I finished one full week of BUILDING MY PHOTOGRAPHER CHOPS.

After going to three different high-tech events the week prior, and handing out my card left and right - I completed SEVEN free business head shot shoots! And I had a blast!

I met great people that were fun to photograph, and fun to talk to ... What a pleasure.
I got some good feedback and some not so good feedback and I made a quantum leap in learning how to photograph people. It was utterly invaluable. I am including a small gallery below of some of my favorites. I did take black and white film shots of most subjects and will also develop those prints, but this is what I have digitally. so far. Stay tuned, I have at least three shoots next week. You are watching my PHOTOGRAPHER CHOPS evolve in real time

Yes, this is a film photograph in my earlier days of learning the camera.

I love the mirrored symmetry shown by the corner of the bottom 5 inches of a building on SE Division Street THAT HAD THIS TINY STATUE PEEKING AROUND ITS CORNER!
Have you seen this? It was a fascinating discovery. I was taking one of my many "walkabouts" around the city and found a few of these interesting treasures on SE Division. It can be like each street in Portland is its own neighborhood with its own vibe and interesting characteristics, special to itself. I love it!

This was my first attempt at playing with shadows. Not bad. I will be incorporating shadows into my headshot and portrait sessions coming up. I'm excited!

Cough, cough. Hack, hack, GAG.

Eyes feel irritated.

Throat scratchy. Feeling a might claustrophobic and have a little cabin fever from keeping all the windows and doors closed. But, meh. We'll get over it. The smoke will blow in a different direction tomorrow. (PHEW)
CAN YOU IMAGINE IF IT WERE A REAL WILDFIRE BEARING DOWN??!
With little ways to escape and no relief from not being able to breathe or see well??!
We are lucky. So lucky for now. Let's all let it continue to hold here in P-town.
AND THEN IMPROVE BY MIRACLE WAYS for all our neighbors experiencing the direct horrendousness of WILDfire. (Game of Thrones scene come to mind? Anyone?)

I will stop breathing so shallowly tomorrow with a "YE GODS BE THANKED" twinkle in my eyes.

Here are some of the film photos I took at The Circus Project's gym, in the Pearl. They were engaged in their dress rehearsal before their OUTSTANDING performance in Director's Park that following Saturday.

I find that sometimes, the film photos are much more beautiful than the digital, color photographs that come from any particular shoot.

It's so much fun to do BOTH.
Stay tuned...Always more to come

Please meet...[drumroll]...MrTeddyBear.
He is my light and aperture model. He shows me what is harsh and contrasty, what is soft and shady.

If you see a blond woman throwing a teddy bear up in the air, taking photos. It's me, Jady.
If you see a woman taking photos of a bear at bus stops and in and around Portland parks, it's definitely me.

Practice, practice, practice makes better musicians---and photographers too!
I'm playing with light and speed and believe it or not, MrTeddyBear has much to tell me.

I hate to admit it, but he's kind of cute.

Suddenly I find myself with a dual "film photographer/digital photographer" identity. 
I presently find myself becoming proficient in digital photography too!

I recently got the fanastic opportunity to shoot a dress rehearsal and EVENT of Portland's own: THE CIRCUS PROJECT, a great non-profit acrobatic and aerial dance school. It's located, here, in the Pearl. Their talent is strong, spectacular and beautiful to photograph.

I learned so much in this first week---From shooting action shots with time limitations and too-busy backgrounds, to also having too many heads and U-Haul trucks in the way.. But I think I got some solid shots. I'm excited and honored to do their upcoming event on August 30th too!

I'll check-in with a future blog post and to see if I've incrementally improved...Let's wait and see!

So we are driving over the Burnside Bridge... and I'm trying to SNAP a quick shutter speed photo of the cranes I see from the window, because, well... There are cranes all over Portland right now.

When I went to develop the film--LOL--I had a photo of me taking a photo. Fun. Candid.
Yes, I will burn in the two cranes that are barely "glimpsible"  and yet, I like their "barely there" presence in the photo. Doesn't it make you peer closer?

I am working on a series of shots of the three buildings currently going up at lightning speed at the east end of the bridge. More to come!