The world through my lens
With everything going on in my life, I had totally forgotten that a full moon was upon us last night. I credit the #MoonPhase app on iOS for reminding me while I was out walking my dog.
I wish I had my camera on me during the walk because the moon looked great as it was breaking the horizon and there was still a little tree and cloud coverage. I’m not upset though… I was still able to get a few good shots in.
– CJ
As of 1 July 2021, I have taken a position with JCPenney Portrait Studio. It’s nothing lavish or lucrative, but it does give me camera time and an outstanding opportunity to learn more about portrait photography. From lighting to stories and proper posing. I’m honestly really glad to have landed a job within the field that I’ve been wanting to pursue for so many years.
I was made aware of something I was already expecting but needed confirmation on. As I am also currently a photographer with JCPenney Portraits Studio, I do have limitations on what I can do in my personal photography venture. Thankfully, it really doesn’t affect my usual style.
As of now, I cannot do:
Basically, anything else is still free-reign, as long as the styling doesn’t directly compete with my current employer. As I don’t have a studio (yet) nothing I shoot falls under these categories, so I’ll still be open to your requests.
– CJ
Man, it’s rough out there when you’re starting off in this world. Finding clients, along with trying to understand the legalities of the business, is daunting. As an unpublished artist who just goes off of his gut and didn’t go to any universities to get a degree in this field, I feel like people don’t see the potential in me as I do. And sadly, I actually expected it to be like this haha.
I need to come up a strategy to market myself as well as be more proactive in my shooting endeavers. The phone won’t ring and the emails won’t just magically appear just because I want them to. I need to put in more work hours if I’m going to make this a reality.
I don’t really know who reads any of this, but doing this blog thing is so nostalgic of the MySpace days. Hahaha.
Be well out there!
– CJ
So it’s been a little while (a month) since I’ve said anything on here. But considering this blog is more of a means of self-reflection at the moment, I think it’ll be fine haha. I have been practicing various styles of editing recently, which you can see on my Instagram. While I know a good amount of techniques and tricks in Photoshop, the system itself has grown so much since the last time I was truly active in it. I’m talking CS4, time-wise. LOL. That’s the beauty though. There’s always something new to do and to learn. An artist may be proficient in one thing and they’ll make it their bread and butter, but their curiosity of “the new” is never really gone.
Another thing that has been keeping me busy is my 3D modeling. Years ago, I was… okay at it. I wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t at a point in my skills that I would consider marketable. Which is fine, as it’s not something one can just jump into and be the best at. I put it on the backburner for several years, but it has never really left my mind. After all, that is the direction the world is going. With the continued affordability of 3D printers in the SLA/FDM realm, anyone and everyone has the ability to print stuff at home. I think that’s awesome, personally. I print a lot of character sculptures as well as functional designs that I need. For example, my recent print was a Sony E-Mount rear lens cap. I know, it’s not the Mandalorian armor (which I have printed BTW), but it’s an item that I needed, as I had lost one of mine in my most recent move. The best thing about printing at home is you can get fantastic products for a fraction of the cost it would be from a major manufacturer.
Anyway, the weather in Corpus Christi, TX is nice today, so I may go out for some landscape/urban shots. I’ve come to find that I really can’t plan outdoor sessions accurately, as the weather down here changes its mind way too often. I think I’m just going to have to keep my camera bag in the car and batteries charged and ready to rock and roll at any given moment.
It’s like life, in a way. You can plan every step of the way, then a dark cloud can come to change what you thought would be smooth sailing. Yeah, it sucks while it’s happening, but every dark cloud has its time, then it moves on.
– CJ
Hey there. Obviously this website is still a work in progress, but I feel it is gaining a little character. Every day, I wake up and think, “what would be cool to have on the website?” and the conclusion I come to the most is, “keep it simple.” So that’s what I’m going to do. What do you think I should have on here? If you would like to make suggestions, I welcome any and all. Either leave a comment here or utilize the “Contact” tab up there 👆🏽
Today has given us some good weather, FINALLY. I’ve missed the sun. Living in South Texas, I don’t take advantage of the sunny days like I should. I seriously need to change that. Corpus Christi has a lot of great photography locations and some you wouldn’t even consider on a normal day. But who said anything about me being normal? LOL. If a portfolio is to be built, it won’t be done at home.
~CJ
Welcome to CJ Kuper Photography!
This website will feature various styles of photography that I find interesting. Every day we are often too distracted to notice the beauty around us. Whether it is manmade or natural, unless it’s on social media, many things get glanced over. My goal is to capture as much of it as possible and share it with the world. That’s it. I hope you enjoy this adventure that I will be taking you on. Hopefully it’ll inspire you to unplug every once in a while and see the world through your own lenses.
~ CJ
CJ Kuper Photography, LLC 