Today was just gorgeous. High of 92 with 20 mph wind. You know, I believe if the wind ever stopped blowing in Lubbock, the end of the world is near. Truly.
Sitting outside of Mass Comm, waiting for my studio session and listening to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album by The Beatles, I notice this little guy hop, hopping along, looking for a juicy worm. He found one too, and I watched him pull it out of the earth through my 300mm lens (the shot came out fuzzy (damn)) and it was such a beautiful sight to see. Amazing. The worm fought too. Robin was just too strong and too hungry for Worm to win. Gobbled up in just a few seconds. Beautiful.
In my Senior Portfolio class we are recreating advertisements. One I chose was an advertisement for Burger King. This is not the shot I'm using for the recreation, but it is one that I am quite fond of. I like it because of the elongated look of the model's neck and the band aids on her lips.
I love being in the studio because of how much control there is in the light.
Texas Tech's V-Day Campaign is putting on The Vagina Monologues this year. With one performance left, they have had an incredible attendance and impact already on campus.
Their next performance is this coming Saturday, April 3rd at 7pm in the Human Sciences Building Room 169. Tickets are $10 or $7 with a student ID.
"Based on interviews with over 200 women about their memories and experiences of sexuality, The Vagina Monologues gives voice to women's deepest fantasies and fears, guaranteeing that no one who reads it will ever look at a woman's body, or think of sex, in quite the same way again. It is witty and irreverent, compassionate and wise. "At first women were reluctant to talk," Eve Ensler writes. "They were a little shy. But once they got going, you couldn't stop them."
For quite some time now I have been passionate about the message this passionate group of women have to share. This year, due to schedule conflicts, I was unable to be involved in the event. However, I was able to stop by this past weekend to photograph the show. Halfway through, my battery died and I became SOL. Half a show shot, sucks, and now I'm trying to figure out how to get the other half shot since I plan on being out of town this coming weekend to visit family.
This is a grab shot from one of the monologues performed.
This is one of several photography teachers at Texas Tech University. Amy Boren has been my teacher for Digital Photography 1 and now my Senior Portfolio. Most photographers hate getting their photo taken, they are behind the camera for a reason, not in front of it. This is Amy's mindset. Personally, I love both. I like to think that makes me stronger as a photographer, because having the knowledge of how to model and an enjoyment for it, I can better communicate instruction to my models.
When you are getting your portrait taken, you need to have a good mindset. If you are like Amy, you'll go into the session thinking you are unattractive and nobody is going to get a good shot of you, you're not photogenic, you're difficult to work with, yadda yadda blah blah blah! Honestly, the photo is going to turn to shit if you are that unhappy with yourself. "Don't make me look ugly," she said. I told her to stop being ugly. It got her attention and then I explained myself. If you think you're ugly, you will be ugly and no matter how beautiful a lighting setup is done, you'll still be ugly. However, if you think beautiful thoughts, positive thoughts, the photos from that shoot are going to jump exponentially because then you are not difficult to work with, you are photogenic, great shots are taken and damn, you are beautiful.
This was taken with a clam shell lighting setup (one light on top, one on bottom, like a clam shell) on a white background. Amy, you are beautiful. This was one of my favorite shoots.
The other day I went into the studio to shoot a story on a Texas Tech professor who teaches a video course. This is one of the test shots I managed to snag before he arrived. Still photography is great because you have so much control over the object, but personally, I like people more. They're just more fun and they talk back to you. Video Cameras don't.
This is an old edit for me, one I've kept meaning to get to, and finally did!
I promise, for this post, I will not rant about anything. I'm sure by now you want me to keep all my opinions to myself and to just shut up. Honestly though, where is the fun in that?
All these weather changes really chap my lips.... so do sunglasses. Two of my biggest pet peeves have to do with the way something "feels." 1. Sunglasses sitting on the bridge of my nose. I don't like this feeling, having never needed to wear glasses, because it tickles my eyes and makes me feel funny. I would seriously rather squint into the setting sun than drive with that soft pressure on the soft skin atop my nose. 2. Flip Flops. Same thing but reverse. The feeling of that leather/plastic/foam between my toes drives me crazy! I've tried, believe me, I have but my big toe just cannot fathom the concept of having a foreign object wedging it apart from it's loyal companion, pointer toe. Poor babies hate it when, if ever, it happens.
The band is set and ready, the lights dim and BAM! Just as as the first chord is played on the guitar what do you see in the audience? A million flashing lights from their little point and shoot cameras. What image are they getting on that screen? The people in front of them are overexposed/correctly exposed with the background (the stage) almost all black. What else are they getting? Their pretty faces as they see, OMG, Eli Young Band play!!!! Anything else? Oh yeah, they've pumped up their digital zoom, thinking their on camera flash will reach across the stadium to grace the country star's face. Wrong. it's blurry.
People amuse me.
I'm not very proud of this shot but as I wait for my laundry to get done, I can't help but get my thoughts out and this is the perfect shot for that. It's the mass tangle of hands holding cameras, holding phones, with such eagerness behind it! The open mouths screaming because their favorite country artist is so close to them and Oh My God touching them! Maybe one of them wet their shredded jean skirt and knockoff country boots with excitement. Who knows? I can only hope because then it would make this image that much better.
Never getting to experience the thrill of clinging to the wool of an adult sheep as it stampedes across a rodeo floor, I'm sure it's very much like the Texas Giant Rollercoaster at Six Flags over Texas in Arlington, TX. You get the crap beat out of you.
I watched these kids get trampled on, thrown off, and run into gates during this part of the rodeo, but every single time it was the cutest thing in the world. Sheep don't hurt people! How could they? They're all woolly and fleecey. . . except for black sheep. Black sheep are mean. So are Weresheep.
Went to Rodeo Houston the other day because we got free tickets to see the Eli Young Band. Unfortunately we were not sitting very close so I could not get any really awesome shots of the cowboys being flung from the bulls, but I did manage to snag some creative shots while I was there.
This is one of my favorites for several reasons. 1. The bull, 2. The cowboy on the bull, and 3. You've got these two badass cowboys just chilling while the guy on the bull is trying as hard as he can to hold on for 8 seconds. The horses look like they're just chilling too.
The smile on her face says it all and that is exactly what I wanted to capture. This little girl and her two brothers were so happy splashing each other with water from the fountain in front of the Science Museum in Houston.
Who thought a simple plastic cup could be so beautiful?
This photo makes me happy and sad. Happy because it's such a lovely contrast. Sad because there is one more idiot in this world who can't walk 20 feet to the trashcan to throw away his trash and has to leave it in the water to strangle ducks and gunk up our beautiful parks.
"Gangsta Duck, look, there goes the gangsta duck! He's so gangsta!"
The children running around the pond at Hermann Memorial Park were shouting at the mohawk ducks that chant. It was fun, until they picked up sticks and rocks to get a reaction out of the bird. I'm all for creating drama for an image, but physically attacking a duck is not way to do it. He was pretty cool just chilling on the pond, as if he thought he wasn't goofy looking at all. Who know, in duck world, he may just be the bees knees.
I remember when I was little, I'd pick every single seeded dandelion from the schoolyard, make the hardest, biggest, selfless wish I could and blow those dandelion seeds up into the sky. I decided every wish I would make would be selfless, because after years of making wishes for myself that never came true, I realized that isn't how the game works.
Houston wind got this one.
Photography is all about details and details are what I love to photograph. Everyone may not see things as I do, but that's not why I'm a photographer. If I shot everything to please you, man, this business would get old. Shots like this are for me.
While feeling like a normal human being, I ran around outside (not too much) and while observing the aloe vera plant, I noticed someone trying to blend into the leaves. Cute little guy. Took more pictures than I am used to, but I didn't want to risk ending up with too many out of focus shots. He tried to run away from me at first, but got used to me once he saw I had no intention of eating him.
Fact: Ever since I can remember I've suffered from allergies and asthma.
Tuesday, I went to go see an allergist for my asthma and allergies. I had a terrible episode and it's has gotten to the point where I have forgotten what it feels like to be normal. My peak flow test showed my lungs were working at 70% of what they should be. This is the reason I feel so out of breath running up the stairs, jumping into bed, walking across campus and everything else. Not because I'm out of shape. I don't know what shape I'm in because I can't breathe long enough to find out.
I haven't sneezed once today. It is the strangest thing to me. Out of habit I breathe through my mouth, but now, I can sit comfortably and breathe through my nose. It is so incredible. I can stand outside and watch the pollen float through the air and not get a sinking feeling that I'm going to sneeze an organ out five minutes later.
The allergist told me I need to get a "healthy" evaluation in Lubbock. See what my peak flow is when I'm not suffering from an allergy/asthma attack. Oh joy.
Shadow is an awesome dog, just don't get too close. He can get a bit excited about his tennis ball, taking a few fingers with it! His best friend is a terrier named Max. Max was a little better with people than Shadow and after wiggling through the bars and saying hello to me, I instantly fell in love.
I love dogs so much. Big dogs. Not little dogs. Little dogs have no purpose in this world other than to annoy the crap out of people. Big dogs are loving, protective, fun and can take a lot more loving abuse than a little dog can. That is why it is a shame I am cursed with such an allergy toward them. Due to my love, I put up with the constant sneezing, slight wheezing and skin rashes, because I know the irritation will pass. I'm only hoping I outgrow this allergy and one day I can have a dog give me a big wet kiss and not have to run to immediately wash it off.
Thank you for playing with me, Shadow, and Max, thanks for the love.
I'm not going to go into much detail about this shot. I took it with my camera phone while I was bored in the bathroom waiting for an available stall. Stupid girls who take forever to potty. Seriously, do your business and get out.
Charlie Stout has got a new band and he asked me to take pretty pictures of their debut. To make things easier on me and my photographic skills, he chose the worst spot (lighting wise) on the stage to stand. Thank you, Charlie. Just to spite him I thought about posting a photo of him on this thing.... I might. I might not. Depends on how I feel when I finish typing this little bio up. The Migrant Mothers play some great original music. Shuffling through the images I had taken, I was tapping my toes on the bar stool. They play a mix of Country / Alternative Country and they refuse to play depressing songs. Overall, I think they had a very successful debut. If you guys aren't up to date on the new band, you should do so. Fill your ear with musical pleasure.
Well, Charlie, I know you're reading this and I've made up my mind. I'm posting it. =)
My friend Joy asked me to help her with her self-portrait. I'm always excited to go out and shoot just about anything, so I said yes and we drove over to the Buddy Holly Recreation Area on North University and took a few photos. This is one of my favorites from the shoot. I'm going to do a bit more with it later, but for now, here is Joy.
This girl is CRAZY awesome. I did not know her previous to taking her portrait, but after spending the afternoon chasing her around the Mass Communications building, I found out why I was assigned to shoot her. We are so much alike. I actually became a bit upset afterward because I'm almost done with school, which means anybody I meet and fall in love with as a person, I don't have much time to really expand a physical friendship with them.
Jillian is a wonderful person and an inspiration. At 23, she's already accomplished so much in life. She's graduated early from high school, undergraduate and graduate school and works for Texas Tech University as a recruiter for the college of Mass Communications. She's found herself a husband and I'm sure has accomplished so much more that I have yet to discover.
Jillian Mulieri Lellis Graduate Assistant for Recruitment
On my way to the bus stop after work, I found this little guy hopping around and picking up clods of dirt. Today was a long day of work and running around doing errands. At least it got better with dinner with good sushi and good conversation.
Today I shot a story for the Mass Communicator Magazine. Before the event started, I went to grab some detail shots that could help the story. This is one that I just love. It proves how obsessive compulsive I am at times....I organize and align pencils. Granted, they are not completely straight and matched, but I thought that would have thrown off the creativity of the image.
I graduated August 2010 from Texas Tech University with my Bachelors degree in Photojournalism. I strive to tell the stories of those I photograph and make new friendships along the way too! I'm a Canon girl and I love snickerdoodles and squirrels!
Feel free to send me an email at alisonpaigephotography@gmail.com
