Welcome to the official blog of Jayden S Crawford, an aspiring photographer who currently resides at Durham College.
Let the journey begin.
Scavenger Hunt
For class, our professor gave us an assignment revolving around a Scavenger Hunt. Admittedly, I was at a loss to do with the various subjects given to us. But finally, a few last minute ideas came to me… and here they are;
Each set of photos has a concept – as well as a strong theme involved.
Dominant colour theme: The boldest of reds.
One of my sister in law’s has to be one of the loveliest models I’ve had the chance of photographing. She is always up for the challenge to assist me with school work when she has the chance. At first, we were going to do separate red shirts, but it seems that everything about her suited the nature of what we aimed for.
Red is bold – and without a doubt brings a strong vibe to the darker scene around her. It grabs your attention – or, hopefully so.
Next on the list was texture. Now, I normally would have gone with clothes – but this is what we deemed to work the best. Halloween is a favourite time of year for me and due to that, and having a wonderful, gothic girlfriend, puts me in a position where I knowingly have far too many halloween things sitting around the house.
These are the halloween textures I put together, wanting them to look like they were being sold somewhere.
Another subject was “high amount of negative space”. Of all the places I’d imagine going, my kitchen was not one of them. But, here we are – and these are the photos I took of it;
The last photography concept was Black and White. My other sister-in-law, who has modeled for me several times before, was more than happy to help me out. She’s a fantastic model.
We aimed for an outside look with different outfits;
The Student Experience
On Tuesday last week, the class was split up into three categories to create an interview based off a students life at Durham College. The process in which this occurs is anything but easy, especially as a student who is scrambling toward the end of their College semester in attempts to finalize all projects that may be remaining. With little sleep and heartening energy, the group below created a wonderful product. Studio space alone is difficult, but setting a scene like the one done here, was incredibly well done.
The video below shows the background details regarding the set-up process and a behind-the-scenes look at what it is like to conduct an interview. Not only is the setup tedious, but the clean up can be overbearing at times as well.
The interviewee, Sarah Kozak, was asked a series of questions based off her experience this year at Durham College and her aspirations for the future. While within the photography program, it is shown through the interview that we also collaborate with videography students upon the first year.
The student experience is just as important as a students dream. After all, there’s a reason we’re in College to begin with. We have dreams and ambitions that grow stronger every day.
Photo and Video Credit: Liam Tweedie, Brandon Ramphal, Aisha Oliphant, Paul Slowley & Sarah Kozak
Behind The Scenes: Toy Car
As an aspiring photographer in their first year of College, I find myself indulging in subjects I never quite imagined. Photography itself sounds simple, but in truth, the evolving career is entirely complex. I once thought that the idea was as simple as pointing and clicking – but there is so much more to it than that, including some nice lights and a good camera. I often find myself indulged in the idea of sunsets – or even pets, but those are only the basics of how far photography can go and grow.
During Social Media Class, our professor Brian Stephens gave us the wonderful idea of bring a toy car to life. Inspired by the amazing Felix Hernandez Rodriguez, whose work is beyond anything we’ve ever seen, our attempt at photographing a toy car was entirely unexpected. It was a type of photography I’d never dabbled into, let alone given the chance. The closest experience I’ve had with miniature photography had to be any attempt at using a macro lens (which offer attentive detail to tiny critters, or even meticulous shots of eyes). But honestly? I loved it. Watching and joining in on the process was phenomenal. I’ve never taking photos of toys, but now, it honestly makes me far more open minded to the idea that I one day, might try. There is a lot of time and patience required for such tasks though- and sometimes, a team of wonderful people, just like our class.
The idea was that we take a toy car, offer it a background that appears most realistic and of course, add some snow. We wanted a snowy scene. After all, us Canadians deal with snow 3/4ths of the year (exaggerations!).
How simple this idea seems – but how tedious it ends up being. That isn’t to say that we could create it in one fell swoop, no. But despite the circumstances, we accomplished just that. With little error and a big project to create, we established a wonderful scene.
I never would have thought that icing sugar would be the perfect addition to a snow scene. What else would work to benefit the appeal? The best I could think of was salt, but even then, icing sugar seems to be the greatest option, especially when you can get it for such a cheap price at the dollar store.
You can tell just from the photo that sometimes, it takes a lot of work to get the perfect shot- but we all have far too much fun in the meantime. We’re all documenting the long, tedious process that comes with creating such a small scene.
After accomplishing the scene, I wanted to show the difference between what the car looked like within the camera as well as what was established as the background.
Once the photo was taken, it was time for some serious editing! Everyone did such a fantastic job and with amazing editing skills, I could not be more amazed. Photoshop itself is a skill that most photographers need, especially since this is the day and age of digital photography. We wanted to make it look as realistic as we could. Sometimes, the perfect portrait needs to be enhanced with some editing – but it was well worth it in the end.
And one last thing….
Our wonderful Timelapse:
Thank you for reading.
Unconditional Love and Pets
At the age of nine was the first moment I ever held a camera in my hands. I was young, naive and entirely enraptured by the world around me. But while my family often captured canon photos as well as posed portraits of relatives and those closest to us, my first photo was deemed entirely different. In fact, I did nothing but point the camera at my young cat, Mary. He was an adorable cat albeit quite obnoxious all the same. There was a playfulness to him but he never found an interest in anything but spending all of his time with me. Not once did he cuddle with anyone else and he ignored any other cat we ever had in my lifetime. He was my second cat, one I loved and adored and I greatly miss him. But my memories hold strong from those photos I have of him as the ones I took were especially meaningful. In fact, I still have a portrait of him that remains in my room and I can look to it with nostalgia in my eyes and remember the times that brought a smile to my face.
Pet Photography is a passion of mine and has been since I was young. However, I’ve found that it isn’t as common as I thought it would be. I know that pet owners often find themselves at a pet store paying for Halloween or Christmas portraits, maybe even alongside other special holidays they hold close to their hearts. But to be a photographer who focuses on nothing more than animals? It seems like a rare choice – but one that I’ve made nonetheless. A goal of mine that has me focusing on what people love about their pets. Instead of posing them on a plain background – why not get them in their environment?
There are some dogs for example who love to run and play, or maybe lounge around the house and do nothing but hang out. Maybe play with a toy they’re not supposed to – maybe even tear it up….?
There are also cats who enjoy spending time in their cat tree and knowing that they are often troublemakers has me eyeing their deviousness. Whether they’re extreme cuddlers or mischievous animals, to capture that within the lens would often be a fun project. I don’t want to have a cat brought into a studio where it will be anxious and nervous (even if some are models and go anywhere and everywhere!), but their environment is where their personality shines the most.
Then of course, there are the littlest creatures. The smallest of the beans. From bunnies to guinea pigs, even little hamsters. They too have personalities that should be shown in an environment that they love. I’m not opposed to making small sets for these guys, especially since cages can’t necessarily be seen in the right light. Why not a hamster who loves lettuce?
Pet Photography as a whole is something I am wholeheartedly passionate about. There’s never been a time in my life where I didn’t love taking photos of my pets – let alone others. My friends and family have received countless portraits and stills from me just for fun.I do what I can to capture a personality, show love of the animals and of course, have fun while I’m at it.
Pets are also our children too, the same as kids. Although, their lives are often much shorter. They give us unconditional love, learn from us, look up to us and to show how our world can brighten in the simplest ways.
All portraits © me, Jayden Crawford.
Monochromatic | Portraits
Black and White Portrait Photography has been a favourite of mine for longer than I can remember. When I had my first Photography lesson in grade 7, we built our own Pinhole camera and were taught how to develop film ourselves in a red room. Times have changed since then and yet even still I find myself in absolute awe each and every time I come face to face with beautiful monochrome portraits. No, the world isn’t black and white; it’s full of colour. But I believe that’s what draws someone’s eye to the differences.
I hopped in the studio a couple of times within the last few weeks and while I love portrait photography, I find myself involved with a more dramatic experience with it. There’s something powerful about a direct look at the camera, of course. But what I find even more so empowering at times, can be the “Looking Away” portion.
I love elaborating and working with unique takes on tones and stepping out of my comfort zone. A normal photo of someone posing can be fine, even looking at the camera. But establishing a portrait of posing and looking away on a black background offers more dramatic effect than normal.
Contrast is incredibly important to me as well. There’s nothing better than setting the stage with a serious photo that offers you a certain feeling. Not too blown out, not too faded, but just right in the middle.
It’s fun to show a dramatic edge – and it’s also important to change things up.
Change the background to develop a mood.
…And don’t forget. Not everything has to be serious all the time. Establishing personalities or adding a fun flair is always a great addition.
Viral Video | Unboxing; Portable Photo Studio
The online marketing world is growing – and at times also incredibly confusing. There are many viral videos out there and sometimes, even I find myself baffled wondering how on earth they earned millions of views! Animal videos seem to rank on top though, which is understandable seeing as animals are our children… and adorable.
One trend I’ve never understood are the thousands of unboxing videos. On one hand, I can easily wrap my head around living vicariously through a YouTuber’s life and watch in awe as they unwrap a gift I could only wish for. But as I studied viral videos, I couldn’t help but wonder why there isn’t a market for… cheap and affordable products?
Which brings me to my project.
For class, we were to make a viral video and while I found it incredibly difficult to actually do the video properly (angles, lighting and even focus) – it was honestly a lot of fun. But so is this product.
A portable lighting studio, despite small in size only amounted to a total of just under $14 dollars with FREE shipping. I couldn’t say no to that and I was in search of something that would work with a macro lens – or even just a close up of products with minimal editing.
I found that while yes, this video was tedious to accomplish, I learned that’s exactly how marketing can be. Tedious – but fun. I think this may cater toward a photographer audience, but there’s a chance things may be in the “I’d really like this for… reasons!” category as well. Kind of like me.
A special thanks to Liam and Shyanne who helped me with angles and lighting in the studio when creating this video. I couldn’t have done it without you two!
Simply Rectangular
Our professor gave us an in-class assignment and like many other students, I was given Rectangles as the subject in question. Here are the photos I took in regards to the assignment!
Jayden Crawford DC 