I love Adobe LightRoom. I beta tested the app, and loved it then. One of the problems with the beta that I had assumed was fixed with the final version was that, after making image adjustments, it was damn near impossible to get the image to export the way it looked in the program. It seemed that colors were dulled, contrast decreased, and tones flattened.

Well, I finally got a copy of the official, released, non-beta LightRoom for my mac, and I am *incredibly* disappointed to find that this problem is still here. I absolutely love LightRoom. The workflow is great. It combines everything that I love about iPhoto--library management, keyword association, easy portfolio creation, slideshow presentations, music integration, fullscreen editing, and a very, very clean interface--with everything I need from Photoshop--the heal tool, levels and curves adjustment, photo filters, vignetting, color management, the works.

If anyone has a solution to this problem, I will love you forever if you can inLightRoom-ten me.



The other day, I noticed something really interesting about my work. There's been a very clear separation between what I used to do and what I'm currently doing. This wasn't immediate; I'm still doing some of my old style, and my newer style can be seen in some pieces from months to a year back. But there's a very, very solid shift, and it's very surprising for me to notice.

After I was introduced to ~95101, I immediately fell in love with his portraits. The immense amount of detail he can capture on just a person's face, and the incredible detail it cha show about that person's life and personality, really spoke to me. After that, I started doing a lot of portrait work.

This led into a strong focus on very fine detail, such as in these two shots:

and, also, a big emphasis on emotional content, such as in:


What's really striking to me is the massive jump from this style of work to my more recent work, which I associate technically with extreme contrast, extreme negative space, and emotionally with the feelings of isolation and separation, such as in:

Interestingly, this shift does not come from any strict motivation. The only picture that is in any way similar to that feel is a piece that I love by ~paulrylam, but that piece has never been prominent enough in my mind to create what I would say is inspiration.

Which means, maybe, that this is a reflection of a change in my personal life. The last two years of my life have been revolving around the development of that horribly clichéd question of, 'who am I?' A lot of energy went into trying to figure that out, and I spent a lot of time analyzing the smallest, most minute detail of my life. Now, with that question out of the forefront of my mind, does my work reflect a feeling of distance I have from other people? From myself? Or is it just a stylistic shift? I could argue both, though I don't know.

One thing is for certain, though. Change is refreshing. I like this new direction. What are all your thoughts?

Yojne,
E.

And nothing’s really different Though it seems like
I've spent My life in planes, Which is kind of strange, But I don’t know...

It's been a fairly long time since I've actually updated with anything resembling an update. So, there is much to talk about.

Photo-wise, I've done a whole lot of little. I shot a few (read: two) assignments for The Maneater down at University of Missouri, though I won't be doing any more assignments for them for a while. I'm taking an intro to photo class right now; not for credit, but to give me something to pass the time, so hopefully that will force me to get out and shoot things.

I have a number of different ideas for photos swimming around in my head, though many of them require certain weather to do right. I'm also trying to take my work in a different route; to go much more symbolic and abstract with my pieces. Abstract photography, in enough of itself, is damn near impossible, though we'll see if I can manage anything.

I'm also writing a fair deal again, which is good. I have a private writing project which won't grace the pages of dA at all, but I also have a few other writings which will eventually rear their discordant heads on these old pages.

I've been doing a lot of reading. Proust, Camus, Bukowski, Richard Powers... and, I'm just starting a book by Haruki Murakami, to be followed by a book by Bill Buford. I must say though, that if I were to recommend a book to anyone to read soon, it would have to be Jeanette Winterson's The Passion. Quite easily one of the most engaging, emotional, and truthful books I've ever read. I could quote passages from it for days, but I have a gut feeling that there are those souls out here who might be reading this who would rather I didn't, so I shall save. I will just note that The Passion is less than 150 pages long, with a rather large font and generous spacing between lines and in margins. It's a remarkably fast read. I read it in one sitting, in just over 4 hours. I've re-read it almost seven times since then.

In a couple of days or so, I'll be doing a feature on an artist or two. I'm rather tired at the moment, though, and worry that I would not do them the justice they deserve if I attempted now.

Regards,
Erin

EDIT:
I forgot to mention;
I have a hernia!
(Minor Direct Hernia)
Thanks, anonymous source of me diving after you that resulted in the rupture of my muscular wall that we call a hernia!