Studio...

Recently, I had the pleasure of photographing a friend of mine before she left town to go back home.

It was my first time in a studio environment in a very long time and I have to admit I felt a little bit rusty.
If there were any problems with the shoot, it certainly wasn't with my model, she was a breeze to shoot, really easy going and willing to get into the poses I asked her to, all of which makes for a very smooth shoot.

I love using a soft box when shooting, whether it's beauty lighting or Rembrandt, it softens the light, beautifully, as it hits the model and compliments what's already there.

As for my skills, I still feel I have a lot more to learn.

No Prize...

Once again, another year has gone by where I haven't placed in any of the categories of the Photo Life Magazine Image International Photography Competition.
And, I was so sure that this year was my year.

I have always been plagued by self doubt and a serious lack of confidence when it came to my artistic work, be it photography, writing or otherwise. I feel it is the thing that has stymied my progress more than any other in my life...yet, with every new entry I submit, every new rank I make in the top whatever categories they have, I feel that much better about my work, and about my ability to do it.

With this last year of crop, I've been forced to take a harder look at what I've submitted to these competitions and reevaluate how good my work really was. I have to step back and see with a new eye just what I was missing in my entries. Basically, I have to step up my game.

These are some of the images I submitted this year:

 




























Agreed, they aren't the most spectacular of images, but I still feel they aren't bad, either. I feel as though they still have some weight to them, some value. If anything, it may be the technical aspect of them that might be my undoing...
Anyway, there's always next year.
I'll do better next year.