'model' thoughts

It's Wednesday, which means another episode of America's Next Top Model.

My mom can't stand it, and if you think about the content (or lack thereof) in each 45-minute episode... you could really watch the last 5 minutes and not miss a whole lot, unless you're hooked. It is true that the show treats you as if you are 15 years old and need the contestants to RE-EXPLAIN what is already happening, has happened or will happen. If someone is shown as upset or angry or happy, inevitably you switch immediately to a "confessional" of them exclaiming about how upset/angry/happy they are. The actual photo shoots go by in a blur, with fake camera clicks and flashes getting in the way of what you DO see.

But anyway.

I quite like the favorite, Nicole, whose artistic flair and quiet personality reminded me of myself. I kept wondering, though - why would someone as intelligent and downright gifted as she is in other areas (we saw footage of her paintings - WOW) be completely happy with modeling? To me it seemed a downright waste.

Until I read an interview where she outlines exactly what I find compelling about the show in general. I think she's going to be fine.


"I admire the artistry involved in the fashion industry," she said. "From designers to photographers to stylists, the industry is filled with creative, passionate people -- a world I would love to be a part of. Models get to embody an emotion and to use their bodies to convey that feeling for the camera. In doing so, you become a work of art yourself." link to interview


Elsewhere she says she'd like to be an artist/model/writer, and perhaps use modeling to finance a career as an artist. I suppose that's not a terrible day job. (Not that I would know.)

Here's hoping Nicole wins next week, because she deserves it.

the wonder of the face

by Eric Lafforgue, from here

I've been looking through a lot of portraits lately on Flickr, it seems like. So many are filled with meaning, emotion, with stories.


by Andrea Benedetti, from here

This shot of Benedetti's of the two stranded nuns is so heartwarming and hilarious. It's not as if anyone just strolling along could pick up a camera, take a shot and have it be this good. People are as bad as sports - there are dozens of little significant, potential moments, but you have very little time to anticipate and recognize them - and get the shot - when they do come.

It's also a little more personal. Of course - getting in someone's face, as my sister knows I like to do with the camera, is not at all like waiting for the right light to ripple over a rock or for that home run. It's a little embarrassing; you, the camera and your subject all have to get used to each other first, kind of. And that feeling of possibly intruding on someone is why I don't take many people shots.

Nevertheless, here are a few (about 16) that I like of mine (as always, Slide kills the quality to some extent). Be forewarned: some faces you may recognize.

While going through my files, though, I had to wonder: who are these attractive people?


Just thought I'd ask in my circle of acquaintances.

contest results

I entered 7 photos in this contest, and unfortunately didn't place in any category. 500+ photos is a lot to contend with. However a couple friends of mine made it into runners-up or honorable mention spots, like Ian Hoppe, from my family's old church (he got 2nd place in "Other Wildlife"!).

Ah well. Here were my entries, which I still think are pretty swell :) :

This is just one of over a dozen photos I have "faved" on Flickr. This one is from user aftab, published on October 11.

Click here to visit my "favorites" page, which has shots as cool or cooler than this - like super-close shots of raindrops mirroring flowers, or a swan on a lake burnished bright gold from the setting sun. Or a frozen spider web backlit by a sunset.

My own photo site is here. I've been trying to join groups, add photos and comment, and I'm having a little bit of success with kind compliments. But mostly I'm getting under 2 views per photo, which means either people just don't know it's there or don't care to see it close-up. It's a bit of a popularity contest. If you have tons of followers, you'll get like 96 comments and end up on the "Explore" page on Flickr, which is where I found most of my favorites. And usually stuff with that many comments, or on Explore, really does legitimately deserve it. Not always. But I try to remind myself that the goal is not to get on Explore, or to have over 50 comments on a photo. It's just to share what I've been doing lately. Sigh. ...if only it were as fabulous as those faved pics, though!!

husker football from my perspective

Yep, these are photos from my one and only Husker experience - and the first entire game I have actually sat through. Yes, I know it's too much. It was all Julie's doing.

We were crammed in one row from the top of the student's section. I did not know the student section STANDS... the entire time! Our bench had a tendency to wobble forward and backward, sometimes making Julie and I grab each other's arms. I found the bazillion balloons everyone let go at the first Husker point more fascinating than anything that happened on the field - as you can see in my photos. I never took pictures of anything on the field - I suppose for one because nothing was actually HAPPENING, from a fan's standpoint, and second my camera could never get anything useful from that distance anyway.

So, I have faithfully dipped my toes into the world of Husker football... and I found everything around me except the field pretty interesting :) A guy in front of us got escorted out by police for his drunken, shirtless debauchery. Good times!

-Oh, and it looks like Slide cut off the edges of a few pictures strangely... like a balloons-in-the-sky one and a shadow picture at the end. If you want the true artistic effect I guess you'll just have to go through the Slide album yourself :)

red on the trees

I took over 400 pictures last weekend. ...yikes. A lot to go through.

I'm going to throw up some shots I like and this time not worry about whether it is a comprehensive gathering of every single highlight.

So... through the magic of Slide, 14 shots:

memories...

While selecting some shots for a photo competition, I happened upon photos from an excursion in October of 2008 with Anna and her kids. I pulled out the old CD with the shots on them - and realized some were never edited and/or put online. So, here's a look back at the past - a fantastic little trip to Pioneers Park with Anna, Cami and Calvin, & her camera :)