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| Lemon, Lauren, from One, ND. |
So how did she acquire the nickname "Lauren Lemon"? As seen in a video on Lynda.com, Lemon states, "The Lauren Lemon thing actually started as a pure nickname from friends. They kind of gave it to me based on, I've always loved bright colors, all of my photography has always expressed the kind of quirkiness and colorful aspects of my work. So the Lauren Lemon think came along kind of when I was signing up for all of these internet things. Like I was like "Oh, this nickname that I'll use, I'll use as my handle for Twitter or for Flickr and then it just really stuck." (Lynda.com)
Regardless of if she is shooting a model or if she's taking a self-portrait, Lemon is sure to "set the scene" and be very careful about what she wants to incorporate in her shot. You may notice in the image pictured to the left side that the main color is green - that is not a coincidence. How can you allow this aspect of Lemon's preparation for a portrait shoot influence your next shoot? How do these props that Lemon uses create a character? In other words, the woman in the apron holding the pie is potentially playing a 1950s housewife - minus the somewhat updated refrigerator - however, could her laugh and the fact that the pie and cookies on the oven are green indicate otherwise?
Not only is Lemon thoughtful when it comes to color and props but she is also mindful of capturing emotion and expression from her subjects. Giving a model direction is one of Lemon's specialties! This certainly comes with practice, although the fact that she also takes many self-portraits allows her to understand what it is like on both sides of the lens. She describes the images that she takes of herself as a character playing a role. What role do you see Lemon playing in the photograph below? What props is she using (or not using) to further push the content? The story?
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| Lemon, Lauren, from Self-Portrait, ND. |
In her interview with Lynda.com Lemon notes, "Once I come up with an idea for a shoot, I pretty much start brainstorming all
the possible props and wardrobe that I need. That's part of how I come up with
an idea is I've already kind of got a list of exactly how I want to look and so
I just need to visualize it within the photo.
So if I can, I like to be able to go to the location and maybe snap some scout photos.
If it's a place I can't look at before the shoot, then I'll look up online or
something to get a kind a visualization of the space that I'll be using". To watch more of Lemon's interview with Lynda.com and learn more about how she plans a portrait shoot, check out the introduction video below:
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01. Lemon, Lauren. "Shooting the 365
Self-portrait Project from the Course The Creative Spark: Lauren Lemon,
Creative Portrait Photographer." Lynda.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
02. "The Creative Spark: Lauren Lemon, Creative Portrait Photographer." Vimeo. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
03. Randolph, Lauren. "Home." Lauren Lemon. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.