Discovering the Hidden Beauty: Summer Camp + Beyond!
Erin Baron is a 20 year old, creative and insightful Shutterbug. Hailing from Hackensack, NJ, Erin first enrolled in the Shutterbugs program when she was 17 and was one of our first students from outside of Los Angeles to attend our Summer Camp in Lake Arrowhead, CA this year! This collection highlights the phenomenal work Erin created during the Pablove Shutterbugs 5-Week program, as well as her Alumni Summer Camp experience.
Erin is currently studying fine arts in college and when she’s not in class, she works part-time for a local jeweler. Anyone who has had the chance to get to know Erin, or even look at her photographs, has learned that she has a keen eye for discovering the hidden beauty that surrounds her and is also a woman of many artistic trades! When asked about her future plans, Erin sees several creative options: an art teacher, owning her own art or photography studio, being a tattoo artist (she’s designed the majority of her own 8 tattoos!) or as a back-up—a flight attendant, which would allow her to travel the world while photographing it!
“Fly Away”
This first featured photograph captures the essence of taking flight. Taken at Six Flags, Erin noticed that this ride “looked really cool” but had no idea what it was. She describes it as resembling a “big star” until it was in motion. The angle at which the image is taken is her favorite part of the photograph.
Pro’s Talk Shutterbugs: A Rock Photographer Shares His Pick
With Coachella kicking off this weekend in the desert, we’re celebrating in the start of Festival Season with a rocking collection inspired by all things musical, courtesy of our Pablove Shutterbugs students!
Seeking inspiration? Breeze through our Music Lovers collection to find the perfect piece for you.
Chapman shoots talented musicians from Queens of the Stone Age to Katy Perry. He is also a 6-year Pablove Shutterbugs mentor! (Pictured here with his mentee, Sabrina)
Spring Into… Light + Color!
The light-filled photos in Simon’s Artist of the Month collection arrive just in time for Spring-forward. These photos transport us to the Eastern Plains and deliver a much-needed dose of sunshine. See for yourself!
Simon took many of these photographs outside on his family’s property – they live on over 40 acres of land in rural Colorado. The natural light he captures lends a vibrant crispness to his images, pairing nicely with shots that experiment with black and white tonality.
Simon had never taken a photography class before, and was just 16 years old when he signed up for Pablove Shutterbugs. His skillful compositions and thoughtful subject matter show his maturity as a photographer coming to life.
In this photo, the raw beauty of the rural landscape takes on a personality of it’s own. Simon experiments with creating a different type of landscape photograph than the ones he was used to taking. He remarks: “I got up earlier than I usually do to take a picture of a sunrise before 6 a.m. I took this at home from one of our porches. I like the colors of the sky and how the sun is starting to light the land.”
Can you guess which photo is Simon’s favorite? It’s this staged scene of a bionicle. Simon explains his technique: “I positioned him in the grass and made him look like he could be a full size robot. I went outside and got him set up and had to kinda lie down on the ground to get a good enough perspective.” The use of horizon line and the positioning of this character against the textured backdrop of the Colorado plains make him appear larger than life – primed to shoot off straight into outer space!
The title says it all! Simon expertly poses his dog, Panda, in a shot utilizing worm’s eye view. He explains, “This was also taken during the time that we were learning about perspective. I thought it would be kinda cool to get a picture of Panda looking up while I was down low on the ground.” This playful portrait captures his pup from a fresh angle.
This energetic self-portrait encapsulates Simon’s love for music. He poses for the camera, playing from sheet music while his sister looks on. Simon explains, “I tried to get the camera set up on the self timer. I had to do it more than once to get it good enough.” Practice makes perfect. Nice shot, Simon!
“Buy one of my photos and be awesome – you don’t have to do both but at least do one. If you buy this print you will be awesome not just because you have amazing taste, but you also will be supporting an awesome organization and cancer research.” – Simon
Simon is 18 years old. He lives in “The Middle of Nowhere”, Colorado (his words, not ours); about an hour outside of Denver, CO. Simon is very musically talented – he plays both the saxophone and the violin – and plays in a band. The next instrument he’s aiming to master is the guitar! He wants to be a professional musician when he gets older.
A Valentine’s Day Treat from One Tough Cookie
In honor of the Month of Love, we’re all about sharing the photos we <3, with you! And what better way to get struck by cupid’s arrow than with Artist of the Month 12 year-old Gracie from Freehold, NJ. Grace, aka “Cookie” is an avid photographer and likes that her camera is small and portable, which makes it easy to take it with her wherever she goes!
Grace’s motto is, “You have no choice but to be strong, but you can choose to be happy and positive!” Pair that with photos that are sweet, thoughtful, and easy-on-the-eyes – it’s hard not to fall in love. The images in her collection share a “slice of life” immediacy that comes with always being camera-ready for the next great shot. Take a second to contemplate her images in this collection, because there’s almost always more to them than can be seen at first glance. You just might become smitten yourself!
“Colt Sunrise” by Grace, 12 years old
We’re glad Grace had her camera with her just in time to capture the sunrise in this cool, atmospheric landscape shot. She photographed the mist rising over the baseball field from the car taken while dropping her brother off at school. Grace says, “I liked how it looked like a painting, how the land and trees are mixed in with the fog and sun.” She titled the photo “Colt Sunrise” because her brother’s school mascot is the Colt. This image is painterly, pastoral and perfect. Bravo!
“Untitled” by Grace
Paint splatter? An other-worldly phenomenon? This image is delightfully deceptive – these celestial green bands appear both flat and three dimensional at the same time. What’s her secret? Grace photographed this image in her backyard at night, while her father shone a green laser on the grass. Using a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of light, she expertly layers texture, line and color to create an artful and intriguing composition. Take a closer look and you can even see the blades of grass on the ground!
“Untitled” by Grace
This bold red image contrasts nicely to green composition above – it is a different kind of study in color and light. Grace captures the bright warmth of a row of candles in a church. For her, “the candles represent a different person and each person saying a prayer.” Her photograph is soft, subtle, and calm- yet the message speaks louder than words.
“Untitled” by Grace
This next photo tricks the eye with its interplay of shapes, color and pattern. Plus, it’s an example of Grace’s favorite color (pink!) and favorite lesson in perspective – worm’s eye view. This grand image was created by simply getting down on her knees to snap the shot from under the table at a restaurant. Grace adds, “I like the patterns in it. If you look at it once you wouldn’t see all the details, but you look at it again there’s a little something hidden.” Nice work, Grace!
“Photography helped get my mind off of everything that was happening. It was a good distraction, to have something else to focus on other than my cancer treatment. I like photography because you can tell a story through it. You can turn one picture into a billion different things. And I like doing it! It’s relaxing and stress relieving.” – Grace, Pablove Shutterbugs student
Grace is 12 years old (going on 30, says Mom) and lives in Freehold, NJ. People who know her well call her “Cookie”- a nickname she’s had since birth because her parents knew she’d need to be a tough cookie to put up with her boisterous older brother. Grace has lived up to the nickname ever since, and is returning to the seventh grade this semester. Go Cookie!