Day 365/365 - Shooting Memories [Explored #91]

12/31/2010

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"Shooting Memories"

It seems that this year has come to an end.. It’s been amazing. Actually, "amazing" can’t really describe how I feel about this year. There are no words to describe my feelings at this very moment regarding how I feel about this year, 2010. It was a roller coaster, in a way. There were ups and downs, lefts and rights, and even a couple loops along the way. I met new people, tried a lot of new things, had different cars, lost money, made money, grew taller, grew more knowledgeable, changed physically/emotionally/mentally, lost friends, gained friends…. Of course there is a lot more that I can add on to that list but I don’t want to bore you on my last photo of the day…For the year 2010.

Through all of my photographs, I try to convey at least some emotion to the viewer. Either it be happiness, sadness, the feeling of being alone, angry or useless..There should always be at least some sort of emotion. Taking my last photo of the day for the year 2010 was a difficult task. I wanted to do something I haven’t done before, something new and something that would surprise the viewers and be a "great success." I had to end the year with a boom, something that would satisfy me and give me the feeling of being accomplished. I think this photo seals the year 2010 pretty nicely.

The meaning of this photo, if it isn’t completely obvious to you is the idea of shooting memories. I printed out a bunch of my favorite photos from this year and have them exploding out of my head from my "gun" (20D + 135L) below my mouth.

They aren’t just some of my favorites, they are some landmark moments through the year that I think were some pretty big steps for me in my photography career.

Some of the photos that are coming out of my head are:

Caitlin – Her birthday photoshoot. First time going outside of my house to do a private shoot with someone in my family.

Card photo with the heart in the middle – This photo exploded.. It was #40 on Explore on flickr. It got an insane amount of comments everywhere, even though it’s so simple.

Me floating with my striped shirt – This was my first attempt at a floating photo.. It was successful! This photo was selected as a photo in the AP College Board website for 2-D/Photo front page and also was used in an art show that went around the nation. Selected this photo out of +700,000 submissions.

Photo of me and Yuri – First time using my new AB strobes outside and shooting into the sun. There’s a first for everything and this really got me started into outside strobing. Yuri is a huge part of this photo. She has changed me so much this year and she will forever be in my heart. I love you Yuri!

Photo of the Star Trails – First time shooting star trails! Andrew and I drove to Duvall and found this park and stayed there all night and that was what I came up with. It’s awesome to try new styles of photography and shoot with local photographers

Photo of my car with epic sunset – I drove down to Oregon and Patrick Lauder and I did a photoshoot with my car. It’s crazy how people can meet through the internet and build a friendship off of it and also have a great amount of trust.

Photoshoot with James Carter and his Drums – One of my many senior photo sessions that I did this year. This photo was by far my favorite from all the sets I took. It showed his true self, not a cheesy fake self.. Being real is what I love to convey.

3 Subies Lined Up Photo – I drove down with a bunch of cars to Seaside, Oregon and got this photo. This photo also won the contest for Subaru of America! Thanks again to everyone that voted for me!

Jennipher on the beach – I was so glad that I got to work with Jennipher this year, it was a great addition to my portfolio and she’s a really amazing woman/lady (lol) to talk to. Lets work again!

Bosley Dog Photo – This photo reminds me that my brother moved out this year and is engaged. It’s a good reminder because it shows how his life has come together and how happy I am for him.

Epic Seagull in mid air photo – A big milestone for me, in this year, I believe. It was my first shot with a fisheye. It was my first photo to win in the photography contest for WA state. It was in the moment and I’m so glad I went on that photo walk in Seattle!

Jose Rizal Bridge view of Seattle – One of my last photos of 2010. I finally found the location thanks to my homies Jordan/Avi. I love Seattle and this photo reminds me how much I love it.

There are many more photos that deserve to be on this photo but I wanted to keep it somewhat simple and not overdo it. I hope you enjoy my last photo of 2010 and continue to watch my photos as I progress into the year 2011.

What are my plans after this year 2010 you ask? I plan to do a project 365 for the rest of my life. I want to see how dedicated I can be to photography and expressing myself.

So.. To everyone that has followed me from start to finish or even just picked up half way and followed my photos whenever they see them pop up in their news feed. Thank you so much for giving me that extra push I needed to complete this project. If I didn’t have family/friends/fans like y’all.. This would not have been possible, so.. Again, thank you thank you thank you SO MUCH.

Peace out 2010! See y’all next year in 2011!

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Camera Info:

Canon 5D

Canon 17-40mm f/4L

AB800 above camera at 1/4 power through white umbrella.

AB800 far right down the hall at 1/8 power bare.

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Editing Info:

Merge Two Photos

Film Effect – Center Fill Light & Contrast at 20% & Saturate photo around +20% & Cross Process & Sepia – Desaturation Layer at 50% opacity. Settings for this layer: Hue: 35 Saturation: 25 Lightness: 0 & Vignette at 50% & Center Fill Light at 50%. If y’all are serious about this and want the action, hit me up

Troy – High Pass Midtone Layer Snap & Extra Warming & Selective Desaturation & Slight Color Curve Tweak & Midtone Lift & Overall Desaturation.

Nebula added with layer overlay. Opacity 23%

These are all settings I use but I don’t stick to them religiously. Every photo, I have to manipulate the settings until I feel that it is perfect.

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Have a great end of the year! See you in 2011

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All Rights Reserved.

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Posted by Connor Surdi | www.connorsurdi.com on 2011-01-01 00:10:37

Tagged: , Project , 365 , last , day , connor , surdi , csphoto , sick!

Day 365/365 - Shooting Memories [Explored #91]
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