3 posts tagged “florida”
He arrived a couple of days before the workshop was to start, and I did my best to show him the beautiful beaches, rivers, old downtown sections and the like that are not far from here in Stuart and Jensen Beach. Weather was hot with bright blue skies and was perfect for putting the top down and enjoying what South Florida excels in, stunning weather.
The workshop started on Thursday with an introduction to design principles; aka what makes for interesting images, complete with assignments and image critique. Friday we had an excursion to the Morikami Gardens to put some of what we learned into practice. When we returned in the afternoon we had a chance to see Lightroom in action, and I decided to start using it in postprocessing my images. Saturday was when (for me at least) the workshop became even more fun, as we focused on portrait photography and in the afternoon, we had a model come in so that we could play in a real studio setting. This was for me the highlight and I got a number of images I was very pleased with. The model was someone I know who's asked me to do a portrait of her but we'd not been able to get schedules to coordinate, so perhaps it was a bit less intimidating to interact with her. That is the one part of portrait photography I feel I need the most help with, this letting down of my guard, this connecting with a subject so they can relax, so that I can capture them in a natural way. I know I get nervous, concerned they'll realise that sometimes it's me just acting as though I know what I'm doing and I'll get caught out, even though I know they can't see this. (even if they did, it wouldn't matter) I know that if I want to be good at portrait photography that this is a skill I must hone - that is, if I want images that are more than just straightforward, standard portrait fare. I've posted one below as an example. I love her lovely skin, the shape of her eyes and her beautiful lips and she was not difficult to get to look very pretty.
Today I decided to spend some time just wandering all about Stuart, prowling up and down narrow streets near the restored and gentrified downtown area, looking for apartments, hidden gems, on the quiet, narrow streets. This small neighborhood consists mostly of Key West style cottages with tin roofs with verandas on the fronts of them (much like a tiny version of my house now that I think of it), and I called on a number of them to find out rental prices. One person I spoke with happened to mention that one building he and his partner were doing a reno on would be work/living spaces, which made my ears prick up as I began to imagine having a small apartment, with wood floors and more style than I could shake a stick at, with space for a photography studio too!
About half the homes in this neighborhood are occupied by attorneys, architects, counselors, Reiki practitioners and all manner of upscale professionals. And though I may not be the most practical of people when in this mode, I have a great deal of fun imagining living there, being a stone's throw from good restaurants and the river as well. Of course, my plan has been to be close to my friends and this is only about halfway there, but that doesn't stop me from considering it at least. I'm one to research things pretty thoroughly, and next time I'm in the area (tomorrow) I'll be smarter and bring my camera along. If nothing else, it will likely be interesting to shoot there.
Spent the past three days with my cousin Jan over on the west coast (of Florida), and it was many things. Fun of course, but also thought provoking, very social, and full of photo ops. She is my one and only close relative, (to those who haven't read my earlier livejournal) an actress who normally lives in NYC, but who has been starring in a production of Mame that's gotten excellent reviews.
I started out early Sunday morning, with cool temps and not a cloud in the sky, and though I'd been given some faulty directions which added two hours to the normally four hour drive, I actually had fun on the way over, seeing much of Florida's rural beauty...an abundance of horses, cattle, strawberry fields and tiny backwater towns with names like Mulberry, Bartow, Dr. Phillips, Tangerine, Mascotte, Howey in the Hills and Okahumpka. Such a difference from what I see every day I wanted to stop every few miles to shoot, but knew I had to keep going.
To see Jan on stage is always a thrill for me, and I was so proud of her abilities, presence, voice and dancing I found myself feeling choked up a bit for it. Afterwards we had a bit of a family reunion, with another cousin of ours and her husband having come down from Orlando, and we went out for a few hours to Outback for dinner and beers.
The next two days Jan had off as the theatre was dark, and we managed a movie, The Prestige, a wonderfully done period piece about rivalry and revenge between two magicians starring Michael Caine, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Scarlet Johansson (as well as David Bowie and Andy Sirkis) that I can't wait to see again it had so much going on. *Movie Recommendation*
That night was the cast's Halloween Party, and if you've never spent time at a party with actors, you should! As well as being amazingly diverse and animated, they love having their picture taken, and were so cooperative. When we got back from the party, Jan and I got into a discussion that actually lasted until the sun came up, so when I left several hours later to come back east, I was knackered! But at the same time I knew I'd spent the time well and would catch up on sleep later.
