I am a bad blogger...

I realized that blogging is about keeping people interested so they will continue to want to read, so I apologize for being a bad blogger… I promise I will improve!! For the past two weeks I have been pretty stationary (I am not really walking much due to my foot), but I have had a few photo shoots. Below are portraits I took for my friend Meg. Isn't she gorgeous! I have also been working on the more technical aspect of my photography. I started a smugmug web site where I can not sell my photos online, and have come up with an entire new pricing structure. I am working to get my smugmug site set up, but unfortunately I am not html savvy so its will probably take me a while to make it look awesome. I am still taking my photography class, and am taking a few seminars this month; one on how to start a small business, and another about wedding photography.

So all in all, I am moving forward. I go through ups and downs when it comes to photography. Sometimes I feel like I can conquer the world, and other I feel inadequate. I have very high expectations for myself, and I WILL achieve the level of excellence in photography that I want, but I have to keep reminding myself that mastering a craft takes time and practice! When I first decided to do photography as a business, I did not realize how much really goes into mastering photography, and starting a business. You have to think of lighting, composition, timing, camera settings, keeping subjects relaxed and happy, editing, uploading, web design, and the list goes on... Photography does take a lot of time, but I really find true joy in capturing a wonderful image so it is all worth it:-) Well I hope you enjoy some of my work below. Remember, I am offering some great deals right now (you can not get these prices anywhere else in the area, I have checked)! If you want to have a family picture, engagement, personal portrait, senior portrait, or children's portraits, please give me a call or e-mail to set up a shoot. I look forward to hearing from you!

Injured

I broke my foot on Monday. I would love to have a great story to tell, like I was rock climbing or sky diving, but I smiply tripped and was not able to catch myself. I trip quite often, but this time I got stuck on an uneven peice of sidewalk, and down I went. Now the break itself is very slight and luckily will only have to be in a boot for two weeks! This whole thing has really been quite an adventure. I am glad that I am now off the crutches and hope to never return. My foot is still swolen and brused and I will spare you of the hedious image.

Right now I will not be doing any photo shoots in July, but please contact me now to book your photo session for August. I have started to receive several inquires and my weekends are starting to fill up! (Note: I will be charing a discounted fee through the end of August, but my prices will go up after that, so book now!!)

My First Assignment

Well last week I started a 10 week photography course. I have been in the process of teaching myself photography for a while now, and thought it would be a good idea if I had formal instructions and feedback from a professional. I am excited for the class and know that it will only help me gain a greater understanding of photography. This week we had our first assignment, to shoot flowers. Now this sounds easy enough, but it took me a lot longer than I expected. First, I had to find the flowers. Thanks to my wonderful Mother and Father in Law (I was visiting SC this weekend), I was able to find these gems... The one stipulation of the class is that they could not be edited, so these are straight out of the camera:





Now we will just have to wait to see what my teacher thinks!!

Color Popping

One thing I have learned since I delved into the world of photography is that photography is not just taking a picture, you must also develop that picture. Now, I do not use a traditional darkroom, but I do use a digital darkroom. With editing software, I sort through my photos, choose the best ones, and take each one of those and edit them individually. Each image that I create has been processed to make it the best version of itself (I hope that makes sense). Recently I have been playing around with color popping and below are some examples of my efforts. I love to bring out the color and details in photographs, and to create images that have a real wow factor. I hope you like them!!