27/365 – Arboretum Relaxing

My house is currently on the market (anyone need a lovely home in Lexington??), and there was a showing tonight so I had to get out of the house for an hour or so. It gave me a great excuse to go sit in the arboretum and just relax and enjoy the beautiful weather. I have been sitting in front of a computer editing for days straight now, so it was nice to have a break.

The shot at hand is actually about ten pictures merged together. It is done using the Brenizer Method, which I have come to absolutely love. For those of you who don’t know, this method is done kind of like how you would create a panorama. You take multiple pictures of a scene, moving the camera across the area you want to capture (like rectangular puzzle pieces). These pictures are then merged together using Photoshop or various other programs to create one image. With the Brenizer Method it is possible to get a wide-angle look while still having an extremely shallow depth of field (which is exactly what I love). If anyone would like to know more about it I would be more than happy to go into more detail, so feel free to ask!

And, just another reminder to go vote and pass it on to everyone you know!

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***, a photo by aithom2 on Flickr.

Well, all of the images are finally up on the site for the contest! For the first time ever you can see the entire series, in the correct order, and in one place in an online format! Please remember to go vote and spread the word!! Thank you for all the support! But, if nothing else, at least go check out the series!

http://abigailthompson.see.me/aw2011/grid

50/52 – Untitled

This really isn’t at all what I originally had in my head for this shoot. But, it was rushed, and not planned out all that well, and life goes on. I don’t normally do this, but I will briefly try to explain what I had planned…

I had found a tutorial online for how to make these beautiful twine balls, using balloons, glue, and cornstarch. Right away I knew I wanted to make some for a self-portrait shoot. It was quite fun to sit on the floor and make these, and for the most part I think they turned out pretty cool. I just used white yarn, and then once dry I sprayed them with white spray paint to get a very bright white. Originally I had wanted to find a clump of beautiful blooming trees, ideally big pink blossoms. In my head this clump of trees would create a shelter like setting, and I would then hang the yarn balls and sit beneath them with sun coming through the branches. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a location that matched what I had in my head, and I got started to late and ran out of bright sun. It may be something I try again at some point, but I had to deal with what I had available at the time, and I am fairly happy with what I got for the circumstances.

Also, I just entered a contest that has the potential to completely change everything for me. It is a self-portrait contest, and I have submitted the series that I am most proud of, from this past summer. There is a “people’s choice” award, and I would so appreciate your vote! All you have to do is go to my portfolio and rate my portfolio 5 stars. No registration or anything necessary, just a click. You can vote once daily, until Wednesday, April 20. I cannot even begin to express how much I would appreciate your vote, and how much I would appreciate you spreading the word to everyone you know! Just click here to go to my portfolio. Thank you so much for the support!

178/365 – The Path to Nowhere…

On Tuesday I went to the UK Arboretum for a quick self-portrait shoot. I am trying to nail down the concept and such for my studio project, so my professor told me to just shoot a ton without lights, and just to keep moving and be natural. So we will see what comes of these. This was the location I shot at, I will upload some self-portraits eventually.