Once summertime hits and classes end it’s like I go from hardly having the time to take a shower to having all the time in the world. This summer I’ll be traveling quite a bit but for those in-between times I figured I’d branch out and try something other than photography to keep myself inspired and creating. I like to work with my hands a lot, which probably comes from 15+ years of painting and drawing classes, so I chose to start there.

I’m really into odd jewelry, especially vintage and handmade pieces. I was inspired to create my own, so I researched. After buying freshwater pearls, quartz, turquoise, wolf teeth (ethically obtained of course), bone feathers, wrapping wire and Jasper beads I realized I had more than enough for one necklace. Buying in bulk sure leaves you with a lot of leftover material.

The lovely Savannah stood in and modeled for me in a pinch when I wanted to show off my creations. I used Kodak Portra 400 and the Canon AE-1 for these.

Bamboo Forest

Bamboo Forest

Creepy old house. No I won’t give up the location.

Creepy old house. No I won’t give up the location.

Trees

Legs.

Paint.

Free.

Wearing my necklaces 🙂

Green.

So obviously, the jewelry creation she is modeling are the necklaces. The feathers are made from hand carved bone and the quartz crystal is wrapped with copper wire. Freshwater pearls in either green or pink are also wired into the wrapping. Feathers with a Jasper blue/green bead or turquoise are also available. All of them are on a 20″ suede cord. Pricing varies between $20-$25 depending upon the choice. Bracelets also available with beads and/or freshwater pearls for $15. 

ANYWAYS. I have found that with my last shoot my little Canon AE-1 may need a CLA. The ISO knob, which frustratingly sits on top of the shutter speed knob, always changes itself on its own. This is not good because the light meter goes by what the ISO is set to. I can’t say how many times I set it to 400 only to notice it had turned itself up to 800 or 1600. This roll made it out without too many technical difficulties but I want to prevent problems in the future.

As always, I have some digital renditions.

Two of six pieces available.

Light.

All the jewelry!

Bamboo.

Thanks Savannah for being such a cool model and giving me an awesome location to use. Next blog post will be a Film Photog Friday and followed by a post on the NEW POLAROID. So excited to do that one.

Want to be featured? Shoot me an email at kaitlinelnewman@gmail.com. I’m also considering selling ad space, so if you’re a small photography business or supplier, feel free to contact me with ideas.