Week 1 - Writing with the Light

When I started this blog I promised that I'll include you in my journey and I was actually planning to write a post after each photography class too. Well, by now I know that it will be impossible, but I will definitely give you an update on a weekly basis. So let's see what has happened on week one of my two-year photography school.

I was excited like a child at Christmas on my first day back to school! We got our timetable and started to get to know each other. I have classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night (5 hours a day) which is really tiring considering I have a normal day job, my assistant job, two blogs and a man to take care of as well. :) But whatever! It is so much fun! For the first time in my life I feel like I'm learning something I'm genuinely interested in and that is the best feeling ever! Even though I haven't had a camera in my hands in school yet we are definitely learning a lot!

After all the administrative blabla we started our curriculum with photography history. We learned that the first ideas of photography were started by Aristoteles and Leonardo da Vinci and that the first actual photography was made in 1839. We learned about chemistry, camera obscura, Daguerre, French photographers and a bit of sociology.

We had creativity class where the teacher told us that he wants to break down our ideas of the world and wants us to see everything in new light. We looked at impressionist paintings and weird psycho test pictures. We got our first homework and started to think outside of the box. :)

We also had a photo artist presenting her portfolio of artistic images, she told us about Orozco and Corucci and we went out for our first (and second) beer as a group. While I'm one of the oldest in class I definitely have a lot more to learn than some of my classmates.... some of whom have been experimenting with photography for years now. But I don't care if it took me a bit longer to find my calling. I'm on the right path now... I just wish I was more patient with myself. I WANNA KNOW EVERYTHING ALREADY!!! :D

 

 

 {Image via Weheartit}

Aviary

Just found this online photo editing software which seems to be more sophisticated than the other free online tools like Picasa or Picnik... I'll be playing with this tonight for sure! Awesome demo! ;)

 

 

Film Noir

The results of shoot nr 2. Vivi is the best! :D

 

 

Results

The final products of my very first photo shoot are in. I'm just so glad I could be a part of this as an assistant to the photographer.... :D I've already been learning and experiencing so much, I'm getting more and more  excited for my future!

 

 

Shoot Nr. 2

 

 

The first day of the rest of my life

Isn't it fitting that on labour day I started my new labour? Seriously, yesterday was a day to remember... my very first professional shoot as the assistant of this amazing young photographer, Vivienne Balla.

Let me start with how I got here. Basically a few months ago when I was preparing for my photo school admission exam I started to research Hungarian photographers and found her website. Well it didn't take a long time for me to get to like her, she is very young,  sweet, humble and extremely talented while already considered as the future of Hungarian fashion photography. I loved her work and I felt like I could really relate to her so I decided to stalk her... :D No I didn't actually stalk her, but I did go to an event solely because I knew she would be there and I was hoping she would help me out with some advice for my exam. Well I couldn't find her and when I was just about to leave SHE stopped ME!! Like a crazy person I started grinning and talking way too fast about how much I love her work, how great she is, how I'd love to learn from her... of course she had no clue who I was and what I wanted from her, she just stopped me to see if she could take a photo of me as she was responsible for taking street style pics of the event. (remember this? :) So she was supernice and all, but I was 100000% sure I would never hear from her again until a few days ago a little note landed in my inbox asking me if I was still interested in working with her? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! And there I was just a few days later helping her shoot the girls for ELITE Model Management....

So basically ELITE does this model of the year competition once a year and the winner of the Hungarian round gets to participate in the world competition... 15 girls (All between the age of 15-18 and well below 100 pounds) scared like little Bambis hoping to become the next Gisele Bundchen lined up while hairdressers pull their hair, make up artists do their Bridget Bardot makeup, the room is full of people and eveyone's superbusy...

We shot in a tiny tiny hotel room which really showed me how you really have to see through the mess to create something beautiful... I mean we were standing in hills of clothes and bags (yes! yes!) 2 stylist, the model, the photographer and me.. not to mention the ocassional model, hairdresser... eg visitors... I really felt like someone through me in America's Next topmodel and I'm trying really hard not to be in the way of Nigel Barks while finding ways to help him.... anyway I'm getting off topic here... so there was no nice studio or professional backgrounds, we were shooting in a big mess with a Canon 40D  and a real professional flash. That's all. We had pretty girls, fabulous clothes, professional hair and makeup... it does make all the difference you know... next time I'll certainly take some before and after pictures of the girls! Shocking... :)

So what did I actually do on my first day as an assistant you ask?

- I took behind the scene pictures

- I moved some cables

- I smiled at the models

- I went to grab lunch and coffee

- I handed out business cards

- I helped to pack the kit

- I helped with changing the SD cards

- I moved some stuff around

... but most of the time I was trying to stay out of the way.

I felt like Alice in Wonderland... I felt this feeling rising in me. Like... that's it... you know? Like I get it! This is it! I wanna be a photographer so badly!!! 

I feel like someone has opened a closet that has been inside me for a long time but noone looked at it. You wanna know the stupidest thing? I have tears in my eyes while I'm typing this! TEARS!!! I swear I am crying!!! I was waiting for something to click in me for some time now... I felt like there was this something I want to do so badly but I didn't know what it was!!! Have you ever felt this way!? Now I know what I want. I want to assist Vivienne and learn as much from her as possible, I want to go to school, I want to live the life I want to live. I want to be a photographer! :)

 

 

Funny or too much?