Rock-The-Shot photo contest!!

ROCK THE SHOT

Photo Challenge November 2012 

Theme: "Thankful"

Sally Prisco Photography Entry:

I'm thankful for...

...the opportunity to be doing what I love, 

...my mom who taught me to chase my dreams through example,

...the motivation & support of my friends, family & colleagues,

...the wonderful, kind & inspiring people I've met along the way,

...capturing shots like this...

www.rocktheshotforum.com

http://www.rocktheshotforum.com/wp-content/Banners/banner_125px.jpg

Ooh baby I like it RAW...yeah baby I like it RAW!!!!

Why oh WHY did I wait so damn long to shoot in RAW format?!?!?

For those of you not familiar with photography, RAW files are the alternative to JPEGs or rather JPEGs serve as a 'short-cut' to RAW files. Whenever you shoot in JPEG format your images are automatically 'adjusted' by an internal mechanism in the camera so they can be printed/stored/shared immediately. RAW files, on the other hand, are exactly what their name suggests--they are 'pure', 'unprocessed', 'unaltered' files--much like negatives in film. Because most of the work has already been done for you in JPEG format you limit and constrain many of your creative possibilites--most importantly in regards to COLOR!

Now many of you may be wondering, if the difference between RAW and JPEG files is so significant, why then did I ignore it all these years?!?! As I try to find a legitimate excuse, the only truly honest answer I can give is I was being a big stubborn baby!!! Jpegs were what I was used to, they were easy, they were convenient and most importantly they weren't intimidating!! I'd take the picture, play with it in an editing program like photoshop and that was it. Not too bad considering Photoshop has amazing editing tools but I shoot using sunlight and natural lighting can be extremely unpredictable. Should the lift shift due to a cloud, shadow, etc. you must quickly adjust the settings on the camera to get the right exposure. Often times I'd snap a photo without making the proper adjustments because I didn't want to miss a 'moment'. I'd get home, load my images onto my computer and find that INCREDIBLE shots were DAMAGED because they were either too light/too dark. I'd make painstaking attempts to save the images using every bell and whistle photoshop had to offer but to no avail and eventually I'd have to chuck them off into a LOST folder.

This past weekend, when I was booked to shoot NYC DJ Jonathan Casali, I decided to take a chance and shoot in RAW format....HOLY MOLY MACARONI---WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!!!! Not only was I able to easily save some GREAT shots due to 'bad' exposures but I was also able to 'enhance' the 'good' ones by introducing some interesting color schemes. A GREAT lesson was learned this past week...DON'T be afraid of the unknown, NEVER rely on convenience & ALWAYS go for the gusto---you can never fail if you PUSH yourself beyond your comfort zone, you can only grow!!!

Until next time,

Miss Sally

BABE-O-LICIOUS :: RECESSION PROFF

Foreclosures, increased finance charges, higher APR's, repossessions, lay-offs, salary cuts, bankrupties--the financial woes of this country are enough to make a grown man cry!!
However, on the brighter side, lack of money has forced people to tap into their creative juices for a lil entrepreneurial inspiration.

Isn't it sad how the most creative and artistically gifted of people are forced to let their talented gifts fall wayside because of life's circumstances?!?! The need to pay rent, bills and eat can easily override your desire to create and soon enough you find yourself working a steady 9-5 in the corporate world's rat race! Sometimes it can be years--decades even--before you realize how big of a hole you've dug for yourself and just like everything else in life that seems to come full circle--serious financial hardship forces you to shift your focus on 'earning' yet once again!!

With the workforce being so tight these days many creative brains are instinctively switching back into artistic mode and saddling up on that creative horse with determination, passion and fervor. Check out my friends at www.BigAppleTeez.com, they're living proof of the new American Dream!!!!!!!!! Their NYC inspired silk screens are fun, fun, fun and NY to the core!

Let their story inspire you!

Enjoy the photos...they were taken by yours truly!

Modeled By: Melissa Molerio and Bianca Bastone

Until next time,
Miss Sally <3

Autumnal Sun

This morning I woke up feeling inspired! I absolutely love early mornings at this time of the year---the weather is breezy, the trees are weary and the sun transforms everything into a glowing orange ember. So I got dressed, jumped on my bike and set out to create magic!!! My goal was to capture the sun kissing the surface of the earth in all of her sweet, soft, nurturing warmth. I was determined, focused & recharged so this should have been an easy task, right?!?!? WRONG, as I struggled to recreate in photos what my naked eye was seeing I quickly remembered not every shooting experience is going to result in a cascade of extraordinary shots.
Today just wasn't my day--so I put my camera away, enjoyed the world all by myself & and rolled around for another 45 min or so until I pedaled home in defeat.
This experience reminded me of a quote by the great ANSEL ADAMS that I often repeat to myself: "Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop!" Perhaps tomorrow will bear a fruitful batch of magical goodies. As for today, I shall remain humbled!

Until next time,
Miss Sally

Lulled by Il Sole

The ruling planet of Leo is the sun, so I guess it was natural that the only time Lil AJ felt at peace was when he was basking in the warmth of his cosmic ruler. It's incredible how charming a new born baby can be; the creative inspiration you can draw from them is expansive.

Lets hope he's as animated, charismatic and charming as his big cousin Brianna who showed up on the day of our shoot. Within seconds she was my best friend--telling me secrets, mastering my camera & hamming it up. Soon she will be my main subject--a date I eagerly look forward to. I just know she's going to make me famous! Oh, and did I mention, she's a Lioness herself!!! But I'm sure I didn't have to tell you that by sound of her roar!!

I LOVE MY JOB <3 <3 <3 until next time, miss sally

it's a DOGGIE DOG world

animals may be the hardest subjects to capture. my previous attempts to shoot my lil chihuahua mix have caused me heartache. today i managed to get a few that tickled my fancy. blogspot meet tallulah belle.

tales of a lost treasure found

Every so often those pesky pirates of the universe play a terrible trick on us taking our treasured gems and hiding them for a painful period of time. We spend countless hours, days, and months looking for them praying hopelessly to the gods of fortune to guide us to their secret location only to chalk it up and determine the goods lost. Then without fail, like a message in a bottle that has been washed ashore they pop up and suddenly they appear before our eyes as if they had been there for centuries.

As I was rummaging through an old storage bin earlier this evening, I fell upon an long lost removable hard drive. On it were photos I had taken over the last decade--pictures from past vacations, old photo essays, portraits and silly family photos. This discovery was monumental on so many levels. Not only did I restore my photographic library but more importantly I had regained memories of a past that were long forgotten.

Photography is a document of one's endeavors. And in the years that follow it helps us to remember those moments when life has treated us kindly--moments of awe, moments of laughter, and moments of pride all frozen in time and when looked upon they have the power to transport us back to that very instant in a heartbeat. When those images are lost we jeopardize our very existence because without memories who are we?

Today I share with you a portion of an unfinished photo essay that I worked on from 2008 until 2009. All of the photographs were taken in the Bronx, which surprisingly has the most natural landscapes of all five boroughs. My focus was on finding areas where man and technology had quietly encroached upon nature. Massive industrial structures loom across the horizon all while the natural world remains unfazed playing gently in it's shadows. It's a testament to the soul of the Bronx and all of it's 'rough beauty'.

Sadly, this project was quickly abandoned after I deemed it's contents lost to that black hole we call cyber space. So, with this find I send out vibrations of gratitude to the gods of fortune because I am so very thankful for the chance to take hold of an opportunity once lost.
Enjoy,
Miss Sally