Cassidy Jean

Phase Two Final

2012-01-19T17:13:00.000-05:00

For our Phase Two final this time around, we only had to shoot four images. Here are the final cuts!

1. Seventeen Magazine Cover

2. Environmental Still Life

3. Environmental Portrait

And finally, one of the images we had to create was a self portrait. Ideas swirled around in my head now that I had full use to the studio bays as well as knowledge of basic lighting. I'll do something raw, dark, and maybe a little weird I thought. Gathering up my materials, I happened upon a set of butterflies in A.C. Moore that seemed just right in a way. I wasn't sure how, but they did.

The time came for me to finally set up my self portrait so I brought the butterflies along, just for kicks. The image I was originally modeling my picture off of was a lot darker, so they delicate little things wouldn't make sense. Trying the original dark image, I was unsatisfied. It just wasn't what I was envisioned. Then I saw the colorful little wings sticking out of my bag and figured, why not? Weaving them through my hair and around my collarbone, I took a quick look in the mirror to see this was what I was looking for. The image we had to hand in had to be in color, but I think converting to black and white silenced the distracting color. The image instantly became one of my favorites.

It was strong, raw, and emotional in a sense. Mostly because it had meaning to me. More meaning than any crazy conceptual image I've ever created. It was simple. Less was definitely more. So Mama, I hope this image will be one you'll be proud of showing off. I love you Ma :)

Perspective- Week Three

2011-10-18T22:58:00.000-04:00

On our way to week three, we start to learn perspective, the differences between focal lengths on a lens, and how they connect. You can see the difference between getting in close with a short focal length (1st picture at 24mm) and a long focal length at slightly further away distance (2nd picture at 70mm)

The second set of assignments were to shoot a backlit image as well as a product shoot with a sense of the environment. Random, but proved to be quite challenging in-between all the rain

Contrast- Hallmark Week 2

2011-10-18T09:07:00.001-04:00

As I make my way to week two at Hallmark, we begin to learn the difference between high and low contrast. In between learning to look for soft tones in pictures, we head out on another field trip to Brattleboro, Vermont to find those. On a gloomy Thursday morning, I pack my bag up and head out. Driving there was pretty simple, but there was so much fog!

Once getting there, the conditions didn't improve until later on when the sun came bursting through the clouds. It proved to be quite useful for our high contrast, full-length image

For the low-contrast assignments, one had to be an abstract object with shape, while the other was a simple portrait with a reflector to fill in the light.

Here's a few more that didn't pertain to the assignment, but I really liked

First Week of School - Hallmark Week One

2011-09-20T19:59:00.010-04:00

On a rainy Wednesday morning, my three roommates and I could be heard bustling around the kitchen, getting ready for school. As we headed off to school, everyone's stomachs filled with butterflies. Upon arriving, everyone was hurrying into the building to avoid the rain. It wasn't until we were able to settle into the seemingly Tempur-pedic auditorium chairs, did we seem to calm down. Tammy, for one, was the biggest sweetheart I have ever met, her nickname ironically being "Mom'. After introducing faculty & staff, we took a quick break, making our way back to the house to make some delish grilled cheese sandwiches on Alysha's adorable grill.

Fast forward to Monday, this is when the real classes start. So far so good, no one's had any wardrobe malfunctions or meltdowns yet. This week we get all the goodies- Sekonic Lightmeter, Canon 5D MII, and a backpack suited for mountain-hiking. Our first field trip involved heading to Historic Deerfield in the rain where we were sent to shoot, run for cover, then shoot some more when it lessened from a monsoon to a steady raining.

The first assignment was to grab an image demonstrating a shallow depth of field. This was the easy one, anything looked good with minimal focus and a blurred background. Here were two of my favorites:

Next there was the greater depth of field where we had to show several different layers. Mine came out a bit soft, but I'm still pleased with the overall image:

And one more of Jill:

Alright, I'll be posting a lot more at the end of this week, stay tuned :)

Aspiring Singer Emily Morgan

2011-08-12T12:32:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite clients contacted recently me to get some updated head shots before she reached out to some big name people. She's an aspiring singer and already had one of her songs recorded in Nashville which you can check out here.

10 Week Summer Challenge - Night Landscape (Week 2)

2011-07-18T20:14:00.003-04:00

Alright, here's the Week 2 challenge: Night Landscape. It ended up being A LOT harder than I first imagined. Along with losing my wireless remote, I ended up not being able to get as many images as planned. Silly me figured NIGHT landscapes would be better taken in the dead of NIGHT rather than around dusk. The one I managed to get in as the dusk was slipping away ended up being my final image.

Final Image:

Over in Oxford, CT they have a pretty interesting dam that I discovered on one of my random drives. It was so shocking to find this pop out of no where I ended up gasping aloud and slamming on the breaks enough to properly piss off whoever was behind me. Oh well.

Here are some of the out-takes that were nice, but I just didn't think they compared to the final image.

Out-takes:

#1-

Why it didn't work: The light was pretty, but the composition just wasn't cutting it for me. Too many distracting silhouettes.

#2-

Why it didn't work: This was my second favorite after the final image. They were working on the highway late at night and left these huge lights on. I just don't know if I care for the huge amount of negative space on the right.

#3-

Why it didn't work: I didn't leave it running as long, the light trails were weak, and the heavy fence really bothers me. It seems a little more put-together in B&W though.

And what would a night be in without a planking picture? Note to self: when dragging friends along for night landscapes, planking will ultimately be majority of what time is spent on.

Confused? Watch below. You're welcome.

10 Week Summer Challenge - Food

2011-07-07T19:17:00.002-04:00

I've decided to start a 10 week project for the remaining weeks I'll be home before I'm whisked away to Hallmark Institute. Cutting up a bunch of ideas and putting them into a box, it'll be completely random. Last week I drew 'Food'. Here's my final image along with a few out-takes:

Final Image:

Out-takes:

#1-

Why it didn't work: It was between this and the final image, but I liked how everything was composed a little bit better in the top one. It seems less staged to me, as if someone just happened to put down their breakfast on a stack of books they'd been reading. At least, it seems that way in my head..

#2-

Why it didn't work: Too much of a tilt and the angle was too high up where you could clearly tell there was no coffee to go with the coffee cakes. My bad.

#3-

Why it didn't work: I really liked the idea of showing the texture of the coffee cake, but alas, it was slightly out of focus to the point I couldn't sharpen it in post-production. Also, the Hostess Coffee Cakes generally come with two, so it felt weird to only showcase one of them.

And then Kimmy just had to sneak in one of the shots..

Hope you all had a great Thursday!

Brooke's Surprise Sweet 16

2011-07-04T12:38:00.003-04:00

About a month ago, a friend of my mother had asked me to photograph her daughter's sweet 16. Ginny Newman from Dolce decorated this as well as the baby shower at Stone Barn in Monroe. She's seriously amazing! Anywho, Brooke was pretty surprised, believing she was going to her cousin's party. Gave her mom a scare when she said she didn't feel good the day of the party!

Stone Barn in Monroe, CT Baby Shower

2011-05-19T09:05:00.007-04:00

I couldn't wait to share these with you. I was asked to shoot my first-ever baby shower a few weeks ago. Upon walking in, I was greeted with warm smiles and open arms. Then I got a chance to look at the decorations. They're out of this world, Ginny Newman-Durso from Dolce set them all up in a mere two hours. Prepare to be amazed..

Cyndi & Joe's Prom

2011-05-16T22:27:00.006-04:00

Last weekend one of my fellow photographers, Joe Adams, asked me to grab a few shots of him and Cyndi for her senior prom. Oh my, I have never seen such a thing while photographing couples before. He looks at her as if he has never seen anything more beautiful before, it was quite incredible to witness. These pictures were so fun to edit, I hope you enjoy them!

And my personal favorite..

Hallmark Visionary Scholarship

2011-05-02T15:50:00.003-04:00

For part of my school's scholarship, we had to create a commercial product photo. This was something I have never touched on before, so I figured it wouldn't be too bad, right? Wrong. Having the ability to photograph ANYTHING in ANY way is extremely difficult. Everything around you can be considered a commercial product. So after a few weeks of almost pulling my hair out, I decided to photograph one of the most iconic products ever: a can of Coca-Cola.

At first I wanted to do an in-motion shot with someone perhaps drinking the can or etc, but there wasn't enough time, the weather was bad, and I couldn't find a good model for this. So I decided to go out of my element even further by shooting the can in, -gasp- a studio. Except my "studio" was my living room, my backdrops paper and foil, and the lights were day bulbs and window light. Now that was more my style.

Here's a few of my favorites, the top image being the one I ended up submitting.

Welcome!

2011-04-13T11:54:00.001-04:00

I've decided to restart this blog by deleting any and all old posts, comments, and links. I'm thinking of taking a more minimalist approach, focusing less on the fancy graphics and more on the writing and images.

I am setting a goal to post at least once a week, possibly twice. Most will be any new images I've been working on, news about Hallmark Institute of Photography (the school I will be attending this fall!), and any random bits.

To stay even more up-to-date, you can follow me on Twitter @MissCassidyJean