Uploads from brookeshaden, tagged blue

in and of earth

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:25:55 -0800

This picture is directly inspired by Lindsay Adler and her beautiful series of photos she did with baby powder and dancers. This is the image that inspired my shoot, but I still hoped to take it in my own direction. I know that baby powder or flour shots aren't new, but it is what the artist wants to say with the technique that makes something new. Here is a blog post that I wrote about this pic and with lots of behind the scenes pictures :)

For me, the act of creating something out of nothing is why I started photography in the first place. It felt so wonderful, and inspirational, to get up in the early morning darkness to create this image. My goals were to create something "primal", to style her like a "warrior", to create an "empty" frame and to bring simplicity to this image, something that I feel I've been lacking in lately. Either way anyone feels about it, I felt such passion while creating this that I am happy, content, and excited. I love that sense of calm that a picture can bring.

I kept saying to the model here, Sonalii Castillo, that I wanted her to be like a rogue warrior of the earth being born again....the concept probably sounds silly, and I know it sounds funny, but hey, inspiration can come from odd places. I have a thing for warriors...and pirates...but that is for another day.

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finding the road to neverland

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:10:58 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

This was the last of the images that I took in Washington, or at least what I plan on sharing. Who knows, maybe that burnt house photo will grow on me...
Anyway...We were driving out of the Hoh Rain Forest trying to get to the beach when we saw this abandoned house. I yelped! and made everyone turn back to go explore. The floor inside was completely soggy and caving in so we didn't dare shimmy through the slightly open but busted window. I loved the outside of the house way more than the inside so I was happy to shoot out front. I did this one as a self since it felt most appropriate, what with my fairytale-pater-pan obsessions.

experiencing metamorphosis

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Tue, 31 May 2011 08:31:32 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

Taken underwater the other day. This model had red hair and I was tempted to go very "Little Mermaid" with it but decided to against it. The reflection in this one was interesting to me and the flow of the fabrics...it seemed very much like a butterfly spreading its wings, so I played with it a little bit..

I hope that a creative week will be had by all! I've been a bit...tired lately. Just fatigued. But I'm hoping that I can get my energy up enough to create lots of different pictures this week. And with any luck (meaning if I can fix my car in time) I'll be in the grand canyon this time next week.

Model: Stephanie Sherrin

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the baby's room

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:03:44 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

My inspirations are always changing yet my past inspirations are always buried deep in there, somewhere. This is a part 2 of my original butterfly picture, and I like to think it is a softer, more sensible version (I say sensible meaning that I think I've used more cohesive colors and less obvious texturing). I wanted to shoot indoors so I did 3 shoots yesterday in my bedroom, just me and my camera. I loved it but was reminded how constricting it can feel at the same time. I have a feeling I'll flow back and forth between love and hate from now on.

I love fairytales, and this to me is just that...a fairytale. Almost literally a tale of fairies :)

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finding a home

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:14:25 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with the possibilities of where to guide your life? Sometimes I feel frozen like a deer in headlights for days at a time wondering what to do next. I feel so alive (and only slightly burdened) at times when thinking about every decision that I could be making. It makes me think of the time that is passing me by before I make the decisions that will steer my life down one path or another. We all have the ability to change a life for the better, and that life is our own...I want to make the most of that responsibility.

In a very wise poem, one of my favorites, there is a line that says "Let be be finale of seem".

Or, in the famous words of Nike, "Just do it".

That's where my head is at today, how about you? This is my kitty Nyah, the one with only 3 paws. She was a doll for this photo, so wonderful...no scratches on me at all!

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from the inside

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 11:01:08 -0800

brookeshaden posted a photo:

I am so excited to share this image..I shot it yesterday and did a behind the scenes video for it, which you can see here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LchG62vtGXc
I hope you enjoy the behind the scenes! The camera died for most of the shooting portion unfortunately, but you get the idea :-P

My inspiration came from two places. The incredible Jamie Baldridge inspired me a ton for this. Also, I did a photo called "Fetus" a while ago and I was inspired to do an inverted version of that, where everything was right-side-up :)

Today I'm going to shoot with a 5 foot long snake! So excited!! :-D

Assistance from Kathrine Stapleton <3

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arrivals and departures

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 10:57:27 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

Super fun shoot for a billion reasons....mostly because it was done for my workshop yesterday! I went and picked as many sticks as I could fit in my trunk the night before in the dark (bad idea) and then built a nest for myself and everyone else to shoot with. Bird theme, of course ;-) They watched me create this from start to finish, both shooting and editing.

Everyone came up with an awesome scenario to shoot, and I witness the creation of many beautiful images, a lot of which were a first for some with levitation and all. I am excited to see what they come up with in the end!! They will be loaded to this group when finished: www.flickr.com/groups/brookeshadenworkshop/

Model: Katie Johnson - She was a wonderful sport at the workshop, an immense help, and I think everyone got to see what makes her so inspiring.

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home for a recluse

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:13:26 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

I thought it only appropriate to have one bright red image and a bright blue one next to each other.

Went out on a shoot early the other day and found this branch, which I insisted on dragging back with me for this bird shot that I had wanted to do for a very long time. I shot this on my bed. It was my original intent to build a huge, human-size bird case out of sticks. I even went out and bought nails and a hand saw for the occasion, but the hand saw broke on the first stick and I wasn't strong enough physically to complete the project on my own. But someday I will!

The title for this oddly relates to my life, as I am moving on Sunday and to everyone's surprise I'm moving just slightly out of Los Angeles...why would an artist do that when the action is in the city? When the artist aspires to be a recluse, of course. I'd move 3 hours north to the middle of the Mojave desert if I could, but that doesn't make any practical sense right now.

Next week I'll be selling these eggs, the mask that is homemade and I'm very proud of!, and the feathers....stay tuned on my fb fan page to get the announcement.

hitchhiker

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:45:14 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

Who says I'm not a photographer...this is a landscape! :P

I feel like what I'm about to write is going to be all over the place, but anywho....

First, there is one day left to bid on my Gretel dress from my Hansel and Gretel shot over at Ebay, and whoever wins will be featured on my blog with the image that they create with the dress.

Second, I went out shooting this with Leah Johnston, and she made a behind the scenes video which can be seen on my facebook page.

Third, I shot this for my dad, a little late for Father's Day but I've got decent excuses. When I imagine my dad I think of him standing in a place similar to this, and I think of him much younger when he wasn't a father yet. I wish that I knew that person as well as the one that I called "dad". I want to know how I've changed him.

And forth, I am doing some commercial work and Photoshop tutoring sessions on the side these days, so I thought I'd put that out there! Had a lovely session with a woman the other day and she said that 2 hours of tutoring taught her more than a 400 page book! Aww!! It made my day :-)

View this one BIG! <--- it is a must.

first flight

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:09:42 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

As usual, this is better larger on black :)

I love going to Mother Pluckers for feathers...always a prop shopping treat.

Anyone who lives in LA and would like to shoot in an abandoned hospital for a day...message me! I'm looking for people to split the cost of rent with me so I can afford to shoot my book :-P

I wanted the lighting on this to look like it could have come from a flash, though it was natural window light. I love snapshots taken of dead birds. I also played with perspective on this one.

searching rooms

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:21:30 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

Here is a new blog essay detailing the inspiration for this piece.

Today is the day...I am going to be away from the flickrverse and the "real" world (whatever that is) until Sunday. I'm going up to the mountains to stay in a little cabin in the deep snow with my husband and three kits (kitties). And what am I doing up there, you may ask? Why shooting my book, of course :-) Wish me luck! I have to get 25 new images in 5 days!

fb

mimicry of the sea

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:19:30 -0800

brookeshaden posted a photo:

Today I am 23 :-)

Inspiration comes from the oddest places.

My recipe for the best day ever is waking up at 4:45am, buying dry ice, and jumping in a frigid creek. But isn't that everyone's fantasy?

black!

growing up

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:16:41 -0800

brookeshaden posted a photo:

This photo is inspired by one of my all-time favorite artists, Julia Fullerton-Batten.

These last few days have been hectic for me, but so, so good. I had my show opening which was a success! Thanks to all of you who came out :-)

And I spent the last two days on a photo excursion with my friend Christine, who you know from Flickr. She flew out here for my show opening and then we went on many adventures, including many lies to get done what we needed to do, so I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm a chronic liar after fibbing to the police officer and the people at the craft store.

And last but not least, today I am running off to do my first television interview! I'm a bit nervous but excited as well!

Oh and just to note, there is no implied "abortion" theme here. My thoughts behind this were to depict a young girl who wants to grow up faster than she is, and so she essentially makes herself menstruate for the first time.

black

moving in

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:48:09 -0800

brookeshaden posted a photo:

I just moved out of the apartment pictured above (thank goodness) and I thought, what better way to remember the apartment than with a throwback picture to one of the first that I created in the apartment, "Retention".

That being said, I'm right in the middle of the move and my husband is going to kill me if I continue "flickring" while I'm supposed to be helping arrange furniture :-)

black

thunder & lightening

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:59:51 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

I am taking an oath right now to stop using tutus for flickr pictures. You have my word.

fringe

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:35:03 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

got that feeling, like something is changing, and it's something big.

this is most likely the first photo in a series of images I will create for a gallery. therefore I probably won't post any more from this series on here, just this one.

and I just have to say that I have been using my friend Olivia for a few images, and will undoubtedly use her further, and she is so good at posing because she is selfless and uncomplaining. I had her basically belly flop into the water for this shot, over and over and over again, and she didn't complain once even though her side was bright red and she was shaking from the cold.

Model: Olivia Clemens

in human

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:41:05 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

blog for an essay on my flickr censorship issue.

And lastly, the inspiration for this photo :) Thanks to everyone who recommended Dali to me! I just loved his concept for his painting because it read to me as though a human was becoming less human. Or perhaps even more human for connecting with things that are not human.

black

ballet:vacate

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 11:23:27 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

some writing about the painting that inspired this photo and "behind the scenes" on my blog.

I wanted to comment on this whole anonymous message thing that has been going around flickr and invading my contact's photos with text. I think that the idea is lovely, people sharing what they are too afraid to say with their name attached. I love the honesty coming out of people. But it also saddens me that we can't just say what we want to say, that we are so afraid to let others know. I had the urge to write in the box, but then I reconsidered. I thought I would just say it here. Why not? So, this is what I wanted to write to someone, anyone, anonymously:

"I'm scared that I won't be able to live up to the name I am trying to create"

So, if anyone wants to tell me something not anonymously - good, bad or ugly...I'm all ears.

texture
black for more detail

canvas

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:51:15 -0700

brookeshaden posted a photo:

new postage on the blog

I love trying to make photos look like paintings. What a fun challenge.

black

spin cycle

nobody@flickr.com (brookeshaden) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:18:58 -0800

brookeshaden posted a photo:

Keep the door closed, I might catch a cold.