Photo Series

by Linda

These kinds of photos, looking down with feet in them, are easily recognizable as part of the fromwhereistand collection.

I started doing them about 2 years ago, at first because it was fun but as time went by I realized that I could look back on them and remember little things I may have forgotten about places where I stood to take a picture of my feet.

This picture was taken last week because I wanted to record this moment, for myself and hopefully someday, for my little grand daughter. She insists on wearing her jammies at all times because they are her princess outfit. And if you try to discourage her she will pull out all her 2 year old powers of "persuasion" so that you must allow her this indulgence. This day was too chilly to just wear jammies but she was agreeable to wear warm clothes as long as the princess outfit went on top. 

Anyway...fromwhereistand has become a photo series for me. It's a record of where I have been. Even though most of them were taken in my own backyard, it is still a record of what was growing, what the weather was like, what I was doing on that day at that moment and on the rare occasions that I leave my home turf, it is a record of where I went and sometimes who I was with.

Photo series can be a record or tell a story. You can base them on a theme.  It's completely up to you. A good photo series will have photos that connect in some way, or it just becomes a bunch of photos. Consider using the same focal length or composition or processing. It doesn't have to be all of those things, just whatever works out best for you and your series.

There are many photo series on flickr and Instagram. I want to show you a few that I enjoy on Instagram. These artists have created lovely photo series. I hope you like them too.




Nicole has a lovely series of front porches. Different but inviting porches. The colors are so rich and processing is well done. They all say "welcome home!"

When asked about the series and what inspired it, Nicole says:

"Photos taken in and around my Southern California neighborhood of front porches/front doors, edited by me using mostly SnapSeed and Distressed FX photo editing apps for iPhone.

I live in a quaint suburb of Los Angeles, where the WW2 era houses are small but uniquely individual. On my daily walks with my sweet golden retriever pup, Summer & my trusty iPhone 4s in hand; I usually find something that catches my eye to photograph then edit later to post on Instagram. I love houses! To some folks they are just buildings, but to me they are Homes. They contain more than mere possessions and people… they are the heart of the family. Maybe I am sentimental about houses because I have spent the last 24 years being a homemaker, I don't know? But what I know for sure, is that I'm a "Lookie-Loo", an observer and I love to gather ideas for decorating my own yard while on my walks. One day I noticed how some people love to decorate their porch and front yard as much as I do, while others leave things pretty utilitarian, and still others seem to use them for storage. I had been thinking of doing a series ( I tend to capture a lot of trees and power lines, lol ), so I wanted to do something different and front porches/front doors just appealed to me.

When it was announced that March was dedicated to "HOME" at # Focusing on Life, it turned out to be perfect timing!"

When asked how long Nicole plans to continue her series:

"I'm not quite sure yet; I guess when some other subject grabs me I will move on to it? :)"

This kitchen table series is by one of our Life sisters-Carol Albers. There is always something interesting on the kitchen table! It is a great way to capture the little details of everyday life!

When asked about the series and what inspired it, Carol says:

"As to inspiration, I had followed soupertraveler's feet for a long time. I was standing in the kitchen, thinking about doing a series, when it occurred to me. My kitchen table is right inside my back door, and everyone who comes in dumps something on it. The things I take to work, the purchases I bring in, my kids keys when they visit, my groceries for the week, prescriptions from the doctor, letters from friends, photographic projects - they have all lived on my table for a day or two. I thought it might be hard to come up with ideas - but it's been easy. There really is something on the table every day! At the end of the year, I hope to make a collage representing my year."





Melody's morning coffee series tells a story. Each picture is accompanied by a short conversation between "he" and "she". I find myself looking forward to the next photo! It is a moving and inspirational testament to everyday life.

When asked about the series and what inspired it, Melody says:

"The Morning Coffee series began from me photographing my mug each morning as an exercise in shooting creatively within a defined area using only window light. Grabbing my iPhone versus dragging my Canon 7D to breakfast was physically easier and required less mental capacity. That first cup of coffee is my brain’s on switch.

Sharing the images did not occur to me until I realized doing so would bring a level of accountability and encouragement to stick with the project.  Being in love with Instagram, it seemed the natural place to share the Morning Coffee series.

The moment I decided to share the series, the idea of writing morning conversations between my husband and myself as captions happened simultaneously. Writing, like photography, is one of my creative outlets. Both are therapy for me. The Morning Coffee series is serving a purpose beyond the obvious and will continue indefinitely...at least until I have the courage to tell my bigger story."

...

Thank you to Nicole, Carol and Melody for sharing with us!

Check out their photostreams to see more of their series.

You can find Nicole on Instagram

You can find Carol on Instagram and here

You can find Melody on Instagram and on flickr. She tweets at:@slurpinglife and has a new blog in the works! Stay tuned!

fromwhereistand is on flickr and on Instagram tag your shots #fromwhereistand.  You can view this group on the explore page.

*you no longer have to be on Instagram to view photo streams! I have linked above so that you can see their lovely photostreams on your computer!


Share your photo series tips and tricks with us! 


"Trust that little voice in your head that says 'Wouldn't it be interesting if...'. And then do it." ~Duane Michals