January - Self Portrait [Aaron]

Hello all! 

My name is Aaron and this will be my second year here at the Visualization Project. I am very excited to share my photos with you guys this year as we progress throughout the months, and am happy to hear feedback from you all as you view my work! 

Before I share a little bit about myself, I'd like to apologize in advance for my tardiness in posting January's self-portrait project. Last month I had an unfortunate incident where my camera fell, causing the lens to somehow become stuck. So right now I have my recent Christmas gift, Canon's 50mm lens, firmly fixated to my camera, which definitely made self-portrait difficult. Thankfully I was still able to use it to take some pictures though. So again, sorry about that; I hope you enjoy the following posts I have this year!

This is me.

I have a strong appreciation for photography, and the endless styles in which a plain image can be transformed into a masterpiece of art. 

Capturing an image is like freezing time. It's taking a moment of the present and pausing it to reflect on for the rest of time. 

This is perhaps one of my favorite things about photography.

I also love finding the perfect lighting to capture a moment you can remember forever. 

Basketball is another creative outlet that I enjoy. Although I have never played competitive basketball before, I am now in my second year of playing on Monclova Christian Academy's varsity basketball team, and have decided that I will definitely be staying for the rest of my high school career.  

Music is also one of my passions. For over seven years I have played the piano, and enjoy playing in my youth group service every Wednesday, as well as playing at local and state-wide competitions. 

 Lastly, I'd like to give all the glory of everything I am capable of doing to God. Although I love many things this world has to offer, nothing comes close to how much I love the Bible and my Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him I would be nothing, and I am proud to be able to do everything I can for Him and His glory. 

January - Self-Portrait [Nick]

Hello! Haven't we met before? I'm Nick. Remember? Yes, I am now back on track with my photographs, in case you were wondering. Let me share a little about my odd and sometimes rather clueless self for this month's project.

So here's me. Basically.

I like to take pictures. It's kinda cool, I guess (obviously I am sarcastic. It is very cool. Try it.).

I also like to draw. Sketch. Shade. Smudge. Erase. Repeat. 

Also, still on the topic of drawing, I sometimes doodle on myself. My left hand is the perfect canvas! I guess you could say that these doodles on my hand represent my strange and confused mind. (Don't worry. It all washed off the next day. Most of it. And no, I in fact did not get ink poisoning.)

Everyone stop. Yes, I sometimes take selfies with my mom. (This is back when I had shorter hair, ladies and gentlemen.) The only problem is I am the only one who really knows when we're taking a selfie. Hence this candid shot. Enjoy.

When I was a kid, Calvin and Hobbes was my favorite thing to read. I would spend hours reading (but rarely ever understanding) the jokes and punch lines of the famous strip. I still do love Calvin and Hobbes, and it will remain my favorite until the day I die. 

Another thing about me is that I love art. 

Shapes. Design. Shading. Color. Art is amazing. Art is God's creation. Color is God's creation. God is so incredibly amazing.

I took quite some time to finish these. It turned out nicer than I thought it would, though. At least I hope. 

January - Self-portrait [Madeleine]

Hello!
I’m new to this project, so allow me to tell you a little about myself.
I am Madeleine Jade Drees, and I attend Monclova Christian Academy as a senior.
I spend a lot of time doing homework and writing papers.  I work at a small café and enjoy talking with the elderly “regulars” who frequent the restaurant. In my spare time I like to run, read books (usually the same several over and over), and draw pencil portraits. My two-year-old twin sisters are a highlight of my life. I run long distance track and field, and I tend to be competitive. Green tea and water are my beverages of choice—so much so that I drink about a hundred ounces of each a day. I like to research the nutritional values of foods, and I want to study dietetics in college next year. Finally, and most importantly, I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, and in all that I do I want Him to be glorified.

I am just stepping into the world of photography, so bear with me as I learn how to use this handy camera of mine!

January - Self-portrait [Jeannette]

Hello.

My name is Jeannette. Jeannette Marie Beerbower, specifically.

This is a good description of me. Jeannette means "God is gracious," Marie means "bitter" (which is appropriate, but how is a story for another time-basically a sweet aroma of sacrifice, describing my desire to live for Christ), and I am a Beerbower, and love being one.

I am a reader (like I said, I'm a Beerbower) and a bibliofile (if you don't know that word, look it up-I'm a logophile too),

and I am a writer.

I am kind of old-fashioned in thought and less than modern in dress. (I love that line.)

My hair is curly,

and I have freckles marching over the bridge of my cute nose, as my older sister would say. I would debate that. (That it is cute, not that I have freckles. I know I do, and I do not mind my freckles.)

I always look over the top of my glasses. Maybe that's why I look like a teacher or an old maid. Plus rocking in an old chair with a soft blanket around me sounds appealing, though I'd rather be rocking a baby or reading than knitting. I prefer crocheting anyway.

I am a sister and I have a lot of siblings. I love it. I considered adding a picture of some of my siblings and my two siblings-to-be because I love it so much, but I already have so many pictures Rebekah will probably yell at me...

I enjoy doing the dishes because I can think and I can sing, two things I do constantly.

I would have posted a picture of me singing, but I don't like pictures of myself. Generally. Yes, even though I agreed to do a self-portrait post, and this isn't the first time I've taken self-portraits. Sometimes, you're your most available and cooperative subject.

 And, in case you wondered, I like photography.

Nice to meet you.

January - Self-Portrait [Parker]

Welcome back to the Visualization Project, everyone! We are all excited to bring you many new pictures in the year 2014. With the increased amount of time we have for each project I know that I was able to take better pictures and I trust others will have higher quality photographs as well. But as my dissertation on the new year of this collaborative project is not what you came here for I hereby present to you the pictures which I hope accurately capture my "Self-Portrait".

For those of you who desire a literary version of my self-portrait, please read on. All others, skip the following paragraphs and you can go right to the rest of the images. Now that is service tailored for the individual if I ever did see it.

I recently moved to the state of Delaware to work as a youth leader and pastoral intern for the next two years at East Gate Presbyterian Church. I have wanted to be a pastor since I started college and the work I have done here so far has only increased that desire. I am a follower of Jesus and this influences every other aspect of my "self-portrait."

I also am a musician, although I cannot claim the same level of musical merit as Rebekah can. I have played violin for several years and I greatly enjoy playing along with other instruments. I am able to play a certain amount of the mandolin and I understand the very basics of a couple other instruments. 

Other activities of which I partake include reading and (clearly) photography. However, near the top of the list of favorite activities would be time spent with people from church. My brothers and sisters in Christ (including those to whom I am related by blood) have influenced me more than I can imagine and I nearly included a picture or two of them in this post.

I hope that I have been able to give you a glimpse of myself in this post. I look forward to bringing you more photographs throughout the year.

January- Self Portrait [Rebekah]

Hello people!

In case you can't tell from the title of this post, I'm Rebekah. I'm really excited for this year and The Visualization Project.

I actually turned eighteen this past friday, the 17th. It's interesting that the Self-Portrait project happened so soon around it. Why? Because the goal of the Self-Portrait project is to capture who your personality, who you are. And turning eighteen, becoming an official adult, has made me think of who I am and how many things about me will stick with me until I die. It's a little scary.

So, who am I?

The pictures will explain. (And no, I'm not Jean Valjean. I already explained, I'm Rebekah, remember?)

In case you want a long, boring, and worded essay of who I am, here you go. I wonder how many of these things will still be true when I turn 50. Odd thought, isn't it?

I'm generally pretty happy. I find enjoyment in many small things. I'm not easily depressed, and I'm not a moody person.

I'm a musician. It all started when I was five. My parents decided my brothers and I should take piano lessons. From there, everything else came into being. About 3 years ago, I decided I needed to learn a second instrument. So, I took up mandolin. I started to play in The Everlasting Word Band, which is the band of Christ The Word Church. The next thing that happened was, one Christmas season Sunday I got to church just as the band began to practice. Suddenly, I heard them exclaim, "Oh no! We don't have a glockenspiel player, and we have a song that absolutely needs a glockenspiel!" (Ok, so they didn't exactly say that, but that was the essence of it.) They cast their eyes around for a solution, and they alighted on me. So I played glockenspiel that Sunday, and most Christmas Sundays after that. I only play glockenspiel around Christmas, so it's not like I'm amazing at it or anything. But it's a pretty cute little instrument. The fourth thing that happened was that I started to sing. I'd always liked singing, but I was rather surprised how much people liked my voice the first time I sang for church. All I can say is, praise God. The fifth thing is that I've started playing around with my brother's guitar. It's pretty fun.

I'm not yo' average reader. The Hunger Games, alright. Eragon, meh. Twilight, I hope I never have to touch it. I prefer heftier reading.

I'm a lover of history and geography. Maps are so exciting. I love hearing minute details about famous historical figures. For example, did you know that Winston Churchill got clobbered by a car in New York City because he looked left before he crossed a street instead of right? I did.
If there is confusion regarding Winston Churchill's accident in your head, let Wikipedia explain here.

I am a photographer. That should be pretty obvious due to the fact that I am on The Visualization Project. As a photographer, I enjoy looking for the way light hits. I like interesting colors. I'm always on the search for textures. And after actually taking the pictures, I love editing them. There's so many different ways you can go with editing.

Last on this list, but not least, I am a child of God. My desire is that you would see it through my posts here on the blog, and that I would use any talents I have for His glory.

So there's my first post for 2014. May there be many more to come!

January - Self-Portrait

No, we're not magalomaniacs or popinjays, generally. Yes, I used those words because there's a good likelihood that you don't know what they mean. In other words, we aren't particularly egotistical people. (If you don't know what that means, well, you should and you were already looking up megalomaniac, right?)

Still, our first project is entitled Self-Portrait.

But don't expect to see a big photo of someone smiling dorkily at the camera. By portrait, we really mean a portrait. As in the definition, "a verbal description or picture, especially of a person's character." Of course, we will focus on the picture aspect. Our intention is to capture something meaningful about the person we are photographing. In this case, ourselves.

So you won't just see a smiling face in a studio shot. You'll see serious faces, busy fingers, maybe even some feet. You might even see some pictures without someone in them at all. Our goal, though, is to give someone looking at these pictures all together an idea of who we are in character and personality, even if they never met us before.

Note: Here at the Visualization Project, our goal is to improve our photography skills. Part of this is encouraging each other and sharing ideas. However, each person will post their own work. This will include taking our own self-portraits. Still, for this particular assignment, other people's hands may be used, as long as the photographer is the one designing and directing the photograph. Nevertheless, creative tripod and timer use is encouraged.

We hope you find this an appropriate introduction to the members of the Visualization Project.