Photo School - E to I

E is for Elephant

Here is the latest instalment of my photo course* - E to I.  I have been spending more time thinking first about how I want my finished photograph to look, then setting up the shot, then editing.  I am happy to be able to put to use much of what I learned in my Photoshop Course at Toronto Image Works.

For E, I had a lot of elephants in our house to choose from - we must have at least 30 carvings, statues, photos, pillows, you name it.  I even did that painting for Cam's room.  But I had a vision of our soft little elephant that both boys snuggled with at some point, and I imagined a nostalgic, warm-and-fuzzy depiction of childhood/babyhood.  For F, I remembered the bright multi-coloured Mardi Gras boa I got on a night out with my friend Dan and decided on feather.  But the bright red was so unnatural, I pulled out all my photoshop stops and achieved more what I was aiming for - light, soft, etherial.

F is for Feather

The original image

For G, I started by shooting a vintage globe I have, which was fine, but I wanted to step outside the box a little bit, and ended up doing a self-portrait of sorts to capture my grandmother's gold necklace, something I remember her wearing all the time.  I am happy with this one - other than the sun damage it shows!

G is for Grandmother's Gold Necklace

H was one I knew I wanted to do - since my theme is My Favourite Things, I took the stone shaped like a heart that Chris found years and years ago while we were out for a walk and set it against the setting sun.

H is for Heart in Hand

While I was editing it, I could not get Jann Arden's song out of my head: Feet on ground / Heart in hand / Facing forwards / Be Yourself.  Aaaaand now it is back in there...

For I, I of course did my iPhone.  I once headed out of the house without it and just about had a panic attack/turned around to get it/pulled over and tore the car apart before I found it in my purse.  Yes, it's an un-healthy attachment.


So there you have it.  I am working on J tonight and am not feeling very inspired.  I was thinking jewellery, but I want to capture My Favourite Things, not alert potential thieves to Stuff Worth Stealing.  We shall see what I can come up with.  Let me know if you have any feedback or ideas for me!  There seem to be a LOT of letters left...