SayerMotter Photo By: Harmony Motter
I recently photographed Emily Overmyer's senior portraits. I think that her shoot was one of the last senior portraits sessions that I shot before the first snow fell. Oh, boy did we get it done. We were on a mission to shoot as many outside pictures as we could before it got dark. The shoot started at 3:30 pm and due to the early Fall darkness, we didn't have much time. Emily was a real trooper though. She was changing her clothes on railroad tracks, applying lip gloss in a hurry and eating her dinner and having her hair flat ironed at the same time. We did it! We had fun too! I like Emily. She is a neat girl with a neat future ahead of her. If you see Emily in passing, don't hesitate to say hello. Her smile is contagious!
SayerMotter Photo By: Harmony Motter
1 Comment
I turned my computer on this morning and laughed out loud. There are senior picture files covering my desktop. So I threw this together. The traditional senior portrait season is coming to an end and what a busy senior portrait season this has been for me. Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it! When I say "traditional senior portrait season," I mean like May-October. If anyone out there has yet to have their senior pictures made, it's not too late. We would love to take your picture!
SayerMotter Photography By: Harmony Motter One of the unique parts of Dee and Greg's wedding were the hundreds of Peacock feathers. I was intending to work on a sort of funky old-timey layered portrait last night using a shot of the couple at Conneaut Lake Park and details of Dee's dress. As I was looking for pictures one of the many peacock feathers I shot popped up and I found myself tinkering with something else entirely and came up with this. It reminded me of one of their engagement pictures taken in tall grass. Not sure if its good or not, but it was something I made while working on their photos and thought it would make a good featured photo today..and here is why the Peacock feather is an important symbol for a new life together...all good stuff!
In Greco-Roman mythology the Peacock is identified with Hera (Juno) who created the Peacock from Argus whose hundred eyes (seen on the tail feathers of the Peacock) symbolize the vault of heaven and the “eyes” of the stars. In Hinduism the Peacock is associated with Lakshmi who is a deity representing benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and good luck. Similar to Lakshmi, the Peacock is associated with Kwan-yin in Asian spirituality. Kwan-yin (or Quan Yin) is also an emblem of love, compassionate watchfulness, good-will, nurturing, and kind-heartedness. Legend tells us she chose to remain a mortal even though she could be immortal because she wished to stay behind and aid humanity in their spiritual evolution. In Babylonia and Persia the Peacock is seen as a guardian to royalty, and is often seen in engravings upon the thrones of royalty. In Christianity the Peacock symbolism represents the “all-seeing” church, along with the holiness and sanctity associated with it. Additionally, the Peacock represents resurrection, renewal and immortality within the spiritual teachings of Christianity. Themes of renewal are also linked to alchemical traditions to, as many schools of thought compare the resurrecting phoenix to the modern-day Peacock. Contemplate the powers of the Peacock when you need more vibrancy and vitality in your experience. The Peacock can also help you on your spiritual Path, and breath new life into your walk of faith. The Peacock can rejuvenate self-esteem levels too. If you’re feeling “blah” and blue, imagine the glorious, techno-color display the Peacock provides. This puts us in a proper mood to embrace your own nobility. In no time, you’ll be walking tall and proud as a Peacock too! Trying o be there, but not in the way, so that I can see those little subtle things and capture them. Every photographer will tell you that they see far more pictures and moments than they ever capture, but being prepared to get the ones you can, thats the key. This was it...Dee was about to go down the aisle and I was torn, I wanted to stay with her to get those moments seconds before she would take her dad's arm to head down to the alter, but I also had to be there in the aisle to photograph everyone going down, so I hung out for as long as I could and got this one little peak into the sanctuary before I headed in to photograph the mom's bridesmaids and little one carrying the rings and peacock feathers that were a symbol of Dee and Greg's wedding. Someday it is my hope that Harmony and I photograph weddings together so we can can each be in a different place to capture all of these moments, but until then I will still try to be in the right place to get at least as many of these little moments as I can....and still get the nuts and bolts shots that are also very very important! SayerMotter Photog
I recently photographed the 3rd Annual Policeman's Ball. It was held at The Meadvile Country Club this year. This is always a fun event for me to shoot. Everyone looks great and has a great time! To view all photos from the Policeman's Ball go to http://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p530530217
SayerMotter Photography By: Harmony Motter The last few days I've just sort of felt like I'm surviving the day instead of attacking it and making the most of it. I sorta hit these from time to time and even though I know the work I'm doing is necessary and I'm learning from it(a lot of technical things I'm learning!) I don't feel like I'm really grabbing hold. So tonight I wanted to find a picture for inspiration. This is a photo I took last winter or spring, I forget when exactly. The photo itself isn't really inspiring, but the hair is. This is real hair, the artist who made this do was trying to win a contest to be on a tv show and we were documenting one of her creations. I was really blown away that this was made here in Meadville. And I believe that its this sort of thing that needs to be done here--why not. Meadville can be just as creative as any other place. I try to remind myself of this when I need to, I hope the majority of my time here is living up to that principle. And even though I know I'm not the most creative person or the most talented, I think there is a great deal I can offer...and offer it here in this small community. So tonight this photographer is trying to be inspired by a hair stylist. Tomorrow I hope I can put it into practice again.... we'll see. SayerMotter Photograph by Richard Sayer.
I'm never sure where the wind will take me during a photo shoot and the processing afterwards.I have a lot to learn about shooting big family portraits and the more I do them the more I realize that there is a dynamic to them and in order to make them work you need levels and layers. Our small studio space makes this a little more difficult, but not impossible. Tonight as I was preparing this image to be the featured picture of the day I began to see a possibility for a style I didn't see while shooting and decided to experiment and 'sketch' a little. A sketch is something you do to work out an idea and even though I'm not sold on the idea that this is done, I like the direction and think after a nights rest that maybe I'll be able to tweak this idea a little further and apply it to the more serious portraits that we also made during this session....and I certainly need to refine the edges too if I work out this concept further. I just hope the family likes the look...and I'll need to try to do this a little more color to see how that works...because even though I love black and white and sepia images...I know not everybody else does. SayerMotter photographic sketch by Richard Sayer
When we shoot portraits we try to keep in mind that we're still photographers--not just business people making just what we're hired to do---we see moments and even if it doesn't conform into the original intent...we shoot it. These are what we call...'the good ones' those little moments when no one is posing, but simply being themselves. Now we don't really sell many of these pictures, but I'll never stop taking them--to me --that is the fun stuff and shows the life and love of my subjects. SayerMotter Photographs by Richard Sayer
Well, sometimes things don't go as you planned. I was thinking about a design for a memory mate so I spent ten or 20 minutes working on building block on top of block in photoshop only to discover that it didn't really work for what I was originally thinking. Well 10 or 20 minutes is precious time so I saved the files. A short time later I found myself making the piece below. So even though one idea didn't quite make it--it led to making something else. I had done this a couple months ago and wasn't sure what I thought of it then and I'm not sure what I think of it now....but its something, like the thousands of other pieces I've made...that I've done and may influence something in the future! Images by Richard Sayer.
This is who I am!
? How many people can truly define themselves in a sentence or two...or in a single photo? We like to think we can capture the essence of a person in a single photograph, but the truth is we only capture...if we do our jobs very well... a part of someone at that time we took the photo. How many times do we look back at pictures from our youth and go 'oh God...what was I thinking?' Well at the time the picture was taken we probably thought---'cool...thats me right there!' It's sort of the tough thing when approaching senior photo sessions now. We want to take pictures to record the senior as they are at that moment so we're hoping to find that one gesture and look in the eye to capture that maybe gives us a hint into the persons character. Props and outfits give us a little hint, but its in the person's stare that we need to work to find that hint. I take several images hoping to grab that, but its tough...often we have just only met moments before so I'm never 100% sure when that glimmer of personality shines through. I love it when I'm told later that that picture is 'SO' that person. If I get that comment...I feel I've done my job! SayerMotter Photographs by Richard Sayer |