last film of college

Today I graduated from college.  It's really exciting but really REALLY sad.  Goodbyes are the worst.

But now I'm sitting here, watching Away We Go and drinking a glass of wine, looking through the last of the film I processed at IWU.  They are wonderful memories.

The first project that I have here is a documentation I did on with my holga of all the places around Marion that have become really important to me.  I hope that this project will continue in every city I live in.  For now, here's Marion, IN.

This is the roll of film I shot of Lindsey for my last project.  You already saw the digital versions of these, and this is the filmstrip.

and some more things.

Pictures coming soon of my beautiful roommates from this year!!!

All images are © Kirsten Tornes Photography

Please Don't Steal.

polaroids and thoughts about being done.

So I finished.

I mean, I have to take a test.  And present a paper.  But I'm finished.

After the "big shabang" presentation in Senior Seminar, where I presented my portfolio of work that I think represents myself as an artist, Sammy & Lindsey & I had a last photo shoot in the studio.  I had a bunch of old polaroids sitting around that I had accumulated mysteriously and they needed to be used.

So we recruited the lovely Rebecca Thomas to trip the shutter and just went to town.  They are great memories and I'm sure we are all going to be cherishing these pictures for a while.

I am really excited to get out of this place, as much as I have learned and grown here, I realize there is so much that I need to experience.  No where is perfect, especially not IWU, but it really has become home for me.  In one week (ish) I will uproot and have to start over.

My new roommate for the next year, Sam, and I have been approved to live in the house that we wanted.  I got a full-time position at Starbucks with regular hours that will allow me to continue to pursue my career in photography.  Things are falling into place.

This part of life is very bittersweet.  I haven't even started to think about how I'm going to say goodbye to the people that I have come to love very much here and in Chicago.

All images are © Kirsten Tornes Photography.

You can steal these if you want to.

dashoot

sorry it took a million years, but you know what happens at the end of the last semester of college--- stress city.

there's a lot going on and i just submitted five pieces of work to a juried gallery at my school, the Ardelia Williams Gallery.  I turned in all three pieces of stained glass (which I need to put pictures of up here sometime) and two of the images you'll see on this post.

This shoot was really fun to shoot and almost as much fun to edit.  Lindsey is a great model.  She took pictures of me on Tuesday and they turned out great!  Check them out on the fashion section of her website!


Without further adieu,

All images © Kirsten Tornes Photography

Leave me some feedback!!!!!

Urban

Here's a preview of a photo shoot I did today with Lindsey Wachter.  She is an amazing photographer and model and caught my dream for the shoot right away.

This has been one of my most proud shoots in a while, I came into it with a vision and almost every single one of them came out spot on to what I had imagined in my head.

One of the major reasons why I felt the need to use Lindsey for this session is that I have noticed that I sometimes have a difficult time communicating my concept for a shoot or image to my model.  Therefore, they have a hard time modeling for me.  I asked her to be my model so she could help me direct her in a more clear way.  I feel that  since she caught on to my vision quickly, she was really able to critique my communication skills well.  Isn't she just beautiful!?!?

Be waiting for more!

Simple headshots with my hotshot.

So my wonderful boyfriend Mike Kaiser is going to be published in the Steinbeck Review [for the second time!!!].  The first publication was a poem he wrote based on a story by Steinbeck.  This one will be an essay he wrote and submitted to a contest.

Yesterday we went out to take pictures for the headshot that will be used.  The pictures look good pretty much just because he is an attractive guy, but there were a few that I really loved.

[this is the one that will be published!]

All images © Kirsten Tornes Photography

Please don't steal!!

playing around with flash

Most of the work that I do for myself right now is experimental. I am working with what I have learned and pairing it with skills that I have developed over the last 7-8 years and just being creative.  Most of the time things don't work out.  There are folders and folders of photoshoots gone wrong on my harddrive.  It's sort of discouraging but being creative with what you are learning is the best way to go even with the risk of failure.  Among those folders of "failed shoots" are successful shoots and most of the time I needed to fail to get to the success.

I have yet to decide about how much i love these pictures.  I did a little playing around with flash & slash.  Pop of light, followed by a long exposure.

I am so inspired right now by the photography I'm seeing in Kristen Marie's  work.  She is a wonderful photographer who I got the opportunity to talk to for a bit.  She is based in Seattle and is in community with other incredible wedding photographers James Moes, Max Wanger, Sean Flanigan, Ben Blood, and Jenny Jimenez.  

Look and be inspired!

Love love love.

Tea + Milk

Second photo shoot for McConn went really well.  I took pictures for the new menu item -- Tea Lattes!

Steep tea in steamed milk and you have a creamy little treat that some people really love a lot.

I really enjoyed photographing the ad for them a bit more than drinking them but that's okay you should still try one!!!

Also!  I redesigned my logo!!!

I know, I know, I keep redesigning.  I just keep on changing my preferences and needing a new design! Give me some input if you have any.  

Keep an eye out for pictures from California aaaaand a photo shoot I did for fun, messing around with lighting and some flash & slash stuff.  some different work to come.  

All images are © Kirsten Tornes Photography 2010. 

Please Don't Steal!