Saturday, May 29, 2010

Atkinson Nebraska Lifestyle and Art Photographer: A Long Hiatus, And A Major Personal Challenge...

The end of the school year comes, and every year, I swear I will be more prepared. It never happens. I always seem to get behind. Some may not know, but I am a high school English teacher. I am also our high school yearbook sponsor and co-sponsor of the Junior class. After about April 1st, I am full speed ahead working on prom and trying to get the school's yearbook completed. As a result...well, the project 52 blog got put on the back burner.
School is over for the summer, and I have somewhat got my to-do list in order. I am a member of several photography forums online, and this week a challenge was posed to get the photographer out from behind the camera. I have several photography students who are SO creative with self-portraits, and while they are teenagers and can get away with their super creative and edgy portraits, I felt rather weird about it. Rather, I should say that I felt REALLY INSECURE. I've never felt myself to be photogenic. Like many women who may not be in the best shape of their lives, I prefer to NOT have my photo taken. However, I have realized, how can I expect my clients to get comfortable in front of the lens if I can't make myself do it? As part of my summer self-makeover, I decided I better get brave and just do this. Each week, I will do one to document my progress. I think this is called self-accountability.

SO, the challenge was actually a professional one, but it is very personal to me. Though I create lifestyle portraiture, this challenge was to create a self portrait that while non-traditional, is professional. THIS IS HARD! It was so hard to get the focus right and get the light right to convey the "tone" I wanted. Then again, what was the tone that I wanted? A lot of thought goes into a classic self-portrait. The biggest element is authenticity. I wanted an authentic portrait.

I decided to try two things. First, my husband loves my natural smile (though I don't always). He loves the pictures where I look down to earth and all natural, and those who REALLY know me would probably agree that I am a bit bohemian and and goofy. So, I wanted to make a portrait that I thought reflected that sense in a professional way.



The second thing I wanted to try was simple, yet a bit dramatic in angle and lighting. I really didn't know what my best angle was, but I wanted a "feminine" picture of myself. This is difficult when one doesn't really consider oneself to be "feminine". However, I think EVERY woman WANTS to feel feminine. This was VERY VERY VERY hard for me, so if you leave a comment, please be gentle.

5 comments:

  1. Very admirable undertaking! Wish you the best for your quest! I admire your courage so much. You are a very strong and beautiful person and I am proud to call you friend!

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  2. The first photo is the Katie I know, the other two show other sides of your personality. Nice!

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  3. You look beautiful because you are beautiful! We are too hard on ourselves as women.....listen to your hubby. He is right!

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  4. Thanks ladies! This was a challenge! I think it is what is called "immersion therapy"? LOL! My husband is a wise man, and I am so blessed to have him in my life!

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Katrina Lee Photography is a professional custom photography business specializing in natural light and location portraiture as well as fine art portraiture.