SNAP Kickoff - Building Projection

Last night was the kick off event for SNAP 2011! Paintscaping.com created an awesome display here in downtown Orlando and our mayor, Buddy Dyer was there to host the event. For about six minutes, photo images and 3D animation were projected onto the front of the Kress Building. This is the first time we've seen anything like this in Orlando and it was fantastic. The show repeated every half hour and we watched it twice. The most impressive thing for me was how they incorporated the building's architecture into the display.

Kress Building before the show

These pictures don't really do it justice, but you can see the whole event here:

Up Close and Personal

My heart is breaking today because my BCM (best cube mate) Annika is moving away. As she was cleaning out her desk she found this old magnifying glass that my last BCM Angelene (see a pattern here?) had left behind. Well, of course a zany photo shoot ensued...

This one is my favorite because it's creepy and dark. Go figure.

Photo of me taken by Anni.
For this is how she will always remember me and my loud cackle.  *Tear

Yes, she's only moved two rows over, but still.

For the love of Instagram

I mentioned my new favorite app Instagram in my last post. But I may not have mentioned just how addicted I am. I'm not sure if it's because it's new (to me), or because it's instant gratification, or because the results are almost always beautiful. Whatever the reason, while I may not be using my DSLR too much lately, I always have my cellphone handy.

To shoot pictures of nature:

To capture daily life:

 

To make self portraits:

To document the hilarity and beauty of friends:

To turn strangers into dreams:

Photojojo, another thing I really like, published a photo in their newsletter a couple of weeks back about Ten New Ways to Use Instagram. It has a lot of great new sites that utilize Instagram. Like these:

My favorite is Inkstagram - a site that lets you use Instagram on the computer! This is awesome, because while I do heart Instagram, I do NOT heart looking at images on the small screen of my phone.

For my foodie friend, Katherine: you can post food photos directly to Foodspotting through your Instagram account!

For my cat-loving friends (talking to you, Annika): InstaKitty and Nekostagram let you view photostreams of nuthin-but-cats. Cuteness personified.

You  can follow my stream on Instagram: asraigrrl

Follow my blog with bloglovin

iPhone Self Portraits

I used to do a lot more self portraits. There was a period of time, about 13 years ago, when that was almost all I ever shot. Partly because I was always an available model for myself and partly because I had a lot of personal stuff I wanted to express. Self portraiture is usually a pretty personal thing, but like all art, once it's created it should be shared. Or else, why bother?

I've been taking a lot of photos with my phone lately. I think I may use it more as a camera than I use it as a phone. It is just as addictive as my first polaroid. There are several photo apps that I play with quite often, but my favorite (hands down) is Instagram. AND it's free. You can't beat free. Not even with a stick. What I like so much about Instragram is how easy it is to create an emotion/set a mood with one little touch of a button. All the shots below were taken with my iPhone and processed in Instagram:

The one below was shot with my phone, (you may notice the one pic is the same as the last one above) but processed in Photoshop. This little dyptich was inspired by Florence and the Machine's Girl With One Eye. I was simultaneously playing the song on my phone while I was shooting the photos. Seriously. You gotta love technology.

Give me your Forever...

Today is my 10 year anniversary. It's amazing how quickly ten years have passed. That's a good sign, I suppose. When you're happy, there never seems to be enough time.

I thought I would share the anniversary card I have been working on. The photography was done by Charles Wells on color film. That's right, F.I.L.M. Kickin it old school.

Anyway, I scanned these in and manipulated them a bit. I know most photographers do not like it when people do that to their work, but since they are pictures of me I feel alright about it. I was going for a fairytale feel since that was a big theme of our wedding AND since I'm a big mushy mush.

The first one is the one that made the final cut -  mainly because this photo was a very genuine moment for us. We were literally just married and had walked down the aisle and around the corner, away from everyone. It was our first moment alone (or so we thought) as husband and wife. I'm fond of this picture for two reasons: 1. Because I remember this moment vividly, a decade later. 2. Because I love photos of people when they are unaware they are being photographed.

Here is the other one I was working on. Again, going for that storybook mood, but it seemed to turn out more like a tintype from the Civil War or something! While I love tintypes, they always feel a little creepy to me. And creepy isn't really the message one should be sending in an anniversary card.

Groundhog Gala

The 2011 Groundhog Gala was held at Route 46 in Sanford this year. Along with vintage cars and a swinging band, there were Rockabilly guys and Pin-Up girls. I've been to a lot of car shows (for a girl who's not a car enthusiast) and this is one of my favorites. It's the people that make it interesting for me - their commitment to this 50's-inspired counter culture.



Ignorance = Bliss





Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho DeVilles