The fun part is the photographing, but it isn't until you get them into the computer to see the image that they come alive. Some require very little work, others that have something strong, but aren't quite perfect can be made so by cropping and toning. These images are pretty much straight out of the camera with the exception of making some black and white. I'm a fan of straight photography, but I'm also a painter so I know I can make something different through processing and toning and manipulating. One of the earlier shots I showed of Jalen was pretty manipulated shot where he was holding up a soccer ball. I really like to see images come to fruition and as I go through my recent senior portraits I find I'm really thinking of these as fashion shoots as if we're shooting for a magazine. They've been a lot of fun to do. SayerMotter Photographs by Richard Sayer. Also check out Harmony's featured picture from yesterday, a beautiful senior portrait with a great story behind it.
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I photographed Amy Grey this afternoon. She will soon be a senior at Maplewood High School. We had such a great time traveling all over Crawford County together. I have shot a lot of senior portraits and this one was a bit different. Amy had an odd request. She wanted to be photographed in, around and in front of a certain tree. This wasn't any ordinary tree. It was a tree that she and her older brother, Justin used to sit in together and watch the sun set. The tree is next to a farm house where they grew up. But, they no longer live there. Amy's brother is enlisted in the U.S Army and is stationed in Alaska. He is currently serving his country in Afghanistan. So wherever you are Justin Grey, your little sister, Amy was hanging out in your special tree this afternoon and thinking of you!
SayerMotter Photos By: Harmony Motter I recently photographed Sarah with her niece, Mae-Mae. They are the best of friends and they have similar personalities as well.
SayerMotter Photograph By: Harmony Motter I know I've said this before, but I feel privileged when asked to take someone's senior portrait. This is a pretty import photograph marking a pretty big milestone in some ones life. So I really want to make this something special. I don't really think so much about what a senior portrait is supposed to look like, rather what can I do to make this person's picture stand out and more importantly stand for who he or she is. This isn't easy and sometimes I can't find that connection that defines the person(and I know people are far more complex than one image can cover). Today I photographed Noah Marvin who is one of the premier QB's in this area expected to have a stellar senior year. We spent a couple hours making photos with and without his football gear. Now I've known Noah since he was little and I know I took a photograph of him years ago that he didn't like(at least at the time) when his big sister grabbed him after he and his little league buddies won the district title and laid a giant kiss on his cheek. I really liked that picture and I think it even won a clip contest back then. I've watched him grow up somewhat and he is a respectful young man with a bright future. One thing I noticed looking at the photograph of him at the bottom of this post is that he does have a strong resemblance to his dad Toby Marvin who I've also photographed many times as a wrestling coach for Saegertown and Ft. LeBoeuf. Its this sort of connection to the community that is really beginning to sink in to me now---I want to make a nice picture that hopefully stands out for this family, not because I want to make money, but because I feel they are apart of the same community I am and that we are somehow connected this way. I hope this shows through in the work in the end. I really want to make images that families want without settling for something that looks like every other senior picture from every other time. SayerMotter Photographs by Richard Sayer.
Ahhh, you gotta love Summer time....When the food is fresh and bright. The sweet, red peepers and fresh cilantro (pictured above) were purchased at the Saturday Farmer's Market at the Meadville Market House. It warms my heart to touch freshly picked green beans or to sample homemade Amish cheeses. I was also going to photograph the beautiful cloves of garlic that were purchased. But, I ate them. So it goes...
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." - Lewis Grizzard "Let my words, like vegetables, be tender and sweet, for tomorrow I may have to eat them." - Author Unknown "Most plants taste better when they've had to suffer a little." - Diana Kennedy "Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good." - Alice May Brock Photo By: Harmony Motter One of the things I talk to my students about is perception and what does a photo say---especially if there were no words really accompanying. If I didn't write about this picture you might get the impression that this dog is getting aggressive and is perhaps about to attack. Nothing is further from the truth. This little girl, Eva, was squirting water i=out of this pistol and the dog seemed to just want to catch the water. The dog was aggressive, but only toward the spray. and Eva seemed very thrilled about making the dog go after the water. If this was a picture for the newspaper we'd probably opt to not use it because it could give a false impression and if the reader didn't read the caption or story, she or he might not get the information needed and might believe something that is not true. I'm not sure if I would fight for a picture like this to get used, it certainly would grab our reader's attention. Luckily I don't have to wrestle with this idea at this point(though I sorta wrestle with these thoughts almost every day) because it was taken at a party on my day off in a small town sout
I keep talking, but not doing anything about getting an iPhone so I can have the camera and never use the phone. The apps that you can get for the camera are really pretty cool and I watch several of my photographer friends making image after image with the Hipstamatic program and all is components. Awhile back I started messing around with photoshop in order to create some moody qualities for some portraits and decide to do this with this picture of 2011 Troutbeck Classic Champion Andrew Graham receiving his trophy on Saturday from his sister and last years champion Kylie(smiley Kylie) Graham. Its faking it, but I figure if I do this a couple times and begin to get tired of playing tricks--maybe I'll finally break down and get one....at least before the trend is totally over with! Photo and photoshop stuff by Richard Sayer. Below is a slightly less manipulated image of Andrew at the moment of winning the qualifying round to reach the finals.
The best part about living being aware of visualizing is seeing beauty. I admit I seldom see beauty anymore and just enjoy it for what it is, I end up making a picture or thinking about how I'd make a picture when something grabs my attention. I watched a friends face look out over a valley at sunset and just be absolutely happy just watching the light. I realized that I was looking out trying to figure out how to expose it and keep the detail in the mountains while capturing the richness of the color in the sky and clouds. I was sorta missing the point--yet I did recognize and experience the beauty of it in some way I hope--just not the deepness of that one on one experience. I was glad I topped and made this photograph of a Rose of Sharon blossom in my driveway. It almost appeared to be learning out to watch me pull up--but it was probably watch the sun setting behind me. P
I photographed my family this afternoon (my nieces and nephew). My sister, Sarah served as hair and make-up stylist to the little ones. Although I am not going to show you the beautiful picture that we did make today, I will let you have a peek at a few of the behind-the-scene photos. The gals had their mascara perfected while Aaron had his hair gelled. I had fun watching them watch themselves in the bathroom mirror while Sarah worked her magic. The last photo that I have included is how I believe they see themselves with each other. I am one of three children and I can relate...believe me, I can relate!
SayerMotter Photography by: Harmony Motter I recently photographed the Davena Family Reunion at Roche Park in Meadville, Pennsylvania. They were a great bunch of people, filled with all kinds of characters. The top photo is of Larry sharing a moment with his 11 month-old grandson, Dylan. (This pair sure seemed like two peas in a pod) The center photo is of little Christian discovering the pure joy of bubbles. The bottom picture is of Deedra being Deedra.
SayerMotter photos by: Harmony Motter |