The art of self-portraits during self-portrait class - with Brooke Shaden & After Dark.

Ok! so one of the things we got to do at not only Creative Live but at after dark was SELF PORTRAITS.....now mind you - I have notes somewhere about everything Brooke taught us about shooting the "self". :)  What is the ART of telling our story? LOL  Good question!!!!

Ok, so like I said in previous posts on Facebook - I wanted to take all of Brooke's classes that I had never previously taken....one being underwater and one being SELFportraits. :)  I remember seeing the fun that everyone had in past classes and thinking I should probably do it - or i would regret it. :) 

We started in the special hallway upstairs that looked out over the archways of the grand hall.  It was such a shame the grand hall was under construction, but you could still enjoy the archways of the ceiling. :)  We went through the location...the thoughts...the whys....the hows...and the lack of tripods and how to think about using stuff when you don't have a tripod.  :)

So we were taken to a room with lots of storage and old christmas trees...it did have an eerieness and quietness to it...along with crazee darkness.  I know that in some cases using a long shutter would do the trick...but good lordy what about focus!!!! :0

A good number of people were positioned here.  For good reason i know! Look at it!!!  But I felt that I couldn't get enough thought time or thinking into what i really wanted with the time i had....so i moved on....I moved to the storage room with all the crap laying around...to see what i could come up with.

This is me trying to set up the shot to get the luggage cart in there.  Without a tripod I felt my angles were waaaaaay off...and I wanted to act like i was flying a bit on the cart...so i moved the camera!

as you can see, complete miss!!!!!!!!!!!! heeheheheeehh
I found (IN THE DARK) mind you - a desk semi-across from the luggage cart and attempted to move my image over there.  It helped a lot - and then with my long (probably 10 second) shutter I waved my arms...to see what I could get.  I honestly had no idea what was in focus...but being at 24mm...i figure...WHATEVER!!!! hahahaahahah

Yes, i only shot this about 2 times...before i got the look that i wanted.  Kinda looks a bit more like daylight now....even though it was night-time. :)  I wanted to feel like i was flying and/or moving in some way...because I felt this whole season of just movement forward....and pushing forward...so I was happy with this shot as I ended the first phase. :) I then moved on.....
TO STAIRS.

I liked the curves of the stairs - but wasn't sure where to put myself or position myself.  Again, no tripod...and the tiny tiny one i brought couldn't hold the camera anything but straight.  I think I ended up propping it up on something in my purse....then making sure it didn't slip by letting the lens/filter rest on the concrete. :)  I thought to myself....why don't i just run down the stairs to that window and balance on the beam.....SURE??? THAT IS EASY RIGHT?  noooooooooooooooooo

Sure, my arm is flying - but what does that tell me?  NOTHING!  It was a really narrow staircase with high steps...and CURVED...so running up and down wasn't super super fast....:)  I thought to myself...head down...and moving...this is SOOO not me. :)  Maybe this is the me going up the stairs in real life...but really, i don't hide that often.  So I did it again....and thought to myself - why don't i just run up the stairs...and smile! :)  That sounds easy right? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I already told you - this was narrow and curved...meaning the stairs were EASY to trip on....and i had a hard time looking UP to shoot....notice, i'm still looking down...and then i thought...ok no wonder people didn't choose THIS for their portrait! HAHAHAHAHAAH  I tried it one last time....running UP the stairs....and looking at the camera....and this was my final image. 

Yep folks, that is about IT!  Class was literally ending....and I needed to get it done.  This was the last image I took....and I got my smile...and I got my running...and I didn't fall! :)  I came real close though....ya had to time how far to run downards before running back up....so there you go....my results from Brooke Shaden's "self portrait" class. :)  I think if I had more time to think even more...I would have re-visited the junk room and found a corner to say something...but honestly?  

I like the idea of flying on a baggage cart...and running up the stairs without looking...I think they portray me in a way I have not seen put into picture. :)  

When was your last self-portrait? 
What would you want someone to know about YOU that you are afraid to tell?
Tell it.

Following through with things you DON'T WANT TO DO.........

In January 2014 I was in St Louis attending the After Dark Intensive which was alllll about business and devoting LOTS of time to your business needs and wants. 

Now, of course, most of you know I took a lot of Brooke Shaden's classes this year.  Mostly because not only is she a great teacher....but she speaks a language I can understand.  In this world of overly-technical and overly-complicated messages - she comes through loud and clear about doing what you love.

BUT.

What about doing what you DON'T love?  Part of our brief exercise in one of her classes was writing down keywords and things that aren't AS inspiring or strong, but yet you write them down anyways.  Like for her?  If she was to shoot hot pink - it is not something she would choose. lol!!!!  For me?  darkness and darker monochrome things are harder for me to gravitate to.  So in class, I had jotted down some key words like "patent black"....which to be honest was just my PURSE I was staring at. LOL 

Out of the 2 columns I had a vision clearly in my head of something super fun...and unique and totally "me"...and then i had the other column.  The words that weren't my favorite, the visuals that weren't the most appealing...and then she challenged us to work on BOTH.

So, I give you the "darker" side of the words I chose.  This art piece was created from a petticoat I borrowed from Hallie Garcia, latex necklaces and a simple backdrop.   I had this vision of me walking through swirls of darkness and light and I'm doing my best to put that out there.  I added a small texture today that happened to be Brooke's footprints from our session at "Master your Craft".  To me, those have amazing texture and make GREAT ART. :)

So tell me - does this make sense?  I'm just a character in a story....and we are all reading one big book together..................

paving my own path....with swirls of dark and light.

the DREAM of Creative Live...part 4!! DAY TWO workshop!

Soooooooooooo we made it through day one.  We were inspired....kickstarted...excited...and can we say....feeling CREATIVE!!!???!!!!!

Our filming was going to be around the building that day....and one of the setups started inside one of the rooms of vines, branches and other goodies to build on.  She discussed a lot of sets, setups and more to build your picture (you gotta BUY THE CLASS) .  

I took some screen prints of the "scenes" we got to experience - but to really grasp what was going on - you have to just watch....every detail was IMPORTANT to creating the images that are in your mind!!!!

The following images are from the first segments....we are all very cold - but learning a TON via her great teaching style and imagination!!!!!  

Jane Love & Brooke

Setting a Scene

Interaction.

Behind the scenes

The seminary

The floor i was inspired by.

A view through the window.

Behind the scenes as we are moving into the first segment!

 Now BEFORE the segment came on - I decided to snag a picture with Brooke because I felt that out of all the outfits I've seen her in - this one had to be the top! lol  As I stood next to her she said the key words that I knew to be true.  "We are so US today".  I literally had to gleamingly say...YES...WE ARE!!!!!! 

"We are US today".

Behind the Scenes

At this point we are heading towards lunch break where I got to take THREE MINUTES with Jane the model....and think about a scene in this huge place to shoot her.  I had chosen a room that was literally across the hall from the studio setup.  So, I took a chance and got some ideas out.

This is my PRE-art to my final concept.  No major touchups - but I wanted to use this FLOOR soooo bad!!!! I was insanely in love with this "river" flowing on it.

After my 3 minutes was done......we had our next segments to go through.  We knew that this was the day where ONE would be outside...OH BOYYYYY :)  They gave us hand-warmers and I thought that was amazing.  I saved them for the very very coldest part of our day!  I had to remember to bundle up and get ready!!! OH YES.  IT was worth it.  Every bit!

Our segments outside - COLD!!!!!!!!!

A view of the seminary - SO MUCH to want to capture!!!

This place was quite awesome.

Both Aussie Jen and I were fascinated by this tower. We wished we could shoot up there.

It was so bright outside - NO CLOUDS. :)

The outdoor shooting went great OF COURSE!!!! I opted to just watch....I was kinda scared to jump in and help a bit. I guess I wanted to be sure everyone got their creativity in.  I just love watching how all of our diverse personalities worked together to help create a GREAT experience!!!  After the final sessions of the day - we met up for dinner at a Vegan restaurant to enjoy a big meal <3  It was actually really really good.

"chicken wings" - oh LORD that spicy sauce was good!!!

let's try it girls!!!!

We all got some great munchies!

And so our 2nd day ended with much laughter....GOOD FOOD and I didn't get to finish my 3rd "fish taco"....it got left in the fridge!!! AWWWWWWWWWW *cries* :) 

Jane and I ended our nite with a few silly and fun images of her magazine spreads!!!!  Both in Freque Magazine and Cloud Orchid!!! "I'm kind of a big deal in Wisconsin".....lots and LOTS of fun.

by day two....i was just getting blown away about how FAST this was all going!!!! super super super fast.  We got a good nite's sleep...to prep for DAY THREE.  Day Three was about to get really really fun. 

SHHHHHHHHHH don't tell anyone - but we stumbled into the setup for day Three's set! HAHAAHAHAHAHAHA  So we took a few moments to be goofy, take a few pictures...and play <3 

NEXT UP

DAY THREE of the workshop...................................

the dream of CREATIVE LIVE.........part 3!!!!! - DAY ONE WORKSHOP

Our day began....EARLY.

As most filming things I'm sure, you have to arrive to be sure you are setup for the filming of the show and we had breakfast available to us as we stood freezing in the building.  Amazingly enough - the main room we were in with the school desks was the warmest room in just about the whole building!

I remember being in awe of just being there.  The AWE of the drive from the Creative Live studio to the on-location filming for Brooke's classes.  There are soooo many more trees that I can dream of there in Seattle.  So TALL in fact...they just blow me away! I wished I had more time to really capture them!  Or take a walk in the forest.  I know now, I should have come in a day early. :) 

The first day is truly a bit of a blur.  I remember being really cold and I remember the greatness of the things I saw on the drive.  But would you believe - I didn't take one picture on the way! :)  Some of us got a tad car sick on the journey over so I know that I had to take a few minutes to warm up and "chill" at the same time to be ready.  Breakfast was pretty darn awesome...and soon it was time to be ready for filming.

day ONE - group picture! before it all began!

The crew was pretty awesome - they work really hard to get all the shots they want/need to capture the entire event.  Their challenge was just as great as ours:  working with the space they are given!  As photographers we are given that challenge often.  You have lighting to consider, posing and positioning of everything needed for the whole.  I appreciate that.  The additional challenge they have is the AUDIO.  So, if things were or were not broadcasting - they sure-fire did their best to fix it fast! God bless them!!!! :)

our lovely school chairs!!!!

Our introductions came way later into the show because we were needing to be on time.  So Brooke jumps in and just starts going.  I just love her presence and her ability to teach.  You can't help but not learn something - even if a small thing - from her as she talks about creativity, inspiration and life.  

For my clothing, I chose to wear layers that would hopefully keep me warm yet also reflect who I am inside.  I think I'm probably misunderstood in so many ways that maybe even I don't know.  I have this persona on the outside of "hey look at me" but in reality - I just like to be myself and not be noticed and "blend in".  It doesn't always work out that way though.  Now, thankfully Brooke sees me for who I am.  I love it when people "get" me a little quicker than trying to peel through the layers.  I have that gift too - I like seeing directly into someone's heart.  Given time, I'm sure I would have eventually gotten a better picture of a lot of people - but I'm kinda closed off sometimes! :) I just am.

Brooke picking one me - i had the scarf on ONE side because i didn't wannt cover my mic. SO COLD!

But in respect of opening up quickly - I gave everyone HEARTS with the sayings on them about love and hugs.  I had the idea to give something in thankfulness before the show even began - so I tried to hand out as much as I could before the show started.  I had forgotten how much it could mean for someone to hold an OBJECT in their hands and say THANK YOU...and AWWWWWW! :)   It was a great wake-up-call for me. :)

Brooke picked on me a bit for the show as we were given homework to complete BEFORE the filming. I was trying to pick 3 images that I loved the most and 3 images I liked the LEAST in my whole portfolio.  There was a moment where I didn't know WHAT she was going to ask - but I felt that I could communicate it so much better with just me and her asking and me telling.  It was like she was teacher and I was student and I was called on in class. lol!!!!!!  I can't thank her enough - she has a GIFT for helping me to open up about my passions.

Jane Love and I - i still can't believe we made it there together!!!!

 
Day 1 concluded and we drove back to the hotel.  I felt sooooo carsick though that I missed the trip to the vintage store and looking at props and goodies.  I stayed in for a bit at the hotel and just had a good time chilling and talking to the model Jane.  I have to say - day ONE was a great wrap. <3  There was soooo much more that went on - but you can buy the class on CREATIVE LIVE.  It is worth it.

Andrea having to describe a picture blindfolded - Jane modeling, Brooke picture-taking :)

stay tuned for part 4!!!!!!!!!!

The dream of Creative Live......part 2......

The initial giddiness of being accepted into Brooke’s class settled in….and I began to really really dig deep inside of myself and gather my thoughts & prayers about this life and this purpose.

What was I going to learn? What was I going to do? Who would I be meeting! 

As the days went on and the short weeks in between After Dark and Creative Live….I found out that the lovely model Jane Love would officially be attending too.  The greatness that I was accepting of…was the greatness of group creativity.  I found that having people to hang around that gave out GREAT energies light me up like no other.  There is just something about being around others that have the same mindsets and goals.  Have fun, creating amazing images and laugh.  

I took myself to the airport and packed as smartly as I could.  I got to test out a new suitcase after retiring my old one.  (at least for now).  When buying new things sometimes you have to drop out the old things just like in life.  To embrace new things and new opportunities…you HAVE to let go of your old mindsets and bring in new thinking towards your future and how BRIGHT it can be.

In my packing strategies – I knew that we would be in a large COLD building and that yes, it was in fact……STILL WINTER.  So keeping that in mind, I brought out quite a few layers that in my mind would work.  I grabbed things that were comfortable and yet so very “ME” that I was just as giddy as taking a picture for art….fashion is another art form that I embrace.  So, I had prepared myself to show “myself” both inside and out. 

When I arrive in Seattle the first day…I met my lovely friend Becka whom I hadn’t seen in a couple of years.  She picked me up from the airport and we had dinner together.  It was soooo great to have a few hours to connect and yes, GET LOST again when finding the hotel. LOL!!!!  I found out that she is organizing a great event to Romania and I remembered that the lovely lady here in DFW had given me 2 large bags of wigs.  I found out she did need a few for their clowning troupe.  I can’t wait to get those to her! I love when things work out just right for those whom I support and love!!!!   

I arrived at the hotel in the evening…realizing…OH MY…according to the schedule…we had an EARLY MORNING ahead of us.  I was in surreal-land excited about what was to come…and said to myself….”How am I going to sleep???”

A view out the room window.

Then I took a few moments to pass out gifts of thankfulness to 2 special people.  I couldn’t have been more excited to “CREATE” in a state of thankfulness to spread love to those whom I care for.  I decided to do it that nite because I knew the next 3 days….Would be mind-blowing.

Hand made pin by me, Pink Light Images - inspired by Brooke Shaden

part 3...............................coming soon.

The DREAM of going to Creative Live....part 1.

I have been in this willllld whirlwind since the beginning of 2014.  I've been seeking deeeep within to where I'm supposed to go and what I'm supposed to do this year with my creativity and photography. :)

I have been in the DARK about it.  I have been walking the path of the UNKNOWN about where I'm going, yet soooooooooooooo confident that I'm walking right where I am supposed to.

I have spent the last year opening up my dreams and seeds and watering new seeds as well.  I believe that what helped me the most was being around the people that are in a place to PULL "me" out of me.  I believe that my inner artist was just WAITING to come out and play.  In this last year I discovered the fairytale we call.

Brooke Shaden.

Over this last year I met her and took some of her classes at After Dark.  Now we can stare in awe and wonder at the pictures she makes and the art she creates, but one has to wonder....IS THERE MORE?  And i got my answer as I sat in the Intensive at After Dark and thought to myself....

Gee, I entered the contest for Creative Live like 15 times and my computer, my browsers were all against me.  I had resolved to just let it "be" and move on with life.  But when I saw Brooke at After Dark...I realized....what am I doing?  What is this dream?  

She had us do some creative exercises that really got you thinking.  I mean really, we had TWO HOURS in the class to spread out, dig a little deeper and be inspired.  In those 2 hours I thought and thought and thought how I had talked myself out of going to Creative Live because of an overlapping event.  The longer the class went on - the longer I talked myself INTO it.

As a creative, we HAVE to find creative ways to make dreams happen OR open ourselves up to present or ASK for those opportunities.  She had commented about me as branding...and when I wrote on my paper "go to Creative Live with Brooke"....I realized WHY NOT.  WHY NOT make this happen - take this chance and speak it out loud.

I spoke it out loud....sounding so silly because I had said earlier I had a schedule conflict...but I knew then I would find a way to make it happen since most of the action was going to happen on Sunday.  I could totally be back by SUNDAY in dallas right? LOL :)

After class, we made it happen.  I was invited out by Creative Live and I talked to my husband in great detail and then bought my flight.  It was then...again...I had gotten part of my answer to an already burning prayer in my heart...."what am i doing next?".....



Part 2..................................NEXT

The day i left................i saw THIS on my phone.
I've been seeing multiple numbers A LOT............without even trying.

My 2013....."review" ????

I had sooooo many amazing things happen for Pink Light Images this past year.  It has only made me more thankful for being alive and creative for 2014.  What will we do next?  What will we learn next?  SO much fun to be had in this year!!!!  I always take it day by day....and walk through the inspiration with a full heart.  For January, I'm on a hiatus to get re-centered and re-focused on the dreams-goals-visions that I truly want to aspire for this year.

Maybe, you are wondering WHY wouldn't I do this over the holidays?  Well, because there is no down time! :)  If you are not shooting images, you are running around for family events.  As much fun as it all is....you don't get quality time with yourself to ask, seek and KNOCK on the doors that are in front of you.  I've been dreaming big...and living big within.  It may not always show on the outward, but I can assure you my thinking and believing has increased HUGELY!  I am EXCITED to share what is to come with you all.

You are all helping me take dreams to realities...every moment we are connected.

Thank you!

Before I get to my next publishing....I wanted to share what I shared with Brooke Shaden on her
 "year in review".  

I was SO HAPPY to include my checkerboard image with the floating legs/tights.  It was something I had been dreaming about for a while. I love mixing "like" ideas and making something fun out of it.  The skirt was made of hands that I had fashioned from an idea from a display hand from the craft store.  Funny thing was - when I packed it from Green Bay...one of the fingers snapped off!  I had to re-create the finger to make it a complete hand.  It was quite fun and funny.  The flooring took me back to ART CLASS where we did perspective drawing and learned how to make something look far off, like maybe u would walk to it.  :)  So, all in all - it was encapsulating the things I do love about art in general. :)  The memories of my drawing background and the future of my pop-art-like branding and work. <3

Here is the bigger version!

Thank you to EVERYONE that is helping to make my dreams happen.
I don't forget a single person who has ever helped me!!!!

THANK YOU!

Happy 2014.