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Vanessa Pastore

A Post a Year, Apparently

1/1/2016

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Oh, 2015 - Let's just skip to the photo recap, shall we?

January
Why Storms Are Named After People

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The name's taken from Caitlyn Siehl's Literary Sexts: A Collection of Short & Sexy Love Poems. Taken on my birthday, the largest print I've made yet, and now funny to me to see how red my nose is bc it was absolutely freezing that afternoon. Overall, it gets me psyched for the new year.

February

All Things Crawling and Free
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Wherein Connor stays still and doesn't make a face for A Second, and helps me figure out a new technique for backgrounds.

March
You Carry Your Dead With You

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This is still one of my faves, using the new background technique, taken on a day where the last thing I wanted to do was take a photo. Hung in a tattoo shop for a brief stint.

April
A Willful Burden

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Also known as, the cops don't like it when you shoot in reservoirs, but then realize you're a harmless nerd. The background as it's shown here is almost completely fabricated from previous, less altercation-y visits to the area.

May
Alphabet of Emotional Territories: Attention

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A really long title for a series that I got...2 into?

June
Safe Travels

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My favorite vacation time of the year in my favorite place in the world. Ribbons remain some of my favorite props. I play favorites.

July
Escapes

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Getting friends to model by bribing them with food. She's also the only one who can actually fit in that dress (it's deceptively and amazingly narrow!) and is patient enough to lug a chair through the woods. Cameo from one of last year's bluebirds.

August
Coming In For a Landing

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There were technical difficulties, so I worked on a previously untouched shot from Vermont. This is a magical combination of me being able to jump, toss the dress, and flip my hair all at the same damn time. The only thing photoshopped, besides aesthetic tweaks, were the houses that were in the background.

September
Simple

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I recovered and was damned tired.

October
How am I not myself?

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Similar, but not. I get an idea in my head, it won't keep still.

November
Epicenter

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and
Holding Pattern

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Preemptive bonus round! Making up for August.
Epicenter has regrettably been lost in an archiving incident- but it's a step in a direction I like and am perpetuating in Holding Pattern. At this point, I want to explore more and break away from the central composition/fairy tale character theme- just to see what else I can come up with.

December
I've been having these dreams

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No joke. A re-work, but still moving in a different direction. Something I've been enjoying and looking forward to playing more with this year.

I'm hoping to push myself more in 2016- experimenting more, playing with new techniques/compositions/styles, getting out to new places, and working with other people. Growth and evolution, taking risks, and holding myself to it.

What're your goals for 2016?

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Wherein I have content enough to review a year

1/3/2015

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2014 is only barely over, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Creatively,
it was a year in which lots of things happened. I started shooting in RAW format, I upgraded my copy of photoshop to be able to handle RAW images, I finally learned about layers, expanding the frame, and compositing; Essentially, before 2014, I was a back-ass photographer. I'm all right with that. Let's begin.
January
The Manifestation of Forgotten Grudges


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I have a soft spot in my tiny heart for this one. It's the first time I feel like I got a 'painterly' look happening. I also made a space that didn't previously exist- which is convincing if I don't look too closely.

February
The Malevolence of small things


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This day aligned in a lot of ways that were both perfect, and hellish. Leave it at, calm birds, sidelong glances, and wonky focal lengths for the expansion.

March
Don't tell me to smile
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You're not the boss of me. Also, flowers in the fridge for a week.

April
The Long Way Home
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No expanded frame, not actually a lit lantern, and I love my backyard and you'll see more of that.

May
Flight
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At some point during the year, Don chops up that log and I get sad. The last 2 props are currently installations in our home. I leave for Vermont this month, and return with a shot I use as a texture for...the rest of the year. See if you can tell.

June
The Persistence of Hours
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The abandoned house down the street. Accosted by folks in a car asking if it's my house, to which I respond: Is it your house? Since then, the yard's been cut back regularly. Also: How I learned about Poison Ivy.

July
Exorcism
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I let go of some demons in a new park.

August
Fallen Fruit
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I convince my friend, who has a peach tree, to model for me. She's the first person, besides Don, I've ever used for a model. It's easy and it blows my mind.

September

Autumn's Doorstep
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It's almost Halloween, do something spooky!

October
A Deceptive Passage
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The Wild Ones! An amazing workshop for 2 days in NYC opens doors to awesome people, places, techniques, and more. Despite my 'ahhhh people' syndrome, I had a blast!

November
Enlightenment, the Scholar
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Taken as part of a Photo Battle, I spent most of the time fretting over the state of my books. About 7 shots in, my camera fell over (just a ding), and I had to make do with what I'd shot already.

December
I did some shooting for a concept I came up with earlier, to get approval for a project I hope to do in 2015. I'm not able to share the shot, but hope to begin/reveal the project in the coming months!

All in all, I'd have to say it's been a year of growth that's only inspired me to keep growing. It's clear I need to look beyond my backyard for locations (adventure), I'd love to photograph more people (hint hint), I'll be less ice-queen like at workshops (promise), and I'd love to experiment with some new styles and techniques!

I'm starting my own Project 52 as well this year, although the first shot may have already been in the backyard. What are some of your goals, creative or otherwise, for the new year?

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The Most Common Question

8/23/2014

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Taking pictures of oneself is often times how it begins, but the question I hear most often is: Who's taking the picture?
In the beginning, there was the 10 second dash. In my early days, that's how it was. I'd set up precarious arrangements of various household objects, in lieu of a tripod, set the timer, and make a break for it. Thankfully, Flickr is a wonderful teacher. Through the Project 365 group, I heard that remote triggers existed, and in various forms. They use infrared and a sensor on the camera itself, and they're inexpensive. I chose this little guy:
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There you go, that's the trick. This little guy enables you to either push the button and instantly take a shot, or to give yourself 2 seconds of prep time before the shutter snaps. You don't have to worry about accidentally moving your camera, running back and forth, or having to drag a lackey along. There are a variety of types, this just happened to be the first I've found, and I like it.
Why is it never in the shot? It used to be.

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Warmer (2009)
You can handle this is a few ways. You can drop/throw it (be careful with that though), stick it in your pocket quickly, 'shop it out, or just use slight of hand- which is what I do. You can pose in such a way where you can't see it, but you're still in character:

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And it all falls apart (2014)
It's in my left (your right) hand, under that ribbon. That was a bit hard because I couldn't see, but that's also part of the fun.
This tiny thing gives you the freedom to take however many shots you want, without disturbing costumes/props/any setup, or making you run back and forth. They will have range limitations, and you can get more robust ones. Unless you're going quite a distance, it usually doesn't come into play; though you may look a little funny trying to line up the remote and the sensor just right.
That's all there really is to it! No man behind the curtain, just a teeny and handy bit of technology- readily available at your online superstore!
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Favorite Places and The Manifestation of Forgotten Grudges

2/20/2014

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I like to think that we all have our go-to places for photos. The rainy days, the polar vortex days, the days that you come home from work exhausted, but buzzing with the need to create something- that one place is always there for you. In my first apartment, it was the sole blank wall, the only space that could serve as a blank canvas. In the next apartment, the window seat made for a perfect macro space. Now, it's my basement.
PictureStay out of the Basement (2011)
I have a scary basement. That's a good thing, because I can make use of it in a variety of ways. From laundry to monsters, the place serves me well. The fist-sized spiders, however? I could live without those. As a rule, I try not to overuse it, but it's made several appearances in my work.
Sometimes I use the entire space, emphasizing the strangeness of it- the textured concrete floors, streaks of dirt, bits of metal and insulation.

PictureInfected by the Thought of You (2013)
Sometimes I use it as a neutral backdrop. It's more interesting than a blank wall, and doesn't necessarily scream 'basement' when you look at it.
More recently, our basement has been collecting things. From antique fairs that birth projects in progress, to the standard odds and ends that make their way in.
When I found my usual blank canvas a little cluttered, I decided to make use of it all the same.

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The Manifestation of Forgotten Grudges (2014)
This is a copper sink we bought at an antique fair, that Don is slowly cleaning of all its wonderful corrosion for one of his house projects. I'm glad I got to it before he got too far, because it has become this lustrous, shimmering thing that is not nearly in character for this shot. This sucker is heavy, by the by, and there was a lot of clanging, scrapes, and name-calling of inanimate objects. This was obviously lot of fun to do. I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that the limb at the top is definitely my leg.

What's your favorite go-to
place, and how do you like to use/change it up?

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The Malevolence of Small Things

2/5/2014

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A precursory note: I've never written about photography, or my photographic process before, so this is new territory to me. I have a food blog that lends itself more easily to my sarcastic voice than photography would, though I'm not sure where that distinction really comes in. Food: Sarcasm. Photography: be a good girl.
Perhaps once the newness wears off, I'll find my natural vibe with this.

That said:
In the midst of all this polar vortex malarkey we've been having, there was a weekend day where the temperature hit 50°F, and I knew I had to go exploring. I found my way to the path I've been meaning to explore on the other side of town. The day was beautifully overcast, only a little drizzle, and the warmest it's been in weeks.
Photography helps me remember things. All the pieces of the day seem to fall into place if I have a visual anchor, along with the experience of creating it.
I went in to the park with a bag of silk ribbons, a length of blue velvet, some fake rose petals, and my usual gear. I had no idea going in what I would do, these were the least buried items in the maelstrom that once was my closet. I was merely looking for a particular place, tree, light, or come what may, to inspire something.
As if wandering around in what felt like spring time weather by comparison, alone in a new, beautiful place weren't
magical enough; there were beautiful blue birds flying across the path. They were vivid blue enough where I first thought they were Blue Jays, but according to Google, they're a variety of Robin.
Not afraid
These little guys were completely unafraid of me, and flitted about long enough for me to take out my camera and catch them in action. The next thing I came across was a stroke of luck as well. Sometimes things fall into place. You never know when, in February, as you're walking on the first warm day of the year, you're going to come across the one, oddly perfect pine in the middle of a field. A perfect pine that just so happens to be decorated as a Christmas tree, then left to the elements for just the right amount of entropy to kick in. I mean, how am I supposed to pass that up?
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It even came complete with ornaments. By this time, I'd had another idea that I put on hold, and set to incorporating the elements I'd come across so far that day into one shot. Thankfully for the rain, I only had one curious passerby, but you get used to that over time.

The lesson learned here came to me largely when editing. This was a long one. I shot everything from a lot of angles, but I had done so in a) kind of a rush, and b) before I'd actually nailed down exactly where I wanted to shoot from. A lot of the scale became wonky, and expanding the frame became a bit of an ordeal. I did have a lot of fun with the editing, and overall with this piece.


I'm not one to gush, but it was, for lack of a better term, a freaking magical
afternoon. Things fell serendipitously into place, and I enjoyed it completely. Even after all the digging through thorns, checking for ticks, drenching my socks (oh hey, my boots are cracked), and the sidelong glare of that one lady and her dog, I thoroughly loved the experience. Also, a large part of that park remains unexplored, so now I have plans for next time- and different boots.
As for the end result.

The Malevolence of Small Things
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Along with a detail shot of one of the birds.

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