A fond farewell to 2012

As the day comes to an end, I bid 2012 adieu!  It was a great year.  So many grand things happened and many more are to come!

Travels...weddings...new family members...new photo series...new printing techniques...so many great things.  :)

Quite honestly, it's hard for me to create this obligatory post on my personal sentiments about 2012 because well frankly...I knitted Connor a sweater and I feel that I must show/talk about that above all else!  (No need for whispered remarks on my cat-lady status...I think that I'm finally there.)

You can see from the first photo how his reaction was after being shoved into a knitted sweater and he's still currently sulking.  I don't expect him to wear it all the time but I'm sure when it's really cold, he'll be grateful enough.

I do hope that everyone has an even better new year than 2012, with many, many, MANY more exciting things to come.


Cheers!

-Erin

Cat sweater vest pattern can be found here, via KnottyGnome Crafts

Final Gum Prints

 Here's a look at the final prints that I made this semester for my thesis series, Another Me.  These gum prints took me further into my thesis than I expected and I came away with a deeper understanding and stronger concept.  These digital scans really don't do them justice since gum prints are a very tactile and textured printing process.  I really enjoy seeing the layers of color build up.  They create a new kind of mood and feeling far removed from digital prints.  Happy mistakes were common when printing and I fully embraced them.  As I've said before, they are a labor of love.

The Jacket Series, Summer-Winter 2012

 Here is The Jacket series from the beginning in August, to this winter.  I shot this series to fulfill a self as subject class.  I had a lot of fun being able to explore and shoot more freely than my thesis allows.  I've said this before, I'll say it again, any side project outside of ones thesis work is so beneficial in many ways.  Not only did I have less restrictions than my thesis demanded but I also just started shooting without a plan, concept, or predestined execution.  Some people can't work this way and I find that I cannot do this with my thesis work.  When it comes to this series, I basically shoot on a whim.  It was great!  Whenever an idea or interesting place came to mind, I simply set up my tripod and began taking photos.

The biggest challenge I faced was sequencing.  These photographs are made to convey sentimental memories and my intent was to create adventures, not stories.  So, I ended up not sequencing!  Instead, I choose to salon-style hang these prints in a mixture of old and outdated frames.  (Many thanks to Kristina for that!)  I really enjoyed seeing them hung in a large grouping.  And so, I present The Jacket series below, in no particular order!

 

Wind Blown

A new image for the Jacket series.  This was taken last week, Wednesday.  It was cold, wet and rainy and I went to Alcatraz Island.  Fortunately enough, the weather calmed down for the time I was there!  It was fun and there were surprisingly more tourists that I thought would be there on a cold, wet Wednesday morning.  I ended up having a few close encounters with park rangers and curious onlookers asking questions.

Plates to Pixels

These two images were selected for the Plates to Pixels exhibit: Enchantment.  You can check them out here!

Land's End Shoot

Thom and I had the unbelievable opportunity to have our photos taken by our amazing roommate, Kristina, this past warm weekend.  

Being a photographer, I am CONSTANTLY aware of the light.  I wanted to have a shoot somewhere that expressed warmth and love.  Thom wanted somewhere less hectic but I still wanted some place that gave hints of a city, not too far away.  So, with that in mind we went out to Land's End/Sutro Baths area on the West end of the city.  After a few weeks of cold and rainy weather, we were super fortunate to get blue skies and nice light.

I should also mention that my roommate is super woman.  Because I can't believe how great the images are.  Seriously.  Thom and I have been together for four years and I can't find or think of one serious photo of us together that gives such a great representation of us.  She also was able to give me these edits today so that I can send a few out to friends and family!

And even though we ventured out for a more secluded setting, we ended up have quite an audience.  There were curious onlookers and copy-cat posers.  I guess I'm a bit more used to it than Thom, since I take self-portraits a lot.  But I think what I enjoy the most about these photos is that we give in to our personal discomforts and just went with it.  Laughed.  Had fun.  :)

Thank you ever so much again Kristina.  (Please check out my wonderful roommates work here!)