Remember Your Roots

Posted on November 24, 2011

About 3-4 years ago I began to use a digital camera.  I knew nothing about the technical side of photography, but always owned a camera and loved being behind the lens.  I remember that I didn’t have much work at the time that first year I got my Nikon D40, so I decided to make use of all my spare time and teach myself to take pictures the way I envisioned them.

Everyday, early in the morning, I took the dogs out with me to feed the horses.  I brought my camera, too.  It was at that magical hour or two after sunrise that I learned all about light and how it gave meaning and depth to anything I photographed.  I could take the same exact picture three hours later, but it wasn’t the same picture.  At all.  There was no life, no energy, no feeling.

I finally understood why it was said that photographers were always on the lookout for that “perfect light.”  It was necessary to convey emotion.  It was the thread that wove itself around subject and its’ soul.

I have been photographing people primarily for the past three years, but this morning I yearned to go out with my camera.  To be in the golden light as morning was waking up.  Pies were in the oven, my daughter asleep, the animals were enjoying the freshly fallen snow.

I wanted to go back to where I started this journey.  To remember my roots.  To discover how far I have gone and how much more of this amazing life I have yet to discover.

 

Playing with Vintage {Maine Lifestyle Photographer}

Posted on January 3, 2010

It is so easy to get comfortable with a certain way of doing things. In regards to photography, post processing in particular, I have found myself seeking new ways of bringing to life the images I take. I visit hundreds of blogs. I sample hundreds of tutorials. I read hundreds of “how to’s.” But in the end I found myself slinking back into a familiar way of presenting my work. Maybe it’s my “style” or my “signature” – a way for people to recognize my images. For them to be able to say, “yep, that’s Darlene.”

But I want to grow. I want to feel expressive in a multitude of ways. I don’t want my post processing to be my signature. I want the emotion conveyed in the images to say “this is Darlene’s work.”

The following images are from a session I did towards the end of November. I’m still working on them. The good thing about taking so long is the images and I are evolving together. I am stepping outside my “photography comfort zone” with the intention of being open to many forms of expression. These images below have been treated with a vintage look. The hardest part about this change is when I put the original image and the vintage image side by side. I have to let go of the fact that the colors are different, especially skin tones. But what I’m loving is the energy shift. It really brings to life the feeling of the moment.

The direction of this post was inspired by the latest post on Shutter Sisters.

This image represents such a sacred moment.  I just love the synchronicity between Lea and Spartacus.

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