"Against the Current" - video and big version!

I published "Against the Current" this week after taking forever to "sleep on it" and edit a little more (only to go back to the original version). Those of you who follow my work a little bit know that I always like to or try to stay with a theme for more than one image. So, "Against the Current" is part 2 of my paper plane series. Who knows.....I might do a third one; I have too much fun with it :)

I did a quick before & after for this image again. I don't get many views on YouTube but you know what? I truly don't care! If somebody watches and gets something out of it - great! But I also make them for myself, to see my own progress, my mistakes; it allows me to observe how I evolve with my type of photography, step by step. Plus, I have fun making this kind of video! So...let's let the fun begin:

"Against the Current"

Dreamcatcher - shooting "fun"

So.........there is inspiration, a creative force, passion, an idea, motivation. There are the right props, the right light, the right dress, the right attitude, the right lens, a quiet minute. You take all these ingredients together and maybe, only maybe you are able to create something of a little bit of artistic, photographic value.

That being said....I had such a hard time with this image! I had all the ingredients but it just wouldn't click. No pun intended. I shot the various elements for the image twice, slept over it multiple nights, made several sketches, tried a multitude of backgrounds. While doing my second shoot (and I rarely do second shoots) I needed all the help I could get. In my case it was music and incense sticks and a self-inflicted kick in the butt ;) My time to create is very limited right now, so on shooting day it was a matter of now-or-never. You see, I lose interest in my own creative ideas if it takes too long to execute. And I soooooo wanted to bring this little vision to life! So I did and I'm so happy I did! Not everybody will like this image, of course. But it means a lot to me.

The struggle is real, people....here are a few (very stupid) behind-the-scenes aka in my living room pictures of the shoot. Yup, the gymnastics ball was the "moon".......

Lastly, here is a photo of an illustration by Luciano Lozano that gave me the initial idea for the image! Pretty cool, eh?

 

"Paper Planes"

My before & after video starts with an empty photoshop canvas. And it builds up from there. This is exactly what I'm so passionate about - from an empty canvas you can go anywhere, any place and any time.

I hope you enjoy!

 

So Close - A quietly motivational image

So Close

With this image I wanted to create something a bit lighter and brighter, more airy and less heavy. While my pose could be interpreted as somebody giving up, the meaning of the image to me is a very positive one. Goals we want to reach, things we want to accomplish, the next phase in our life that is just around the corner, professional and personal successes which are within reach - sometimes we are so close but stop briefly, rest a little, take some time to reflect before we take the next and perhaps final step.

So, these are my thoughts on this image which wasn't planned but kind of "happen" late on a quiet, cosy Friday night. As I often do, I put together a brief before and after video of how the image developed. Have fun and don't give up when you could be "So Close"! ;)