While in Tahoe we went on a mini hang gliding excursion with Dave. While Jason and Becky had both gone with him before, this was my first time. I was envisioning some nice grassy knoll we could sit on and relax while he held his finger to the air to check the wind. In reality we were on the side of a mountain standing in the road next to a guard rail…”you are JUMPING here?!” was running through all of our (except Dave’s I am sure!) heads. We waited. We watched the wind sock. We talked to some locals. We waited some more. We watched the wind sock some more. Then it was a go! Crazy amount of setup! Which makes sense because you are FLYING IN THE SKY. More watching the wind sock. But then it was time and all of a sudden- he JUMPED off the edge of the mountain. So awesome! I could never do it. I could never even go tandem. But it was awesome to watch. And maybe next time there will be a grassy knoll.

Now that summer has started I am finally catching up. I also have a super awesome new computer which makes catching up a breeze! These images were made while I was assisting on two photo workshops for Aperture Academy. For the most part, I was shooting images of people shooting images. But I was able to sneak in a few here and there, all handheld, though  many should have been shot on a tripod. The workshops are awesome and you get great instruction in beautiful locations and get to meet some awesome people…now I need to find the time to go out and shoot at these spots as a student rather than an instructor ;)

after the jump I break down each project…

From l-r:
wire frame project: make a wire frame of an everyday object…I chose a cast iron kettle I had. It was hard at first working with the wire, but once I got into my groove with it, I actually liked it. I could see doing something similar again if I ever had the time (never?)
cardboard chair project: we were to make a chair out of cardboard that could support weight. I admit that this project did not get me that excited. Some people made awesome chairs. I made one that worked. Done and done.
low value sculpture project: use a low value item en mass to make a abstract and organic sculpture. I really struggled with the concept for this one, but knew I wanted to use bobby pins. I ordered a POUND of them online and got to grouping them together (thanks to my binding skills from the wire frame project and assistance from ms. hunter). Then from there those groups formed groups and so on. In the end it is looks and feels like a sea urchin or tumbleweed. Proud of my craftsmanship I bragged how it would not fall apart and it was tossed around during critique. It did not fall apart, but did take a beating. IF I were to do this again, I would double (or triple!) the amount of bobby pins and do tighter bindings.

dollar store project: buy an item from the dollar/ 99 cent store and make two plaster molds of it. Do your best to recreate/paint it…but seeing how a cast is not perfect and bumpy, the painted version can’t help but look janky and homemade. Then return to the store and place yours amongst the originals. Take a photo. Leave there.  Guerrilla art!

So far, the favorite subject I have shot for my studio class is food…In my dreams, I will have time this summer to produce more food shots.

When I got my new camera the very first place I took it the moment it stopped raining (which seemed like forever) is my lunch spot. I am lucky to work so close to so much awesome nature and lucky that it is close enough to play on lunch. Previous play here and here. I like how I can go to the same spot so many times and still see it with new eyes each time.

]]> http://rachaelolmstead.com/blog/2010/03/25/where-i-go/feed/ 3 http://rachaelolmstead.com/blog/2010/03/16/too-much-me/ http://rachaelolmstead.com/blog/2010/03/16/too-much-me/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:25:07 +0000 rachaelolmstead http://rachaelolmstead.com/blog/?p=1059 I feel like time is slipping by faster than I can shoot or post lately. The semester is going well and the new camera, in the few instances I have gotten to play, is beyond awesome. I have been thinking lately about how I feel like I am changing before my own eyes. If that makes sense. My hair is changing colors. My skin is thinning. I am thinning.  And I see a slow evolution of age more lately. Not in a bad way, but I find that I look at myself and see someone different than who I always thought I was. Time for a new self portrait maybe. Last semester I had the take-a-self-portrait-and-blog-every-single-day-for-school which beyond drained me and I felt really hindered my photography in some way- like the act of having to do it EVERY day regardless of quality or inspiration (while good in it’s own way) sorta put me in a funk. But! Spring has sprung! I have a new camera! The time has changed and I think I can get over whatever weirdness that project left in my mouth. But! Unless you had access to the special link you have no idea what I am talking about. So I have decided to bring here a few of my favorites of the ONE HUNDRED AND TEN that were taken. And funny, but with space and time and compiling this here, I see the project in a whole new light.

These were the last images taken on my 20D… Superbowl Sunday in Capitola. Not very exciting, but the end of an era in a sense. Or the beginning of a new one. This camera has taken me farther than I imagined it would, and for that I am grateful. I can’t wait to see the next 4 years with the 5D Mark II…