I Declare War On The Senior Pic

So a while back I was looking through one of the yearbooks some of my employees just got & while I was attempting to block out my terrible high school experience that suddenly came rushing back I decided to look at the senior section and ohmygodtheyaresobad. I mean really folks. I'm not saying I'm all that great, don't get me wrong there (I am great but nobody likes a snob), but it is kinda surprising how boring senior pics are. Is this necessary? I think not. I say we start a movement people. DOWN WITH LAME SENIOR PICS.

The shoot below is the senior session I did for my little Iris...who is adorable & perfect & was a great sport even though I made her drive around all day to find all this crap.

The House That Agnes Built

This house exists. Wrap your mind around that people. No, you can't have the address because it's mine & I'm selfish. Plus if you went there & then took cooler pictures I'd look like a real asshole.

These lovely shots of my darling Emily will eventually be used for a lookbook & website updates but for right now they're just cool. Enjoy!

Senior Pictures: Agnes Style

So when I think back on the senior pictures taken "in my day" I think of lots of soft focus, maybe some granny hand-beneath-chin type poses & a generally LAME experience. In some ways, times haven't changed TOO much since then when it comes to the dreaded senior pic. I realize that mommies & daddies like that stuff but, to be honest, this blog isn't about them. It's about ME. And how great I am. So below you will see my dude-version of the senior picture. It has a sweet ass car...and industrial shit...and...and... MANLINESS.

Eat your hearts out peeps....

Ok ok...so the paper heart picture isn't manly. Shut up. I'm a girl & I like hearts so I made him do that one.

The Return of the Blogger

Errr sort of. Let's be honest folks, the likelihood of me committing to blog-dom (yeah, it's a word now, stop judging) is about as likely as me NOT writing a run-on sentence. Just smile & nod so we can get on with it....

Below are some shots I took of my folks, which I am particularly fond of just 'cause my parents are so damn weird/cute. For example: ME: "Hey dad, why don't you change your socks/maybe not wear the black shoes?" DAD: "Well shit, you already got me out here feeling like a weirdo with a guitar, why should I go take off my socks?" ME: "Mom, would you mind changing out of the white shirt so you're not so....white?" MOM: "Hell no, you're lucky I'm out here in the first place." I DID get my dad to take off the socks...so there's that...

Enjoy....

Oh! If you click on the pictures they get all big & great so you can see how cute my parents are together.

And this....this is my parents' dog Stuart. Who is big & awesome & stupid & they totally love him more than me. He gets more attention than me, more treats, more love, everything. I'm ok with this for one reason...hugging Stuart is like hugging a panda. But without all the mauling.

Cheers!

Agnes.

Photo Class Fun...

So, in keeping with my "I don't fit in in school" repertoire, I took the following photos. We were supposed to be messing with F-stops so our instructor could then make them faaaaaabulous in HDR. I took some, incorrectly it turns out, but then got distracted by my current magnifying glass obsession. The instructor gave the all-to-familiar "well everyone likes something different speech" then promptly took my pictures off the big screen. Always a bridesmaid....

Anyway, these quickie pics are of my co-worker Mary, who, by all accounts, is a hot bitch. Enjoy.

As always, necklaces are available HERE.

I Make-A Your Band Famous...

So, those of you that know me know that I work with teens, big-upping the youth and so forth. A few months back we decided to host a "band showcase" night featuring a few Jr. High Schoolers from my program. These kids rock. AND they're not complete assholes which is a rare combo when you're dealing with 14 year olds that have groupies. I took this opportunity to take a few "band" shots with them so I would have some pictures for flyers and such. These are some of the goodies...

The Side Projects:

The Makings Of A Blog...

Helloooooo blogosphere! This is my first entry in hopefully many posts about my reluctant journey back into the world of photography. I loved it...I lost it...now I just find it kinda sexy. I'd like to think of my forays into photography as a sort of artistic booty call. Always there when I need it, quietly waiting when I don't. No regrets in the mornin'...

I started taking pictures, as most girls do, in high school (pictures of feet & lawn chairs, that sort of thing). Turns out I was ok at it so I kept it up in college, where I surreptitiously dropped out to go to art school. I love darkrooms. There is something undeniably cathartic about developing something beautiful from scratch & I fell in love with every bit of the process. I rolled my own film... agitated every 30 seconds...mixed the chemicals & single handedly ruined countless pairs of wooden tongs.

Now in them there days we didn't have no "digital" cameras...we had to WAIT to see how our pictures looked. But after a while I started to watch the world of instant gratification rise up around me & it was no longer kosher to love "the process". I dabbled in Senior portraits, weddings & the like but could never keep up with pace or pressure. It took the joy out of it for me. So I stopped...found other things to satisfy my creative itch.

I watched the Pentax get dusty while I painted or glued until I finally decided to give digital a shot. At this point I was so far behind the times I had no hope of feeling "professional"...where the hell is the f-stop ring on this thing?! Why do I have to adjust the white balance?! It wasn't pretty. Very caveman meets cell phone. Maybe if I shake it real hard it will do what I want. Notsomuch....turns out.

What saved my photographic soul in the end was the realization that my long lost darkroom wasn't lost after all...it had just evolved into something far cooler. EDITING. Ohhhh I love to edit! I love taking kick-ass photos then making them awesomer (new word). It doesn't get any better than that. Now that I have this new found curiosity I have decided to post my findings & tomfoolery on this blog.

I'm always open for tips & ideas...models...designers...whatever. Bring it.