This photo has been sitting in my head for a while, I sketched out the idea last year and forgot about it until recently. Originally, it represented the feeling of being on the outside looking in, not quite fitting. Given current events and the Stay at Home order in effect, this photo feels a bit sarcastic now. I’m so thankful for the ways God has provided during these strange times but I’m also ready to leave the house and not look back.
Where do I even begin… this session was about 10 months in the making and so much fun from start to finish! Norah reached out to me last winter while I was still living in North Carolina. We went over a few different fine art themes and Norah decided on a mermaid session! We could not have asked for better weather the day of the shoot and all of the little details fell right into place. Together we created three fine art images and captured some more traditional portraits as well – Norah rocked them all!!
I’ve been struggling with my creative process lately. It’s been about a month and a half since I’ve created a conceptual image but I think that I really needed that time to get recharged. I started this photo a couple of months ago and it sat on my computer until I could figure out how to finish it. It didn’t turn out exactly how I envisioned it but finishing this image is motivating me to finish the other ones that I’ve started!
So far, this is one of my favorite images created this year. It was so much fun to put together and I’m realizing that strange lighting is becoming a big motivator for me. I’m all about that light! Much of this photo was about me trying a new editing technique. I really do love putting together levitation images because I have always loved the idea of flying and dream about it often. Because of this though, levitation photos are a fallback for me when I’m feeling uninspired. Almost as if, “I can’t think of anything new and exciting… where’s a place I haven’t levitated before???”. With this image though I was transforming my comfort with levitation photos and turning it into something completely different for me which felt good. This year has been full of so much growth for me and my conceptual photography!
This image has personal significance to me because of the events that have transpired within the past couple of weeks. Since I was recently in a car accident things have been messy and getting my life back to normal has taken time. I’m at the point now where the worst is over and I’m moving forward again. It feels good!
A few weeks ago I bought a car from my grandma, it’s a great car and one that my grandmother was sad to part with but she was in need of something different and the car she had was perfect for me. This past Friday, on my way home from work, a guy blew a red light going 65 mph and ran right into me and my grandma’s car. By the grace of God I wasn’t hurt and my car is fixable which is a relief. It was a bad situation but it turned out to be an incredible story. Through that accident I met a handful of amazing people who sat with me, hugged me, and encouraged me for an hour and a half until the entire ordeal was over and I could drive home.
Our sermon at church a couple of weeks ago was preached on Romans 8:28-39 and it tells of God’s never ending love for his people, the perfect plan he has, and the wonderful ways he works in the lives of those he has called to him. Despite what happens in my life I know that God is on his throne and is being glorified through whatever path he has set out before me. Often times I pray for God’s blessings in my life and while I can clearly see them I can also see the struggles that he allows me to go through. This past weekend has reminded me that though we might not like the rain, it’s what brings growth. Likewise, the struggles we go through are often what refine us. Sometimes I get so caught up in hoping that the rain will pass that I forget to look for the good that will come from it.
This image represents a girl whose head is so stuck in the clouds that she can’t see anything going on around her. Her clouded vision is keeping her from seeing the truth of the situation she is in.
On a side note, I made the cloud out of balloons and stuffing. I didn’t think it was going to turn out but I’m actually really happy with it!
This is the third and final image for my first small series. I may end up continuing with this idea but right now I need a break from bird masks and covering myself with black paint. This image did not turn out like anything I had in mind but I am happy with the turn that it took. Originally I was going to be stuck inside a giant bird cage while the crow looked at me from the outside, however, the bird cage that I bought to use just made everything look more confusing. It’s week 8 and I’m slowly starting to let go of all those imperfections that I tend to cling so tightly to… progress is being made!
For now this is the final chapter in the ‘story’ I’ve been telling with my last two bird photos. They show a girl slowly letting the darkness inside of her grow larger until she loses herself completely. What started out as something so small soon devoured her. The crow, and the corruption it represents, went from being the girl’s friend to being something she was enslaved to. Now a renegade, the girl realizes that her changed allegiances have her serving the wrong side.
This is my second image in a series that centers around self identity. Last week’s picture was about recognizing the darkness inside of us all; the girl in the photo was seeing a kernel of corruption in herself for the first time and was taken aback by it. This week’s photo is the next step in that process, the girl has begun to embrace the malicious unpleasantries about herself that she once abhorred. Rather than battle the changes that she is undergoing, the girl decides to welcome them as one would an old friend. Slowly the darkness spreads and the girl begins to lose herself.
I’m not completely satisfied with this image and there’s a good possibility that I’ll scrap this version and start editing from scratch. Despite that, I am excited about this concept and wanted to share what I have for week 5 of my year-long photography challenge. For some reason I’ve been really inspired by birds and their nests lately. This photo represents the love and nurture we give to the dreams that we hold inside.
Week 3 was a difficult one for me. I had a number of concepts that I was excited to photograph and I burned through them all in one afternoon. Unfortunately, none turned out the way my mind had visualized so I ended up scrapping them all. This was about the time that the East coast was experiencing heavy snowfall and my little mountain home got buried for four days. Talk about cabin fever. So, on a Sunday afternoon (the day of the week I’m supposed to post a new image for my year-long photography challenge) I marched outside wearing a dress and a foil crown with the intention to make some magic.
The concept itself is not one that I planned in detail which is unusual for me, however, I was happy with the result. My image for Week 4 portrays the same crowned character you see here.
Katherine Renee Photography
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
katherine@katherinerenee.com
724.244.8100
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