Beauty Redefined Series - Kendra Sumpter - TRD Photography

Beauty Redefined Series - Kendra Sumpter

"I've always been different. I see tattoos as art. Surprisingly, I get more older people that love my tattoos and tell me how beautiful I am with them. My tattoos make me feel like who I'm supposed to be. Different. Set apart from everyone else." Kendra

Beauty Redefined Series - Post #2 - Photographer Ricky Davis

Beauty Redefined Series - Post #2

"The beauty I see is the devotion I have for caring for a spouse who can't take care of himself any longer. In a world with instant gratification and throw away marriages, I believe there must be beauty in faithfulness...." Claire

We hope you enjoyed this week's Beauty Redefined Series post. Stay tuned for the next one next Friday.

Beauty Redefined Series - Post #1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

Beauty Redefined Series - Post #1

"I started self-harming at twelve years old. There was never really a wish to die, just to find a way to distract from the sadness and anger. I came from a very controlling, strict, religious household and sometimes the only thing I felt in control of was how many cuts I made on my arm that day. It became a way for me to deal with depression and anxiety into adulthood. I used to be really self-conscience of the scars on my arms, but now they don’t bother me as much. I thought about tattooing over them then I realized I don’t want to cover them up. They constantly remind me that I was strong enough to overcome a really dark period in my life. All of us have scars from making it through rough times. Mine are just visible. " Cera

This is a blog that I've been anxiously awaiting to share for the last few months. Earlier this year, I decided to revisit a series idea that I had several years ago. The first "Beauty Redefined" idea involved b&w portraits and quotes about beauty from those I photographed.

The new series focuses around studio portraits done on black and white film photography and discussing not only beauty in the typical sense of the word, but how different people view it, and how culture shapes our views as well. I wanted to share stories from people who have had different life experiences, and share a variety of views. The series debuted recently at the Nashville RAW Artists Verve Showcase and I'm in discussion for another show in the Spring because this is going to be an ongoing showcase.

Minolta XG1 Find and Test.....

Minolta XG1 Find and Test Roll

So last summer when I first started to learn to work with film, I had picked up a Minolta XG1 off of ebay. It came in, in horrible condition and literally fell apart after three rolls of film. The sad thing was, the photos I took with it were really awesome. So I've had an eye out for one at a decent price ever since. Last week I found one at a local yard sale for twenty bucks. It appeared to be in great condition, so I picked it up. So far I've tested one roll of film so far over several modeling sets.

Minolta XG 1 - Kodak Tri X - Tattoo Artist - Jennifer Edge - Main Line Ink - TRD Photography

The first tests were with my pal, Jennifer Edge. She's a tattoo artist at Main Line Ink in Chattanooga. I had a portrait session lined up with Jennifer but we threw in a few fun shots on the XG1. With my style of work, I like to have a good time with it. Jennifer gets my irreverent side. ;) As far as the camera, it's been awhile since I've worked with a manual focusing camera and several of her shots came out really blurry. Kind of the consequences when you have bad eye sight.

Model - Josey McGill - Minolta XG1 - Kodak Tri X - TRD Photography

This second lady is Josey. I was attending a shootout this past weekend with the plan of trying out the Minolta as well as a new (to me) Canon EOS 1N. My first shoot of the day had been rescheduled but I wanted to make sure my new gear was in working order, so Josey came early and let me try it out on her. Again, in the studio lighting, the XG1 was a little soft of focus, but that very well could be nailing down my settings. Josey's set did turn out abit more crisp as I'd had time to get back in the groove a little bit.

Minolta XG1 - Kodak Tri X - Model Avery Blansit - TRD Photography

This third lady is model Avery Blansit. We took this photo at the shootout on Sunday with natural lighting. The Minolta was considerable crisper with the natural lighting, which again, is probably just brushing up on my settings and getting the hang of it again.

I'm super stoked with the camera and I'm excited to continue to adjust to it. I couldn't be happier with the photos I've gotten from it so far. Not too shabby for a yard sale find.

"What Makes You Feel Beautiful?" Krysten B.

"What Makes You Feel Beautiful?" Series - Krysten B.

"What makes you feel beautiful?"

"There are a lot of things that can make me feel beautiful. From simply having a good hair/makeup day all the way to wearing no makeup and having messy hair and someone telling me I'm beautiful anyway. I've always had self esteem issues so feeling that way is very few and far between."  - Krysten

"Why do you think we put such an emphasis on beauty in America?"

"The 'standard' of beauty has always been a part of the media. It obviously changes over time, but it's always there and it will always be there. I think there is such an emphasis on it because everyone will always want to be beautiful. Maybe not the standard beauty that is pushed to us through magazines/tv/movies, but in their own way." - Krysten

"What Makes You Feel Beautiful?" Series - Krysten B - Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Film Photo - Kodak Tri X

Stay tuned for more from this series coming soon...