the roots
03/07/2020
Time to dig through the archives again! Today we'll be looking at some portraits I've taken over the years, old and new!
I have a funny relationship with portraiture. Inspired by Jane Bown's work for The Guardian, taking photos of my family and friends was how I cut my teeth on the art of photography. I still remember my first attempt at taking a portrait of my little sister as I clumsily attempted to apply theory to practice:
"okay hold still! Wait, I have to make sure my ISO is correct. What the hell is matrix metering? How do I switch this over to spot metering? Okay! We're good! Oh god, hold on, I accidentally metered for the highlights instead of the shadows, let's try that again. Wait!! My shutter speed was too slow, it might be blurry! Let me take one at a higher speed!"
Time to dig through the archives again! Today we'll be looking at some portraits I've taken over the years, old and new!
I have a funny relationship with portraiture. Inspired by Jane Bown's work for The Guardian, taking photos of my family and friends was how I cut my teeth on the art of photography. I still remember my first attempt at taking a portrait of my little sister as I clumsily attempted to apply theory to practice:
"okay hold still! Wait, I have to make sure my ISO is correct. What the hell is matrix metering? How do I switch this over to spot metering? Okay! We're good! Oh god, hold on, I accidentally metered for the highlights instead of the shadows, let's try that again. Wait!! My shutter speed was too slow, it might be blurry! Let me take one at a higher speed!"
As I became more and more comfortable using my tools, my technique and understanding of portraiture grew. No longer keeping my subjects in a prolonged static pose, I often try to catch them in a dynamic movement. I learned to meter for the skin tones before pausing them for a shot, allowing for a greater feeling of candidness within the frame.
As I forayed into the world of street photography, I also quickly lost my appetite for shooting wide open. After long practice with a 35mm focal length for street shooting, I now appreciate how one can incorporate their subject's environment into the shot, allowing for greater context. A new lesson to be incorporated into my future work as I find myself closing down the aperture more often than not as of late. That being said though, each frame here in this post was shot on a 50mm focal length through a variety of film stocks, using either my old Canon EOS 3 or Olympus OM-2n.
As I forayed into the world of street photography, I also quickly lost my appetite for shooting wide open. After long practice with a 35mm focal length for street shooting, I now appreciate how one can incorporate their subject's environment into the shot, allowing for greater context. A new lesson to be incorporated into my future work as I find myself closing down the aperture more often than not as of late. That being said though, each frame here in this post was shot on a 50mm focal length through a variety of film stocks, using either my old Canon EOS 3 or Olympus OM-2n.
These photos are an accumulation of shots I've taken over the past three years, from California to Philadelphia. Though not all groundbreaking in composition, I absolutely love seeing everyday snapshots of my friends as it brings back memories of that day's adventures. Thus, going through my old rolls and finding these photos was a delight in itself.
I sometimes forget that the origins of my photography stemmed from wanting to document my everyday life and its characters, not to necessarily create fine art. However, as the years have gone by and I've since dipped my toes into other genres of photography, I now find myself trying to find a balance of the two to fulfill my creative drive while simultaneously documenting my quiet, everyday life.
I sometimes forget that the origins of my photography stemmed from wanting to document my everyday life and its characters, not to necessarily create fine art. However, as the years have gone by and I've since dipped my toes into other genres of photography, I now find myself trying to find a balance of the two to fulfill my creative drive while simultaneously documenting my quiet, everyday life.
Oh! In other news, remember when I dedicated a whole paragraph in my last post to preordering the new Fuji X100V? Well, in a last-second change of heart, I canceled my order after two weeks of excruciating wait for its release and did a great big dive into acquiring my dream kit.
I'll give you a hint:
It may or may not be German, and it may or may not rhyme with Reica
The next post will be all about it! As always, hope you enjoyed the read!
Until next time!
-kdo
I'll give you a hint:
It may or may not be German, and it may or may not rhyme with Reica
The next post will be all about it! As always, hope you enjoyed the read!
Until next time!
-kdo
