This is a self portrait I took for my small format class back in Spring 2020. The topic that week was how COVID-19 has changed our lives and what our lives has looked like during COVID. While this blog post isn’t about the same topic, I think the stress and frustration shown in this image still goes with my new topic: learn and re-learn.
I’ve had to really step up to the plate these past couple weeks of a new semester and really focus and study hard. I hadn’t had portrait classes for over a year before coming into my portrait concentration this fall. I’m having to try to remember lighting patterns, ratios, main light and fill light techniques, and vocabulary that I haven’t heard in quite some time. It’s been a little difficult having to basically re-learn everything, but at the same time, I feel like I’m getting more out of it this time around. I learning new things while I re-learn old things. I’m understanding things more this second time around than I ever did the first time a year ago. It’s kind of a rewarding feeling, being away for a year and then coming back strong, although my images aren’t perfect, they’re getting to where they need to be. It’s been stressful and mighty difficult but oh so rewarding.
Jessie Short Photography 