:time enough:

I did not find as much time for creative work last week as I should've, but some of that lost time was for social reasons, which I find I have to take advantage of for as long as they still appear. If I'm actually going to receive invitations from people, I try to accept when possible. The approaching holiday weekend possibly means more of the same, although I hope to fit in creative time as well. I've read that it's best not to think of this as "sacrifice," as that could make one resent it at some point. I tend to think of the job search in that way, though, which is probably one reason why it's so unappealing to me. But I do feel the need to change jobs this year, somehow.

I did manage to go through a fair number of shots from Theresa's photoshoot, right now just quickly touching up and some adjusting of levels, and I'm pleased to say, I haven't been changing that much in them. Later on will probably come whatever crazy Photoshoppery that inspires, but I thought I should at least get the basic shots done and off to the model for now. Maybe I'll even get some positive feedback for a change.

So far my search for film for the Polaroid camera that I scored at a recent yard sale has been more difficult, at least locally, and I had to resort to ordering some online. There aren't a large number of shots in the film pack, so it'll have to be used sparingly, until I find a more reliable source for film. But then again, it's not going to become my main camera.

:double living:

It's all about photo stuff this week.

I finally got another roll of film from the Holga camera developed. I've been taking advantage of how easy it is to create double exposures with it, as the film doesn't auto-advance. There's a local toy camera gallery show coming up soon, so I will most likely submit some shots to that. I'm also eyeing possible places to show the Homunculus dolls, but I don't want to jinx it.

Quite randomly, I came across a Polaroid camera at a yard sale and couldn't pass it up. It's interesting how it seems to be making a bit of a resurgence. We'll see how difficult it is to find film, or how expensive it might be. I think I have some around here...somewhere. 

I have not had ample time to really delve into shots from my last photoshoot, other than to weed out the less-than-stellar ones. I'm mostly pleased with how just using one light worked out. Now I find myself wanting to try it with an even darker room, but I'd have to seal the windows and doors in my current setup. Unless of course that dreamed-of studio magically appears.

I mentioned last week that while I liked the top hat that became used in both shoots, I now wanted to find a "real" one, so that became a bizarro quest this past Saturday, and I was successful. 

I have also said that I wanted to be further along in my website redesign this month, but I haven't gotten to that either. Oops. Finding out time and time again that to get things done I have to blatantly schedule time for them.

:good busy:

Despite any possible trepidation I may have felt prior to last Friday's photoshoot, I believe that it went pretty well. The plan was still for an outdoor shoot, and I had chosen a nearby place in mind to cut down on travel time, but considering how rainy it had been all week, I set up my lighting and such indoors just in case. When Friday arrived, the rain did indeed stop, but I received a morning text from the model asking if we could have it indoors instead, as it was still not terribly warm out. So it was fortunate that I had foreseen this possibility. If I'm learning anything from each successive shoot, it's how to improvise.

The model in question, Theresa, is another one of those who pretty much makes her living by traveling and setting up shoots in each city. She was slender and had quite a few interesting tattoos. Another reason for her wanting to move indoors was that she didn't want to be unclothed out in the chilly weather, which showed that a bit of miscommunication had happened along the way, as I wasn't planning on shooting her nude while outdoors, and the place I had in mind would've likely had a fair amount of passersby, so it's just as well that events happened up as they did.

We only had an hour and it went by quickly, which I think is a good sign that it went well, time flying when you're having fun and all that. No deep concept for this shoot, she just moved from pose to pose, and I got to use a few props that were as of yet unused; an interesting chair that I had found, a cow skull, and a top hat. The latter was a cheap Halloween costume version, now I want to seek out a real one.

I was going to have company afterwards to celebrate my birthday, and since I already had the lights and backdrop up, I said why not do another quick shoot? I've worked with this model many times before, so we just proceeded into it right away. Pretty much just more practice for both of us, but it was fun. The chair, skull and hat got put into use again.

In the aftermath, while I can appreciate the things that I did right - it seems that I work fine with just one light, and I put my reflector to use - I'm already looking to see how I can improve for next time. I still think I need better lighting. The ones I have can be harsh at times, and I don't always want extreme shadows. I did manage to diffuse it somewhat with a screen on the second shoot. And the plain paper backdrop is, well, a bit too plain at times. Time to find different ones. And oh yeah, that top hat.

I hated putting away everything when I was done. Again in an ideal world I'd have a place where this would remain set up. I actually got another modeling request the same day, so there's the possibility that it could all go back up again real soon. Would that most of my life was this way.

:pause for breath:

To be frank, most of this past week's free time has been spent preparing for the photoshoot that I have planned for this upcoming Friday. A fair amount of it has just been monitoring the weather, as I'd prefer to do an outdoor shoot, but we've been getting April showers all during this first week of May. I'm prepared to do it indoors, but, again, not my preference during this (alleged) springtime. I have a nearby location in mind since my time with the model is limited and I don't want to waste any of it in traffic, although I did find a location a few weekends ago that I'd love to use, but is not the easiest place to get to, least of all to someone who I presume has limited knowledge of our roads and drivers. I've offered to do all the driving, but she has refused, claiming to not want to get into a car with a "stranger." I guess I can see her point, but it does make things a bit more inconvenient. Here's hoping that any misgivings that I'm feeling prove to be wrong on Friday, along with nicer weather.

I have started work on other past photos, but just subtle changes so far, in the background.

I have one of those birthdays coming up tomorrow. I'm not ashamed of my age, nor do I feel it, but I also don't feel like announcing it. Let's just say that I'm nearing a certain decade milestone in a few years, and I'd really like to be living a better life by then, so I'm seeing more of a need to map out and plan out how this will happen. Despite my not liking to schedule my life too much, it appears that it'll be necessary to get things done.