30 days are over already?

So...apparently I missed a few days, and my 30 days are up. As far as my English project goes, all that's left to do is write a paper...yay. As far as this blog goes, my feelings are mixed. I definitely don't have the time to post everyday, that was a bit much. But I suppose I'll keep posting photos as I take them, though not as often. For my readers, I would love to get some feedback! Any suggestions/comments/advice on this blog, if I should keep it up, change it, ways to improve it, etc.? I know you're looking. Is there anything in particular you'd like to see? And my comments are open, you don't have to have an account to comment. Just saying.

Day 27: Leaf on a tree

Here is another one from my book series. Can't you tell I love books? Again, this is a black and white print from last semester. It's even somewhat of a pun! Kind of... Anyways, this is a fanciful image, an impulse I had as I was doing this shoot. I love how the texture of the paper makes it almost blend in with the rest of the tree. I liked the idea of trying to get that special book that is just barely out of reach. For all my readers out there, do you have a book that's special to you in some way? Anything you'd recommend? Something you'd stand on your tippy toes in order to reach?

Day 26: Caught in a web

This is a woodcut I did in printmaking last semester. Just a bug caught in a web of dreams.

Day 25: Found stars

Here is another recent photo from this semester, one that continues my star series. I shot this photo using a Hasselblad and 120 mm film. Again, the stars are a metaphor, they are to represent what you live for, your dreams, your goals. In this, it's as if she found her dream by this old abandoned building, and almost seems disgusted by it. Or perhaps she abandoned her dream, and is disgusted with herself for doing so.

Day 24: Growing

This is another digital project I just finished. For the assignment, we had to combine several organic forms with man made objects by scanning them, and we could include found photographs if we chose. The objects I chose to scan were seed pods, and a camera and its wires that I pulled out after smashing it with a hammer. It was very therapeutic. Don't worry, it was a $2 camera from Good Will. The girl (that's me!) and the two dolls in the center are pieces of two photographs. As I began to experiment, and put this assignment together, I started to think about how my interest in photography has grown, and how I've changed from the girl I used to be. Though I think the dolls and little me don't quite fit. At first I was trying to portray how the child I used to be seems so far away that it doesn't seem real anymore, hence the dolls. Here is the image without the dolls and myself. What do you think?

Day 23: Construction site

This is something I found when I went out to photograph. This was where the bridge was across the river on Jackson Street here Muncie, where they're doing all that construction. I really like the shape, and twisting of this metal, it's beautiful. It's a black and white print that I toned selenium to make the darks darker. It was also raining, which gives it a bit of a misty look.

Day 22: At the park

This is a black and white print I shot last semester. I went to this park during the week in the middle of the day for one of my projects, completely forgetting the fact that this is a playground for one of the elementary schools. Soon after I arrived, a class came out for recess. Every fifteen minutes another class would come out, with usually a five minute break between the classes. I quickly withdrew to a bench out of the way, and waited for my model. I needed the playground for my ideas, so we shot during the breaks, and also did a few on the edges even though a class was out. That's where the cover to my chapbook comes from. I was photographing my friend when I noticed that girl watching us, so I shifted my camera and focus. I actually had a boy come up to me and asked me to push him on the swing. It's strange how trusting children are sometimes. As I watched them play, I couldn't resist snapping a few more...surprisingly none of the teachers came up to me. I was worried they would tell me to leave, but they didn't seem to notice. I always loved walking along the beams like this when I was little. I had better balance back then.

Day 21: Plucked from the shelf

Here is another one from my book series. This is at Minnetrista in Muncie, shot last semester. My lovely model here came up with the idea to put the books there. I thought it turned out nicely. The books I checked out from the library, just random old ones that I thought looked interesting. For all you readers out there, any ideas on how I could take this further?

Day 20: Hands that create

I know, this isn't a photograph, but it's still an image. This is an etching I did in a printmaking class last semester. It was interesting... Needless to say, it is not my favorite medium but I did learn a lot and I have found this semester that it has influenced me more than I thought it would. It has mas made me pay more attention to line. With this image, I was having fun drawing the details in my hands. The hearts in the background are a necklace I made in high school. I wanted to show how important my hands are to me in everything I do. Without them, and their ability to create art, I'm not sure what I would do.

Day 19: Lines

Another recent one I shot with a Hasselblad with 120 film. I really liked the lines of the plants compared to those of the building in the background. Sorry for the short description, I need to go to bed.

Day 18: Old memories

This is another recent photo that I shot a couple weeks ago. It is also 120 mm film, though this one I shot with a Holga camera, which is a cheap plastic toy camera covered with electrical tape on the seams to prevent light leaks. The camera first appeared in China as a cheap mass market camera for the working class, and today, photographers often use it as fine art, and a way to just shoot for fun. The results can often be interesting and surprising, such as multiple exposures like in this image. I like how the overlap worked and the lines it created. I also chose this image because it reminds me of a childhood friend I had, and we used to go to garage sales together.

Day 17: My fingers grow restless

I have been working on this image for several weeks, and just finished it today. It is for my digital imaging class. As you can see, I have pieced multiple images of a location together. It is about how I feel about the piano. I began taking lessons in 3rd grade and played until my senior year. This image is about regret. I stopped playing, and I could give you a lot of reasons, well, excuses, but they aren't important. With this image, I was addressing my regret, and other emotions I feel. I spent so much time (though I never practiced as much I should have), so many years, sometimes I feel like I've thrown it all away. I suppose I haven't stopped completely, I play every once in a while. But when I play now, I often get frustrated because I can't play like I used to, I'm rusty. Anyways, there's not enough time to do everything, I suppose. What do you think of this image? Is there anything you regret?

Day 16: Look and see

This is a photo from my most recent assignment for Photo 2 this semester. I shot this with a Twins Reflex lens camera (this older camera that has two lenses) with a bit larger film, 120 mm rather than the standard film size, 35 mm. I had never shot before with the larger film, and I had a really good experience. I also toned this print with selenium (a chemical that makes the darks darker without doing anything to the middle grays or highlights. I found this window by walking around downtown Fort Wayne, and I happened upon it. I love all of the different textures, and layers. What do you think of it?

Day 15: Stones and choices

This is another piece from my final for Photo 1 last semester on dreams. In this, the object are the stones that I found in a dried up fountain. The metaphor that our dreams are like these stones is a little bit different than the one that dreams are something caged that need to be set free. With this one, I wanted to show the countless possibilities of what one can do in life. I also wanted to show how difficult it can be to decide, to pick a dream, to know if it's the "right" one. Perhaps the difficulty is finding one, the one that is worth it. The stones, to me, also represent the choices that are made, or need to be made in order for a person to obtain their goal, whatever that may be.

Day 14: Painting with light

Now this one was just for fun. I love taking pictures. Two of my very good friends came over one night last summer just so I could take some. They're so nice. This is a fun technique that you can do with photography that I first learned about in high school, and have experimented with here and there. It's often called "painting with light." In order to do them, usually you need to use a slow shutter speed, one that will stay open long enough while you move your lights. Depending on the amount of light and your F-stop, the time will vary. At night with little light, the exposure time will be longer but it can give you more to work with. I used a tripod and a remote control to avoid camera shake. With this one, the time was 4 seconds, just enough for my friend and I to swirl the circle of Christmas lights at the top and then lower them to get the streak effect. I like all the crazy lines the lights created.

Day 13: Sharp Stars

Just a photo and a poem today. I will have new work later this week.

Sharp Stars

The girl wraps shivering arms around herself,

Her skin scraped raw by a coarse dress, and a

Thread bare cap covers scraggly hair.

Mama? Papa?

Have fled, leaving behind a puddle of

Blood still stains her

Fingers grip a scrap of bread

Close to her gaunt chest between the

Crevices of her ribs and shadows

From a tiny lick of flame.

Her head pounds with each

Step through icy water.

Eyes crawl on her skin in the gloom

Wax scalds her skin, dripping

Lost in the filth beneath her feet.

Shadows press around her, and claws

Snatch the bread, the cap,

Tears the cloth and hair in a frenzy,

Jagged nails rip her parchment skin, and

Leave her there, curled naked.

She leaves the streets behind her

Gentle leaves, softer than her mother’s touch

Lull her, and she sleeps, cradled by gnarled roots.

Sharp stars fall around her frozen body,

Glinting like coins.

Day 12: A bit of writing

I did this image for a cover of a chapbook I made last semester. It started off as a black and white print that I cropped in on, and made adjustments. Then I added the black texture from a composition book that I had scanned. Most of the writing I included in the little book centered around childhood or growing up, mostly poems and short fiction. I also included a few of my photographs as well.

Day 11: Let them free

I shot this last semester for my photography final. It is a black and white print. For my project, my idea was dreams, and I used several different objects to portray different ideas about them. When I say dreams, I mean dreams in life or your goals. With the cage she is holding, I want to represent how some people keep their dreams caged for various reasons, and how they must be set free in order to achieve them. I like this image because of the sense of distance due to most of it being out of focus, only the rain drops behind her are sharp. It is also the moment right before she opens the cage; she is about to but she has hesitated. Perhaps she is afraid to, or perhaps something is holding her back.

Day 10: Raking?

Exceptionally large leaf pile? Nope. My mother's car just happened to be parked in the street. It was in the way. So, rather than move, well, you get the picture. This is what happens when my brother and I rake the yard. I wouldn't hire us. Needless to say, my mother's reaction when she returned home was quite worth it. I almost cried. Then my brother decided to drive out of it. That was interesting. Unfortunately, it was dark, and I didn't think to grab my camera. Oh well. We got a  lot of raking done that day.

Day 9: Up through the trees

Here's another old one. I shot this photo in the summer of 2009 as well.

Day 8: Bit of sunshine

Just a flower today, a bit of sunshine to brighten the day. I shot this with a point and shoot camera a couple summers ago when I planted sunflowers along the side of my house. Such a bright, pretty yellow. I wish it was warm. I am ready for winter to be over!

Day 7: Book lover

With this photo, I wanted to capture the magic of books. As a kid, reading was my refuge and my escape. Any book worm will understand. I loved how books could take me to new worlds, and let me forget reality for a little while. When I was younger, I would read for hours, often forgetting to eat, staying up late because I couldn't put them down. They were my protection, my shield against growing up. Often, I would have a different book each day. When I went to the library, I would come home with a stack up to my chin, sometimes two. Unfortunately, I can't read like that anymore, but reading still holds that magic for me.

Day 6: Childhood things

This is a project I did for my digital imaging class. We had to create a low relief sculpture of found objects that we then scanned and manipulated in Photoshop. I glued cut up doll fabric and other toy objects to a board, and did a bunch of experimenting, and this is what I ended up with. I used a lot of brushes, manipulated color, and also made the cracks. Childhood has been a recurring theme for me within my work, probably because I didn't want to grow up when I was younger. I was one of those kids that clung to my imaginative games and stuffed unicorns. I believe something is lost, something is broken when we must mature, and grow up. Yet even with all the lessons I have learned, and am still learning about life, I still feel like a child. A child who is not sure what she's looking for.

Day 5: Light

This one's a bit old, shot in the summer of 2009 back in high school and toned sepia, I know I can do better now, but what I love about this photo is the light. I love how it is coming in from that window and filtering through the glass shapes. One thing I've noticed as I have photographed more and more is how much I never saw, and how much more attention I give to light, how it falls, and its effects on everything around me. There is so much to see and now that I pay more attention to light, what I see constantly changes.

Day 4: High up in the sky

This image is part of a series, one of four. As a child, my favorite thing about going to the park were the swings. Once my dad taught me to pump my legs, and lean back, I could go as high as I wanted. Sometimes I would close my eyes, lean back as far as I dared, and imagine myself in the clouds.


To see the other three of the series, click here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rochellemartin/sets/72157629049350411/

Day 3: Reach for the stars?

The string of stars in this image is a metaphor. The stars above us are so infinite, so far away, flickering and faint in the dark sky. Often, stars are used as a metaphor; we compare them to our abstract human concepts such as goals when we say to "reach for the stars" or "shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll end up among the stars." It is such a strange metaphor. For me, stars represent something a little different, they are a symbol of a person's dream or passion, of something reached for, of the unknown, or your reason for existence. Yet, for someone else, the stars represent something entirely different. That is why I use them, because of their ambiguity. As I was creating this image, I began to think about this metaphor that our goals in life are stars, or dreams are stars and I wanted to contrast it with something else, hence the pile of rocks from a construction site. The rocks are just as numerous, yet unlike the pinpricks of light we see as stars, rocks are solid and tangible. Perhaps dreams are rocks is a better metaphor. Either one you think is best, I question both, though maybe they can each work in a way. But I also question them with all of the cracks within the rocks that I digitally added. I wanted to show that things aren't always perfect, that dreams or goals don't always go according to plan, things change and crack and fall apart. Yet, we must hold onto something, whatever that may be.                                          

Day 2: Sing me a song

This is my brother, Stefan. Let me tell you something about this boy. He has got a voice, strong and rich. When he starts singing, I don't want him to stop. For this photo, I wanted to capture how he looks to me when he sings. I love the expression on his face, how wrapped up he is in the sound, in singing. You can tell he loves it, music is his passion. He has so much talent. Yet, like anyone, especially those of us in the arts, he gets discouraged, and I find myself wanting to tell him, "No, don't you dare." I want to show him this photo of him singing for me in our backyard. I want to remind him that this is what he loves, to tell him that anything worth doing in life is not easy, to tell him how much I love listening to him when he sings. When you have talent like his, you don't just hide it away. You sing loud, and clear, and in tune.

Day 1: The allure of film

This portrait is a black and white print that was toned with selenium. With this portrait, I wanted to show my passion for photography, and where it all began for me. I took my first photography class in high school where we shot entirely in black and white film. Digital was barely mentioned. At first, it was frustrating. I made constant mistakes ranging from fogged film to a broken light meter. I was uncomfortable holding a camera, and had thoughts that I would just get through the year, and never take photography again. Yet, as I learned, and the mistakes I made lessened, I found myself drawn to it more and more. I began to see the world around me and the endless possibilities. What started out as a mere elective class soon became my passion.

The beginning

For the next 30 days, I will post a photograph or digital image each day and write about it. This is part of an immersion project for an English class, but I have chosen a topic that matters to me. I also plan to continue this after I am done with the class. With this blog, I hope to share my love for photography, and use this as a place to express my ideas and talk about art. The descriptions will range from technical details to a creative writing response of what I hoped to express. I will also share my experiences, and what I have learned in photo classes or from making mistakes. By the end of the 30 days, I hope to become a better photographer and writer, and a focused artist who is able to talk about my work. In addition to this blog, I will also be researching ways on how to become a better photographer and the benefits of looking at the world in a different way. There is so much to look at, and once I began to see, I found I could not stop. From film to digital, photography has become my passion. There are just some things in life that words cannot express where photography has stepped in for me.