Daphne's Blog
gary gardiner"Sometimes being a photographer can be uncomfortable. That's part of the experience."
Gary Gardiner
ExhibitionIt's on the horizon!!
There are two bits of latest news for Lucidpics. We are very proud to announce that we have scheduled an upcoming exhibit from the work done during the summer 2009 in Addis, Ethiopia.
We haven't posted any teaser photos but we will.
The exhibit will be at Rudofv gallery in Amsterdam, September 5, 2009.
The focus is on bringing more awareness to Right to Play and helping the children that they support.
The second bit of news is that we just did our first live interview! It's tricky when photographs don't like being on camera but we will see how it works out. The goal is to bring awareness to what our mission is and help the children of the world.
It was an honest shock when xpat TV called and said they were so interested in the work we are doing and wanted to get an interview as soon as possible. How could one say no to such a prospect just because of being camera shy?
The footage from the interview isn't up yet, maybe a week or so.
Stay tuned and you can see it all unfold!
Below is my Pitch card for the exhibition so you can learn a bit more about what I am trying to do.
Travels
Our trip to Vietnam and Thailand over the holiday was amazing. It was a bit different for me being 6.5 months pregnant and so aware of things I normally dive right into, like being a part of the culture rather than a passer by. However having to be careful about food, water and he heat I got to do the few things that were really important to me and the rest will have to wait until our return visit some day which is in the future. We got a taste of amazing people and traditions.
Pictures are in the works, will follow soon.
Ruben
Heading OffI am heading to the Big Apple in the morning. I can't wait! I haven't been in six or seven years. I have a few friends to catch up with but mostly I am jumping out of my pants thinking about the PDN Expo Thursday, Friday & Saturday. I am going to be a sponge absorbing lots of information.
I am going to see James Nachtway speak and get insider tips in my workshops on how the modern day humanitarian projects are working. All useful stuff to help me reach my goals!
Bringing the Canon and the Clack. Will post any good images upon return.
Family FunFamily Fun
There is nothing better than going to a shoot and having a blast with your subjects.
The DuPre family was fun. We all had fun, even the dog! And the result is great because of our fun and ability to click as a group of people.
I know the kids were dragged from bed on a Sunday morning and it was grey and raining out. They were a bit apprehensive to start but as we started to roll with it and I got the dog up on the couch with dad when he isn't allowed, I really started to get smiles and laughs and the family to be itself for my camera. I think they forgot I was there.
Always indulge them in what they want. The kids wanted the Christmas picture with all the decorations out etc. and I even got the parents to go along with it. Mom doesn't like those shots but Max and Mia sure were having fun with it, so why not?
Of course I have my favorite but there are others too. This is the DuPre family.
My ViewMy View
In between photo shoots for clients I like to create something for myself. It isn't always the same style or subject but lately it has been. I am enjoying photographing the food.
Last fall I was out and about on the bike with my camera photographing morning light with autumn color.
I hope you also enjoy my journey with food.
My take on the green fruit.
Tomatoes
As you can see on my website I enjoy photographing food. This comes from my passion to cook.
These are some photos done while roasting tomatoes and peppers for a delicious smoked tomato soup on fellow photographer, Heidi Swanson's website. Find it here: http://tiny.cc/X2ozW
I have made cookbooks and my recent passion for photographing food has peaked my interest in making a complete cookbook on my own. Project to come??
Refreshing TalentI believe I started to see life through a camera lens at a very young age as I was also introduced to art as a little one. There were many artists of varying mediums in my family. I never knew how telling this would be for my future.
When I see people that interest me today I often begin a dialogue with them. I usually end up photographing them and sometimes they aren't interested and I respect that while at the same time taking a moment to allow their impression to mold into my heart & mind.
This was my most recent photo shoot of Emily Allwood, a beautiful young woman and one that is fascinating to my eye. It will be interesting to see her flower.
Our day together was filled with different emotions, looks, and backdrops. The time flew by and we had a great time while producing some successful photographs for everyone to enjoy. I hope you see the fun we had through the images. Some are light and fun while some are darker and moody.
PortraitsAs I grow and fine tune what I am doing with my photographic career I am learning to create boundaries for myself as well as others and use my strength to seek the work I am passionate about.
That in itself is a whole other dissertation. I will focus only on the current relevant point though.
I have stopped offering business head shots against a boring muslin background. Why, because I find it very boring when I can create the same clean and distinct effect by using my natural environment. This is more of a challenge for me and much more exciting because each shot inevitably looks different. At the same time I get to work with natural light and mix in what I need to sculpt my subject as it needs to be. This is what I like to do.
To take this a step beyond I also do the shot the client needs, a straight forward headshot but I also create the one I would want to include in my portfolio. Usually an environmental portrait. This is my recent favorite of a lady I photographed last week.
CelebrationsCelebrations of love are one thing in life I can't get enough of, especially when I know the people. Often this is in the form of a wedding in traditional expressions but there are so many more when you look around.
This is a wedding. It was in Norfolk, UK, August 1, 2009. There were two couples I love very much that tied the know that weekend. We could only be in one place so this was the one.
We wish all the newlyweds many years of growth and love ahead. Yes, the challenges too.....some of them can be fun if you stand back and take a deep breath. Enjoy the ride.
William & Oenone Wareing August 1, 2009
Completing the projectWhen does a project finish?
I would say when it is ready to go out the door to the receiving party. That is not always when you think it should be though.
My editorial book that I was so excited about finishing is still yet to be complete. We are in the winning stretch now.
As I printed my test copy and saw the major flaws, I corrected them and thought it was time to go to print. Then my husband used his strong skill of perfect timing and told me that he thought many more changes needed to be made, namely adding a description for each assignment. So I have thought about it for a LONG time and have finally found a solution that I think will actually work very nicely.
At first though I couldn't conceive of how it would work without ruining my beautifully designed pages that I spent so much time and energy laying out. My solution however will not interfere with the layout at all. It just took talking it through with a friend and boom the answer was staring me in the face.
I can't give it away, I will post the book once I finish it. And what is even more exciting is that since it has taken some time now I have another assignment to add to the book, Ethiopia. I am finished with the editing of that body of work and will post some samples here shortly.
I have some catching up to do first. Just been working and need to do some posting now.
Stay tuned.
SunshineWe were so lucky being in Norfolk for a wedding and getting beautiful weather. It has rained ever since. Not so in Den Haag so maybe we are taking the nice weather with us.
I am posting some shots from the relaxing days exploring Norfolk. What a beautiful place.
An island
Beach huts
These boats in Brancaster harbor sit on the ground when the tide goes out. Someone said it felt like the twilight zone. It was a strange site. This is when the tide is just coming back in.
The sea is full of life; an amazing element of which we have no control.
Wedding toastA Pre-wedding toast in Statenkwartier. 
Congratulations to SB & SB. We hope for the most beautiful day August 1.
fashion at the beach
Photo Shoot at Scheveningen beach with Jessica Davison.
What a beautiful girl in a pure setting!
This is the traditional photo shoot that has been happening on a yearly basis with the same dress. This is the last year in the dress; it marks the 16th year of life. Jessie & her sister, Kirsten have been doing this since they were little in dresses of their Aunt Suzie's. It's the same dress every year and it has been fun for them yet a marking of the progressing years as they have grown into their dresses.
Jessie said to her aunt Suzie, "Kirsten was right. Daphne makes you feel so beautiful when she is photographing you."
Could I ask for a better compliment from such young, wise women?
I will add some photos from Kirsten's shoot last year. It's amazing how different they are. Two very different young women but also a growing photographer. It's a cool comparison.
Stay tuned.
Little Ones
Little ones are so sweet. They change faster than you can blink an eye and all we want to do is absorb every minute of their perfect innocence.
I am a bit biased about Willy, he is my first nephew.
Reconnect
A photo I scanned from many years ago. I reconnected with it, feeling, visually and all.
Success
There are few things that are more satisfying than feeling success in your field of expertise. It is so satisfying to me that it actually inspires me and provides me with great levels of energy, motivation and happiness.
It takes much time to edit photos as all photographers know but there are many steps to feeling a level of success.
There is firstly the moment of taking the picture and one knows when something exciting has been captured. Then there is the overall feeling after a shoot and finally the results of the shoot when at the computer editing. Now there is so much different activity that can be engaged when editing. Just like there used to be different types of film for different types of feelings in photos, now there are different steps to take when processing the photo to achieve the same feeling.
All in all I am very excited about nearly all the photos I have taken recently. I have achieved the feeling I have been going for and I feel that these images really reflect on who I am and what I am becoming.
I hope you enjoy these few photos I am posting.
InspirationI often think about motivation and inspiration. Without them no work is completed but where do they come from? What is it that gets the wheels turning and the blood pumping? And once it starts how does it maintain?
I know that there are so many things that create inspiration for me. There is music, memories, seeing other art, talking to other people igniting new ideas and the list goes on. Underneath it all though is emotion. For me it usually with positive emotions.
When I am feeling good good things come. Being open, opens opportunity. So it makes me think of the book The Secret because that is based on this concept.
I am energized, excited about what I am working on and ready for new challenges.
Travel Photos
I used to think travel photography was so cliché but I have slightly changed my view after much contemplation.
I see all these tourists when we travel and some of them obviously have enough money to buy better gear or more updated gear than I have. That is the thing in this digital age, get the best even if you don’t have the slightest clue how to use it to its potential. It’s made me really consider why their pictures won’t be like mine.
New Lucidpics Book
It's an exciting time as I finish my editorial book. It took me a long time to settle on what I was going to assemble to represent the work I have done. Of course I wanted it to be a clean, fresh, innovative and an intensely interesting presentation. Who doesn’t want that fort their work? No photographer I know.
So I thought initially a disc with a knock-out slide show but when I put something together I was thoroughly unimpressed. It was beyond boring and didn’t even make my work look exciting.
Back to the drawing board.
Then I was flying to London and it just came to me. Design a book, a different assignment on each 2 page spread. I feel as though I am a good layout designer after having done something like 30 custom designed wedding albums.
I picked my best assignments and began the layout. I have been in the groove since I started and the feel is fresh allowing the images to speak for themselves.
I am just finishing the last edits from our most recent trip and then I can layout the last pages, review and send off to get printed. The sample book. Can’t wait!
Of course I will post a sneak preview of one of my favorite pages as soon as I have reviewed it.
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