relaxing

I don’t know why, but the song I’m listening to has put me in a writing mood. I was also just reading a mini-reflection I wrote on visiting the Seattle Art Museum a few weeks ago, and I think it was a pretty read-able piece of writing. So, Friday was my ankle surgery. I had one of the 2 pins removed, which will hopefully make all my pain disappear. That would be a welcome relief. The recovery from this surgery has been lightyears better than the last one. As a comparison, I slept for about 4 days when recovering from the last one, and for this one I had surgery Friday afternoon and went to a barbeque Saturday night. Lightyears ahead, I tell you. I’ll hopefully be walking and driving again by late this week. Speaking of driving, I got my license! Very exciting stuff. I’m sitting here in my new glasses, feeling very creative. I always feel more creative in glasses. Especially new glasses. I come up with lots of cool ideas and concepts when I have glasses on for some reason. Maybe new glasses have new creative energy in them. Hm. Anyway, I’m hoping that I’ll use the next month or so that I don’t have school to take my algebra course through BYU and since that’ll only be about an hour a day, I can hopefully start working on some of my photoshoot ideas, and maybe start work on the dresses I’ve been dreaming about making. Oh, so my trip to Chicago was obviously successful, from my last journal. It was such a self-confidence boost to know that I could get into the school of my choice with my current portfolio. I mean really, if I can get in at this point can you imagine what I could be in two years? I’m excited to see how my art grows, and how I grow. I had a really awesome time with my aunt and uncle, too. I love my auntie so much, and she’s just the best. I’m in love with Chicago. It’s a city that just takes my breath away. I don’t think I could love it if it was completely landlocked, but it has Lake Michigan, so that’s fantastic. I love that lake with all my heart. And the city is so…vivacious. Seattle is very laid back and relaxed. I think that Chicago will be a great place to live for a few years. Maybe I’ll end up there permanently, but we’ll see. I’ve got years and years before I really need to think about that. I would really like to do some cooking. I love cooking and I love baking. I would really like to throw a dinner party, because I love sitting around with family and friends and eating. I would want to have a really big dinner party, with lots of people and lots of food and music and stories and fun. It’s kind of hard to do that with teenagers, though. Maybe in a few years. I would really like a chicken pot pie right now. Mmm… I’ve been watching a lot of makeup videos because I’m trying to find ways to make my photos better. I don’t know how to do it. I figure I’m taking a step in the right direction with makeup, hair and wardrobe, but I’m also working hard to make my editing skills better. I’m doing senior portraits now. I’m doing them for pay, too! How exciting. I’m charging something like $75 sitting fee, $5-10 per edited photo. Time is money. Anyway. Corrine Bailey Rae’s voice is beautiful. I can’t stop listening to her and Adele and people like that. I’m also listening to the Beatles non-stop (as usual), but I’m sooo excited for Beatles Rockband! It’s going to be sooo good! So, I’m off. Thanks for reading this if you read to the end.

Pictures from the Best Weekend Ever.

I’ve just had the best weekend of my life. I went on a trip with two of my best, best friends and had such an amazing time. We were just completely who we are during this trip. There was no covering anything up for the benefit of people who don’t truely matter. There was just relaxation and good conversation.

It’s so hot here in Seattle. It’s supposed to go up to 100 degrees today. Yesterday I went to the Seattle Art Museum with my mother. We had  a very nice time shmying around the museum like we usually do, but we went and saw this new exhibit called Target Practice. They were all pieces that focused on the unconventional use of everyday items to create art. 2 pieces that really caught my attention were Yoko Ono’s pieces. One of them was called “Painting to be Stepped On”, I believe, and it was a very cool idea. My mom and I went and stepped on it. It sort of felt wrong, to step on a piece of art, but that’s exactly what was wanted. The second piece by Yoko Ono was called “Painting to Hammer a Nail” and it was originally like this:

You’re supposed to take a nail and add onto the piece.

But the people in Seattle took it upon themselves to expand the picture:

The piece is ever growing, and it felt like it was breathing and living and growing on its own. I love Seattle. My mother the mosaicist wrote on a piece of paper “Life is Art” and her daughter the photographer wrote “Art is Life”. They’re now hanging in the middle of the collage, in the middle of the art piece. I feel fantastic having added to the growth of something. It’s so cool.

We also went to a few other exhibits. An exhibit by an artist named Titus Kaphar was small, but beautiful and interesting. The colors he used were rich and enticing, and the paintings were prime examples of storytelling through art. He takes historical paintings, copies them and then cuts pieces out to change the feeling of the photo. One in particular that struck me was this:

 

The women in the painting are all African-American, but with lighter skin. When the father and mother (the one in the blue) realized that their youngest daughter could have a better life since she could pass for European due to her light skin, they “cut her out of the picture” and sent her away. Here’s his website: http://tituskaphar.blogspot.com/

I had never heard of a particular photographer, Imogen Cunningham, but her work was exquisite. She was one of the first women to create a standing image as a photographer.  I feel like she’s one of those women that I should really get to learn about. Her photos are just stunning to me. Looking at them makes me want to use film so much. The feeling is rich and deep and I feel like with film you get a completely more moody product than when using digital. Haha, discovering Imogen Cunningham has made me feel like this:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE!?

Vallarta

Last week I was in Vallarta with my family. I had a really nice time, and suffered a horrible sunburn on my back. It’s really gross, but I guess that’s the price you pay for not applying sunscreen every ten minutes. It was super humid and hot there, but I tanned nicely. =) I was done being pale for a while. So, I’m home for the month, with a few trips in between. I’m going to go camping with some friends at the end of the month, and my dad and I are going to go for a trip to Vancouver for a weekend as a birthday present.

But my most exciting trip will be going to Chicago by myself for a week. I’m staying with my aunt and uncle, but I’ll be alone for a lot of the time since they have to work. I’ll go to lots of museums and go shopping and bring my camera everywhere. Life without my camera would be sad. But I think I would like a new one, just because the screen is so small on mine. I always think that a picture is great and then I put it on my computer and it’s blurry. It’s really frustrating, because if I’d known it was blurry, I would have taken another photo.

Anyway. I have lots of photoshoots in mind for the summer. Lots. With Amy and Ava and Brady and Ariel and Alex and Amanda and Zoe and so many people. It makes me happy that I have friends who are willing to jump in front of the camera for me. Making art with friends is fun.

I would post more photos on here, but I really don’t like the uploader. =( I wish I could upload in bulk and then move them around as I please. Oh well. I’ll link to places for you to see photos, probably.

My deviantart for example: weepingstars.deviantart.com

Even though I just posted…

I’m going to post some photos. I had a small shoot with Amanda the other day. =)

babies

Hello everyone (or no one, considering no one reads this, but that’s okay). I just arrived home from babysitting some kids down the street. They were fun. So here I am just thinking about all the photoshoots I’m dying to do.  I feel torn right now because I have so many ideas, but I can’t tell if I’m just getting them from other people unconciously. It’s sort of stressful because I want to be original and amazing and not rip off other people’s creativity.

So anyway. Please enjoy my photos.

I’m still trying to figure out how to organize this stuff. Ah…I’ll figure it out eventually.

maplethorpe

the mood

 

of this photo is changed 10 times over.  Photo by Brady Begin, editing, modeling, styling by me.

beautiful post number one

Hello all.

I’m excited to have this new place to put my thoughts down.

You’ll see lots of photos on here. I am an aspiring photographer with only 2 years of minimal experience. However, I feel passionately about my photos and capturing moments in time and will continue to grow in my abilities. I hope you all reading will appreciate my work. =)

I’m feeling inspired lately. I think I’ve been countering (or at least trying to counter) the depression brought on by school with art.

 Anyway, a little about myself, my photos and my models.

Me:

 

 

 

 

 

• I’m almost 16. Countdown is 12 days.
• I was born in the suburbs of Chicago. <3 Chicago.
•  I live in the Seattle area, so I’m around green and mountains and beautiful icy rain.
• I would love to sing opera.
• I am in love with my beautiful,  beautiful friends.
• I speak some Japanese (2 years of classroom experience).
• I love music. My favorite artists include Jack Johnson, The Veronicas, and The Beatles.

My Photos:

• I’m very inexperienced. I’ve had no formal training whatsoever.
• I am taking classes starting in the fall at my community college I’ll be attending.
• I use a Canon Digital Rebel. A few years old, and not so fantastic.
• I also use Windows Photo Gallery (quite a useful tool, actually) and Photoshop 7.
• You can see more of my work on my flickr and deviantart.
• flickr.com/emilygitelmanphotography and weepingstars.deviantart.com

My Models:

 

 

 

• Are my beautiful friends. I love them to death for all they do for me. From lying in the snow with bare skin to painting targets on their faces.
• My family also models for me. My sister, Charlotte and my brother, Max. 

There you have it.