Loving Life

[jjeling]

A little while ago a friend called asking for a private photo session. After being diagnosed with some serious wiring problems in her brain, she has been through several brain surgeries and is going in for a 3rd surgery in the upcoming weeks. She is planning on writing a book about her experiences and how she is overcoming them. During the process she has been reevaluating life and how she has grown extremely comfortable with herself. Her only request was that it was an all natural shoot, without the use of any studio equipment, just a camera. For the first time standing in front of a camera for any period of time, I thought she did a good job. Being good friends with her helped quite a bit.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5031553306_97d1d57c07_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/5031561990_c02fcba750_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/5030886921_b779132027_b.jpg

[jjeling]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5031507240_d5e03f8d87_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5031521146_841228bd34_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/5031537032_c81fe078e6_b.jpg

[kat]

Great set. It's amazing how once we face adversity, things become a bit clearer. Life is certainly only once and it flies by. I tell that to everyone that shuns a camera..that shot..it's you, at a time, that can be shared with those who would like to remember you in the present and future. I have a funny feeling not only will she look at these and enjoy them, but feel a greater emotion than what I can type. :)

[jjeling]

Thanks Kat. She has already professed her love for them and wishes to do it again sometime. She already has some printed off and given to her family. The only this I asked her is that she does not compensate me for my time. Life is a journey for us all. Photography is my way of recording that journey. Collecting money for this is not something I wish for unless it is being used for a commercial purpose. And even then, I try to decline those opportunities so I do not alter the way photography has allowed me to see things. However, you can always buy the work Ive already completed! :-)

This was about as real as it gets though. She is a lot of fun and has a great personality. I like to consider stuff like this REAL photography. This is her real personality, and there was no intention to sell any of these photos at any point in time. Pure enjoyment for myself and her alike.

[Iguanasan]

This is a great set and I feel like I've seen it before... maybe on your Flickr stream. That's quite a story to go along with it too.

[jjeling]

Iggs, you are correct. If you have visited my flickr account, then you may have seen them before, but there are still only a select few there. I was on the phone with her while they were uploading. Did not have a name to title the set. She mentioned that some of the places where she sat made her itch, so that is how I titled the set.

Itchy and Scratchy - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28054853@N08/sets/72157625048741890/)

[JAS_Photo]

Lovely set, jj! I saw them on your flickr as well but since they seemed personal and I did not know the story, I do not think I commented.

[AcadieLibre]

Great set of photos with an interesting story behind them, very well done.

[Richard]

beautiful set, our natural approach has worked out well.

[Mad Aussie]

I like the 1st and 3rd in Post 2.

[Marko]

I too like this set and the story that goes with it. She does indeed look comfortable in the pictures. I generally do not like pictures of the people's backsides, but I REALLY like shot 1 post 2. I really like the angle there. By chance do you have 1 from that angle where she looks at us?

[Mad Aussie]

I generally do not like pictures of the people's backsides, but I REALLY like shot 1 post 2.
Wow ... we agree on a backside shot! Never thought I'd see the day ... ;)

I agree ... a shot of her facing us would have been cool too. I do like the fact she is more a representation of someone in this version JJ posted though.

[Redneck]

I like the 1st and 3rd in Post 2.

Ditto for myself, but all are very nice.
Love the story with the pics, and the fact that, as a photographer, you were able to do this for her. I know she will cherish these moments forever and will always have these photos to bring back this time in her life, because of you, and your love for the art of photography.

[jjeling]

Most of them I like to be quite honest. The chemistry between us worked really well and her personality really came through. Here are the few that I enjoy of her facing the camera. I really would like to think I did a good job here, but being able to work with someone this well really makes our job quite simple. It is hard not to capture the emotion. She was released from the hopital the previous day before this shoot, so she was thinking about this stuff quite a bit. She is planning on writing a book and wanted to use of a few of these images for the cover if she makes it that far. It was an honor to do this and good to know her and her family enjoyed them. One thing I can say, is there is no amount of money in the world that can give you a feeling like that.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5030892685_c331c128e1_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/5031569100_625f3be5ab_b.jpg

This last one is straight out of the camera. I just uploaded it onto flickr. This one has been lifted from the depths of darkness and never made it onto flickr in the first wave. I thought it was quite comical.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5086/5199733589_1404af4ed2_b.jpg

[jjeling]

I do agree with you as well Marko. I think the first shot in the second post was the my favorite shot from the whole outing. This angle hit me on our drive to the destination. Once we reached it, I let her get comfortable with what she was doing, and then went from there. The approach was to just let her walk around the woods as if I was not there. It was difficult because that was the WHOLE point of being there. She wanted to show her true emotions so I asked her to just wander as she would. It was a rough start but once we both got settled it went really well. We had a great conversation about many things in life and I just kept on rolling. She had some great expressions that were impossible not to capture. It would have been almost impossible to do this had I not known her. Being friend really helped things along by eliminating any awkward tensions she may have had about opening herself up in this kind of way. All in all it was a success.