The Big Ugly

Just One Of The Gang

2013-05-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Thanks Loads! Thanks a BUNDLE! Thanks a HEAP!!!

And...not to nag you guys or anything - but! Please don't dally in making your submission to The Big Ugly Self-Portraiture Challenge! The midnight May 31st deadline is fast approaching - and Y'all KNOW you want a chance at winning an official Big Ugly T-Shirt (available in sizes: Youth - Sm. & Med., and Adult - Sm., Med., Lg., & XL) - Now get crackin'!!!

American Gothic

2013-05-21T18:05:00.001-07:00

A BIG "Thanks!" goes out to my precious and adorable, cuter than cute friend - for shooting with me on his farm today! Had a blast!

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Much obliged, Y'all!

(Wo)Man In The Box

2013-05-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - XOXOXOXO!!!

Oh! And if it's not too much to ask, would you please also consider clicking here - to cast your vote for

my submission to the See.Me Exposure Photography Competition (if you so choose)? It would be greatly appreciated...fer real and fer true :)

Aaaaaand...Don't forget to make your submissions to The Big Ugly Self-Portrait Challenge! (Click here for details) The deadline for submitting is May 31st at midnight!, so come ON Kids, get CRACKin'! Let's see those self shots!!!

Leaving A Trail Of Crumbs

2013-05-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my dear, dear friend who allowed me to descend upon her farm, at a moment's notice - so that I could enjoy an entire afternoon of intensive shooting! Loves Ya', Chica!

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Thank You!

Pssst...don't forget to click here to read about (and hopefully submit to?) The Big Ugly Self-Portrait Challenge :D

Leap Of Faith

2013-05-15T11:45:00.005-07:00

I have something very exciting to tell you guys! I've been holding off letting the cat outta the bag, until I was absolutely certain that I was moving forward with my new venture...but this morning when I put down a deposit and paid the first month's rent on a commercial space in downtown Winchester - I took the first major step towards realizing my dream of opening a fine art photography gallery (which I have to admit - is both terrifying and thrilling, all at once!!!)

I'll fill you in on more of the details as things progress, but in the meantime - feel free to busy yourselves by making your submissions to The Big Ugly Self-Portraiture Challenge (click here for the deets - just DO it! Come on - Please!) Or simply kill a little time by checking out today's resurrected post (the overall mood of which, is pretty much the polar opposite of this one...Thaaaaaank God!) Please click here to see what I'm talkin' about - Bisous!

Fallen Angel

2013-05-13T16:09:00.001-07:00

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Thank You, my children...Amen.

...Oh! And don't forget to submit your favorite timed self-portrait to "The Big Ugly Self-Portrait Challenge"!!! Click here to find out more!

"The Big Ugly Self-Portrait Challenge"

2013-05-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

Sooooo...I've been thinking...I've been thinking about an idea that I hadn't really had before...thanks entirely to the lovely gentleman seen in the timed self-portrait above (which I personally happen to love, btw).

The man, Raymond - is a frequent visitor to, and commenter on my blog - and from time to time we chat via email. At some point during our casual, ongoing convo - we touched on the notion that it is very possible, that most folks have no real sense of what I put myself through on a typical self-portrait shoot. You know like, oftentimes there's a deceivingly serene quality to my selfpics that (except on rare occasions) - belies how truly difficult even the most seemingly simple shoot can be.

One evening recently, Raymond sent me a message in which he recounted something that had happened to him earlier that day. He told of having gone out into the snow, so that he might take pictures of the frost-covered trees - but found himself drawn to a simple red bridge spanning a narrow, frozen river. The bridge was so brilliantly contrasted against the pristine snow and vivid blue sky, that he simply couldn't resist making it the subject of the day's shoot, instead.

Not long after setting up his equipment and snapping a few frames though, Raymond decided that he wanted to try adding a little something to the images that he was capturing, by including a "human interest" element - himself, to be specific. He set the timer on his camera, and executed the "timed self-portraiture" mad dash - a total of 12 times...after which he gathered his gear, and wearily made his way back to his car - fairly well physically spent following the impromptu self-portrait shoot that he staged in the snow.

Upon returning home, Raymond eagerly uploaded the day's bounty onto his computer - only to discover that the self-portraits that he'd been so excited to review, were an all-out, bitter disappointment (his wife got a chuckle out of 'em though, so it wasn't all for naught).

Raymond opened the email that he sent to me that evening, by saying, "I now have a better understanding of how hard you must work producing your pictures"...and by the time I'd read the entirety of his note - my wheels had begun to turn...but not the same way that I'm used to them turning...

I had already begun fleshing out the deets of a challenge that I was entertaining possibly posing to you - my dear readers - when I received yet another message from Raymond, with the above self-portrait attached, accompanied by his explanation for how the picture came about.

Raymond had read my "Scheduled Maintenance" blog entry, and coincidentally - he had a vehicle service appointment scheduled for the very next day. So he decided to take the general idea behind the photo that he'd seen on my blog, and run with it - but in his own unique direction...and if you ask me, the image with which Raymond came away from the dealership that day - is far more interesting than my own "dealership bathroom" self-snap. BRAVO!

Long story (not so) short...the whole thing had Raymond and me both thinking, that perhaps the best way for anyone to gain a true appreciation for the demands that dash photography makes on any photographer/model - would be to simply give it a whirl, themselves....

...which brings me to the challenge that I would like to pose to you guys:

Come up with an idea for your own self-portrait shoot (this is an open themed contest, so pretty much anything goes), set up your cameras, (no matter how crappy or awesome), engage the timer (no remote triggers, please), and try your hand at dash photography yourselves! It doesn't matter to me if you are male, or female...nude, or clothed...or if your pictures were taken in your own house, out in public, or anywhere in between. Your face doesn't even have to be visible in the pic., (if you're concerned about protecting your identity). Just have fun with it, and be as creative as you like!

Next, attach your single most favorite jpeg image outta the whole lot - to an email addressed to: brickhouse333@gmail.com - by midnight, Friday, May 31st, 2013.

Please also include in your email (along with the image that you are submitting):

1.) Your name, or whatever moniker you would like to go by

2.) Your email address (so that I can contact you, if need be)

3.) The link to your website or blog - but ONLY if you would like for me to include it with the rest of the results from the challenge

Once all of your submissions have been received by the May 31st deadline, I shall pore over them carefully, in search of the five images that impact me the most. The self-portrait artists whose work makes the top five list, will receive an official, "Big Ugly" t-shirt (squeeee!), and will be featured in a blog entry dedicated to this...the first - "Big Ugly Self-Portraiture Challenge"!

I'd really like to publish each and every image that I receive, actually - but in order to be able to do so, I need you to please be mindful of the fact that my children do look at my blog. My own personal rule of thumb - is that I never post any images here on The Big Ugly, that I wouldn't feel comfortable showing to my kids...and so all I ask is that you please adhere to the same rule of thumb, while making the selections for your submissions. Think - "tastefully done" or "fine art" nudes, if that's the direction you would like to take with this project - THANK You!!

Also, by now you probably know that I am a bit of a minimalist when it comes to editing my self-portraits - and so I'd also like to ask that you please refrain from using PhotoShop or any similar photo editing software, to manipulate your images beyond simply using basic editing tools. Things like: cropping, adjusting exposure, contrast, saturation, sharpening, definition, highlights, shadows, color - are totally acceptable. I just don't want to see images where a person's likeness has been superimposed on some sort of make-believe background, that type of thing - ya' know? Stick as closely to a, "What You See Is What You Get" approach to editing your work, as you possible can. And listen, if you do have questions about any of this (cuz I know that it may seem a bit arbitrary and confusing), please do not hesitate to contact me at: brickhouse333@gmail.com

So anyway...here's where I send an enormous "THANK YOU" to Raymond, for being the catalyst that spurred this whole idea on! This is such an exciting new project for me, and I give Raymond all of the credit for putting the bee in my bonnet!

Ok You Guys, I think that about covers it. Now get out there and start snapping and sending! I'm just itchin' to see what you all come up with!

Oh! And one more thing real quick (almost forgot), please click here to read today's resurrected post - it would make this old gal veddy happy! :D

Rack O' Ribs

2013-05-07T15:03:00.002-07:00

Thank You SO much - to the righteously bitchin' fam who had no qualms whatsoever, about giving this crazy bitch the thumbs-up - to slink here and there and everywhere on their property - so that I could take a shit ton of selfpics, recently! Your benevolence is not lost on me, just know that :)

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Merci Beaucoups, Mes Amis!

Climbing The Walls

2013-04-30T18:11:00.002-07:00

Please click here here to read today's resurrected post - Thank You, THANK You...Sweet Dreams, and Goodnight!

Dog Days

2013-04-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

It's kind of odd to me that the last few shoots that I staged, turned out to be so heavily dog-laden...especially considering the fact that it was not a conscious decision on my part...but rather a case of pure, blind, dumb luck. And what's even stranger about it is - that my own little pooch became the primary focus of my life the other day - when she ruptured her cruciate ligament while chasing a bloody squirrel across the yard.

Hours of surgery, and $3500 later (ouch), she is now back home, and resting as comfortably as I guess could be expected - following such an invasive, and elaborate surgical procedure.

I suspect that this unexpected mishap will definitely impact my level of artistic productivity, unfortunately - as the poor, pathetic pup needs near constant supervision (she refuses to go in her crate, so she's loose in the house, which makes me far too nervous to feel even remotely comfortable leaving her alone for very long). Not sure how long it'll be before am no longer home bound, but in the meantime - I reckon I'll just havta try and find contentment with staging self-portraits here at home...boooooring...

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Thank You!!!

Staring Off Into Space

2013-04-26T16:00:00.002-07:00

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - THANK YOU! (P.S. - this one happens to be one of my own, personal faves!)

The Hotel Chronicles - "Hurry Back...Please"

2013-04-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

Please click here to read today's resurrected post...but do hurry back now, Ya' hear?

The Hotel Chronicles - W.C.

2013-04-24T14:37:00.004-07:00

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Cheers!

The Hotel Chronicles - Jumping For Joy

2013-04-23T09:37:00.001-07:00

Sorry for having been absent for so, so long...LAWD what's my problem...

Anyway, I did finally take some time away from all of my other obligations - to go on a little self-portraiture field trip...and I couldn't be more delighted that I did :D

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Thank You, My Sweet Peeps!

Tryin' To Get INto The OUThouse

2013-04-13T16:05:00.002-07:00

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Thank You EVer so KINDly, You Sweet Things!

Scheduled Maintenance

2013-04-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

I spent almost three hours at the car dealership this morning, getting the oil changed in my car, and all sorts of other stuff...sooooooo...it only made sense to me to kill some of the time by messin' around in the Ladies' room a little...

Oh, and hey - as soon as I post this entry, I've gotta run my Mac over to the Geek Squad at Best Buy. God only knows how long it'll take 'em to sort out the technical problems that I've been having all week...which means, I may be absent again for the next few days - I'm so SORRY!

And if you would kindly please click here to check out today's resurrected post, I will (continue to) be forever in your debt :D

Bridging The Gap

2013-04-11T18:47:00.003-07:00

I don't know what my problem's been lately...it's like, I dunno...I'm stuck...or nervous...or something....

Over the last few days (weeks, really), I've been using every excuse imaginable, to get out of takin' new pics....and I mean, some of it has been totally legit - seriously. Things have come up that have demanded my immediate, and undivided attention - but even still......it's so not like me to let my art (and my blog) take this much of a backseat to, well - pretty much anything other than my kids. I've just felt kind of immobilized lately...by insecurity wrought from a strange sense of trepidation...

Luckily for me though, I have this one very close friend who is the absolute best at getting me out and about to explore - on our motorcycles, and on foot...and he always leads me to the most delicious locations...places where I can't help but feel inspired to shoot...and for that I must say - Thank You, E.!

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Love Y'All :)

Cling

2013-04-05T15:39:00.001-07:00

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Thank You so much! Hope You Guys have a nice weekend :)

Shelf Life

2013-04-04T18:33:00.002-07:00

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Thanks so much, Yooz Guys!

Open Water

2013-04-03T18:22:00.003-07:00

I was recently notified, that the self-portrait seen above, was selected by juror Jennifer Schwartz - to appear along with (only!) 24 other photographs - in the upcoming "Open Water" exhibition at the Kat Kiernan Gallery in Lexington, Va....I am so bloody excited about it, I can hardly stand it! The show runs from May 1 - June 1, so if you live anywhere even remotely close - please do consider dropping by to take a peek!

Oh, and also - please click here if you'd like to read today's resurrected post - Ank You Fay!

So Long, Old House...

2013-04-01T13:48:00.001-07:00

I closed on the sale of my house today...this is very good news indeed - WOOT!

Please here click to read today's resurrected post - Thank You EVah so much!

Broken Landscape

2013-03-31T15:55:00.000-07:00

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Cheers, and Thank you!

Is It Spring Yet?

2013-03-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

No...it is definitely NOT Spring yet...sombeetch...

Please click here to read today's resurrected post - Thank Ya', THANK Ya'!

Daydreaming

2013-03-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Was too flippin' cold to take pictures outside today (or it could be that I'm just getting too old for this shit - HA!)...sooooo...instead I made due in my cozy, little house.

Please click here to read (or see, rather) today's resurrected post (it's really short, this one - so not terribly exciting)...Thanks, Yo!

Rosebud

2013-03-25T16:51:00.004-07:00

My oldest girls have returned to their respective boarding schools, and my two, youngest children were supposed to go back to their school, following Spring Break - today...but. We got enough snow last night, that school was cancelled for the day...which I thought would mean - there would be no way in hell that I'd get any new self-portraits...for like the millionth freaking day in a row...*sigh*

However...when my kids started making plans with their friends to go sledding - I got an idea. I decided that while they were out frolicking in the snow, I would fill the brief quiet time by snapping a few self-portraits, featuring the one sled in the house that I knew neither of them would want to use - our all but forgotten, dusty old, Flexible Flyer.

There was nothing particularly difficult about this shoot, per se...the temperature had risen so much, that I actually got hot moving around wearing so...much...blessed...clothing (the good news about that was, I didn't havta worry about getting caught naked in public - score!), it wasn't physically grueling in the slightest (I felt almost like a wimp, having allowed myself the luxury of incorporating footwear into the costume) - but what did make this shoot just the teensiest bit nerve-racking, was the fact that so many people watched me as I worked...and consequently looked at me as if I was some sort of raving lunatic......people like: the teenagers who were sledding on the same hill, but a little way's away...and the folks who went past me while they were walking their dogs...my ex-husband's girlfriend who drove by, honked, waved, and lastly - rolled her eyes (awesome), and one policeman who was making his rounds.

This type of reaction is precisely what's made me so apprehensive about going out into my new neighborhood to take selfpics - even clothed! There are simply so many more eyeballs in the city, than there were in the county - that will see, and judge me for what I do (many of whom will actually recognize me!) I guess it's just gonna take some time before I build up the confidence that I'll need if I'm to continue making my pics. here, while also making a complete horse's ass outta myself...in some people's eyes, at least...

Please click here to read today's resurrected post (this one's a "toughy", as they say)...Thank You kindly!