Portrait Series

    Hi! I'm uploading this pretty early because I have a little free time, and I possibly will be at rehearsal at 10 tonight. This series consists of laughy, candid shots of my wonderful grandparents! They all mean so much to me, and I wanted to communicate that in this series. I wanted to show how they see me and also how I see them. Many of them aren't too keen on having their pictures taken, so I really wanted to make them all comfortable and feel like they look good in these images. You never know when pictures are gonna be all you have left to remember a person by, and this made me want to showcase the importance of photographs of some of my loved ones in this series as well. So basically, I wanted to focus on the impact my grandparents have had on me, our feelings toward each other, and the importance of photography in a modern person's life. 

    I took all of these pictures in places that you could walk in and find my grandparents. Ironically, all 3 of my grandpas chose to be in their recliners. I also told them to wear clothes that they really like, and both of my grandmas chose v-neck shirts. Because of these things, I decided to sit in my chair I'm always in and wear a v-neck I really like also. I edited these photos in color and black and white, but I ultimately decided that black and white best showcased the sentimental value of these photos.

    The first picture in this series is of my Poppa. He is my paternal grandfather. He is located in his man-cave, which he basically turned into a faux log cabin himself. Here he can be found watching Westerns, doing some kind of carpentry, or whittling. He has lots of antiques down there, and behind him, you can see some personal ones. There are relics from his days as a coal miner many years ago in the background. 

    Next is a portrait of my Mammy. She is my paternal grandmother. She is seen in her home office, where she can be found scrolling Facebook, playing games, or researching new recipes. She and my Poppa have been married for 48 years! If you can't tell, she and I look and act very similar. 

The next portrait is of my Pa Jerry. He is my maternal grandfather. He is seen in his recliner in his living room. Here he can be found reading countless novels, watching daytime talk shows, or playing on his newly acquired iPhone. He and my Nanny got a divorce when my mom was a little girl. He never remarried.

The fourth picture is of my Nanny. She is my maternal grandmother. Here she is sitting in her spot on the couch. She can be found there watching HGTV, playing crossword puzzles, or napping. My Nanny remarried. She married my Pa Bobby a few years before I was born.

The last grandparent portrait is of my Pa Bobby. He is seen in his recliner in his room. Here he can be seen watching Andy Griffith, reading the Bible, or "resting his eyes". Since he and my Nanny got married before I was born, he has always been in my life. I feel like he is my blood grandpa just the same as any of the others. 

I also included a self-portrait of myself. This is to show my connections to each of my grandparents, and prove how the all have impacted me. Whether it be by looks, beliefs, knowledge, personality, or character, they have all impacted me greatly and have molded me into the person I am today. These are some of the most important people in my life, and I'm so thankful I've gotten to know and be related to each of them. 

Oh, and here is my lighting chart!