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!
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.
For those of you who don’t know I am doing a photography challenge during 2016 where I post one conceptual image every week for a year. I have been so proud of myself because for the past four weeks I’ve been on time for releasing my weekly image… and then I realized that I wasn’t posting the photos on here! I have been releasing them on Facebook (here) every Sunday but that’s about the extent of it. So here I am, finally catching up on posting my last three images.
This image is one that I’ve held inside for about a year. The edges of it were a bit fuzzy in my mind and I couldn’t quite nail down the details so I kept putting it off. It existed only in my photography journal until one day I decided to just jump right in to see what would happen and this was the result. This image represents the many times I’ve poured my heart and soul into an endeavor just to watch it all crumble to the ground. It can be a heartbreaking experience but it can also be a refreshing and it reminds me that there is hope and light in starting anew.
I’ve decided to embark on another year-long photography journey. I attempted this last year and failed miserably, however, I’m determined that it will go differently this year. Each week it is my goal to create a new conceptual image and share with all of you wonderful souls! This week’s image is one that I hope encourages you to seek out the light and truth in your life.