Sunday Spotlight On: Selfie Sunday

You don’t have to be a teenager, young adult, college student or celebrity to take a great selfie. Selfies has become a household name in almost every corner of the world. It has now become common to let people know what you are doing, what you are wearing and whom you are hanging out with in the world of social media. It has also become so popular that it named Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year in 2013.

For photographers, we sometimes need to take a great photograph of ourselves for our business. After all we are suppose to be the subject matter experts in this field and it is expected that we can capture ourselves as we capture others. I will admit that I am the kind of photographer who would rather be behind the lens rather than in front of the lens. While taking Creative Concepts here at AIO, we were to create a series of images that represents who we are as photographers. We’d all like to identify ourselves with the things that we are strong in, but taking off the layers and exposing our weakness as well takes a lot of strength and willpower.

If I have ever taken a class with you, then some of you may know that my heart is with photojournalism and documentary photography. I love to document anything and everything that deals with women. For my series of images in Creative Concepts, I exposed the darkness in my life dealing with my PTSD, sexual assault and my fear of abandonment. This was a hard series to shoot technically and mentally but I had no choice but to push through and come up with something that represented who I am as a photographer and what I like to shoot. In the end I loved the challenge and gave it my all. 

Quiana P Jackson. Meditation, 2014.

Quiana P Jackson. Motion, 2014. 

My challenge to the students here at the AIO is to capture not only the things that make you strong photographers, but the things that weakens you as well. For some of us it is shyness, nervousness, insecurities, etc and can be seen in a single photograph or an entire series. In order to progress as a strong photographer we have to conquer those things that holds us back from being able to capture the world as we see it. I will state that not everyone will have a "emotional" selfie, some may be funny, serious or very professional head shots. No matter what the driving force behind it is, just make it a good one. 

I am your Sunday Funday Ambassador. 

Happy Shooting! 

Work Cited:

“Oxford Word Of The Year 2013.” Huffington Post. 19 November 2013. Web. 15 March 2014.

Creative Self-Portraits

Happy Sunday Everyone! We all made it through another long and busy week. I think I mentioned somewhere that my current class is Photographic Design. Honestly when I started the class, I wasn't sure what to expect. The information on it really didn't go into great detail. We just hit the end of week 2 and class is just cruising by, I wanted to talk a little about one of the assignments this past week: Creative Self-Portraits. This assignment took a lot of thought and serious reflection on my part. I mean you have to think about who you are and what makes you, you.. Keeping in mind that you, cant necessarily be in the photo itself. That means no putting it on the tripod and taking a full face shot. You can have body parts in the photograph, but not your face.. Sounds difficult.. Slightly, but if you really think about it, the ideas will come streaming out.. Don't forget to jot them down so you don't forget..

I did some research and found some really amazing photos taken by some very talented photographers. That just added to the motion in my head. So I pose this question to all of you out there hopefully reading this blog.. What do you think makes a great or outstanding creative self-portrait and how far would you go to take one that will really make an outstanding impression.

Below are a few that I took this past week. Please feel free to leave feedback... We all LOVE feedback.

 Photos by Wayne Salat

                                                                    Photos by Wayne Salat

 Photos by Wayne Salat

                                                                                           Photos by Wayne Salat

Enjoy Your Sunday and Photograph Something Everyday!

Sunday Ambassador~ Wayne

Recent Class Assignment and a Road Trip

Good Morning Everyone and Happy Sunday! Today I am just going to talk about a recent project and school assignment that I had due. On Thursday of this past week I had the pleasure of going on a road trip. I had a class assignment due on Saturday so I chose to go to a different location other than what I normally use. The road trip took me to Baltimore MD and Washington D.C. I had always heard about this great place to shoot called the Graffiti Warehouse located in Baltimore, so that was the first place we headed. I also like to photograph National and Historical Site so for that I headed to Washington D.C.

The assignment for school we had to take portraits using only available light, no strobes or flash. This is something that I do all the time so I wasn't to worried, I used the Graffiti Warehouse for this they had a few rooms with huge windows that gave some amazing light. Below are some of the photos taken yesterday.

 Photos By Wayne Salat

 Photos By Wayne Salat

 Photos By Wayne Salat

Photos By Wayne Salat

For the other personal project, as I had mentioned, I went to Washington D.C. I have never photographed at night so this proved to be a challenge. Photographing some of the monuments during the day also proved to be a challenge as the light was quite strong.  Getting my settings right and putting the knowledge that I had to the test, produced some nice photos. Below are some photos of the U.S Capital Building taken at 10 PM and the others were taken during the day when sun was brightest.

  Photos By Wayne Salat

  Photos By Wayne Salat

  Photos By Wayne Salat

 Photos By Wayne Salat

Enjoy Your Sunday and Photograph Something Everyday!

Sunday Ambassador~ Wayne

The Art of Self-Portraiture

Saturday Ambassador

Photography students are required to explore a variety of genres, techniques and theories. Regardless of your professional interests, delving into other realms of the photographic arts can broaden your perspectives, hone your skills and make you a more attentive photographer. One pursuit that is often overlooked, however, is the art of self-portraiture.

Self-portraiture requires practice to perfect, but it is a useful skill – one that is not easy to master. The day will arrive, if it hasn't already, when you will need a profile image for a professional application, a personal "greeting" to potential customers, an identity image for a publication or some combination thereof. You could ask another photographer to create an image for you, but by doing so you lose creative control of the outcome; it becomes someone else's art.

Learning self-portraiture is also an excellent way to become a consummate portrait artist; as photographer, lighting technician and subject, you are particularly aware of every nuance of the portrait-making process.  

Here are some tips for creating fabulous self-portraits:

§  Use a stand-in, if available, (friend, family member, passer-by or even a Halloween mask on a stick, if all else fails) to determine how your lighting will appear.

§  Place an object where you will stand or sit. This allows you to find the proper spot quickly, as well as providing a point upon which to focus.

§  Ensure that your focal point is where your eyes will be in the frame. I often place a light stand in the scene with the tip at the height of my eyes so that I can focus upon that precise point, removing it upon entering the scene.

§  If the scene is a landscape and you don't have a handy light stand, mark the spot with a rock.

§  Look into a mirror and arrange your face as you'd like it to appear just before entering the scene. Also, be aware of reflections in glasses, shininess of skin, clothing wrinkles and other detriments to good portraiture.

§  Find (or create) an interesting set for your self-portrait. Decide what you want this image to say about you.

§  Practice!

You are likely to be amazed at the number of applications for exquisite self-portraiture. It is truly a worthwhile endeavor, as you may unexpectedly find yourself before the camera as video host; you may need a self-portrait for a promotional project; perhaps you'll want to refine your portraiture skills – this is a great way to do it.
       

                         

~Saturday Ambassador