Alice

Alice
"Every adventure requires a first step". - The Cheshire Cat

Last September I set out to grow in my photography journey. I wanted to create photographs that were more art pieces and dive into fine art with my creative ideas. This was the first photo I created with that mindset. And I am very happy to announce that almost a year later it will be hanging at the Washington State Fair as the winner of the Fair Medal of Originality in Large Color in the Northwest International Exhibition of Photography! I could not be more excited that they chose this photograph as a winner since it really brings me full circle from where I was a year ago at this time.  

This photo was born out of an idea when I acquired the umbrella from my Great-Aunt Alice when she had to move and give away many of her belongings. I ended up with this umbrella and as soon as it was in my hand, I KNEW I would use it for an Alice in Wonderland themed self portrait. It didn't take long for me to sketch out that idea and come up with what you see above.

The below video gives some tidbits of what I was thinking right after I shot this photo back in September 2015. It gives some behind the scenes stuff and why I choose what I did.

While doing this self portrait I was live on Periscope for the first time. Unfortunately the video of me shooting is corrupted and after several attempts to get it to work, I'm pretty sure its gone, but a few of you got to watch it live :) However I do still have the follow up Periscope and that is here:

(or you can see it on you tube at this LINK)

Go and see this portrait at the Washington State Fair from September 2-25!

Net of Wonder

Net of Wonder

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever" - Jacques Cousteau

I am very excited to share that this image won Best of Portraits in the Northwest International Photographer Exhibition at the Washington State Fair in the Large Color Division!!!

Net of Wonder brings to life the feeling of being caught between surrender and awe. The image reflects the ocean’s pull, both mysterious and inescapable. It invites viewers to feel the weight of the sea and the beauty that holds them in its grasp.

This is one of those times where I had the above quote first and then created the image. Alex got a Jacques Cousteau book from the library at his school back in May. While reading it to him one night I came across the above quote. Right then I knew I wanted a woman floating in water caught in a net. My mind went wild with ideas and the below image is the final result.

I used Photoshop to create this image and to get it to look just right, but it still started with me having to pose myself with the net. Here you can see my set up for this shot, just a blue background hung on my garage door...

Go see it at the Washington State Fair from September 2-25!

Peacock Beauty

Peacook Beauty
"Like a peacock, your beauty is multiplied when you spread your wings and show the world your stuff."

This week I share with you an idea born from a prop. Some weeks my photos will be inspired by a quote, piece of clothing, a holiday or special event, a feeling I want to covey, or like today a prop I want to use.

This idea started around Halloween when I found the mask at the Goodwill for $1. I am probably more inspired by props and clothing then anything else. Using the mask as a guide, I came up with an idea about becoming a peacock. I knew I had a blue dress and already had a photo of a full peacock spreading his feathers. So I came home and immediately drew a sketch of an idea.

To complete the portrait I needed to go somewhere where I could get a nice dirt foreground. Check out this video of me shooting this very portrait back on October 27, 2015. Note: This is the type of stuff I use Periscope for. Follow me as I will be using periscope more and more as I get into this year. Username @angelamarvel

And the best part of this video is how much I didn't end up using in the final image. Really shows you how much goes into the shooting part when I am not 100% certain what I want to do.
On Location Video:

Here is a bonus video about how I choose what images to use in this creation:

Another bonus with this photo is my Editing Slideshow. Shows the editing steps I took to create the image. (and this slideshow has been edited since I first published this blog), but as you can see, I edited it even further to end up with the final image. This was an image that never sat well with me and I continued to work on.

Leave me a comment if you like this photo! And follow me on facebook and flickr! Enjoy your week!

Broken

Broken

"Maybe it's not always about trying to fix something broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better"

This image evokes themes of resilience, loss, and transformation. The figure, part woman, part bird, sits in a nest of broken branches, her wing damaged, her eyes obscured. The charred forest around her suggests destruction, yet she remains—wounded but present. There’s a sense of mourning, but also the possibility of rebirth, as if she is caught between despair and the hope of healing. The gothic tones and surreal elements add to the sense of otherworldly sorrow, making it feel like a visual poem about endurance and the struggle to rise after devastation.

My new updated version of this photo is now this:

The idea for this photo came to me while I was at an antique store in Puyallup, WA. I saw this sign in the shop and my brain just started to work.

This is a perfect example of how inspiration can come from anywhere. That happens a lot with my ideas. I will see or read something and all of a sudden an idea pops into my mind and I have to stop what I am doing and jot down as much as I can. So although I didn't end up using this quote above for this photo and have since used this quote to inspire an entirely different self portrait, it's still was the reason I went down the path of a black bird with a broken wing.

When I have a self portrait idea that needs more depth, I start to ask questions and come up with the answers as a way to create a back story for the "character" in the image. I started with coming up with a reason why the black bird might have had a broken wing. Then I thought about how the bird might feel. Which lead me to how the bird might react to that situation. All these together lead me to the basic idea that I wanted the bird to be in a nest in a burnt forest with a broken wing. And that's when I usually draw a rough sketch. This is the actual sketch I did before the shoot.

Now how do you find a burnt forest? Well I got really lucky with that one. We travel along a road that goes through many national forests in Northeastern California and I had knowledge of a forest fire that had taken place along the road we drive. When I got this idea, I immediately knew where this photo needed to be taken. I was again lucky because we were planning to go again in just a few short weeks!

The harder part was that I did not know exactly what it would look like 3 months since I last saw it, which place to exactly go or what the weather would be like that day. But I planned for the portrait anyway and it all worked out. It was a perfect overcast morning and we found this wonderful access road that was away from everyone.

Here is a video that I shot that day and shows you what's its really like when I am on location at a shoot and have someone help me with the shutter.

Lost Soul

Lost Soul
"Tied up in sorrow, lost in my soul"

This piece explores the feeling of being trapped—whether by memory, regret, or the passage of time. The ghostly figure embodies a lingering presence, a soul caught in transition.  

These self portraits were taken earlier this month aboard the Norwegian Jewel. The video below shows you a quick snippet of me doing this shoot. The first image is my chosen image called "Lost Soul". The second image is the one you saw taken in the video.  Both are part of my ongoing Ghost Series.

When I shoot something like this I like to become my character. It really helps with getting the arm movements or facial expressions correct. To do this I come up with a backstory for the character. This also helps with figuring out what I want from the final image(s) and the message. For this series I was picturing a ghost who was stuck on the ship. That brought me to have several ideas. Is the ghost happy, sad, confused? So I shot all of those. For the ones on the stairs, I went with more confused and sad.

Update: This image received a Judges Choice award at the Northwest International Exhibit of Photography at the Washington State Fair :)

Here is the video of me shooting on the stairs:

And here is the image from the video, "Dazed Ghost"

Leave me a comment if you like this photo! And follow me on facebook and flickr!

Forest Woman | Run Away

This week you get TWO self portraits. Both brand new! They were shot at the exact same time and the periscope video I have to share will show both being created.

Forest Woman
"The Forest is filled with magic and secrets"

I have since done a reedit of this image in b/w and you can check it out Here.

Week 3 Video:
If an image is not working out for you, set it aside and come back to it at a later date. Check out this video where I show the progression of this photo after I already thought I was done editing. And I even continued to edit this photo even after what this video shows.

(and I reserve all rights to further edit this photo)

:)

Run Away
"Sometimes you need to run away just to see who will come after you"

Here is the periscope video of me shooting both of these out in the woods. This video really shows you how it works when I am out shooting a portrait. Stay with it past when its a little shakey to see how I shoot :)

This was the first time I used periscope out on location to show how I shoot in real time :)

And if you make it through this you will hear that I said I might show you the editing. I did make a periscope of that, it was 45 minutes but the camera was upside down ;)

Enjoy your week!