White Wall Wednesday: Episode 2
Is there anything more validating than being able to use whatever you have at your disposal to create? That has been the single most rewarding thing about my passion/career so far. I wanted to take pictures and so I did, despite not having a studio, lights, expensive equipment, etc. I started out with a tripod (pieced together with different brands) from a thrift store, a lens that was gifted to me and thus completely inappropriate for my tiny little space I was shooting in, and I had absolutely no concept of what it meant to be a photographer. I only knew that I had passion, and so I created in any way that I could.
That is what White Wall Wednesdays are all about. It means that we stop making excuses about why we can’t create and we find ways to make it happen. It might not always turn out like the image of your dreams, but if I’ve learned anything it is that there is just about always a way. Things get done because we have the inspiration and motivation to try.
When I see a blank wall, I see an opportunity.
This week we are focusing on the editing process that has gone in to the image we shot last week. I hope that you pick up some tips that help in your own process and that you enjoy the video!
Please share any images you’ve created in your blank space, and/or a before/after if you want to show people where it came from!
26 thoughts on “White Wall Wednesday: Episode 2”
I love the idea of white wall Wednesdays!! Here’s my before/after: http://www.marcycriner.com/heres-what-can-happen-when-you-learn-to-keep-your-mouth-shut/
I LOVED reading about your evolution and how you came to your final piece, which was stunning and totally had soul. Thank you for sharing that, it has inspired me today!
I love watching you edit, seeing everything come together really feels like magic. I have a couple suggestions/comments. I am not sure if the smoke and particles that you used were specifically shot for this image, or if you have a stock library of smoke and stuff. I would love to know more about your stock library. Also, not sure how everyone else feels, but I found having the speed edit and the breakdown running at the same time very distracting. Personally I would have loved to see both separately, but that might just be me. Thank you so much for doing this!
Hi Kat!! Miss you! Thank you for always being so loving, I appreciate it so much. I will do my best to incorporate a look into my stock library in one of the upcoming videos. It may take a few weeks but I’ll get there! Sometimes I shoot new stock and sometimes I use old, so I have a library of smoke especially that can be used in many situations – very helpful! So for this one I used images I already had, plus one that I shot for it to look more like pouring. I agree about the video in the video – it was an experiment to try and show more and not make the video any longer than it had to be. Noted, though, and I will probably keep it more traditional in the future!
I always find is to fascinating to watch others edit. There is always something to learn – regardless of the genre. It feels like every time I touch Photoshop, there is something new to learn. I LOVE that about Photoshop and I find the thirst for knowledge and being challenged is a brilliant motivator and keeps me constantly inspired.
I shot a new piece in my little studio on Monday that I am going to use as the first piece of a new series I am working on. The rest of the series will be created on my upcoming travels and this first piece is to launch the series. I am soooooo excited about it and my I have been scribbling so many ideas in my notebook!! So many possibilities that I could burst from happiness 🙂 🙂
I actually don’t have a white/blank wall in my house (my house has mostly wooden walls and it is a sort of A-frame house so the walls slant), so instead I have “cheated” a bit and made my own “walls” for my little studio space 😉 I painted up a couple of polyboards and use those to create blank wall spaces… Here is one of the first images I created in my studio that I posted late last year. It marked many changes in my life and in my work and so is a very special, yet simple, image which you can see here: https://web.facebook.com/MargheritaIntronaPhotography/photos/a.165320056962586.1073741828.165302450297680/511187359042519/?type=3&theater
You can view the before and after video of how I created this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTNtzcFP0UY
And the blog post for it: http://www.margheritaintrona.com/#!Change-Death/c20iz/567c0b9b0cf203da56ea5fd6
Thanks for posting this video Brooke. I am always fascinated about your control and understanding of how to read light. You have really opened my eyes in that regard. Thank you.
Love & Light
xx
You are so amazing at creating in blank spaces, and it has even become something I associate with your work – not so much the “blankness”, of course, but the minimalism and highlighting just the right details. Always a pleasure to peruse! I’d love to see your slanty walls though and what you could do with that – super challenge!
Wow Brooke, thanks. I am pleasantly surprised by the comment 😉
You will see what I mean about my “slanty” walls when you come visit me 🙂 🙂 But don’t worry, I have already pondered hanging from the roof trusses upstairs! I have the gear for this and as a climber, it is super tempting… Although I love creating in my little studio space… it is small, but has become my happy space. It has been so wonderful having a space close at hand that is there purely for creating in! However, I have just bought a new apartment (not to live in – I purchased it as investment/income) and cannot wait for the current tenants to move out next month so that I have can a day of creating in the space before it is renovated. I already have 3 image ideas I’m going to attempt there!
Awesome, i just love the way you transformed the photograph into a beautiful piece of art. Thank you so much for this new concept (White wall Wednesday).
Here is my before N after photograph
https://flic.kr/p/Kar8uJ
Wow talk about a transformation! I love the glowing bulbs, that is an awesome touch especially with the window. Thank you for sharing!
Good morning Brooke! Hope you are having an amazing day, and I know you are preparing something awesome for us, so excited to see today’s video! I thought I would chip in with this shot using my white wall! You cannot see me but Im smiling! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208681098938344&set=a.1022431214510.4433.1637123100&type=3&theater I used one of the textures that you so kindly shared through this site and I just don’t understand how much I was missing out by not using them, thank you for being so generous Brooke, can’t wait for today’s video!
Hi Monica! You are SO lovely!! I can see you smiling in my imagination and it is glorious, and has officially given me my biggest smile yet of the day! I can’t see your image for some reason when I click, can you send a different link? I’m very eager to take a look 🙂
Hi Brooke! I really hope you are having an amazingly creative day! Sorry to hear that the link I previously posted didn’t work, but here is a new one to my instagram, hope this one works https://www.instagram.com/p/BHgghcUDJsX/ I did try it Any ways, I loooooved yesterday’s video and always find your tutorials amazingly helpful. I concentrated on each part of the video separately and enjoyed both of them so much, always learn something new when I watch them, thank you so much for sharing, and as always I can hardly wait for next Wednesday! It is such a treat since that’s one of my days off, so I can watch it as many times as can! have an awesome rest of your day! Ps. Do you like chocolate?
Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge and inspiration with us all, Brooke. Each time you share, I learn some little trick or technique that I hadn’t seen before.
I agree with Katrin re: both things running together very distracting. I think I shall watch again with a sticky-note over the quick edit portion…
Thanks again, you rock!
Peace, Judi
Hi Judi! I’m really glad that you took something away from the video! I agree with the note about the editing video within the video – I wanted to shorten the video and not draw it out, and I was hoping that since it could be rewound and rewatched it wouldn’t be too annoying, but I doubt I’ll edit a video this way again. Good experiment – had to try 😀 XO!
Good morning Brooke
Awesome!! I just love the way you transform the photograph into a unique piece of art. I Loved today’s video, can’t wait for the next video. Thank you so much for this concept(White wall Wednesday) of yours.
Here’s my before and after:
https://flic.kr/p/Kar8uJ
Great video! There were several things I wasn’t sure how to do, that you cleared up very nicely. Thanks! 🙂
Since I don’t have an open wall, I took my photo against the wall of our old barn. Which worked, but it is far from white. So for me this is Rusty Wall Wednesday! LOL
Here is a photo a did a few months ago I tooks against a wall. This was during your 30 Days Creative Challenge, so I used a box as well. I also used cornstarch, I dusting it down between the light and the light and the box, giving the light something to refract off of.
Everything I did to make this photo happen I learned from you, thanks! 🙂
https://flic.kr/s/aHskEJJrMv
Talk about WOW! What a beautiful transformation. I especially love the negative space the light. You did such a wonderful piece of work here and I’m so glad that you shared it with me. Inspiration galore!
I couldn’t have done it without you! (Hug) And everyone on the creativity challenge on Facebook, they helped me see it with fresh eyes. 🙂
Brooke, you’re just a storehouse of magical and incredible ideas, I wish to be in your head, the world will never be the same. You’re our inspiration!!!!! I’m in a hurry to create something!Now open the editor…..
With love from Russia)))
Aww thank you Mira!! I can’t wait to see what comes out of your imagination, I bet it is spectacular. I hope our paths cross one day and we can shoot together!
Good timing on this post as I try again to expand my knowledge of editing in Photoshop. I cannot wait for next week’s White Wall.
Thank you, I miss you!
Excellent work. True artist.
Love your work.
Hi Brooke! I really hope you are having an amazingly creative day! Sorry to hear that the link I previously posted didn’t work, but here is a new one to my instagram, hope this one works https://www.instagram.com/p/BHgghcUDJsX/ I did try it Any ways, I loooooved yesterday’s video and always find your tutorials amazingly helpful. I concentrated on each part of the video separately and enjoyed both of them so much, always learn something new when I watch them, thank you so much for sharing, and as always I can hardly wait for next Wednesday! It is such a treat since that’s one of my days off, so I can watch it as many times as can! have an awesome rest of your day! Ps. Do you like chocolate?
Hi Brooke! I’m a huge fan of your work! I don’t have a white wall of even a wall that’s big enough or free of furniture or other stuff, so I had to push couches, tables and chairs away to have a space to create something, I did it in about 30 minutes, and everything returned to normal in 5 while my father was entering our home. There’s something about creating this kind of “vulnerable” art (at least for me) that makes me want to be completely alone and unobserved when I’m creating something, mostly because of fear of mockery and critics. The first time I put out some creative self portraits it was stressed because I was hoping somebody would get it as it was (some form of art) and not mock me for showing this projects, which left me very vulnerable. Although there was a few people who made jokes about my art, mostly I got support from friends and now I’m not ashamed to post anything online (but kind of ashamed to be seen while creating… ok this story is too long, but I guess you could understand what I feel when I try to do something like this.) So, your video gave me the push I needed to create something again after a long time, this image (http://500px.com/photo/165012663/break-the-wall-by-emilia-venegas-hinojosa) is the visual explanation of how I’ve been feeling lately, about wanting to create something, but there’s this thing blocking me (creatively or just laziness or the fear to be seen while creating), so I’m trying to break it. I hope you didn’t get bored after reading this long story and that some of it made sense. (I created an account in 500px just to post this picture, so I decided to post all the self portraits I feel proud of) I love your art and I hope to have the courage you have to crate and show what’s on my mind to the world. Big hugs from Ecuador 😀