We made it out alive! But just barely. There’s nothing that makes you realize how old you are more than a night in Vegas. There are more pictures to come later, but I handed these in for my photo assignment this week. These are the edited versions (which we’re not allowed to do for class) because I didn’t adjust my white balance and everything turned out a bit blue. Lessons learned!
We stopped at this funny gas station around the halfway mark that had moving, talking, um, statues? Robots? Not sure what they were, but they urged me to try to the brisket sold inside. (Nope.) We had a great weekend!
I can hardly believe it’s been seven years since I packed up my car and drove halfway across the country to California. I spent about a year in New York after college and then decided to try San Diego (before L.A….it’s been busy), so I went back to Oklahoma for a month, visited some friends and then drove to sunny Southern Cali.
Along the way, I took a few pictures. But the film got mixed up in the move once I finally arrived, so I didn’t see these photos until today! My husband found the rolls of film around the time we were getting the disposable cameras from our wedding developed, and the developed pictures have been sitting in our filing cabinet for a year and a half, waiting patiently to be looked at. So glad I went searching for something else and stumbled across these. There were even some pics from college in there! (Definitely more on that later.)
I’m so happy to announce that two of my pictures will be featured in the APA—LA Off the Clock exhibition! Ready for April to get here!
The first photo was taken at the Run or Dye 5K (Inland Empire) this past summer, and the second photo was taken at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, also last summer.
I make it no secret that I hate being in photos. Like, HATE being in photos. I’m pretty sure most people think I’m joking or only half mean that, but no—part of the reason I’m loving my photography classes is because it gives me an excuse to be behind the camera instead of in front of it.
So, this week’s assignment was to take a self-portrait.
Ha!
The good news is that I knew about this particular assignment way ahead of time and got it out of the way awhile ago (this is why my “about” section has anything to look at. Two birds, one camera.)
Anyway, just to add some fun to the mix, I also did a “self-portrait” with the bobble heads Alec and I received as a wedding present. Love these! They make me smile every day, much like my hubby.
Our friends, Seth and Danielle, are getting married soon, and her wedding shower was last weekend. Laura, our lovely hostess, threw a French garden party to celebrate and was kind enough to let me play shutterbug. Below are my favorites, which I also used for our weekly photo assignment, which was design focused this time.
Sometimes you have a Sunday that comes so seamlessly together that it is just lovely and relaxing and totally unexpected. And then someone sneezes next to you WITHOUT COVERING THEIR NOSE and you want to yell at them about manners.
But, anyway, this past three-day weekend was pleasant and perfect. My running partner and I started it off with our final long training run before the marathon (three weeks!). And it went so well. All of our training kind of came together and by the end of 22 miles, we just knew we’re ready for the race! I can’t wait, guys!
Usually after a long run, I’m dead to the world for like two days, but I woke up Sunday morning feeling happy and excited for a day I hadn’t planned yet. And let’s not kid ourselves, I was also sore, but I could walk. I hit the bookstore for a my Sunday morning book pick. I’ve been trying to read more and watch TV less, and it’s going well. So I picked four books and settled into a nice sunny spot on the Barnes & Noble balcony at The Grove. I read through a few chapters, enjoying some hot chocolate, and a guy came to sit next to me and started sniffling. Like every 10 seconds. Like, I almost got up to get him a tissue (wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done this. I may have an issue), when he started sneezing WITHOUT covering his nose or mouth.
WHAT.
Now, I’m pretty, um, let’s call it “careful” about germs. So needless to say, this is making me silently freak out. But add in the fact that the marathon is three weeks away (and I had already spent four weeks of our training being sick with a never-ending cold and then bronchitis) and I was just not having it. I politely walked away, but ho-ly goodness—why do people do this!
Anyway, not to let it ruin the weekend. I worked on some craft projects (more on that in a future post) and then went wine tasting with friends. Also got some sweet flowers and chocolate from my hubby. So relaxing and chilled out. Ready for another three day weekend!
As many of you know, I’ve started in on my photography classes! I’ll be posting photos “of the day” every once in a while from my projects (if I like them!). I’m starting with our first assignment, bracketing. I won’t show you all the photos that resulted from this, but just my favorite: love letters that my grandparents wrote to each other while my grandfather was in military school. I’m not huge on romance, but these letters get me.
On the hunt for shutterbug’s gold, Photographer Hannah Ross slowly explored the cramped crawl space beneath her subject’s house. With only her cell phone as a light source, she searched for the perfect prop that might complete her photo shoot. Instead, she stumbled across a surprising find: bloody mannequins. At least, they were mannequins painted to look bloody. “[It] was quite creepy and unexpected,” she recounts of the unusual discovery. But for some photographers, unusual tends to be the norm in this business. “I have loads of stories about equipment failures and being stranded in over 100-degree heat, or a model having an allergic reaction and needing a medevac,” Hannah adds. But that’s just another day at the office for someone so dedicated to her craft: No adventure is too outside the box when it comes to getting the perfect shot.
Raised mainly in Virginia, with five years of her childhood spent in Japan and Panama, Hannah decided to head west to work in television and commercials after getting her film degree from New York University. Between the vastly different coasts, she noted disparate aesthetics between each major city.
“When I first moved to L.A., I met with several prominent photographers to learn the ‘rules’ for west coast photography, which are: The market is primarily lifestyle and catalog, and things are very casual. For instance, a bathing suit shot in New York would require heels on the model (high fashion), and in L.A. it would be barefoot. Working with L.A. designers, the styles are also more street/casual with a lot of influence coming from graffiti artists. There isn’t much high fashion found, so I did have to bend a bit to suit the clients,” Hannah explains, revealing how living in Los Angeles influenced her work at the time.
Once she nailed the aesthetic, Hannah focused on crafting a team to work with in L.A.: “It took years, but finding the perfect stylist and makeup artist is essential to any production. The philosophy comes down to — if you have a crew that you truly trust, then you’ll have a natural groove going, and the photos will follow.”
That’s no joke; with the perfect team in place and valuable advice on her side — not to mention raw talent — Hannah has built a successful career, evidenced by a well-stocked and well-deserved trophy case. She was named the 2011 New Master Artist in the New Masters Competition (Netherlands); was commended at the 2011 Sony World Photography Awards; had her work displayed for the Moscow Biennale at the Moscow Modern Art Museum; was appointed the Arte Creative Residency at ARTE G.E.I.E. (France); served as the artist in residence at the Cyprus College of Art (Larnaca, Cyprus) and Taide & Design (Finland); and has been touted as the Leading Contemporary Photographer at the Fashion and Textile Museum (London). And then there are the celebrities who have relied on her skills to bring them to life in front of the lens, the likes of which include LMFAO, Amanda Lepore, Perez Hilton and the cast of NCIS.
Hannah has gained worldwide recognition for her photography, fashion being one of the key focuses of her work. She names House of Infinite Radness as her favorite Los Angeles-based designer, among other fashion influences. “In general, I love Martin Margiela, his work, but I also adore the mystique surrounding the identity of the designer. He has never been photographed, interviewed, and only replies to press via fax.”
After years spent immersed in Los Angeles and its fashion talents, calling medevacs for models and stumbling across creepy horror-film-like mannequins, Hannah now has her own advice to dispense to any future L.A. photographers:
“Don’t wait to be discovered; be proactive in finding work for yourself. Work for free to get ins, and then paid work will follow. Assist for photographers to learn their methods. The bottom line is that having a career in fashion photography requires primarily independent pursuit. If you’re driven, work hard and are persistent, it’s just a matter of building your book and paying your dues.”
Discover more of Hannah’s work in the slideshow below, while we also blow your mind with some additional Hannah Ross Q&A.
Q: What inspired you to be a photographer to begin with? Was it a specific photograph, or a specific photographer? How has that work or photographer influenced your work?
A: My uncle was a concert/band photographer, so growing up I was introduced to loads of gadgets and taught all sorts of film cameras. In middle school I started going to my community center to use the darkrooms, and by high school I had set up a darkroom in my bathroom. I always had seen it to be a very competitive and small industry (especially with the rise of new media) so I was initially discouraged from pursuing it as a viable career path. The only other work I sought out would have to be National Geographic. I didn’t have a subscription so I would buy the year prior at library sales, and as a kid I thought it would be the dream job to travel the world shooting photos.
Q: As a multimedia artist, what other media do you work with? And what excites you about other media?
A: I really work with anything that I can get my hands on. I research a great deal into new media sources and devices because technology has become so much more accessible and inexpensive. Experimentation is key to inspiring new methods of visuals. The new Lytro camera, for example, is a brand new technology where you can capture photographs in 3D, so in RAW conversion you can select which field is in focus. [It is] very exciting to be on the cusp of breaking new ground in the field.
Q: What is the most difficult aspect of being a photographer? On that note, what is your favorite aspect of this career?
A: The benefit of having inexpensive technology is obvious, but the downside is that the competition has now increased as well. It’s a tiny and tough field to stay active in and maintain ongoing clients. The upside is that the work I’m producing is creating imagery, which is immensely gratifying. I can’t imagine having another type of profession.
wild pieces 