a wrinkle in time

lexi mire

2012-02-08T10:47:00.001-05:00

So. I'm currently in St. Simons Island, GA. Many of you probably know this already, but my Gran grew up on the mainland, and my family has been coming here at least once a year since. Much of my family is buried on the island, including my mom. Since my mom died, I've been coming here several times a year. Tomorrow is the 9th, which will be one year since my mom died. I came here for the week to be near her final resting place, to be in the place she loved so much (and I hold so dear), and to be with my grandparents, during a week that's very difficult for me. I'm grateful that my mom is buried in a place with so much beauty and so much love around it. It helps to be in a place like this. It's healing.

When I knew I was going down for the week, I messaged Lexi, knowing that she doesn't live too far away. We figured out a day, and she drove up here yesterday afternoon. We went to the cemetery, to a park with oak trees, to the pier, and to the neighboring island, where there's a driftwood beach. The day was cloudy and chilly, but the sunset was to die for.

When you meet someone that you've only known through the internet, it's always a little nerve-wrecking. You aren't always who you seem to be on the internet, and especially with people who seem to be such genuine, deep (for lack of a better word), and talented people. You hope that the picture you have of them as a person isn't tainted, and of course... you hope you get along well, too!

I am so glad to have met Lexi. We had so many good conversations, about everything, not just photography. She is absolutely every ounce of the talented, genuine person that you see on the internet through her photos and blog posts. At a time that's difficult for me for a variety of reasons, hanging out with Lexi, chatting, laughing, shooting (and watching her tackle a GINORMOUS burger) was the light that made me remember how good life can be, and what a beautiful thing it is to get to know other people.

And now, for the pictures!
(see Lexi's blog post from the day here!)

At the cemetery my mom is buried in:

in the park full of oak trees by my gran's place:

driftwood beach

(couldn't decide)

sunset and darkness coming

headlights

:)

thorns (double exposure - large format)

2012-01-27T21:43:00.003-05:00

today, I saw this beautiful photograph by Kalea Molloy and was inspired to try taking double exposures with my large format camera. I tried to mix it up a little bit this time :) It's so nice to take pictures.

burned and blurred

large format self portraits

2012-01-22T22:07:00.000-05:00

I've been dying to take pictures and became so desperate that I decided to take large format self portraits in my bathroom at night. haha. I'm not the greatest model and I didn't want to waste too much film, hence the lack of variety in expression :P but I do like these :)

Large Format Photography

2012-01-08T10:21:00.001-05:00

With some of the money I got for Christmas and the money I saved from working a million hours before I left school, I bought myself a large format camera and a fujifilm instant back (to clarify, this is NOT Instax film, it's the instant film Fujifilm makes for large format cameras [the FP series], though I do love instaxes!!). I take instant photos on my Hasselblad all the time and I LOVE them BUT it only comes out in a tiny 6x6cm square, and I want it to fill the whole frame. I have a cheap polaroid camera that does that but the pictures aren't nearly as nice and I don't have nearly as much control.

SO, I got this great deal on the camera and I'm so excited! I haven't scanned in everything yet but I'll do another post soon with medium and large format instants I've taken when I finish scanning.

For now, here are a few of the pictures I took with Mia to test out my camera yesterday :) This shoot had no concept and was purely for testing purposes since we didn't have much time, but we're going to plan out a shoot to do shortly :)

I hope you all had lovely holidays and a good new year!

Anna in the Cold

2011-12-18T20:12:00.001-05:00

Today was really busy, but I hadn't seen Anna in forever and I hadn't shot for fun in a while so I went down to Rutgers for a short little shoot with Anna! I didn't take many photos, but it was really nice to catch up and I'm SO excited that I'm going to be so close for the next 8 months... expect lots of photos in the future! :)

here are a few from today:

autumn rose

2011-11-13T20:31:00.001-05:00

for the first time since summer, I had a shoot that was purely for fun! it was so great. I've missed it so much. it's great shooting for clients, and I've had great client shoots, but shooting for myself helps remind me why I love photography so much.

this shoot was great because we only had a short amount of time and nothing planned, so it was super low key, which was a nice way to ease back in :) we're hopefully going to be shooting a more story-oriented shoot on Friday... fingers crossed it works out!

the model is my friend Tessa, who went to my high school and goes to college near me. she's represented by Click in NYC and by Dynasty in Boston.

(a happy photoshopping accident layered another photo onto this without leaving a trace (no undo, it's like it didn't exist))

and finally, a photo that I accidentally over-exposed. I decided not to overlook the picture like I normally would, and instead edited it in a style inspired by Natalie Kucken's dreamy photography. it was fun to experiment!

hopefully, these next few weeks will bring more for-fun shoots to put up on the blog! :)

natalie, grace, rockie, sandy, and NYC

2011-08-23T12:05:00.000-04:00

Natalie Kucken was coming to visit NYC and needed places to stay, so my wonderful friend Grace offered for us to stay in her beautiful apartment in Manhattan :) I was only there for 3ish days, but it was so much fun! I'm so glad I got to meet Natalie as well as hang out with Rockie and Sandy again! Here are a bunch of the photos I took while I was there!

:)

another couple pieces of oregon

2011-08-04T00:43:00.001-04:00

This post consists of photos of Mer from a quick shoot with Mer, Josh, Parker, and Parker's brother (also a great photographer) Jay. I also threw in a few scenery photos, even though I'm not even close to done even going through the photos I took there (and I have SO MANY instax photos to post!)... but instead of being paralyzed I wanted to post something, so here you are! :)

Shoot with Mer and Parker Fitzgerald :)

2011-07-17T21:19:00.000-04:00

So two days ago, the most random set of occurrences happened due to the lovely Nishat, and Parker Fitzgerald (who I had totally forgotten lives in Portland!) and I planned a shoot for the next day (yesterday now) with Meredith.

We met up at a coffee shop where Parker told us about his collection of cacti amongst other things, and we decided on going to the Gorge. We drove Parker's truck there (Mer squished in the sideways back seat, hehe), played Josh&Mer's CD on the way, and generally had a dandy time chatting. The whole time I was completely in awe of HOW BEAUTIFUL it is there!!! I still can't get over it, and I have barely even seen anything!

We started shooting and it was so much fun seeing how Parker worked, and especially watching the Polaroids develop! At first I was doing a good amount of shooting, but after awhile I mostly just enjoyed the scenery/watching Parker and Mer shoot, and jumped in occasionally for a few shots :) I can tell you that Parker's polaroids were freaking fantastic... I can't wait for you all to see them! It was a relaxing, fun, full day. I took a lot of photos of the scenery, but I'm going to save those for a different post at the end of the week here.

First I'll post my photos, then some fun behind the scenes :)

_______________________

Behind the scenes:

soooo there was this photo I wanted but it was like impossible for Mer (or anyone) to hold the "sitting on air" position it required, so Parker acted as a chair haha :) Unfortunately, the photo didn't end up getting used... sorry Parker :(

and the rest!

:)

News + the day of the fly invasion (beach and lake)

2011-07-13T14:31:00.000-04:00

yesterday I went to Anna's, and we went to a beautiful beach where we stood in the ocean and laid out and chatted for awhile. It was wonderful (though extremely hot and humid and we were sweatbombs) at first, but then.... the flies started to attack :(

So we headed to the boardwalk and walked up and down it and got some ice cream and chatted some more until the sun was low enough to take pictures. We headed back to the beach, hoping the flies had calmed down, and started taking pictures, but the flies immediately attacked and it had only gotten worse. I could barely concentrate cause I was constantly moving my legs and slapping at them, trying to keep the swarm of flies away, and Anna (who was modeling) was being swarmed as well. We had to keep going into the water for relief :P

It was fun anyway, but we decided for comfort and pictures' sake, we should probably go to the lake instead. Unfortunately the drive there from where we were was fairly far, so we didn't get too much light once we got there, but it was a beautifullll sunset and there were some pics that I loved! Mostly we had a good time talking and such.

ALSO, I know a lot of you who read this follow me other places so you probably already know this, but I VERY spontaneously (as in Monday) booked a flight to Portland, Oregon to stay with my friend Meredith (she's modeled for me twice when visiting Boston, you guys will recognize her, she's fantastic!) for a week! I'm in the airport right now :) I've never been out west and I can't wait to explore Portland and ESPECIALLY all of the nature in Oregon!! :) LOTS of pictures to come this next week or so, I'm sure!

Here are some photos from when Anna and I hung out!

til next time!

A New Curve for Sale: Summer Sun

2011-07-07T13:43:00.002-04:00

I've recently discovered a new curve that I adore, and I've finally gotten around to uploading preview images to share it with you all! I've named it Summer Sun, and I love it because it not only adds lovely tones, but it works well on a large variety of photographs, making it extremely useful for me (and hopefully for you, too!).

Curves are wonderful because they're easy to adjust slightly, either by directly modifying the curve itself or by adding another layer beneath or above the curve. So, if you want the picture to be a little bit lighter or darker, it's easy to fix, whereas actions are much more rigid.

Summer Sun is $10. OR, you can order all 6 of my curves for $20, making this curve $6 as a part of the package deal!
You can order it sending the $10 to emilytebbetts@comcast.net on Paypal! Make sure you put a note specifying the curve you want (since I also have curves I've put up previously that frequently get ordered). Within 24 hours (usually within an hour or two) of receiving payment, I'll send you the curve file via email!

See some of my other curves here! http://emilytebbetts.blogspot.com/2010/04/roll-over-test.html

Put your mouse over the images below to see before/afters. Enjoy!! :)

the 4th of July

2011-07-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

it was a fairly spontaneous and very fun July 4th. Sandy Honing came to my town from NYC and we drove to Anna's to shoot around a bit and watch fireworks. Sandy is so fun and bubbly and we had so much fun chatting on the way down to Anna's! we got free ice cream from Vien who was working, and drove around trying to find a place to shoot since we got there around 6:15 and most of the places we'd normally go were blocked off for fireworks.

Vien suggested a beach on the bay nearby, and it turned out to be perfect. we messed around a bit with our cameras and then sat and watched some beautiful fireworks, chatting the whole time. it was so much fun! we'll be hanging out and shooting a lot this summer. plus we'll probably be meeting up with a lot more photographers this summer, since tons of them will be in NYC! :) so keep a lookout!

there are so many fun, exciting things happening now and soon. summer is wonderful, and it's only just begun (for me). :)

by eve and night

2011-06-14T20:03:00.001-04:00

quick shoot with Lesley in the Gardens! this is kinda part 1, the things we planned on ended up not working out so we'll probably re-do this :)

the flora and the fawn-a

2011-06-06T22:49:00.000-04:00

It's been forever since I last blogged, probably since in the time following my last post I was dealing with my mom's rapid decline and death, and then kind of forgot to create posts (not that I've had a chance to shoot much anyway!). But now that it's nearing summer and I'm starting to shoot more, I want to release photos on my blog more often :)

What are your plans for summer everyone? :)

---
from our impromptu-ish shoot Saturday:
model: Claire

Taking a look at my Resolutions for 2010

2010-12-07T18:19:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged since September! Sorry! I will have to try to post more often. To be honest, once I got to school, I've barely had time to do shoots, and I haven't been super proud of the photos I've taken.

After reading Sam's (Samantha Nandez, that is) post about her past New Year's Resolutions on her blog, I wanted to do the same for mine. SO MUCH has changed since January. It's amazing. More than I realized.

Here are my resolutions from January of 2010, posted on Deviantart (which I now no longer use except for the occasional upload or update).

1) 52 week project: I generally think that 52 week project has all the perks of the 365 with none of the cons. I think it'll be fun to see how I grow through the year (: I'll be posting them on flickr [link] so add me as a contact if you want to follow that! (and tell me if you're doing a 365 or 52 week project!)

2) I want to inspire: I so want to improve more than I ever even thought possible. I want to really see. I want to inspire every single one of my watchers and more.

3) Get an internship or job in photography: speaks for itself. I want to learn so much more than I already know. So badly.

4) I want to do good, to change the world: I want to become a good enough photographer that I have 10,000 watchers, so that when I post something, like a charity that I've found that I love, or an idea that would be amazing if people followed, or someone inspiring that should be watched, or anything that could change people's lives for the better, there would be ~10,000 people listening. And maybe they will pass it on to people they know... and then we could really change the world, or at least the worlds of several, for the better. I really think that the possibility is incredible and amazing.

5) I want to live: I want to do things simply for the joy of being alive, for fun, to make the most of my time, to create beautifully colored memories and to gently or roughly shape me into someone.

6) I want to stop being lazy: Because it holds me down, it's a waste of my time. This goes for answering comments, too.. I hate that I've become someone that takes forever to answer them, and I'm so sorry for that. None of you deserve to wait for my thanks to your generosity and kindness.

7) I want to experience and learn: From everyone around me, even those I never expected to learn anything from. I want to be open to new ideas and ways, not shut off.

8) A creative project: I want to create something, maybe a photobook with writing? Something that I can call my own and produce and be proud of.

9) Win a competition: Or at least get shortlisted!

10) Get published!

--

Now I'm gonna look at how each one panned out:

1) 1) 52 week project: Well, I failed organization wise on this one. I got to week like, 22 before I started my 100 days of summer project (which I decided to stop). I did, however, take a photo nearly every week this year. Not every week, but probably 45+ weeks out of 52. SCORE: 75/100

2) I want to inspire: I think I did okay on this one. Not as much as I would have liked to. I think a lot of the photographs I took for the first 2/3rds of the year were good and semi-inspiring. This last 1/3rd, I don't think I was particularly inspiring artistically, but I had several people tell me I inspired them because of my fundraiser, and that's something I really value. So I'm going to say SCORE: 100/100 on this one :)

Get an internship or job in photography: It's funny, this shows how much I have changed. This was back when I was still upset about not being able to transfer to a photography school. It was before I started my second semester and realized how much I love Northeastern, Communications, and the co-op program here. It was before I realized that I do not want to pursue photography as a profession, just as an ambitious side project that I enjoy. It was before I realized that I want my career path to be most likely in the Non-Profit/Fundraising sector. So, it's kind of irrelevant. Since my interests have changed, and I got a well-paying, 30hour-a-week co-op for next semester that looks like something I'm going to really enjoy and is a Non-Profit, I think I'm going to say that I succeeded here, since it's not as though I was too lazy to get one or I couldn't get one, I simply changed what kind of internship/job I wanted to get. SCORE: 100/100

I want to do good, to change the world: If you told me in January that my future self shaved her head after raising $12,000 (more than double my original goal) in 8 weeks for Susan G Komen, I'd laugh in your face. And then I'd probably think "hey, I should do that!". haha. Anyway, I'm so glad I can say that I feel like I've fulfilled this one!! SCORE: 100/100

5) I want to live: Hmm. I think I did a good job of this for the first 2/3rds of the year, especially with going to Paris and Gent, and meeting lots of new people. This past 1/3rd, I have been so insanely busy with school work and my fundraiser that I don't feel that I've gotten to really LIVE much. This is still something I want to do better at every single year. SCORE: 50/100

6) I want to stop being lazy: It's hard for me to remember how lazy or not lazy I was in the first half of the year. I feel like at least since summer started, I've been very busy and hardworking. I still have to work on this a bit more, though. SCORE: 75/100

7) I want to experience and learn: Yes, I think I have done this. From classes and exploring the city spring semester of '10, to my summer travels in Paris and Gent, to home tragedies, to classes and my fundraiser this semester, I feel that I've learned a LOT. I feel that I've become more open to seeing more than one side to an argument, and to admitting when I'm wrong. I still have more improvement to do for sure, but I think I've achieved this as much as I could have hoped to in this time period, so.. SCORE: 100/100

8) A creative project: Yep! I did create a photobook! I want to do more creative projects next year, though. SCORE: 100/100

9) Win a competition: I won some sort of competition but I can't remember if it was this year. I at least was in the finalists for this contest twice. And published for it. SCORE: 50/100

10) Get published! Done, many times over! Woohoo! SCORE: 100/100

FINAL SCORE: 850/1000! Not too bad. Better than I would have thought!

ANALYSIS: I think that there were a lot of things not on the list of resolutions that have changed for the better this year. I think I'm fairly proud of this year. There are so many big things and little things that I could mention that all happened this year. I feel like I've really grown immensely as a person. I hope next year is the same! I'll have to think up some Resolutions for 2011 and post them in the next few weeks :)

If you do a post like this, let me know!! I'd really like to read them!!

serendipity

2010-09-12T22:51:00.000-04:00

I want to write out the story of this, because it's important to me to remember it. but if you're just looking for the pictures, skip to the end :)

during the last week of summer, Corey and I ventured off to Trailside, and area in a nearby reservation that I hadn't been to in forever, but had been recommended to me. I went there for a shoot with Claire earlier, but we must have gone in the wrong area, cause it didn't seem right. Corey and I decided to re-visit it and find the pretty area. we went to a map, but it didn't tell us anything about Trailside itself, more about the reservation as a whole.

we decided to head off towards the lake to shoot. almost immediately, we started walking along this big fence. from what we could see, there seemed to be a big garden behind it. we were curious, so we walked around to see if it was something that we could go in. the front gates were open, so we walked in. there was a man and a big friendly dog, right by a little hut of sorts. we couldn't tell if it was possibly a house, or something like that, so we asked if it was public. he said that it technically was, and asked if we'd like him to explain it to us and show us around it. it was beautiful inside and I was already intrigued. I just had some sort of feeling that there was something special about this place.

he introduced himself as Jeff. Jeff told us about the gardens, and how state university programs allow students who have become "master gardeners" to come grow in a plot of land here (or at least this is my understanding of it). there was an area where someone was growing tomatoes and taking the best strains and breeding/regrowing them the next year. that same person had an area where they grew mostly berries. Jeff told us that the same guy couldn't bear to see anything wasted, though, so he took various thrown out plants and grew them there. it was beautiful.

there was a garden that grew vegetables, doing the same thing as the tomatoes-- taking the plants that produced the most and re-breeding/growing them so that every year, it's a more productive vegetable garden. they donate the vegetables to the soup kitchen.

next we went to a patch of flowers, which Jeff explained was the first and original part of the "cancer garden". Two women who lost their husbands to cancer and wanted to start a garden, where they would grow flowers to take to cancer patients who didn't have much company. I'm going to skip over some of the details out so as not to share other people's personal lives except for my own, but it felt like such a genuine moment, one where you're reminded how very human we all are. one where the company you keep feels real and so so alive.

Jeff went on to show us a bunch of beautiful flower gardens. there was one where they grew northern-hardy tropical plants, that grew up so so high. he told us they start from nothing every year, and just sprout up.

there were butterfly gardens, and a second extension of the cancer garden, which seemed to have more flowers. he explained that they originally didn't have much knowledge in gardening, but as they've continued to do this, they've started to want to learn more about what flowers are best to plant and what conditions are best for them, etc. I thought that was really interesting, the way that one passion and intention can lead to a whole new world.

then there was this absolutely beautiful garden. it was called the harry potter garden, cause all of the herbs that surrounded it are plants used in the books. SO COOL :) there was a gazebo, and big, beautiful plants. I loved it the most, I think. and that's saying a lot.

after we finished touring the gardens, we went back to a big plastic table near the little hut. there we met several new people, all with their dogs. I liked everyone instantly. their personalities seemed so distinct, so genuine. not only that, but they were all extremely interesting. and so welcoming. they all get together at least once a day to let their dogs run around and to chat. it seemed like such a wonderful group of friends. normally, I think the Corey and I would be treated a certain way since we are so young, but I felt like we belonged there all along. I don't really know how to explain it, but it was the most wonderful feeling, and the best time being there, meeting all of these new people, really feeling like this is how I want my life to be... spontaneously meeting genuinely good new people, hearing about their lives, discovering new beautiful places and the stories behind them.

Also, I felt like this was one of those things life handed me. something that was exactly everything that I needed at that point. I had recently read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, which was a wonderful novel, and it made me long to meet a group of friends like that. This reminded me so intensely of the group of friends in the novel... it was unbelievable. and it was just what I needed for other reasons, too. Corey and I both left giddy with excitement, saying what an amazing day it was.

We were welcomed to come back, and I was hoping to go back again that week before I left for school, but I didn't get a chance due to some personal stuff. Corey and I promised to go back when we came back home from school, and I can't wait.

Honestly, my description of this day really doesn't do it justice at all. But I've written down enough to remind myself of it, and to give everyone else a good idea of it, so I think that's ok for now :)

Corey and I took a bunch of photos around the garden, and they came out really strangely. Like NO contrast, and a violent tint over them. I think it was a a mix between the type of film I was using (it was low contrast, which I didn't realize until after the fact), faulty exposure settings (messing around/not trusting my external light meter stupidly), and where I got it developed. I was really disappointed, but I still like the photos anyway. And I remember how it really looked well :)

so here they are, along with a couple randoms at the end, all taken with my Kowa 6mm.

some of the wonderful people we met (and a couple of the dogs!)"

where berries and thrown out plants are planted:

don't worry, there was a patch in the flowers that was bare, she didn't squish any :)

by the tropical plants:

harry potter garden:

by the second cancer garden:

--
randoms:

meredith, day 1

2010-09-10T09:49:00.002-04:00

meredith is back in boston! she's been staying at my apartment for a couple days, and yesterday we did a shoot at the arboretum (aka the love of my life). it's so full of life and so beautiful right now. it's overwhelming, but in the best way possible. unfortunately it was dark and cloudy, so we couldn't shoot too long, but we're going back today in hopes of pretty light! I took film photos too (and I'll take more today), but I won't get those back until sometime late next week or so, so I'll post those separately.

if you don't remember meredith, she's from a shoot I did around this time last year in the gardens: http://fav.me/d2cforw :)

:)

vagabond

2010-09-03T12:45:00.001-04:00

claire and I did a last minute shoot before she went off to college! it was all 35mm film. it was raining. and then it was pouring. we were soaked by the end! :P

first roll shot with 120 film

2010-08-29T16:37:00.001-04:00

sosoososo, I know I haven't posted in forever. sorry! but I had to post about this (and I have another film post coming as soon as I finish off the roll of 35mm I started with claire the other day).

recently, I bought a Kowa 6mm. It's a 6x6 medium format camera, and it's bootiful :) It's the first time I've ever used a medium format camera, so I was really excited. this is the first roll I took with it.

Equipment used:

Kowa 6mm camera
85mm 2.8 lens
Kodak Portra ISO 400 120mm film

I also used photoshop to add contrast to the photos, convert one of them to black and white, and to add a slight yellow tone to about 3 of them. *means I added the yellow tone :)

the first photos were taken on joe's last day of summer (he left for college the next day), and so, my last day with him for another 3ish weeks. joe never lets me take photos of him, so it was really exciting for me!! :D haha. one of them I accidentally caught his eyes closed, but that's alright. I really like these pictures, they really mean something to me.

I absolutely loved this camera as soon as I got it, and especially after I had taken a photo or two with it!! I got it on a thursday, and I had work friday and saturday, so I wasn't able to take photos with it, and it was all I could think about was taking photos with it. so saturday morning, before work, I decided to take just one photo inside. it was around 8:20am.

*

then, this morning (Sunday), I knew it was my goal to finish the roll and send it in to get it developed. I knew I wanted to call up my little neighbor, jamie, to take photos with me, but I wanted to wait until later in the morning. I couldn't wait, so I went right next door and quietly took a photo of their butterfly bush, which is right on the border of our yards.

*

then, around 10:30 am, jamie came over to take photos. lauren (my sister), jamie and I drove to the nearby park, and went on one of my favorite back paths. I'm always taking photos there :P here are the rest of the photos:

*

*

one of my faves :)

I'll think I'll usually post my entire rolls like this, as long as I like them!
Actually, I just realized... a roll of film is supposed to have 12 photos, and this only had 11. I must have done something wrong :P oh well!

until next time <3

Paris, Day 2

2010-07-16T21:56:00.000-04:00

I kept a diary for the first few days in Paris, so I'm going to simply post what I wrote, along with photos :)

This is the second day-- our first FULL day, even though the first day was nearly full as well :P

We got up at 6:45 and I went downstairs to get breakfast. The continental breakfast here is SO yummy! I had a baguette with nutella, a croissant, a banana, and applesauce nom nom nom. Then we went to Le Studio, and Steven lectured to us a bit. I’m trying to remember what exactly it was about but it’s hard to remember since we had a similar schedule two days in a row. Like I have the info in my head, but I can’t remember the order in which I received that info. Haha.

Anyway. Then a man named Yang, who is a Stylist and the editor for this shoot, came in and explained our first assignment to us. We are shooting men first, which scared me a bit cause I rarely shoot men! But then he showed us the photos that inspired him for this shoot, and I loved them! Also, I had been worried because my style of shooting tends to leave the clothes as an afterthought… like I don’t focus on the clothes… like getting the whole shirt in with detail, etc. And since this is a fashion photography workshop, I was worried that I would have to limit myself in order to accomplish photos that showed off the clothes. So I was so excited when Yang started telling us that he didn’t care about the clothes, he just wanted the emotion, I was really excited. I feel like he described my style and my feelings towards photography perfectly! YAY :D

Then a man came in, I can’t remember his name because it’s French, but I think it’s Jean something. He’s an adorable, sweet older man who has been a runway photographer for 40 years+ for TIME magazine, and he’s ridiculously talented. We got to look through his portfolio and such. I really liked him, he was just very down to earth and jolly and stuff.

Then Steven was talking to us about how agencies work, especially in regards to magazine shoots. How you don’t get to choose the model most of the time... that kinda thing. It was interesting, and a bit disappointing, cause I was under the impression that the photographer at least got to put some input into the model.

Then Steven went over how we might go about working for a magazine, and he asked us to each come up and explain our style/who we were/what magazine we’d want to work for. Fortunately, we had to stop right before it got to me! I was really nervous haha. And we haven’t finished that since. We had some lunch and I ate some pasta with pesto.

Then we had to take portraits of each other, which was pretty horrible…we had to use lighting and it was very specific. I hated that I couldn’t tell what the photo was going to look like until AFTER I took the photo. The girl I photographed was Brittany :) Here's one of the photos:

Then while people were finishing their portraits of each other, Madeline and I (and eventually Krystal) went into the makeup room which had really cool light and ended up doing a shoot, it was so much fun!

Here's a quick self portrait snapshot I took to test the light:

Here are some of the photos of Madeline I took :)

We left the studio, and I took a few photos outside cause it was purdyyy :D

As we were walking, we quickly went into a cute shop where I bought three small gifts-- one for my mom, one for my sister, and one for Trish!

Then we went to the modeling agency where we quickly met a guy who worked there and got to ask him about testing with models. Before that though they stopped to get drinks but Marie, Madeline and I didn’t want any and the waiter was rude and said we couldn’t sit down then. So, we ventured over to a cute little restaurant and store across the street.

After the agency we went to Fnac in hopes of getting my 50 1.4 camera lens that I am purchasing for my birthday, but it was $550 there!!! That’s double the price in the US (so I ended up ordering it to be shipped from the US instead… and even with $40 shipping got it for $330).

Then when we got back we met Adriana, the “bonus model”, who I’ll be shooting Sunday. She’s really pretty and reminds me of Tessa Schaaf, one of the girls I've photographed before, actually. She has really cool eyes—two slightly different colors and one of her pupils like isn’t a circle, and it’s SO cool looking!

We stayed in the lobby for awhile like figuring shoots out and such with Gina, and some people looked at my portfolio and seemed to like it so that made me happy! I got to see Erin’s and Madeline’s, too, and theirs were really good.

Then Madeline and I went to the grocery store, Monop, and got some food. I got pasta and tomatoes and butter and cheese. Then Krystal was going to do a shoot of Madeline so we went to her room, and Alysia was there too. She’s from Ohio and I like her a lot, she reminds me of the family I have in WV and Ohio I think. I made my pasta there (cause my plugs stopped working.. boo!) and they did the shoot and then Per came in and asked if we wanted to go out and get a drink and scout locations. Elysia ended up staying to skype with her kids, but the rest of us went, and so did Brittany.

We went by the Notre Dame and the river and such, and walked around all these cool streets. It was really fun! It was getting latish, so we went to this Mexican place that had these cool lights and they got drinks (I just got water) and a thing of Nachos for everyone. We got back home after 12 and I showered and went to bed around 1. I’m just now starting to realize how full my days are!

a homeless man:

In the Mexican restaurant:

Day 3 coming soonish ! :)

Paris Trip, day 1

2010-07-15T21:46:00.001-04:00

For those of you who don't know, I was invited to go on a photo workshop in Paris a few months ago by Gina and Steven Silverstein (who run the program). It seemed too good to be true, and it was expensive, so I struggled with the decision to go or not-- I had to put a $500 deposit down by April 15 if I wanted to go, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to afford it, so it was a really stressful bunch of months for me, between trying to find the money, wondering if it would be worth the money, and worrying that it would end up being a scam. With a lot of luck and support from my lovely fellow photogs and art appreciators and family, I was able to go.

A few days before the trip (June 30-July 11), we received our itinerary. The schedule looked really exciting, but it was stated that it was subject to change. They gave reasons and it made sense, but then I got scared that it would be kinda a scam where we get there and end up not doing any of the cool things on the schedule.

WELL GUESS WHAT. They added MORE to the schedule!!!

It was better than I EVER could have imagined. Definitely the most incredible experience of my life. And so I'm going to be blogging about it, with varying amounts of photos. I took very few the first day, so there won't be many in this post, but there will be a bunch in the others :)

SO. here I go.

The first day, July 1. I got there at 8am, and eventually found two other girls who were in the program. We were a little confused about the place that we were supposed to wait for them, and it ended up that they got caught in traffic and were late, so the three of us were half worried that we were in the wrong place and they would leave without us (meaning we'd have to take a cab for about $100) or that it was a scam. Well, all was good, I got in touch with Gina, and it turned out they were just running late, and we eventually got into the taxi van thing. We were all pretty exhausted, especially cause of the time difference.

The day is a bit of a blur to me. We got our roommates, we got settled in, and relaxed for awhile. I remember being so tempted to make a nap, haha. the light was beautiful in my room, so I asked my roommate Jen if I could take her photo.

Then we all went over to the cafe next door for lunch. I got cheese and tomato on a baguette, and it was really yummy :)

I can't really remember what happened next, but I know we went to Profoto after that, and they demonstrated a bunch of their newest lights and batteries, and we got to take the equipment back (we were allowed to use it for the remainder of the trip).

on our way back, I took a few photos of the streets around the hotel. we ended up going down this one quite a lot, it had a ton of shopping and a few places to get baguettes and such :)

When we got back, I was crashing (and so was everyone else), but we had dinner at 8. It was a really yummy pasta restaurant. dinner took a long time, but it was fun, and we got to ask Steven and Gina a lot of questions and all get to know each other a little better.

It was a good first day. The next ones were about 5000 times more awesome though :P

I'm going to get these posts together as quickly as I can, but I have work all day the next two days, then vacation, then work, then Sarah Smiley is coming to visit (!!!), THEN I'll have a couple days to really get stuff done. sorry if it takes me while! :P

summer storms

2010-07-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

I'm about to start posting about each of my days in Paris and Gent, Belgium. but first, I wanted to post this.

model: grace

Paris thoughts, day 1

2010-07-01T13:14:00.000-04:00

(taken on my flight to Paris)

today is my first day here. I'm tired but I'm happy.

I'm sitting outside at a cafe using their wifi, and everyone around me is speaking french. I understand enough to catch snippets and understand signs, not to mention that everyone seems to speak english.

I have to admit, I feel the buzz. I feel the Paris appeal. I wonder if one of the reasons why Americans love it here is the fact that you aren't bombarded with communication of all sorts (whether it be ads, or just overhearing people around you), and instead are surrounded by the smooth sounds of French. it's a break for us, a mental rest.

I'm going to try to post every day or so! :)

elements

2010-06-18T23:16:00.004-04:00

model: tara burns

just a note: the reason I haven't been blogging is because I'm horrible at narrowing down my shoots to ~10 photos... instead I usually have 20-30. but I figure overly long posts are better than none at all? so when I have time later this week, I'll upload the posts of older shoots I've been dying to show on here!

by the way you can find these on flickr, too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilytebbettsphotography/ :)

taken yesterday! :)

natalia

2010-05-30T08:15:00.002-04:00

these photos were taken on a shoot for INK magazine. I'm only posting the ones that I like that will not be in the magazine-- to see the rest, you'll have to check the mag out when the issue that I'm in comes out! :)

side note: these look a bit washed out/less contrasty on here. oh well :(

model: natalia mysnyk
mua/hairstylist: brit cochran
assistant: tessa bohman

flora

2010-05-18T14:38:00.002-04:00

mia pre-makeup/hair :)

wild child: color

2010-05-18T11:08:00.003-04:00

here are the colors. one more post coming soon.

wild child: black and white

2010-05-17T22:13:00.000-04:00

I'm horrible at choosing so I'm splitting this shoot up into three more sections:
- wild child: bw
- wild child: color
- flora

I hope you like them! let me know your faves, I'm gonna need help deciding which to put up on flickr and such! :)

model is the fabulous mia, who did the hair and makeup too!

wild child

2010-05-16T23:36:00.000-04:00

mia, part one.
instax. digitals will come tomorrow.

today, I'm speaking at my highschool's photo club.

2010-05-13T14:15:00.003-04:00

I'm nervous and I feel like I'm not qualified to be a "speaker" anywhere.. what a ridiculous thought! me, a "speaker"! since I'm completely self taught, I'm willing to bet that half of them know more than I do anyway. but I think I'm going to speak about some of my experiences and my troubles.

I want to tell about the amazing people along the way. and how delving into something that you're passionate about can lead you across the world or even just to another town that you've never been to before. I want to tell them how it changes your perspective, how you change as a person because of it.

I want to tell them that getting attention is a blessing and a curse. It brings you to meet amazing people, it's an ego booster, and it gives you power to change the lives of those who follow your work (or even stumble across it) and the opportunity for a stranger to change yours.

but it's so, so limiting. first of all, I've already let myself get caught up in whatever "popularity" and attention I have attained through my photography. It's essential to not let yourself become satisfied, because when you do, it's crap. you forget yourself. you lose what made you special. second of all, you start to feel pressure to stick to a certain style. for example, I still upload what I like on deviantart, BUT I don't upload some photos that I really love because I don't think they are what my watchers want to see.

this kind of thing manifests in another, more imperative way. I don't stray too much from a certain style on my main site, deviantart, in order to adhere to a certain style and standard that I feel the professional world wants to see. in order to give myself the best chance of actual success, I feel that I have to limit myself to certain things.

another interesting catch-- as you become "good" enough that you start being able to work with real models, it's easy to find yourself relying on their beauty and talent for pretty pictures. it's easy to stray from your style when you see how perfectly and easily they could fit into a norm. I think that's hard to understand, so let me explain. I just had a shoot with a beautiful and talented model. her face would be *perfect* for a makeup ad, or something like that. I'd see the opportunity to take photos that really looked like they could be in a magazine (because of her look, not necessarily because of my camera "skills"), and it distracted me from my normal style. my photos were a struggle between what her look practically begged to be used for and what I was going for. the result? photos that are "good", but not me. I'm not comfortable with them, and I'm not particularly proud of them, even though the shoot was a ton of fun and the model was fantastic.

also, I miss my old creativity. I don't feel forced to be creative and do something cool or out of the ordinary to stand out anymore. I'm a lazy person, so that's no good. I'm in such a struggle with myself right now. I feel the need to strip this new me back down to basics so I can think clearly again. I want to improve.

lastly, I'm scared that improvement will lead to lack of soul. that I'll conform to what is already in the industry and by "copying" that look or feel or idea, I'll achieve success but lose what made me special in the first place.

I guess that was pretty long, sorry! I just wanted to say it all, cause it's been on my mind lately.

selling new curves! :)

2010-04-25T21:21:00.010-04:00

**UPDATE**
I have decided to add an additional offer. anyone who buys all 5 of my curves (the 3 listed here + "by the sea" and "wildberries") can buy the set of 5 for a total of $14. If you have previously purchased BOTH wildberries and by the sea, or if you have recently purchased the 3 curves sold below, please contact me with the PayPal username you used and you will be able to buy the remaining curves for $14 minus the amount you originally paid!
see "by the sea" here: http://o--tebem--o.deviantart.com/art/By-the-Sea-Curve-plus-text-tut-152463007
see "wildberries" here: http://o--tebem--o.deviantart.com/art/Wildberries-Curve-and-text-tut-152624509

Curves.

This is kind of complicated. I have these three curves that really complement each other well. The main one, #1, is the most useful for editing most photos, and I use it as the base curve. I then use #2 or #3 [often times both] on top of #1.

Here's how I'm selling them:

Package 1:
Curve #1: $5

Package 2:
Curve #1 + EITHER #2 OR #3: $6.50

Package 3:
Curve #1 + #2 AND #3: $7

Package 4:
Curve #2 OR #3 by itself: $3.50

Package 5:
Curve #2 + #3: $6

*just so know, these come as separate curves, so you'd be free to use them and layer them as you like :)

To buy, please email me your request [emilytebbetts@comcast.net] , and send the payment to emilytebbetts@comcast.net through PayPal. Please remember to click on the "Personal" tab when sending the money [you should see options like "gift", etc] so that I get all of it. Thanks and please let me know if there is any confusion! :)

First, I'm going to show you 4 photos edited using either 2 or all three of the curves. [roll over mouse to see difference]

#1 + #2 + #3

#1 + #2

#1 + #2 + #3 [#3 is on 60% opacity]

#1 + #2 + #3

Now, for how the curves build onto one another:

Orig + #1 [roll over mouse to see difference]

Orig + #1 + #2 [roll over mouse to see difference]

Orig + #1 + #2 + #3

#1 just adds really nice tones.
#2 darkens, adds some contrast, and hints towards magenta
#3 lightens and refreshes

Here's how #2 and #3 affect the original photo independently:

Orig+ #2

Orig + #3

Orig + #2 + #3

OKKK so, I hope I haven't confused you too much with all these photos!! :P

I hope you like them!

faq + thoughts on "copying" + what kind of questions to ask

2010-04-21T22:31:00.001-04:00

hello everyone! :)

this is an "everything" type of post. I want to list and answer some faqs, plus some general thoughts.

general thoughts first.

I've noticed a lot lately that a lot of people (myself included) are very sensitive about "copying"... whether it be using the same type of camera, submitting to the same magazine, or taking photos with a similar idea.

It's funny. If someone talks to me asking if it's ok if they, say, buy an Instax camera, or submit to the same magazine I just got into, or use a similar idea (as long as it's not EXACTLY the same) such as having hair caught up in branches or something like that, I find myself whole-heartedly telling them that it is absolutely fine. After all, I am not the first to use this camera, submit to this magazine, or use this idea, and I will certainly not be the last. As far as cameras and magazine submissions especially, I think that it's important that people explore and get creative with different photographic mediums, and as young, passionate photographers, we are all striving to get our work seen in magazines. If I'm already accepted into it, you being in the magazine will do no harm to me and so I welcome your growth alongside my own. As much as I sometimes see it as unnecessary to ask, I do it myself, and I've realized the reason why this helps make the "copying" of whatever sort be ok is that that person is going out of their way to give you a bit of credit.

Whenever I see someone semi-blatantly "copying" something that I've just done without asking me or giving me any credit, I get kind of annoyed and itchy about it.

So maybe the simple lesson here is- we don't mind being "copied" if we're thrown a bit of a bone, like someone asking permission or crediting us in some way.

EDIT: there seems to be some confusion here. To be clear, I DO NOT mind at ALL if you submit to the same magazine or whatever as I do, and there is no need to ask me :)

I think a good way to do it is just leaving a quick line on the photo paying a bit of homage to the person whose action/idea/whatever inspired you to do something similar by just writing: "after seeing ____'s photos, I wanted to try it for myself" or "inspired by _____" or something along those lines. It's a nice thing to do :)

---

Next thought:
asking questions that can be easily answered by Google.

I think I may be a little oversensitive to this right now because I've been getting SO MANY basic questions lately (due to some personal real-life circumstances along with q's from people online).

Let me just say, I don't mind answering questions. Usually I love it! I love sharing my opinion on things or recommending things. But I really dislike when people ask me questions that show that they're too lazy to take the 5 seconds it would take to google it. It makes me want to reply by leaving them the link to letmegooglethisforyou.com . haha :P

I'm guessing I'm not the only one here who gets these types of questions, cause I see photogs bombarded by them all the time. So here's a quick guide of things to ask and not to ask:

DO NOT:
- ask me "where can I buy this?" It makes me want to say... WHAT DO YOU MEAN??? There are probably hundreds of places that sell it. GOOGLE IT. I promise unless it's something REALLY rare (and no, Polaroid film is NOT *really rare*... there are tons of places you can find it by simply typing in "buy polaroid film") you will find several hundred, if not thousand, places to buy it.

I will give you some places I recommend, though:
-B&H
-Ebay
-Unique photo
-Amazon

DO NOT:
- ask me what things like shutter speed, ISO, aperture, or various settings on your camera mean or how to use them. That's something really essential and basic that I believe everyone should take the time to figure out on their own. It's confusing at first, but how do you think other photogs mastered it? We figured it out by experimenting and searching for information or tutorials on the internet. Learning it yourself is really valuable in my opinion, and I think that anyone who is serious about photography should take the time to do so.

DO NOT:
- expect me to just give you all of my knowledge and expertise (though I am no where near an expert anyway). This just peeves me because I worked really hard to get where I am, because I have a passion for it. So I figured things out through trial and error and observing others and looking things up online. It's a really competitive market, so it's wrong of me to compromise myself and the other photographers who have put in tons of time, effort, and practice into getting to where they are now by just handing you information.

DO:
- ask me if/why I like a piece of equipment/software/website
- ask me about one thing vs. another (if you think I might know)
- ask me if I recommend a certain store or source over another due to price or quality, etc.
- ask me other things along those lines :)

------

FAQ time! :D

1)
Q: What equipment do you own/use?
A: My lenses are always changing, but right now I have:
- Nikon D700 (HIGHLY recommend)
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
- Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 HSM (new version)
- Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro
- SB-600 flash (rarely used)

-Nikon N65 film SLR
-Fuji Instax 210
-2 polaroids (buy these at thrift stores)
-Superheadz super fat lens Yellow Peace camera (it's just a small, yellow point and shoot 35mm lomo camera)

2)
Q: Do you edit your photos/how do you edit your photos/what program do you use?
A: I do edit every one of my digital photos unless otherwise noted. I use Adobe Photoshop CS4. I use Picasa (a free program from Google) to organize and quickly resize and export my photos. When I edit, I always use curves. I sometimes use selective color, hue/saturation, that kinda thing. I frequently sharpen, I frequently retouch skin... sometimes not at all, sometimes barely, sometimes a lot, depending on the model's skin and the light. I don't do it to "perfect" the model, but to keep the skin from distracting from the overall photo :)

3)
Q: what kind of lighting do you use?
A: I use natural lighting 98% of the time. If it's night time and going for an edgy look, I use my SB-600 flash. I have no idea how to use it, I just do :P

4)
Q: have you ever taken any classes/can you recommend schools to me?
A: I'm completely self taught. But I can recommend photo schools since I was considering going to photography school and I did a lot of research into it. Feel free to ask me if you want advice! :)

5)
Q: do you want photography to be your career?
A: I honestly don't know yet. I'm a communications major, I really enjoy my classes, and I could see myself being really happy with a steady job through that. Then again, communications is easily combined with photography. Also, it's not like you have to have one career all your life. I'd love to find myself in a situation where I was doing photography, thoroughly enjoying it, and making a good amount of money, but I don't mind if that doesn't happen, either. I'll see what comes around... and whatever makes me happy will be but I stick with :)

6)
Q) differences between polaroid and instax?
A)
-Polaroid: film costs $2.50/photo. square format. mid-focal-length lens. faded, retro colors. classic. $5 for a camera at a thrift store. some models offer a close-up setting. some have flashes, some don't. you can buy a flash for the ones that don't. flash is automatic if built in. most film that you can buy right now is expired, unless you buy the b&w Impossible Proj film, which I've heard isn't great quality. they are coming out with color later this year. film will eventually get more expensive and run out unless the Impossible Project is a huge success and continues production for more than a year. it's kinda cool to use it while it's still around.

-Instax: film costs $.70/photo. wide format, wide lens. amazing colors, but retains a retro feel. clear control settings, flash can be turned on and off. comes with two distance settings PLUS a "close up" lens attachment, which features a small mirror so you can elect to take self-portraits. film is widely available online and will likely continue production. the 210 model is large but the photos are perfectly sized. the 7s mini is smaller (never used it though) but the photos are credit-card sized which is too small for my personal taste. camera itself costs $70, but that's less than 3 10-packs of polaroid film.

To me, one is not better than the other and one does not replace the other, they are both useful and lovely in their own ways. Don't bash or degrade one without using a role of both at very similar times... that's just lame. :P

polaroids with katie

2010-04-11T21:53:00.001-04:00

yesterday my friend Katie McCabe, who has a fashion blog with her twin sister here: http://meggasus.blogspot.com/ and I had the best day ever! we were spontaneous throughout the day and ended up having an awesome time. we started the shoot and I took a photo with my polaroid that I just bought at goodwill for $6 and we loved it so much that we decided to take a couple more there, go to harvard square, split the cost for a new roll to "replace" this one, and finish off all 10 photos throughout the day. we ended up going to eat at bentley's burgers which was SO GOOD and getting JP Licks afterward for ice cream! it was such a fun day, and when we were talking about all the money we ended up spending, I really liked something that Katie said... "I spend money on experiences". and that's definitely what we had!! a really experience full day.

so here are the 10 polaroids from the shoot. I'll be putting them up on flickr and one or two on deviantart shortly. I also took a bunch of digital that day, and I'll put up another post soon with those!

these are in order, by the way. I hope you like them! :D

arboretum :)

2010-04-04T13:01:00.000-04:00

this weekend I took two trips to the arboretum and happened to take a few photos along the way :)

this is how we breathe : photo book now for sale! click for preview :)

2010-04-02T11:29:00.000-04:00

A few lovely people requested that I make a photo book, so I did! It's called "this is how we breathe", and it is now available for purchase. There are two versions, a 7x7 inch and a 10x8 inch. They are almost identical content-wise, but very slightly different. Both are 40 pages long, and you can choose between a variety of options. You can click through each here!

7x7 inch preview:

this is how we breathe by emily tebbetts | BOOK INFO

to buy the 7x7 version or see pricing, click here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1260876

10x8 inch preview:

this is how we breathe by emily tebbetts by Emily Tebbetts | BOOK INFO

to buy the 10x8 version or to see pricing, click here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1260858

For every book sold, regardless of size or cover type, I make a profit of $5 that will be put towards my Paris trip :) The bigger option and the more expensive options are only there so that you can get what you prefer-- so if you decide to buy a book, please only get what you want! :)

Thanks for all of your support, it means a lot to me.
I hope you guys like the book! :)

words

2010-03-30T22:08:00.006-04:00

dear whoever reads this,

you deserve everything you’re working towards.

I am so happy for you for all that has gone right in your life, for all that you’ve achieved, for all you’ve overcome. Never stop striving for what you want. Don’t let anything get in your way. But don’t forget to never be jealous of others, because they deserve what they’re getting too. Your path is unique and fucking special, so light it up along your way and make it something to remember.
--

_{ps. if you were wondering, this is from the shoot for the magazine that will be released in may.
this won't be included in it, just wanted to give my blog-watchers a little something to see}

lace, bokeh, leather jackets

2010-03-05T12:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I had an a randomish, fun shoot with my gorgeous friend Mia Brody. I'm horrible at choosing photos so I could only narrow it down to 14, but tell me which ones you like best (so I can put them on flickr/da!).

-

-

do you want to go to the seaside?

2010-03-02T23:47:00.001-05:00

today I had a collab shoot with Anna Szczekutowicz. It was so relaxed and fun and the colors were to die for. We got to hang out for a bit after the shoot where I met her brother and her mom :) I'm sure you already know Anna's work, but if you don't, you NEED to look! www.flickr.com/photos/annaszczek/

the model was the lovely Lynnette, a friend of Anna's.

Tell me your faves so I know which ones to put up on deviantart and flickr! :)

hippies in headscarves.

2010-03-01T17:46:00.002-05:00

Model: Katie McCabe
check out her blog here : http://meggasus.blogspot.com/

Boston Film

2010-03-01T15:45:00.001-05:00

these were taken in summer/fall 2009 in Boston with my Nikon N65 camera.