Tree of Life

I spent about an hour photographing this necklace; it was a purchase I made while down in Florida in October. It had reminded me of the great big tree at the end of our road that all of the neighborhood kids used to go hang out and climb. Great big live oak with massive branches hanging low to the ground. I wonder about that tree a lot still; if it's still there, what kind of shape it's in, if I'd still have the courage now to climb as high as I did back then. How many neighborhood kids have called that tree their own personal "The Tree" since I was a kid? Maybe one day I'll see it again! Until then, I have this necklace to remind me of it.

From the Kitchen

Some photos of the delicious things that have been going on in my kitchen lately!

Pizza: The Hawaiian Sink

There are relatively few meals that I can think of that you can add almost anything into the ingredients list and it will still taste like a slice of perfection. Pizza is one such bearer of deliciousness. I call this pizza The Hawaiian Sink because you put on some pineapple, and then throw everything else at it, including the kitchen sink! The ingredients could be anything, really; I had intended to fry up some spicy crumbled sausage and put on some shredded ham, as well, but dinner was relatively late in happening last night and this photo was on the elaborate end of the scale. Turns out that the pepperoncini stood in just fine for the spice and salt factor. Of course, any pizza could be made entirely vegetarian, too, and still satisfy this meat lover! What are some of your favorite pizza ingredients?

Recipes for happiness.

Someone asked me the other day: "I notice that you commonly take the shot from directly above the food. Do you think this is the secret to creating the abstract, graphic quality of your images?" I thought it was a great question because not only did it parrot back to me what my intentions were and that I was hitting the mark, but really solidified my vision for me. There definitely are certain things that I want in my photos, an interesting angle is just one of the facets. Color, shape, and texture are integral to my style, as is my choice of lighting. I want bold, in your face images that make you want to go out immediately and pick up the product I've just shown you! I make images that elevate the ordinary into the decadent; that tell the story of food, whether it's your bowl of tomato soup and crackers, or your afternoon cup of tea.



Here again, color, shape, texture, even with a little different lighting and different angle. Can you smell the jasmine as you patiently wait for the green tea to turn the water ever darker? I love the shape of this little glass, even with it's scratches, and I think putting it in this gorgeous light while surrounded with some sort of grubby looking textures makes this photo exactly what I expect of all of my photos: simple, graphic, decadent. I take my inspiration from many, many different sources - other photographers, music, drawings, movies, and plenty of abstract ideas, as well. Most of all, I just listen for that little whisper that instinct has to offer; what story do you want to tell today?

A chocolatey redesign, and other big changes!

I just launched the redesign of my website and blog this morning, and am loving the way it looks and all works together! It was important for me to pare down my main website because not only do I really dislike having to maintain a big, bulky website, but .... External Focus Photography is becoming obsolete! You may have already noticed that this blog's address has changed to http://emthomasphotography.blogspot.com in anticipation for my new domain name on the website; it's in the works. I've gone as far as I wanted to with that work and branding, and am ready to fully move into the new direction that my photography has taken me.

I am in the processing of forming a new company with two very talented and wonderful photographer friends of mine, and I'm really excited about our future together! This is another reason why I felt it important to put my former site to rest, as well. I will still be maintaining Em Thomas Photography and this blog as my personal portfolio, and it will eventually be linked into our main business, Thomas Artus King Photography. As a creative group, we will be offering a variety of services ranging from wedding and event photography, commercial and corporate photography, as well as family portrait work. Look for us soon!

The redesign of my website and blog are based on a recent photography assignment from our Pro Project 52 group, run by Don Giannatti. Our assignment was based on "chocolate," and I spent half a day photographing and arranging various chocolatey goodies while my family paced in anticipation of a taste. Below are a few of the resulting photos from that day; I hope you enjoy them... and if they make you want chocolate... give in! ;)

What's on the menu?

I've been having a tremendous amount of fun playing with my food this month! I really enjoy the colors, shapes, textures, and finding the perfect composition to compliment my subjects. I find myself mentally making photos of things while walking through the grocery store, and bringing my vision to life is like scratching an itch I didn't know I had. I love it!

a photo a day

I'm really enjoying this Photo A Day project so far. I can turn it into a learning day or a "free day," like I did today. Today I just got my Flip out of my purse as my husband and I were driving down the road, and started shooting whatever random bit of scenery as it passed by. The sun was setting, and it was a rare day that both our younger two kids had playdates, so we'd spent a day getting some much deserved peace and grown up time!

To see the rest of the photos I've made so far this month, follow this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/externalfocus/sets/72157628674119919/with/6786041623/

I especially love this portrait that I made a couple of days ago:

Guitar Hero

I've been reading Lighting Essentials: A Subject-Centric Approach for Digital Photographers by my friend and mentor, Don Giannatti, today which spurred on my deciding to play around with some lighting. I had a major breakthrough learning something dead simple about my equipment that had been alluding me for nearly a year, which is going to make things so much easier! In my own defense, I haven't used my flash unit overly much, but it was precisely because of the aforementioned problem I had been encountering. I am going to start having a lot more fun with lighting now!

Fleur de Sephora

I say all of the time that I don't want to be a commercial photographer. The headache that goes along with getting The Shot in conjunction with my perfectionism and lack of equipment is sometimes mentally crippling. I sweat and curse for hours over a project that I imagine another person with the proper tools can have set up, taken down, and processed in a fraction of the time; maybe I am wrong in thinking that. So why do I keep plugging away at this project geared towards commercial photographers?

The above photos were taken on top of a kitchen table, using 2 regular household desk lamps and white foam core, and lots of swear words. I fiddled with the lighting for an hour and a half before I ever took a photo. I have learned how to "see" when I look at something now, where before I didn't know what to look for. I've learned that being resourceful is something that I will always be, and that's great, too. I've always heard the phrase, "write what you know," and "work with what you've got." I think when you learn how to see the difference between what's there and what needs to be there, the getting there starts to get easier. So, desk lamps and curse words be damned; I am going to get the job done, even to my own high expectations!

DJ Sciddlz

I had a wonderful time making these portraits yesterday for a Project 52 assignment! We were to make a studio-look portrait wherein the subject has a strong personality, and the lighting is used to enhance the emotion. My model and I discussed the shoot before hand and looked through some portrait work on the internet that conveyed the look that I had in mind. Frankly, I asked him to channel his inner Eminem. He was great to work with and gave me everything I asked; I caught some shots of him cracking up between the "real" shots. Sometimes those turn out to be the "real" shots, too, as is the case with the last photo!