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The weekend is here again! It's so odd, it seems like it was the weekend just yesterday :)
I have a shoot tomorrow in North Carolina....five hour drive just to get there, blah. But it's a paid shoot, so I'm not gonna complain. I also get to do some imitation Cirque du Soleil stuff, that should be fun. No plans for Sunday except to get a lot of rest and just enjoy the time off!
And I'm very, very, very excited because several friends of mine on Model Mayhem are planning a get-together in Atlanta the weekend after the next, and I'm going up to see them all! I have only met one of them in real life so far, so this will be a ridiculous amount of fun and we will all be crazy and have some wonderful adventures, I'm sure :D Many, many pictures will be taken by all!
Alrighty, time for me to go to bed now, I have a loooooong day ahead of me tomorrow. Good night, oh darling admirers!
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: Ugh. It's so boring. I couldn't think of anything fun to do today :( Tried using the Tupperware beauty dish, but I couldn't get it to work quite the way I wanted it to. Ah, well. Better pictures this weekend, I hope.
A little silly tonight :P
I'm in a great mood! I finally got a VIP profile on my modeling website, so now I can upload a bunch more pictures, yay! The only problem is having to re-size some of them, and others need to be edited before I can post them. Ah, well, part of the fun, I guess! Well, I've got a lot of pictures to look over and upload, and some re-writing to do on my profile. Talk to you all tomorrow!
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: Hey, I was already snuggling in the blanket, why not use it? The tripod and a flash were already set up downstairs, so that's what I went with. Used the flash bare and angled it down towards me. Not much to it, really. Added some subtle crosshatch brushstrokes to give it an interesting feel and changed the hue to make my skin look a bit more sallow. Voila! We have Carley as Emporer Palpatine :D
The kitty in the picture is Baby :) She was the first cat my husband and I adopted, not long after we got married. We got her when she was a kitten and she's grown into a surly but sometimes cuddly and mostly outdoor-cat, and we love her as much now as the day we first brought her home. We have three cats now, but she will always be our Baby.
I tried to get a picture with another one of our cats, but I was only able to snap off one shot before she ditched me :P
Well, just doing a quick post tonight, it's almost bed time. See you all tomorrow!
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: I looked up at the clock and realized it was 11:45pm and I hadn't taken my picture for the day yet! :o So I didn't have time to set up the tripod for the camera or strobes or anything. I just found my kitty, picked her up and brought her to the bed, and snapped off a few shots while holding the camera in one hand and Baby in the other (so she wouldn't try to bolt on me like the other one did). I'm not in focus because I had to have the f/stop at it's lowest setting and same for shutter speed and highest ISO to get the lighting bright enough. But Baby is in focus, so I'm happy :)
I am in a bit of a pensive mood after watching tonight's episode of Glee. Despite it's tendency toward cheesiness and stereotypes, the show does have its moments, and tonight was definitely one of those. The episode ended with everyone singing Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful", a song that I've always loved. The song, and the episode, speaks of ignoring those who put you down and of looking in the mirror and seeing that you are beautiful....no matter what they say.
That song always makes me cry, and tonight was no exception. Despite being a model, and despite being very comfortable in my own skin and happy with who I am and how I look, it wasn't always that way. In middle school, I was harassed a lot, and I'm still not quite sure why. Just because I was different, I suppose. Not wearing the "right" clothes, not acting the same way as everyone else....no real reason, just because they have to find someone to make them feel better about themselves.
Eventually, I learned to love myself for who I am and to block out those voices that try to put me down. But I still can not forget the way I felt back then, and how hard it was to deal with it every day. My past experiences have made me want to be a protector of those who have low self-esteem. Every girl I see who feels bad about herself, I just want to tell her not to listen to what others say about her. I want to tell her that she is beautiful, and that she deserves better. I want to give her a hug and tell her that it will be okay.
So I want to tell all of you to not let them bring you down, because you are a beautiful person, and you are loved.
*Big hugs*
--Carley
About the image: I used a 28-105 lens, zoomed in nice and close. I just used a bare flash at 1/16th power; I didn't want to go crazy with the lighting, but I wanted that contrast and the shadows I love so much. I cleaned up any distractions (little spots of light reflecting of my eyebrow hairs, etc.), but kept the skin as natural as possible. A little desaturation and a healthy dose of contrast gives a somewhat hard feel to the image.
It was back to work today, but thankfully it went by fast. Because I worked so hard and was in so many different poses over the weekend, my back was killing me today. It didn't hurt sitting down, but whenever I had to get up from the chair, it was not the funnest. But it was worth it for the fun I had this weekend and the pictures I'll be getting :)
I won't be writing much tonight, it's getting past my bed time and I need to catch up on my sleep. Hopefully I'll hurt a bit less tomorrow.
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: I'm really pleased with the way this one turned out, though it didn't look so promising to me at first. It's my back, in case that isn't obvious. I cropped the image pretty tight in order to really concentrate on the muscles and the lines and shadows. I had just a bare flash, though I would have liked to use something else....I just don't know what. I wouldn't have wanted to use an umbrella, I wanted a lot of harsher shadows. I tried a snoot, but it wasn't working the way I wanted it to. Que sera, sera. I'm happy with the final image, though :)
Sunday was fan-freaking-tastic!
The turnout at the photography event was great, and I know I'm going to be getting some great pictures from it, yay! It was a lot of fun, and a very busy day. I met many new photographers and I should be getting at least a few pictures from each.
There were also two hair stylists there, which I wasn't expecting. I had a great makeup artist do my makeup and got to be pampered and have my hair styled, too :) I felt so spoiled! Then I got to wear a beautiful dress that was made by a clothing designer at the event, and then I went and worked with the photographers either in groups or one-on-one.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to do it again. The only downside? My feet....boy were they killing me by the end of the day! As soon as I got home, though, I got to take a nice long soak in a hot bath.
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: There wasn't much about me that was presentable after such a long, hard day, so I figured my feet would make decent subjects. I didn't use a flash, I was too tired to set up anything. I just held the camera, pointed it at my feet and voila! It looked pretty decent without much PS, but I knew something was off. I put it in black and white and upped the contrast and then it was perfect! The black and white really helps to focus the viewer's eye on the lines of the feet and the light and shadows without being distracted by the colors (which would have been my red bed sheets and my pinky-peachy feet).
I'm writing this two days late (technically three, as it is now 12:45, but I won't bother with semantics), as I didn't have time this weekend to keep up with the blog, though I did take my pictures on their proper days.
Saturday was awesome! I worked with two photographers and of what I saw right from the camera, I'm going to have some really nice photos pretty soon :) First I worked in a very green, woodsy area with one photographer, and then we met up with the other photographer and went to an abandoned house to shoot. The first location was rainy and a bit cold, but I'm a tough girl and I managed not to get hypothermia :P The second location got us some fun, ghostly shots, where I wore a big, drapey white gown.
Dinner was ribs--om nom nom nom nom nom nom!
And finally, after a few hours of hanging out and chatting, I got some time to sleep, and rest for the next day....
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: I was dead tired, and I really didn't want to do anything that took much effort, so I figured I would just take some shots of me falling onto the hotel bed. Falling didn't look spectacular, so I changed it to jumping instead, even though it took a bit more energy. The lighting isn't fantastic, but oh well. I got to experiment a bit with PS (which I only just got to now), and that was fun. There are many things I would liked to have done better, but alas, I have two other images to post and I had to process them as well. Such is the life of a busy gal :)
Today went by quickly and now....it's the weekend! Finally, it has arrived :)
I had to go shopping for clothes after work today, ugh. I needed outfits for the shoots this weekend, and just for my wardrobe in general. Since losing 20 pounds several months ago, I have not gone shopping to get clothes that fit me properly, so it was high time I found some new pieces. The only problem is....I really, really, really hate shopping for clothes. And it's only gotten worse since I lost weight, because my size is so hard to find. Who would've thought there would be any down side to being skinny? :/
But luckily, Ross came to the rescue! I somehow managed to find two tops, two dresses, a pair of shorts, and a pair of sunglasses, all which looked great on me, and it all cost only $60 :) If this sounds like a commercial, I apologize, I just get excited when I can actually find clothes that aren't ridiculously expensive. Some day, I need to learn how to sew so I can make my own clothes!
Tomorrow, I'll hopefully remember to post my blog, but my picture will have to wait, as I won't have access to PS at the hotel (it's not on our lap top).
Anywho...it's off to bed for me now, I've got a big day ahead!
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: My husband has already packed up all of his photography gear for our trip, so I resorted to the webcam with much hesitation (but laziness ultimately won out). Actually, it turned out much better than I thought it would. I took a picture of my lips because it's pretty much the only thing presentable about me right now. No makeup and webcam-quality photos do not mix! But it seems that my lips and the webcam make a good match after all; lending a somewhat Mona Lisa feel to the image. Of course, I'm no DaVinci and using much less talent/technique (and time, and energy, etc.), but I still think there is a similarity there.
Hooray, tomorrow is Friday!
This whole week, I've been thinking it's a day later than it really is, which inevitably leads to disappointment when I'm brought back to reality :( But, all is well, because the weekend is nigh, my friends! And there shall be much rejoicing :D
I know I will be exhausted after working all weekend in Atlanta, but that's okay, it will be fun. I will also have many new pictures for my portfolio, yay!
It was work as usual today, and I was sleepy as usual when I got home. I really didn't want to have to take my picture tonight, but my husband brought the camera to me at least, so that helped a bit, lol. At first, I wanted to just hold the camera away from me and take a picture like that, no strobes or anything....but it looked hideous, so I thankfully abandoned that endeavor. So, I decided to go with one I had thought up earlier today, and it worked just the way I wanted it to! And now, with my errands done and my day blogged about, I am ready to run off to bed and catch some Zs.
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: I love reading in bed before I fall asleep, and I do it often. Sometimes, my husband is already in bed, so I have the lights off to let him sleep. I use my little purple flashlight under the covers, much in the same fashion as you see pictured above. To capture the shot, I had to prop the camera up on two books and I had a solitary strobe laying next to it, angled slightly upward. I really did pull the covers up over the camera and then my head and body :) The first shot I took was far too bright, so I closed the aperture a few stops, and took another, and voila! Just like magic, I had my perfect shot. I didn't have to do much in PS, just zapped a few skin imperfections and upped the contrast a tad. I was so happy this one didn't take 20 tries, because I was just too tired to put much energy into it, *whew*.
Well, I didn't get around to posting yesterday, although I did take a picture. When I got home, I was thoroughly exhausted for some reason unknowable to me. I went right to the couch, ate dinner, watched tv, and started to fall asleep on the couch at 10:30. Never even made it to the computer! But....I took my picture at work of me and my mug, as promised. Well, mugs, I should say ;) Get it? Mug like coffee mug and mug like my face? :D
So anyway, not much to report for yesterday, just a lot of well-needed sleep!
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: I didn't want to bring a strobe to work for many reasons, but most of all because it would attract a bit too much attention when it went off. I waited until I had clocked out for the day to take the picture, because if asked about it, I don't want to get in trouble for messing around on the clock :) Also, there were only a couple of people left in the office by that time, so I could be all sneaky-sneaky like. I brought a tripod for the camera...but forgot the little plastic thing needed in order to join the two /facepalm. So, I propped the camera up on a book on my coworker's then-vacant desk across from mine and set the self timer and prayed for a decent image. Thankfully, I got something I could work with. It was, however, incredibly boring. So I made it all artsy-like and fun with my good buddy monsieur Photoshop :D
Well, today was quite ordinary and not terribly exciting, but that's okay by me; better than an awful day, at least.
I'm really just waiting until this weekend, when I have another shoot, yay! I'll be working with one of my favorite photographers on Saturday, as well as a new one. Then, I have a big shoot event on Sunday, where there will be a few makeup artists, dozens of photographers, and several other models. I'm not quite sure what to expect, but I think it will be fun :) So up until then, I'm afraid my daily life will not be so exciting compared to that.
Oh, I do have one thing to talk about! I got a present at work today :D I got my office job I'm currently working through a temp agency, and one of the guys from the agency stopped by my office and gave me a present: a coffee mug, a small bag of candy, and a post-it note holder with post-it notes in it :) So now I have a coffee mug for work; I feel special, lol! I'm thinking tomorrow, my picture will be me drinking from my new mug...I just need to figure out how I can sneak a picture without the boss-lady finding out, hehehe. I suppose I could just use my cell phone, but the perfectionist in me dies a little at the idea of taking a picture at 2 megapixels *cringe* Ah, well, I'll figure something out. Until then, dear friends....
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: I wanted to do a photo of me with my head resting on the arm of the couch and looking at the camera upside down and laughing, but my hair looked weird, lol. So, because I like my big eyes, I decided to just play hide and seek instead :) I'm not crazy about the drop-off from the flash in the background, because I was lazy and only used one strobe, but oh well. I'm still quite happy with the result, and I got to take some pictures of my kitties when they decided to crash the set beforehand:
Today at work went by quickly, hooray! I'm amazed now to think about how much more time I have available to me than I did a week ago. For about a month and a half, I had been working only part-time at my office job, but also part-time at a retail job, with an average of about 45-50 hours a week between the two of them. Because one was M-F and the other was retail, the only days I would have fully off were Sundays, if I was lucky enough to have one off my retail job. For an entire month while I was doing this, I was not scheduled any Sundays off. It was insane, to say the least.
Now, I marvel at all the things I can do with so much spare time on my hands! Even though it's Monday, just knowing that I will have two days off coming up in just a handful of days makes me happy.
Other than pondering what I should do with my free time, nothing much to talk about today. I'm actually getting ready to go to bed *yawn*. So goodnight moon, and goodnight comb, and goodnight followers, wherever you roam :)
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: I decided to go a little more in an "artsy" direction today, primarily because the carpet on my stairs is not the most interesting background one can find :D I wanted to give it a kind of vintage look to match the style of the dress I wore today, and just because I love that look. Used one bare flash (tried it with an umbrella, but it was dreadfully boring without any shadows) to nice effect. Really, I should have angled it a bit better, because I had to use dodge on my face to make it as light as my legs, but the flash was up very high on its tripod, and I couldn't reach it easily to angle it properly (and I probably would have gone back and forth a million times to get the exact right angle). But it was a fun adventure, and I'm learning more every day!
*Yawn* I am exhausted!
I had a shoot in Atlanta today, about 2 1/2 hours away from where I live. The shoot was about three hours, and it was a lot of fun--I climbed trees and everything :D But modeling is much harder work than those who are not in the industry think, and my body is very, very tired! When I got home, I showered and changed and then went to a friend's birthday party. At some delicious Philippino food and sang some Karaoke, so much fun!
But alas, funness takes its toll, and now I'm ready to crash. Thus, my picture today for the 365 project is me sleeping peacefully and content at having survived the first of what will be several busy weekends (another shoot in Atlanta next weekend, then one in NC the next, whew!). And yet, it didn't seem to go by too fast at all, hooray for having two days off in a row, lol!
Anywho...I'm really off to bed now, got a big day of copying and pasting tomorrow at the office :D Goodnight, dear readers (all two of you), and sleep tight!
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: Today, I learned a very important lesson...the white knob on the flash is NOT the one that controls the power level *facepalm* Why must they make the real knob all tiny and black and on the back of the flash with this teeny, tiny number that will certainly go unnoticed? Le sigh. Just used one strobe on 1/2 power (once I figured out how to change it....) with an umbrella on it. Very simple setup, but it took me a while to get the depth of field the way I wanted it. At first, I was using too low of an f/stop and my face was fuzzy while my arm was in perfect focus. But eventually I changed things around and still got a result I was happy with :) Hooray for learning things and getting a satisfactory result before I start going on an equipment killing spree!
**Note: no strobes nor other camera equipment were harmed in the making of this image**
Hello, and welcome to my blog page! :)
My name is Carley Lynde, and I am a freelance model, among many other things...but we'll get to more of that later.
I had considered creating a blog before, but never actually followed through. Though I've had some rather interesting and, at times, adventurous life experiences within the relatively short 26 years I have been on this earth, I never really thought of anything I'd want to write about in particular that others might find interesting. I think of a blog as a sort of online journal, where one can share their daily experiences--overall, however, I have to say that my daily life is not all that interesting. I go to work, I come home and eat, I go on the internet and chat on forums or watch tv or read a book....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
BUT!
Then I heard about this fun project that several friends of mine from Modelmayhem.com are participating in called the 365 Self-Portrait Project. You take a self-portrait every day for one year, and at the end you can see how much you may have changed, or just reflect back on the year as a whole and what you've gone through. I have been wanting to take pictures for a long time now; having been in front of the camera so often, I find that ideas for images will come to me, but I don't trust anyone besides myself to really make them come to life exactly as I see them in my head. So, here is the perfect opportunity to start that journey!
I title my blog "Whimsical Wanderings", because that is what you'll be doing when you take a walk inside my head :) I'm a bit silly....okay, very silly! But in a good way, I promise. I'm a generally happy and easy-going person, and I love to share :D So, I hope you enjoy my blog and my pictures, and once again, welcome!
*Noms and fondles*
--Carley
About the image: This image was taken with my husband's Canon Rebel XTi. I used just one flash (camera right-hand side) that had a Tupperware "beauty dish" that my husband made attached to it. My husband is a photographer and he's the one teaching me all the tricks of the trade :) I actually had two strobes set up, but only one went off, but I loved the vignetting I got so much that I went with it anyway (I did have to lighten it up a stop in PS, though). I chose the couch because I wanted to show myself in a relaxed position. I recently quit my job working retail and I'm now working a less stressful office job and I have my weekends off for once in I don't know how long! So I'm truly enjoying the fact that I won't have to work any weekends again for a good while, yay :D
