Rain & Photographs

Hey there,

So it's Tuesday night here and has been raining pretty much all day. I had an early morning, 8:00am social psychology class, and found myself walking there in a light drizzle. I wasn't quite as lucky when I walked to my next class, finding myself in a complete down pour. I was lucky though because there was a break in the storm just as I made the trek back to George Roberts.

With all this rain comes some serious flooding which brings me to my Monday night. I had been putting laundry off for about.. ever and finally decided it was time to man up - that and I was fresh out of clean shirts :) So around 8:00pm I put my laundry in and prepared for a nice, relaxing night in. As I was coming back from switching my laundry to the dryer it started to massively down pour - heaps and heaps of rain like I've never seen before. I was just standing on the ledge to my room watching it pour. Across the way some people started emerging from their rooms with skim boards, prepared to skim across the grass. I watched in amazement as slowly but surely the original boarders were joined by more people ready to try their luck across the lawn.

I was then struck my the thoughts of my previous post - about living in the moment and sometimes doing things without making a pro and con list beforehand. So I forgot my laundry, grabbed the only clean clothing I had and made my way through the pond that was now forming. The rain was so heavy I could feel it almost stinging against my skin as I ran through the grass. I looked up and took in the moment - like I told myself I would do. There I was, standing in the pouring rain and I wasn't cold, there I was amongst almost strangers squinting to see in the dark.

When I finally got my laundry and neatly folded it I was again struck by the opportunities given to those who choose to live the unplanned life. When things aren't mapped out, scheduled to a tee, then one finds themselves surrounding by time - time that can be filled with small adventures.

Speaking of adventures I had quite the experience today. This morning my friend and I decided to plan out our photography project that is quickly approaching. Knowing I have just about zero experience with a camera I wanted to get a jump start in case my ideas didn't pan out the exact way I want. As we bounced ideas off of one another our excitement for the project grew and we decided to start taking pictures later that afternoon.After class I grabbed some props and headed to Nicole's room where she was applying copious amounts of make-up. I laid my props across the floor of her common room and began to organize them in an "artistic" manner. I have to say I have a whole new appreciation for photographers!

The theme I'm going for is Truth vs. Lies and this diptych was intended to show a woman in intense make-up and then the same woman with a clean face. I put Nicole in a flashy shirt and had her lay down behind the props I'd organized earlier. The props consisted of make up, brushes, nail polish and every other girly thing you can think of. I worked with the depth of the photograph, trying to make Nicole sharp and the props blurry. It was much harder than I originally thought but all and all I think I got a pretty good photograph out of it.

Next we moved on to the bathroom where I had Nicole wet her hair and shed her make up. I wanted to work with shutter speed and catch Nicole splashing water over her face. Between the horrible light and small, awkward shape of our bathrooms I was unable to get the image I was looking for. Instead we opted to take advantage of the storm outside. Nicole had the idea of standing outside under a stream of water falling from the top floor of George Roberts. Although they aren't perfect I have to say they are pretty amazing shots. I'm so excited just thinking about them! I was able to catch the water droplets actually flowing down her face and she did a fantastic job as a model.

All and all I was extremely happy with the first attempt. I'm now working on the last two sets of pairs and will let you know how they go! Also, the photographs I've already taken are on Nicole's camera but as soon as I upload them I'll post a few of my favorites and you can let me know what you think! But be easy because it's my first attempt behind a camera!

Anyway - I'm headed to get some work done and maybe go to the gym! I have to start that behavior modification thing at some point I suppose! :)

Love and miss you all <3