a lesson in portraits

I should be winding down with a book, sleepy tea, and a heavy blanket (it’s been quite a damp and brisk May thus far). Instead, I’m editing photographs from last week’s photography class. I’m still sipping the sleepy tea though. 

Last week, we learned many different lighting techniques for portraiture. It truly is amazing how light affects our facial features and lends a certain mood to a photograph. Although my partner KH and I were a bit reluctant as models, by the workshop’s close, we had been visited a few times by our curious professor who smiled in wonderment at our laughing and overall girlie giddiness. 

Ladies and gents, this is my studio partner. Let’s refer to her as KH. 

Isn’t she a darlin’ lady.

The remaining classes are open topic. Can you guess what I’ll be shooting? Food and drink — as much as possible. I even took a special lunch break to four floors of an antique market today, to sniff out vintage culinary props. My lady Bates laughed at me and my two full arm loads of wares. Stocking up are you? Indeed I am. A photog’s gotta find inspiration somewhere and I seek it in these vintage finds. They hold their own histories in their rusty bruises, calloused patches, and weathered metal. Some appearances are no longer familiar and they rely on their flimsy tags to reveal their former use.

I’m not sure if the tools we have today are more accomplished. These beauties lingering into antiquehood may be a testament to their longevity and potential revival — I wonder about this each time I unearth a trinket from a basket or bucket tucked far from the showcase of sparkly jewelry glimpsing the most attention. For now, all I may hope is that they’ll charm viewers of my photos and linger in a peaceful retirement with the other I’ve collected over time.