AIPP Accredited

This week having looked back over the past couple of years worth of blogs I realise that I have not updated my story since my very first blog back in January 2013. That blog gave my readers a background into where my passion began.

Since 2010 my dream has been to inspire others through my stories and photography and at the same time to become a recognised photographer and business women.   Each day since then I have pushed my boundaries and strived to achieve the goals I have set for myself.   I became an emerging member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography AIPP and in 2013 I was accepted into their mentoring program, which I completed at the end of that year.

At the start of 2014 I had all the business areas in place but deep down I felt there was something missing from my  images.  Not one to rest and with the dream and goal in mind I continued to push forward with my photography.  I am fortunate enough to have a few very close people in my life who understand my dreams and they are ready to cheer and push me.  This includes my wonderful amazing friend/photographer mentor Sheryn Ellis who is someone I aspire to and she trains and guides me.

In 2015 I committed to A Photo A Day project, that’s 365 photos, one each day of the year, showing a moment from my day.   As this year has gone by, photo after photo I grew more and last month felt it was the right time to go ahead with the application for full professional accreditation from the AIPP.  I am now very proud to announce that late last Friday the AIPP approved my accreditation and I am now Kassy Solomon Accredited Professional Photographer (APP) of the AIPP.

You may ask why this is so important.  Not only do I feel that a goal has been reached more importantly as of the 18th September 2015 the ACCC certified the AIPP as meeting the requirements to be a professional body and in turn all members of the AIPP can be considered true business professionals.

In short if a photographer is displaying the AIPP Professional Logo  you can be assured you have hired a professional that has proven they provide a professional level of service, product quality, business ethics and upholds all the standards set for professional photographers by the AIPP.

I am very proud to have achieved this level as a professional photographer and can’t wait for the continuing journey ahead.

Until next week.

Kassy.

Having a Swell time

You always know when it’s September on the Gold Coast.  No, I am not talking about the change in the weather from Winter to Spring, I am talking about the interesting and amazing sculptures that appear on and around the Currumbin Beachfront.  It must be the annual Swell Festival (now in it’s 14th year).

Heading down late on Saturday afternoon, I grab my camera bag, packed with filters and lens as well as my tripod.  The weather is perfect; it’s warm, the sun is shining and the festival is sure to be busy.   Arriving at Currumbin, I start my exploration of Swell down at southern end, near the Surf Club.

With my Nikon in hand I start to wander and check out this years 50 plus sculptures that are on display built by local, national and international artists.   There are so many innovative, artistically challenging  pieces on display that it is so easy to get caught up at each piece for hours, taking pictures and admiring the talent of each artist.

Like each year before, I try to get unique and interesting perspective shots of the sculptures I love the most.  Walking along at this time of day I am blessed with a little colour starting to show up in the sky as the day turns to dusk.  These colours just enhance the sculptures and in some cases add that wow factor.

By the time I reach Currumbin Rock, day has turned into night and now the sculptures are lit up and take on a life of their own as I make my way back down the beach towards the surf club, and the car. I am still trying to take photos of the sculptures, even in the dark.  As I am walking the music fills the air and I come across what has to be my favourite sculpture of this year’s Swell Festival, John Cox’s See Life.  I settle down in the sand with camera on tripod as this sculpture lights up in set sequences and colour combinations. I am swept away by the beauty of the sculpture before me and at that moment I am at peace with the universe.

At the end of the night I am relaxed and fulfilled as I pack up the car and head home, closing the door on another year of Swell.

Until next week.

Kassy

RAW is BOLD, RAW is ME

What a whirlwind the last 4 weeks have been (I guess this is another way of saying to my loyal readers that it has been so busy and that’s why the blog has been very silent”.

In July this year I was asked to become a RAW artist and showcase at their September event called BOLD.  I was honoured to be given this opportunity and couldn’t wait for September to officially be part of the world wide RAW family.   At first when you decide to “put yourself out there” it is all exciting and you get stuck into the preparation, ticking things off the to do list you feel you are cruising along and on track.  Then comes the photo selection and that part of the experience hit me like a tonne of bricks, what do I include in the selection?, what photos are “good enough”? after all I am putting it all out there, to be judged by both the public and fellow photography peers.

After some sleepless nights, endless photo folders, culling, regrouping and many test prints later my final prints were chosen.   I must add that during this lead up process I could not made it to the night without my husband (Ben), my mentor (Sheryn) and the team at INK FX who not only had to deal with the many phone calls and questions but asked to rush prints.  I do recall my husband at some time mumbling under his breath, “that he couldn’t wait till Thursday 24th”, forget bridezilla I guess me being me I wanted perfection and almost drove all persons around my crazy.

Before I knew it the day was here, this occasion called for a special outfit and very special hair do (from my wonderful friend of over 20 years and amazing hairdresser, Michelle Red) we head off to the venue to get everything set up.  On arriving we unload and “check in” and find my wall space.  Just after arriving the event photographer introduced herself and off I went to get my official headshots done (now I’m feeling like an artist on the red carpet).  It took us about an hour to set up my display and tweek a few things.  I am now ready to greet the world and present, Kassy Solomon and Solo Images Photography at RAW.

During the RAW event I met and spoke with some wonderful people including my local Mudgeeraba Councillor, Glenn Tozer and his stunning wife Melissa, they were so warm and friendly and we chatted for some time, Melissa was taken with my Love photo and gave me a few alternative creative ideas to try.  As the night went on I was humbled to see many of my friends who took time out of their schedule to come, show their support and say hi.  I really can’t properly express in words just how much all this support means to me, apart from family it is these moments within your life that you know you are truly grateful and blessed to be alive.   To top of the evening and a surprise was my brother came from the Sunshine Coast to the event to show his love and support, I know now he is without doubt of just how talented his little sis is 🙂

In summary there was a huge positive reaction from all guests who stopped by and admired my work.  I believe the most talked about and liked photos were  “Love”, “Wetland Wonders” and “Purple Sunrise”.  During the night one person commented to me standing in front of my “Purple Sunrise” and asked who was the artist, they mistook this canvas for a painting – it was almost to hard to believe it was a photo.  That was the icing on the cake.

RAW, a magical experience, well worth it.  You never know I might be back for a second time 🙂

PS there is a few limited edition canvases still available to purchase please email me at info@soloimages.com.au for further details.

Until next week.

Kassy.

Black and White

Whether you prefer colour or black and white photography the fundamentals are the same, a great photo comes from the love of light, the way you control that light and the way you process the photo to make it unique and your own interpretation.

When you think of black and white photography the first name that comes up is Ansel Adams, clearly one of the most influential and amazing landscape photographers of his time.  Photographers, young and old, are still learning from him well after his death, his technique and understanding of light teaches us to continue to push and chase the light until you master the image in your mind.

Recently I have discovered another master, the works of Frank Hurley.  An Australian photographer and adventurer.  If anyone could get me in the freezing cold and begging to go to Antarctica it is this person.  His imagery is very powerful and clearly he has the techniques and control of light that has produced some breathtaking landscape images of this area.

So with the greats in mind on Sunday I wandered around my yard and immediate surrounds (when learning it doesn’t matter that the subject is not somewhere like Antarctica as the principals of learning the technique are the same) and tried to produce some interesting black and white images of very ordinary “weeds” by controlling the light.

Like all aspects of learning there were hits and misses with my photos.  I never delete a photo, my very amazing mentor and teacher always taught me you learn more from the wrong than the right.  Every photo I take is something to study, learn from and try to improve.

Here are some of the hits and yes, misses, from my adventure.  I hope you enjoy my photos and I welcome any comments.

Until next week,

Kassy

Reflecting

Sorry it’s not Friday and this blog is late.  Truth be told I have not had a good photo adventure the last few weeks and felt I had nothing to write about and nothing to share.  I was actually contemplating moving the blog to fortnightly with all the changes in my life.   Again the universe has stepped in and a conversation today changed my thinking and perspective, yet again, and reminded me why I do this every week.

The conversation started around websites, business and blogging, we were talking about a recent podcast and advice was given along the lines that you should not always just blog about your business, show everyone your personal side, your funny side and share different tips – keep it real, keep it interesting.

So after this discussion, my head is spinning, all these thoughts are coming quick and fast then I sat back down and starting to read – I went back and had a look over my blogs, my stories and well my journey.   After reading through the last 18 months (well skimming through) I sat back and realised, you know what I am proud of every post I have, the hours of drafting, learning, growing all whilst keeping it real.  I have something to contribute to the world and I am proud to say it.

The last month I have been flat, struggling creatively and wondering what the universe’s next step was.  Don’t get me wrong I love my new job and the life changes I have made, I just need to work some creative/inspiration time back into the fold as well.  Life is all about balance and that is why I will make the time each week to blog.

To take back my creativity and maybe inspire someone else I want to share with you some photos I have taken this year that I look back at and find peace, motivation or inspiration from.

Trees, water, sunset
All inspiration things in nature

Until next week (well Friday 🙂 )

Kassy

Enjoying and Living Life

“Everything in life happens for a reason”.  Have you heard that before?  Do you believe it?  I know I do.  2015 started off with a flood in my studio, my floor removed, part walls taken off – well you get the picture.  After months of rain we have finally had enough of a dry spell to install extra drainage and now have the green light to commence repairs within the studio.  That means within a month I will finally be able to put back together my studio, with a few new improvements, get my creative juices flowing and start my next photography project.

During the last 4 months I have been concentrating more on myself, pushing forward and making changes, whilst still finding some time for photographs. Having watched another close photo friend embark on her own special project after she had some wins in the state awards (each one not related to the other) has renewed my desire and lit the passion inside to go forward with my “Rock” project.  It is time to get it off the ground, time to take my thoughts, ideas and vision and push them into action.  Once the studio is ready I will begin the model calls for this unique project.

In the meantime I will continue to photograph what I see in my life.  Late last Sunday I took a drive initially looking for “Metal” images and ended up discovering Jacobs Well and Cabbage Tree Point tucked in amongst the cane fields.  Heading out in the car just before Sunset gave me opportunity to find some metal on lamp posts, farm sheds and factories.  Once satisfied with my findings I headed down to the jetty and the waters edge to watch the boats and the colours in the sky.

Some “Metal” Findings

Such a peaceful experience just sitting by the water edge, watching the keen fishermen try their luck as the birds circle around to steal their catch.  The light was just stunning as I watched the seagulls wander along the waters edge.  I walk up a bit further and see “percy” the pelican fly in and glide over the water as he comes in for a landing and wades along the shallow waters looking for a feed.  All the while watching the colours in the sky over the water turning pink as day turns to dusk.

Peace and Tranquility by the water’s edge

I was a little disappointed that the cane in the fields was so high, it was blocking out the sun setting on the mountains in the distance however it was almost dusk when I left Cabbage Tree Point and just as you head out of the town you are high on the hill and even though the cane in the cane fields high as you come around the bend there is a small gap and the sun was just above the horizon setting which made for a quick photo opportunity, the last of the day.

Sunset over the Cane Fields

We are lucky to be alive and living in this glorious world, we need to remember that always.

Until next week.

Kassy

Weekend Adventures

I always look forward to a visit from my photographer girlfriend from Cocos (Keeling) Island, not only for the fact that she is an amazing person and very good friend but also that we end up planning photo adventures that keep me blogging about the funny stories that happen on our travels, the great locations we find and the amazing photos captured along the way.

This particular weekend we arranged to meet up mid afternoon for coffee and a chat before heading out to a secret location in Brisbane and meet up with other photo friend to capture tonight’s sunset.  Karen is lucky to live near a wetland reserve so after our hello, coffee and chat whilst looking through Karen’s latest photo book we headed out for a walk through nature.   On our walk we found alot of interesting things including lots and lots of butterflies, dancing in the sunlight.

Things you see in the Wetlands

Heading along the river we came across a man fishing, he has Parkinson’s but is such a friendly gentleman who loves to take photos.  He took alot of pleasure in showing us a few of the swans he saw at this location a few days ago.  He also was kind enough to warn us of a snake up ahead, so change of direction and we are back on our walk heading up the river.  We came to an opening where the trees are coming out of the water and I see reflection, colours and ripples, all the elements to create a magnificent abstract photo in camera.  It was a picture in my head, I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve. Now I know abstract is not everyone’s cup of tea and very subjective but I will show my before and after photos so maybe you can see what I saw.

My Abstract – Vision
Left Image – Real
Right Image – Abstract taken in Camera

Time was getting away from us and we hurried back to the car to head into Brisbane to our sunset location and meet up with Vikki, another good friend, who also shares the love of photography.   We are somewhere on the Brisbane River right under the Gateway Bridge.  From underneath you look up at the Bridge and appreciate the enormity of this structure.  So many interesting lines and curves combined with the calm waterway and a stunning sunset, it’s a photographer’s dream.

“Secret Location”
Sunset

We spent a good couple of hours at our location, talking, laughing and of course taking photos whilst waiting for the sun to set on the horizon.  Tonight’s sunset was another Autumn delight, the warm orange rays from the sun danced and reflected on the water surface.  However the best was yet to come, after the sun went down the twlight colours lit up the sky.

Twlight

Another perfect day in Paradise, thanks to Karen, Vikki and Kire for a wonderful afternoon.

Until next week.

Kassy