Chrissy Allred + The Story Behind
OHHH EEEMMM GGGEEEE! That was our response when we saw this photo from Chrissy tagged in our feed. Seriously folks…the creativity, the colors!! If you follow Chrissy, you’ll see her incredible chalk art series. They all are brilliant and each packs a punch in just one little frame. Although the rain ruined their parade, Chrissy made lemonade out of lemons and created this festive image that blends together seamlessly and tells a creative story. We of course had to know more and we knew that this shot especially would be a fantastic edition of The Story Behind.
IG Handle:.
@callred25
Where was this photo taken?
This was taken outside of my home on my driveway in Rexburg, ID.
How did the location add or hinder to your image?
It hindered to the image because our trash can was sitting on our driveway and we didn’t move it or notice it until after everything was over.
DSLR, iphone, instant or film?
Canon 6D with a 35mm 2.0 lens.
What were your camera settings for this image?
ISO 400, f2.0, 1/3200.
Can you tell us “The Story Behind” this shot?
My husband drew a giant unicorn on our driveway with chalk for our kids one day. It was huge and colorful with a rainbow mane and tail. A time before that, he drew a rainbow with clouds and a dragon and after a few days his art started fading away. It was almost invisible until it rained. Once it rained and got the driveway wet, the colors came back even more vivid and vibrant than before! It was truly amazing and it inspired me. The next time my husband drew something, I knew I was going to get it wet before I took pictures. That’s exactly what happened, too. We immediately got the hose out, turned on the sprinkler and wet down the unicorn for our kids to enjoy and play in and it was incredible!
What speaks to you about this image? What specifically made you press the shutter?
I observed the colors melting together, my son playing on the driveway with our rainbow umbrella and I was instantly inspired to get this image of him above the tail, which gave the illusion that the colors were melting off of the umbrella and onto the ground.
What was your composition technique with this shot?
My composition technique was to squat down to get myself low and to get him in the center of the garage and also in the center of the frame. The story encompassed this moment alone so I knew I wanted him straight on and in the middle.
Did you have any lighting challenges/How did you light the image?
I didn’t have any lighting challenges. It was in the early evening and there might have been a little bit of cloud coverage so the light was soft and pretty.
Did you use any special techniques – freelensing, prism, etc?
No.
Was this photo happenstance or did you visualize it prior? If so, how did you envision the image and set up for it?
All my images are happenstance. I wish I could visualize this kind of stuff up and execute it but my brain doesn’t work that way. I can’t create stuff up but I can definitely recognize a creative moment when I see it and take advantage of it.
Did you use a preset to edit this image, your own selective edits or a combination of both?
I used Susan Grimes’ film preset and made a few personal adjustments to it on this photo.
Do you have any addition information you would like to share with our readers?
I’m not sure what to add or say except that on this day, we learned that when you mix water with chalk, it can create an incredible experience to play in and to photograph. It has become a tradition ever since and has become my favorite part.