texture and light...and learning to see.

An artist friend of mine who I deeply respect recently told me that art is just learning to see.  Everything we do is just learning, and practicing for the next time we create.  We pass things everyday that we just run by, never stopping to notice. But these things are there, they catch light, contrast with their surroundings, and every hour their shadow stretches to a new length. And we miss them. It seems as though when you feel like you are out of ideas that you are empty. But there truly are ideas all around us. This is why I try to approach photo shoots with minimal props or preconceptions. Sometimes I have this picture in my head before I go...I think that there is a path I will follow during a session, which is kind of a comfort if I am nervous or don't know someone, these little things are like ice breakers to me- portals to the unknown..people usually will respond with their true spirit. I must say though, I am always so shocked when these photographs I couldn't have planned just jump out at me, I have a kind of giddy excitement just not knowing what I will find or discover, I love the new or seeing the overdone and overused in a new way.
Every family, individual, child..tells me a different story in pictures. Even the most reserved, conventional "portraits" tell me so much.  I search for the little something that lets me inside that person's personality for a second. I love seeing how light hits people, how they finally warm up to me and we make that connection, between photographer and subject. This is the same experience when I see something inanimate that I hadn't noticed before. Something mundane that has caught the perfect shadow, or a ray of an orange sunset. Ok enough. Here are some examples of surprises....

                     These images above copywright 2009, 2010 Jennifer Dagdagan Photography

its all a little blurry...

Being a photographer, I guess the thing that has been the biggest pain is the blur.  I get these en masse sometimes and it makes me feel like a complete fraud! I am like "Ok if these people really knew the truth!"
 I guess as things have gotten better with cameras and my hand might be a bit more steady, the blurs have become less and less, and now I am mostly working on perfecting my lighting and framing, I kind of enjoy a good blur now and then. Not when its a picture I care about, of course, but the random surprise that comes out and is mostly color and texture, but possibly has the mood of the rest of the series.  It occurred to me that real art sometimes is what you can't explain perfectly, or decipher right away. It leaves you with a feeling, a question, something that lasts longer than just the "its pretty" response.
My theory culminated in truth for me this weekend at the Mighty Tieton Juried Art show.  So many things you couldn't just look at once. They drew me deeper, and I have been thinking about them ever since. It was inspiring to know that its ok to just make something out of nothing, and there is no real definition for art. No one can tell you really what is good or bad..you just have to do it for yourself, you can perfect a medium, or technique, but no one can really teach you to be artful, it is just inside you. That is what makes it so special when others are able to see what you see, or "get it". Its like letting people into your make- believe world for a second, and letting them play around. My favorite thing is when people see things in my work that haven't yet..and I agree with them!

Ok well- now I will just post up some pics of good blurs I have conjured up over the past year or so. Yes- I actually have a folder of "blurs".

Trees by Oregon coast. Nothing more beautiful at sunset.

Something at a farmers market..something shiny, perhaps?

I think this is my counter..could it be a wine bottle to the left? 

From a senior session.  See what I mean about the mood?

Bad framing led to a pretty happy little shot..

I have no idea where this came from..it just showed up.

new bike obsessions..

Bicycles and such.


Well I might have a bit of a new obsession..bikes. Not any new fancy ones, but well worn, big seated, ungodly heavy, beautiful hunks of metal. I see them and its kind of like the reaction I have to old trailers. Its old, it has wheels, and you can put baskets and horns on them, and as I tried to convince my friend dawn, you could even get a little flag to hook on the back, to avoid any unfortunate encounters with a faster moving vehicle. What can I say, they make me immensely happy and now I am hunting all over to find one, including my parents 150 degree shed filled with I am certain many large and intimidating spiders..because I just SWORE that I saw my moms old cruiser in there not too long ago. My mom then clued me in that it was only like, 10 years ago that they got rid of their awesome vintage (pieces of crap) bikes. Darn it!! Well the search is on..soon I hope to see you out on the streets of Yakima with my blinking headlight and a large wire basket filled with baguettes and cheese. It is going to happen!! Until I find my new fun generating wheeled friend, I have just been photographing them.. oh well.

Bike from Harold's shed

Seriously..what is more awesome than a banana seat bike.

mmm. bike and lunch.

A little green.

So I love the color green. I know, so does everyone, blah blah. That is the most obvious color to like. Especially right after months of seemingly endless grey and cold. Green is life, green is happiness, green seems to be hopeful.  My problem has always been that I use too much of it in everything I do..from buying washcloths of the most perfect chartreuse, to suddenly finding that I have used it in over half of the rooms of my house unintentionally.  An art teacher told me once...you have different subject matter in all of your paintings, but they are all the SAME COLOR!! GASP! I had no idea until I lined them all up. Later, I was lamenting over this problem to another artist..and she said in complete contrast to my well educated teacher, "well if you feel the green, you have to just go with it. Get it out of your system." Hmm. Novel concept, but I had to wonder, could it be possible, can I escape the all entrancing properties of such a marvelous color? Well..after about 2 years of attempting,I haven't accomplished this feat in anything else besides my wardrobe. Where in complete rebellion, I now own almost everything black. Maybe a hint of red here and there, you know, the opposite on the color wheel.  I now am under the suspicion it may never happen. I know. Totally unoriginal, unimaginitave, but I am learning to accept it. Even embrace it willingly again. To prove it I found a couple green things I like and took their pictures. Here you go. Green is good.

Babyness...

I have been so busy printing, designing, and laying out new promotional materials I kind of have forgotten to announce some of the sessions I am adding for children..one that I have finally decided on is a Baby's first year package. I have created similar things for clients in the past and they have LOVED them..because they automatically have the sessions set up, and I am at their doorstep, instead of putting things off and suddenly your baby is 2! I know all to well that this happens quickly! And it offers some savings as well as an incentive to sign on to the photo bliss.

Basic Package is $1275 
and includes 4 sessions, plus a complimentary Belly session 
or Family photo at a year
( if you missed the belly..as some of us do..)
all images uploaded to a shareable gallery
rights to images

Here are some of the sweet little guys I have had the immense joy of photographing
in their first year of life!!

Call me with any questions!! Summer is such a great time to get these guys on film,

if its warm, they are usually happy, and we have so many opportunities to get them in 

some amazing light. Thanks for looking..I will be posting more session ideas for bigger kids in a little bit...so many really fun options for those guys... I can't wait.

Jen

Dandelions

I have frequent moments when I  think I am completely dried up, out of inspiration, my creativity has receded into a complete blob of nothingness.. I feel like I need to not do anything anymore. I get frustrated, and I think I am done, and maybe I need a real job. So for awhile, I walk away from my screen and my easel, away from the glue fumes and paper pieces..usually in a huff. But luckily for me it's spring and there is the option of some nature to distract me..little beginnings inching up from the seemingly dead dirt and crispy brown leaves.  I run around the yard, coffee spilling all over me, flip flops sqwashing in the mud, checking out what is new..if things are a little bit taller, a little thicker, better than last years specimens, etc. To my Husband's delight I shreik at him from the yard "COME HERE!" He runs out panting, ready to take on the evil forces that have invaded our property, or apply pressure to my gaping wound, and call 911..(like any decent husband would..) only to see me gawking and pointing goofily at the tiny blue iris my friend Anne gave me 2 years ago that hadn't bloomed yet..before this very moment. For some reason his excitement usually is a bit less than mine...I probably need to be careful what I call him out of the house for, or the time I actually have a tomato stake impaled in my ribcage or a serious garden hose injury (yes, those are actually VERY dangerous) he will just pretend he dosen't hear me and turn ninja warrior up a bit louder to drown my screams.
Anyway..aside from all the great things in the yard are some things I don't like at all.  They are called Dandelions. This irritating species starts as a teeny seed, and in the time it takes to mow your lawn and get the mower put away, they can grow exactly 12 inches. You walk out to inspect your newly sheared grass of glory and there it is, happily bobbing its furry delicate head, ready to blow its spawn of evil throughout your yard.
Last week I visited my friend LeAnne who has just purchased a new house and after looking through it and marveling ... she took me to her pasture..and to my shock it was breathtaking. You have NEVER seen so many dandelions. This creature I loathe was actually beautiful, fully within its element. Thousands of tiny yellow suns waving around in the wind. . Ok, so Garden magazines always say mass plantings make a statement. Well nature did this and when this happens it is always so much better than what we could try to create. Humbling yes. Inspiring yes. I love those moments.
I asked LeAnne if I could bring some little girls I was photographing the next day. Of course she said yes! Here is the result. A long story leading, but nevertheless one of my many lessons. Enjoy!

Seeing in a wierd light...

 My friend and client Dawn Garland, that owns a sweet clothing boutique here in Yakima and I were talking a couple months ago, we were discussing the fact that our (now blooming and gorgeous) town here was not so photo friendly, and we NEEDED to photograph parts of her spring collection.  After a lot of moaning and groaning about ugly trees and brown grass, etc, we kept just putting it off.  Until I was picking up my daughter from acting class at Melody Lane in the Nob Hill Plaza, and lo and behold what did I see? Um..folded up carnival rides...parked sadly in the empty space filled with tumbleweeds and trash that used to be the lovely Montgomery Wards. Could it be? Could they be setting up rides?  Hmm. Well I drove slowly past and to my sheer delight most looked like they were somewhat aging fair rides. Perfect. I called Dawn, who screamed, and we were sitting with our models a week later ready for photos despite the knifelike, arctic wind that was howling through the vacant carnival. The company was amazing,  ( I will credit them when I figure out the name..) they let us have free run of the place for the whole morning before they opened. They turned on rides, let the girls have old cotton candy and cold curly fries, play the duck hunt game, and ride the ferris wheel, which terrified me beyond my ability to even put into words. What great people with wonderful hospitality.  I can't show all of them, but here are my favorites. Oh, and go into Wild Lucy's... Dawn has great clothes, works from local artists (jewelry shown on models), makeup, accessories and more. The brilliant scarves pictured were made by the amazing BJ Wolf of Yakima. (More to come featuring BJ.)

Scarf: BJ Wolfs Mercantile

Dress BBDakota

Dress: Lovestitch

Scarf/Snood: BJWolfe Mercantile

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yakima-WA/BJ-Wolfs-Mercantile/193378593333?ref=ts

Dress: BBDakota

    Shoes: Model's own

                                          Jacket and Jeans: Flying Tomato

                                            
                                                    Jacket: Flying Tomato
                                                              

               Tank:  Flying Tomato
               Red Heart Necklace:hand blown-Jacob Strader, student artist  


Visit wildlucysonline.com for a more complete look at her current selection.