www.jessdavisphoto.com

I've got an idea, where's my lightbulb?

Strange fact about me, I'm obsessed with spray paint. I am always looking for an excuse to spray paint something. I think this all began when I used to spray paint stencils onto t shirts and other clothing, I've even spray painted on a purse once. I also frequently try to think of ways i can spray paint props... and when I can actually can, I take full advantage of it. FULL. So, let me start from the beginning. I had this preliminary idea for lighbulbs growing out of grass as if they were the trees, very surreal and fantasy. Plans changed with i couldn't find turf and minitures that I felt would help out this project. So for the time being I just bought light bulbs of different shapes and sizes. When it came to shooting day I still only had the lightbulbs, but I also had spray paint in my locker, so I thought why not spray paint these lightbulbs and if something comes of it, then it does. I played around with different painting techniques and found that I liked a frosted look much better then a fully coated look. This is my outcome:
Way different then the sketch as it started, but needless to say I'm happy with it. Hopefully my next idea will turn out the way that I have it sketched out.

I've also been working on my website, and hopefully today it'll be done... again.

My inspiration on the left, and my version on the right.

New York City

I am in NYC for the week for one of my classes visiting different representatives of the photographic industry, should be fun!

Drippin'

This is another shot from one of yesterdays shoots. It's normal lipstick with nail polish dripping over it, then several shots put together to get the right highlights and drips all in one shot, or compositing. This shot particularity is 3 shots composited together. I got my inspiration from this image:(http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/88205507/The-Image-Bank ) From this inspiration, I developed my own swing on it, and made it have more a concept, a conceptual version. I took something that normally wouldn't be covered in nail polish, and developed the same feeling as the basic nail polish shot. I did a small series of these with only make up, lipsticks, mascara, lip gloss and eyeshadow, and hope to make it go past just make up. I'm thinking about expanding it to all different objects, not sure exactly what yet though. I'm also going to be using one of the images from this shoot for one of my promo pieces that I will be taking on the New York City trip that we will be going on in one week from today!!

To go back to what i was saying before about compositing; it's a fairly easy technique that is done in photoshop, but can be time consuming. The easiest way to do compositing is to plan ahead. This is the easiest way to do it because then later on in post, if you don't plan that out, it can be veryvhard to do, and often you won't have the piece of the shot that you may have wanted there. I often will have a sketch of what i want my image to look like before even starting the shoot, before I've even bought props, etc. So once I do get to the studio to a shoot, I will know what I want to achieve and therefore know what I need to do to achieve my shot whether it's in post or if I need to do post work (photoshop work) later on.

With this being the last year that I am here I am really trying, as much as possible, to be shooting, trying new things, trying new techniques, building a portfolio, and at the same time having a good time while doing it all.