Pros of Winter Photography (will add photos later)

I am simply a summer person. When I was new to photography, the winter period presented little productivity. In fact, I can only recall two memorable instances of me going out and taking pictures (compared to my usual weekly/biweekly outing). The white uniformity outside and cold temperatures left me uninspired and discouraged. 

This year, I held a portrait shoot with the coming of the first snow and it was just lovely. Though I still prefer summer and fall shooting, there are distinct pluses to winter photos. 

1) The white snow acts as a natural reflector to sunlight. The light bounced off of snow casts a bright glow on your model's face. The more common overcast days are also a pro, with softer and more even lighting. 

2) Snow acts as a seasonally unique prop. It can be thrown for cute and quirky shots. When it snows, there's also an added atmospheric element, contributing to mood. In either instance snow adds movement and interest to a scene.

3) Sunrises come later. Sunrise and sunset are ideal shooting hours due to the diffusion of rich soft light. I'm all for waking up with the sun, and occasionally do a sunrise shoot, but especially in the summer, it's just so incredibly early (5am!). In the winter, however, the sun is just as lazy as you, and rises at a reasonable time. 

4) The barren trees and snow allow for a fairly blank canvas. With a less distracting background, your foreground garners extra focus. Having a lack of colors also causes more saturated tones to dramatically increase in vibrancy. This is especially useful for color play. 

5) Freezing outside preps you and your subject for relaxing hot cocoa afterwards. After I finish shooting, I chill with my model and go through the resulting pictures together. I must admit that it's best in the winter when there is heating, fuzzy socks, blankets, and hot cocoa. The harsh cold just makes the warmth even more relaxing.

Idealism // Realism (very short and simplified post)

I've always been someone idealistic by nature, but somehow sometimes a very cynical individual. Idealism is most lethal when regarding people. Yes, you can see something wonderful that everyone possesses. You can find beauties in the human condition and lack weighty negativity toward others. But it leads you back to people that wound you. When you idealize people, they can neglect you or spite you, but at the newest bit of friendliness, they're a great person again. Clearly this is unhealthy and problematic, so I struggled to balance reality and rosy vision.

All humans have good somewhere in them, but this does not make everyone a good person.

This is my conclusion that emerged a few days ago. Things are almost never in black and white. There is always going to be the gray space. People are not all good or all bad. Though it's magnificent to view the positive traits of people, sometimes you have to be realistic and acknowledge the faults, lack of regard, and hurtful tendencies that some people are saturated with.

Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover: Mark Rothko

Though he refused to be attached to any specific labels, Mark Rothko is considered an iconic artist in the Color field genre and regarded as an Abstract Expressionist. Rothko was of Russian Jewish descent and emigrated to the United States of America in his youth.

I saw my first Rothko painting in my A.P. Art History textbook during the spring of my freshman year in '14. The first thoughts in my mind were I could easily do that and Why is that so famous? Of course, I learned the significance of the radical abstract art movements, and though I was impressed by the act itself, Rothko's art just didn't interest me at all. 

Later that year, I had to teach my class about three different artists (Rothko was one of them). Mark Rothko lived a tough life and struggled with looming depression. (I would encourage you to read about it if you enjoy biographies. Really a rich story.) After this, I was very very intrigued by him as a person, but still just wasn't into his art. 

Late April included an APAH and AP Studio Art day trip to Chicago to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, see the Blue Man Group (because performance art, of course), and spend some time downtown. Before anything, I'd like to share that seeing works in person is comparable to seeing some amazing musicians live in concert; viewing art online or on paper is a different experience than seeing the original in person. I was just walking through the floor when I turned the corner and saw it. I can't remember exactly which piece it was, but there were hues of cool blue and gray. The canvas was fairly large and the piece just sucked you in. It created an atmosphere, like storm clouds swirling around you. Any prior judgments disappeared right there, right then. When viewing it, I felt despair, emptiness, confusion.The painting did not capture a scene, but rather externalized emotion on a canvas, exactly how Rothko intended. He once said:

“I'm not an abstractionist. I'm not interested in the relationship of color or form or anything else. I'm interested only in expressing basic human emotions: tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on.” 

I'd say he was always successful in doing so.

Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Jacob

"What is your most anticipated future moment?"

"In the future I would like to move to someplace out of the country, like Korea or Japan, and become an English teacher. It's something that interests me and sounds like a lot of fun. I'm from Korea and I went to Japan this summer, so it just sounds like it would be a really really great experience."

"What did you like most when you were in Japan?"

"I really liked just how everything felt there, I guess. It was really different and I just felt like I enjoyed it better there than here. I think that if I lived there, I would feel a lot better. It just felt more like home."

"Why did you start studying Japanese?"

"I started studying Japanese because initially I wanted to learn Korean, but since they don't offer it here, I had to choose between Chinese and Japanese. In the end, I decided on Japanese."

"When you go to Japan, what kind of experiences do you want to have?"

"I really like being in crowds, like in the city, unlike here where it's kind of bland and not as busy. I like always being busy and being around people."

"What kinds of interactions did you have? Were they different than interactions with people here?"

"Compared to here, people just generally felt more friendly and respectful. People were still maybe not willing to just approach you out of nowhere and say hi, but if you asked for directions or just asked a question, they'd be willing to help you."

"What was your most rich visual memory from Japan?"

"The most beautiful thing I experienced or saw was probably going to the temples and being in an environment where people would come to worship gods. There were beautiful large and ornate structures. It was calming and it just felt peaceful." 

Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Morgan

I went to China this summer, and I would say that say that was one of the most beautiful times in my life. One day in particular, the Fourth of July, we were in Shanghai, so we went to go visit the Pearl Tower, the TV tower.  We went up there and saw the city. That was pretty cool, but later at night, we went on the river in a boat. The city was all lighting up. It was incredible. I don't think I can quite describe how beautiful it was. At first it started out with a few lights here and there, but eventually everything lit up and it was like a kaleidoscope of so many different colors. The water was reflecting everything too. We passed by really colorful boats. Best Fourth of July ever. Probably the most beautiful moment of that trip."

Morgan's picture of Shanghai on the river

"What was a funny moment?"

"A funny moment?  Oh man. Well, there was one time my roommate Emma and I were walking around the city, and we were stopped by a stoplight before crossing the street. All of a sudden, this lady starts speaking to us in rapid-fire Chinese. I was just like 'What's she saying?'. She started pointing at my face, and I was like 'Huh?'. I pointed to my face and she kept repeating these words and eventually I realized she was talking about my freckles. I was like 'These?' and she was like "Yes! Yes! They're very pretty!' It was pretty funny. The whole time, Emma didn't understand a single word, so she had no idea what was going on. Another funny thing was when people would take pictures of us. Emma and I are very white, and stuck out a lot with our blonde hair and freckles. One time, we were at Tienanmen Square and this elementary school-aged girl. She asked 'Can I take a picture with you?' and of course we said 'Okay!' So we're taking our pictures and her parents are like "No! Put your arms around her!' and of course, we were like 'okay!(????)' then eventually, she almost reached up and kissed my cheek. I turned around and was like "Woah!' but it was a good time."

Morgan and Emma

"What was the most emotional part of the trip?"

"Saying goodbye to everyone at the airport. I came to China with nineteen other American students and I cried so much when I was saying goodbye to all my friends. Emma and I were walking  to our boarding gates and we were both crying. That was the worst. It was so sad. I cried on the plane on the way back to Iowa. We landed in Detroit before and then all branched off. When I was crying on the plane, people around me were asking if I was okay and I just responded with 'Yeah?' in the middle of crying. I cried and slept a lot."

"Do you guys text?"

"Yeah, we text and send little cards to each other."

"Any romance in China?" (This question was accompanied with some active eyebrow wiggling. The topic is one that Jacob and I frequently teased Morgan about in the past few months.)

"No????!! Not really. I had several guy friends. There was this one guy. A bunch of our classmates were teasing us so much, calling us boyfriend-girlfriend. His name was Conner (a member of her group from America). We hung out a lot. It started when we were playing chess."

"Woah there. Chess? A little erotic, Morgan."

(Jacob from the side teases, "Erotic chess?" Morgan says no, obviously, and rightly ignores the rest of his comments.)

"Yeah, I think we both liked each other but never wanted to start anything because he lives in Nevada."

"Do you still talk?"

"He hasn't emailed me in a long time.... I emailed him some stuff about marching band but yeah, I don't know."

"Were there any difficulties adjusting?"

"When I first got there it was hard, living with people that who wanted so much from me...like my mom."

"How was the domestic situation in China?"

(Jacob says 'With your boyfriend.' Again, Jacob is ignored, as he should be.)

"My host family was apparently really well off. They lived on the lower floor of the apartment building, so we had an upper floor and a basement. The basement is 'mine'. They were really relaxed.I would come home late a couple nights and they'd just be like 'Oh, whatever.' As long as no one tells the teacher, we're good."

(Jacob comments 'Erotic chess.')

Morgan and her host sister

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Morgan actually described her experiences on a blog: mygreatleapforward66.wordpress.com

5 Common Elements of an Absolutely Stunning Photographic Masterpiece (Works every time)

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I would passionately argue that the best part of portrait photography is all the awful shots one captures. They're just hilarious. The gorgeous post-editing pieces give a good feeling too, but the unflattering pictures are something else. The following are the factors that lead to such beauties. I'd advise taking a moment to prepare yourself before proceeding.

5) Blinking
Sometimes gross (BEAUTIFUL) pictures just emerge when your model is posing and they blink. It's unavoidable and there are at least three in each film. The drooped lids evoke at least twenty seconds of laughter minimum when I find them. My favorite ones are pictures where the subject just looks annoyed.

Examples (click to enlarge):

4) Taking the picture before your subject is ready

The result is something that could of been great but just wasn't quite there yet.

3) Photographing your model while they're talking
Humans generally just don't look their best mid-speech. Speaking involves varied mouth, eye, and eyebrow movements that just aren't meant to be captured.

2) Shooting while your model is executing normal human functions
Actions like adjusting hair, scratching an itch, coughing, yawning, etc. are bound to happen sometime. It's best to photograph them, as they do not last long. No, they don't make good art, but they make hilarious pictures. Photograph them for your own enjoyment. Just do it.

1) ACTION SHOTS

Action shots are my favorite thing to photograph. They're a pain in the arse to adjust your settings for, but dang, they produce some of the BEST pictures. Seriously, these are hilarious. Not only does your model defy gravity, but their face is often too good. I can't even. 

Bonus short story! (Goes with #5)
I was editing a picture of my friend earlier today and thought it was super cute. Initially, it just looks like an adorable shot of a lovely girl happily spinning with nature all around her. The photo gave me similar vibes an Monet's Woman with a Parasol. Midway through editing, I noticed her face and was filled with dread. I mean seriously, look at this:

I'm done.

On Companionship

My best friend/queen Elizabeth and me

This sounds like something from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I know, but being with good friends is really something special. Throughout my adolescence, the effect of being with friends always confused me. It wasn't a frequent thing, but being with people that are close to me would make me feel excited and joyful. Seems like an obvious thing, but while living with chronic depression, to feel like that is something crazy. 

As an introvert, being alone is great. Unfortunately, being alone is also not the best thing with depression and anxiety. Overthinking runs rampant. You know the feelings that emerge at 3AM after everyone has fallen asleep and the world just seems a little darker? For me and many others, that's what it's like at all hours on a normal day. 

Again, what really threw me was why I felt so normal with other people. It really didn't make sense. It was(/is) incredibly perplexing to feel awful typically, then have moments where things were(/are) unarguably great. Because of this, I felt like an over-dramatic poser, which I definitely was and am not. Just yesterday, after five years of this, I realized why this happened.

Philosopher Alan Watts once said:

"A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So he loses touch with reality, and lives in a world of illusion."

This is crucial. Mental health disorders often involve intense feelings of being trapped. The mind turns into a cage (and a hella strong one at that). You become stuck in the boundaries of your head, lost in thoughts. Reality becomes more and more abstract and everything just feels wrong. Despite going through daily life, things don't really reach you.

My big revelation was that close friends have the ability to pull you out of your thoughts. When you truly engage with people, you're sharing thoughts, energy, ideas, and experiences with them. Friends can sometimes yell over the prolific critic in your thoughts, temporarily breaking bonds. It's a simple idea, but honestly, I hadn't even come close to seeing it. If anyone else has felt confused about why they're okay with friends, there is a reason for it, and it does not invalidate your experiences away from them.