Keith Montgomery Media

I made tea today.
Also, I’ve been labeling my pictures in Roman Numerals. When I went to upload pictures today I realized that 30 is XXX. I chuckled.

Outtake:

and I thought this might look cool:

About two and a half weeks ago I purchased two studio lights. They are both Alien Bees, B400′s, if that means anything to you.
I got them the day before Halloween, and on Halloween I used them to do a bunch of portraits. Also on Halloween, some neighbors lent us two half-mannequins (Weird, I know). I’ve been using them to try out different lighting techniques. They are very patient and very still.

This one is big because I think it has a lot of detail that has to be viewed large. This was a picture from day 19.

Then there is this one:

This is day 22:

Last night, my process was like this:
I really liked the way the light fell on his collar here (but it’s way too dark):

So, I played off of that to get this (way too bright):

And then found a balance I was happy with, accenting the form of the mannequin while obscuring the face a bit (happy enough, that is [Presenting, day 29]):

Verdict: Mannequin shell makes for a terrible substitute for human skin. (that sounds a thousand times creepier than intended)

Some people know. Actually only like 4 or 5. Well, 4 or 5 plus how ever many people read this.
I’m doing a 365 project. It’s where you take a picture a day for an entire year.
No, I’m not the first to do this, but I have been inspired by many before me who have done this.
With this year long project, my goals are to:

• Develop my skills as a photographer in reguard to:
  • Composition
  • Lighting
  • Consistency (using my camera more)
  • Workflow
• Develop a sense of awareness to the beauty surrounding me at all times
• Deepen my spiritual existence in Christ through art

I’m 29 days in today. I wont be posting on flickr everyday, but I will get everyday up on flickr (I’ve actually been pretty good about getting them up quick, but sometimes in 3 day sets).

With all this, and with regard to my last two goals, I will be blogging, explaining further what is happening within myself.