2008.05.16

Some of my favorite images from tonight...just grabbed out in a hurry so I can get to bed. Random order...portraits of Josh, the beach, the lighthouse, kiteboarders, sunset, etc.

Almost got missed!

My favorite puppy pic from today almost didn't make the blog!

2008.05.15 (puppy pictures)

So...how was your day? Mine was good. I got some new sandals! Something I needed. I am hoping they become nothing but more comfortable and that they last a long time before I destroy them (I am known for abusing shoes). (Looking at the picture I realize that I need some serious toenail polish and a tan but that will come.)
I got some sunglasses too. I was looking at the different pairs that were $13 at 50% off and wondering how I could afford them when I know I can't generally hang onto them for very long. Then I found the clearance rack. :) Even then they were still mostly $8-10. I prayed that the Lord would maybe help me find a pair that was less then that and on the very bottom I found what appeared to be the only pair for under $3! I am so happy, I do like to wear them while I am driving during the summer. :)

I promise that everyday will not just be a post of flower pictures. But for now they have several things going for them:
a) they are my favorite thing to shoot
b) they are extremely convient (right out the front door)
c) I am so tired most days by the time I can grab my camera
d) they are just unbelievably beautiful and interesting

I wanted to take portraits of my brother on the beach tonight but it was cold, cloudy, and windy. So I decided to grab some puppy shots since mom continues to hand out my blog address as she excitedly tells everyone about her great new puppy (if you are just looking at this there are more puppy pictures if you look back a few days). Above is our wonderful Newfoundland, Buddy.

So many friends have come by recently to see the sweet puppy...tonight was no exception. We had just gotten them out for the walk and some friends from church stopped by.

So tired of posing for pictures while everyone talks and supposedly gets ready to actually go on that walk.

Sitting so nice...mom is extremely proud!

~Happy photo nut...who knows maybe we will get around to portraits tomorrow ;)

2008.05.14

Today I fought my fatigue and won. I went out and shot some images even though all I felt like doing was laying down. One thing about IPS classes is that they teach you a whole lot in a very short period of time. It is very focused and intense, which is a good thing. The problem is that I tend to learn something new and plateau. I go home and make changes in my approach but I forget everything past that point. For example, before I took any classes I mostly shot on auto modes...okay so I only shot on auto modes! When I was at pwp I learned about the more creative controls but I came home and stayed in Program mode. Seriously. It was great, I could control my pop up flash, white balance, and ISO like a pro but I didn't go any farther. Now I am working hard to get out of that slump and fully learn the other creative options. Instead of just rarely using Time value or aperture priority I am shooting on them or full manual whenever I can get away with it. Today I shot only manual. I did a lot of bracketing so I can move repricosity (sp?) from the deep recesses of my brain to an unconscious and complete knowledge of what it really means.
I know that some of you understood very little of what I just wrote but that is ok. The important thing is that I actually know what all of that meant. Praise the Lord! We are getting somewhere!!

~too tired for more pics

Pink Dogwood Blossoms

Working on my lens flipping skills. Lens flipping is a way to get cool macro shots without having a macro lens. (and as someone wise recently told me "you just have to do the best with what you have" although when asked about Adobe Lightroom that same person said I needed to purchase it! :) I have not been very good at it but I will keep working on it because I love the cool super close images.

Mom's pink dogwood tree is awesome.

The thing about lens flipping is that you cannot get a whole lot of focus into one shot. I actually do like the whole shallow depth of field on this one...problem is that I didn't get anything super sharp. Oh well.

One struggle I have been having lately is knowing where to go next with my photography. I have been somewhat serious about photography for over two years now and yet it seems like I am not moving forward as fast as I would like. I tend to feel like I am behind the curve in knowledge and equipment when I get together with other serious photographers. I am trying so hard to learn but at the same time I struggle with lack of resources, time, energy and just knowing where to turn.
For a long time I have known that I should be shooting every single day. I haven't. For various reasons. But that nagging has been in the back of my mind for over a year. I have now committed to shooting something every day for the next month. *Note: I am not only going to just take a picture I am going to attempt using more manual settings and learn from my experiences. During this time I am hoping to post a picture on my blog every day as well. This should help to keep me accountable as well as entertain anyone who happens to read this site.
Other BIG issues for me are work flow and editing. Okay, so yeah that is like the whole process but I am determined to tackle these things and LEARN! Doing it all at once however would about do me in so I am going to work on one thing a month. As I said, this month is the just a focus on shooting more and learning how to better use my camera to control outcome. You can look for updates regularly. :)

~determined photo girl

Happy Mother's Day!

For our mom we got one of the best gifts of all...at least in my photography saturated mind. Pictures!! Thanks so very much to Seth for taking them and making this beautiful gift possible. :) We love you Mom!

~Christina...for "the six of us"

Future Michigan Apples

I know the order of these pictures is all messed up but you can enjoy them anyway. I am off to do Saturday things...whatever that might entail. I slept in this morning to attempt to make it past this fatigue that has been plaguing me. Now it is time to get moving!