>>> Llywellyn, People Photo Challenge #6 winner

Llywellyn won the people photo challenge #6: Movement. I asked her to answer a few questions, and this is what she told me:


WHO ARE YOU? I’m not quite sure I’ve yet figured that out. What I do know is I work in publishing as an editor, and I am constantly chasing new creative endeavors and foreign countries to explore.


WHEN DID YOU JOIN DGRIN? WHICH FORUM(S) DO YOU FREQUENT MOST? My profile claims I joined in June 2006, but it was nearly a year before I made my first post, and that was in The DGrin Challenges. That forum was my home for a few years because it challenged me creatively and was the perfect outlet for my crazy photographic ideas. Now I spend a lot of time in People as well, as my interest has shifted from photographing things to photographing faces.


HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY? DID YOU HAVE ANY PHOTOGRAPHY TRAINING? An old beau began taking a photography class at a local community college, and I was intrigued by his images. I spent a lot of time drawing when I was younger, and I had been toying around with graphic art, so this new way of creating an image really piqued my curiosity. I borrowed his film camera one weekend and was immediately sucked in. He bought me my first digital camera—a little Nikon Coolpix—and I never looked back. Two years later, I took a Photography 101 class to learn more about what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO actually meant, which in turn taught me how to shoot manually (I was a full-auto gal before that). That class was, wow, three years ago now. Now I do a lot of reading, browse others’ work, and participate in workshops I find appealing for what I like to shoot. There’s always more to learn!


WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU HAVE/USE? I got a Nikon D700 about a year ago, so I just recently sold my D80, 14-24, and 18-200. Now all I’m left with is the D700, my trusty 50/1.4, a 16mm fisheye, and a LensBaby Composer. I’m saving up to add the 24-70/2.8 as the first lens in my new dream kit. Much later (i.e., after the wallet recovers from the initial shock) the 14-24 and 70-200/2.8 will follow. Other stuff I haul around with me:

• Nikon SB-800 flash
• Nikon SB-600 flash
• AlienBee 400 studio strobe
• Radiopoppers
• Gitzo 2530 tripod
• Really Right Stuff (RRS) BD700-L plate
• RRS BH-40 ballhead with B2 AS II clamp
• Canon G10 (that goes with me everywhere, just in case)
• IR-modded Canon PowerShot
• Holga
• Crumpler Whickey and Cox backpack
• Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home
• Plus a gabble of cords, cables, filters, SD and CF cards, batteries, chargers, and light stands and modifiers (brollies, softboxes, snoots, grids, barn doors)
• And the surprisingly useful paint-pole light stand: http://pixsylated.com/2009/05/longarm-and-metalhead/

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING/SUBJECT/PLACE TO PHOTOGRAPH? People. Especially models who allow me to dress them in strange outfits and do crazy things to their makeup and hair. I do love taking street portraits and other informal portraits as well, as I just find people’s faces eternally fascinating, but I love even more creating an image from my mind’s eye.


It’s a passion I’ve always had — illustrating for others something I’ve imagined — but my writing never could create the whole picture, and my drawing was never good enough to faithfully capture what my imagination could come up with. Photography offered the perfect marriage between my far-fetched ideas and the realization of them, so staged photography is my current snark to hunt. Followed closely by travel photography.



WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PHOTO? Bluh. Right now? Because, really, it always changes. When I learn something new, I begin to appreciate that skill in another’s work, so I may admire their photo because of the technical chutzpah it took to make it. Or I may become infatuated by the story of another photo. Right now, my favorite photo by another photographer is this one by Zhang Jingna, a young and insanely talented woman:


My favorite photo from my own work follows the same happenstance trend as the above; it changes almost daily. Right now, I love this one:


WHAT'S THE BEST ADVICE SOMEONE HAS GIVEN YOU PHOTOGRAPHY WISE? WHAT'S THE ONE THING/ADVICE THAT YOU WANT TO GIVE OTHER'S? It’s one and the same: Start small, and dream big.


WHO/WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES IN PHOTOGRAPHY? I will be forever drawn to Edward Steichen and George Hurrell. WeeGee. Richard Avedon and Annie Leibovitz. Joe McNally. Chase Jarvis.


SO WHAT ABOUT YOUR WINNING ENTRY? Since I love to travel, I also love learning about other cultures. Ireland obviously intrigues me because it’s part of my heritage, but I’m also fascinated by Japanese culture. A few years ago, a friend invited me to an Obon festival at a local temple I’d previously been unaware of. It was a small temple, but it was crowded and wonderful. Vendors sold bento boxes and women and children were beautifully dressed in traditional yukatas. There was music, dancing, and drumming. I stayed for hours watching, listening, and photographing. This little girl was hard to miss in her bright red yukata, but she was also eye-catching because of her enthusiasm and exuberance. She spent the evening chasing her brother, sometimes catching him and not letting him go until he found a way to escape. Then the chase would be on again. This image is a part of that game of tag, and for me it captures her perfectly. The youth, the joy, her unending movement. Since it was early evening, my shutter speed was low and there was a natural panning effect in the image. I enhanced that more in Photoshop with a motion blur filter.



If you want to see more of Llywellyn's work, go to her website: http://www.originalblackcat.com/
Comments? questions? post them here!

For more info on the people photo challenges, go here. Why not participate yourself?!?!