Creating a portfolio has been such an amazing learning experience. It has pushed me and challenged me to create photographs that I wouldn’t normally think of. It is intense brainstorming, planning, preparing, etc before you even press the shutter. Throughout the last two months of creating my final portfolio for Hallmark Institute of Photography, I have created moodboards, which helps me to develop concrete ideas and helps my teachers to understand what kind of image I want to construct. So in plain words… I browse Pinterest for homework (ilovephotographyschool). I believe Pinterest is such a great tool for photographers– it is certainly not there to try to copy other photographers’ work detail for detail, but rather to gather a series of images based on different things you like about a photo. There are a number of reasons I pin a photo; lighting, expression, wardrobe, location, color palette, perspective, or just because there’s something I love about it. Once you gather a bunch of photos you love on one board, you can see your idea and style begin to develop.
Now, after my portfolio is just about complete, it is fun to look back on the images I drew inspiration from to see how they compare to my final images. I wanted to share the images that inspired me with you and give you a sneak peak of several portfolio images :)
Be on the lookout for my final portfolio blog post revealed next Friday, June 7! 24 images. The culmination of my life over the past few months & journey here at Hallmark.
The Inspiration – The assignment was to shoot a product on location, and with my wedding & portrait focus, I wanted to include vintage coke bottles with a couple somehow. I found these images on Pinterest, and came out with the following image…
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This shoot was a bit more high-fashion than I’m used to, which made it so exciting! My model, Amy, was so awesome to work with and such a good sport. I couldn’t exactly describe what I wanted the shot to be, so I just sent her my Pinterest board and let the images do the talking. Below is the final image…
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These photos led to my inspiration for my environmental still life shot. I’m from Maine so I love the beach and the ocean, so decided to create a beach house environment in the studio. My goal was make it feel like you just walked into a beach house and you can basically smell the ocean… did it work? See it below…
