She's Crafty!

I've been in a crafty mood lately. Though it's not directly photography-related, here are some photographs of my handiwork.

I made the bibs for my best friend Sara's baby-on-the-way Grace and they were such a fun project. I sew here and there, but mostly boring stuff like curtains. I did recently make some cute necktie t-shirts for my boys, which I'm really very proud of, but I feel like all of the cute, fun sewing projects are for girlie stuff. So when Sara's baby shower invitation said there was going to be a "cutest bib contest" I was ready to take on the competition. I was feeling indecisive at the fabric store, so I ended up getting supplies for three bibs (the one with the bow is the one I entered in the contest.) I was hesitant about the buttons being a choking hazard, so I sewed the crap out of them, and if Gracie is able to pull them off she will be one tough cookie. In the end I did not win the contest.. boo hoo.. :( I was the first guest to show up (because I was also the photographer... amazing pics to follow soon), so Sara saw my bib hanging there before anybody else got there and asked if it was mine. Dang! Knowing it was mine and being an honest girl, she just couldn't pick it as the winner. At least that's what I'm telling myself :)

The wreath is my new door decor. I figured the one I had hanging there since fall (with scarecrows and fall foliage) was due to come down. About the same time I saw some nice silk flowers sitting beside the dumpster by my house. Score! Yes, that's right, I am not afraid to dig in the trash a bit :) People in my neighborhood are really good about leaving useable stuff that they don't want by the dumpster so it doesn't just get thrown away. Anyway, with my new free flowers and some wire that I already had at home, I decided to make myself a wreath. I know this pic is a close-up, so you can't see much, but it's a pretty nice looking wreath.

My next project is in the garden, so maybe I'll have pictures of that to post soon too :) This is one of the things I love about summer--having time.

Leigh & Dan's Headshots : Take 2

Leigh and Dan came out to Riverside for another round of headshots recently. Here are two of my favorites from the day. Leigh told me that this one of Dan is one of her favorites of him EVER. That is a seriously good compliment! :) I think it's pretty great too!
This time around I brought along a step ladder so I could get a little height. For both of these photos I had the ladder planted in a bunch of spider web-filled ivy that was so thick that the legs of the ladder didn't quite touch the ground. It was a little bit shakey, but worth it I think. That ladder is now going to be a permanent part of my portrait tool kit.

They wanted to do a few portraits together, and I was all for it. Such a cute couple, and so photogenic!

Leigh is such a talented artist and is going to be drawing portraits of my boys. I can't wait! Check out her portfolio here.

HDR : Goal #7

It took me a while, but I finally got some HDR software and am in the process of learning how to use it. I think that I overthink these kinds of photos when I'm editing. I hate the look of overedited HDRs, but am not sure how to strike a balance between that and ones like the second one here, which doesn't even look like an HDR. Still, its a fun tool to play with I can't wait til I get my camera back from getting cleaned so I can try some more.

By the way, these photos were taken while Emerson and I were having a "Mommy Day." (That's where one of my twins goes to daycare and one stays home with me for a fun individual day.) Emerson and I were enjoying UCR's beautiful campus. I definitely have to go back and try some more shots of these circles. I love the pattern! Even though they're not HDRs I'm including a few other shots from the day. These trees that are dropping their purple flowers everywhere are just beautiful!

I can't believe that this was the first time I've ever taken photos of the Bell Tower. Emerson enjoyed the little plaza at the base of the tower-- a great spot to wear himself out jumping :)

Jenna - Senior Portraits

I had the pleasure of shooting Jenna's senior portraits the other day, and am so pleased with how they turned out. The shoot was extra fun, because my best buds Paul and Sara came along to assist and advise. We went to UCR's Botanic Gardens which are beautiful and FULL of spots to shoot. Jenna was such a trooper. She was willing to hike all over the gardens, dodge sprinklers, climb into trees and lay down in tall itchy grass all for the sake of her photos. I think it was worth it :) See what you think...

For these last two I just wanted to try something different. The first is a hazy look and the second is a texture overlay. Not sure if I nailed either, but it's always fun to try new things.

Interesting Site : 1x.com

If anybody is looking for new and interesting photography sites (and everybody who's taking Advanced Photo with me next year should be) here's one I just found: 1x.com. Here's what I've figured out so far:
-You've got to register, but there is a free membership option.
-Their "thing" is that they're really really selective when choosing which photos to include on their site.
-You can submit 1 photo per week and a bunch of curators decide if it's worthy.
-If they pick your photo they put it on their page and you get to feel awesome :)
-It's also a good learning site with tutorials, forums, and galleries worth checking out.

Enjoy

Leigh & Dan's Headshots Preview

A couple weeks ago I got a really fun surprise--my cousin Leigh and her boyfriend Dan had moved out to California from Wisconsin! They're living in Venice, and it's so great to have them this close. They're both graphic designers, but are going to try their hand at acting and/or modeling, so they needed some headshots. We tooled around my backyard and UCR campus trying out different locations and poses. They're both such naturals in front of the camera, so it was a lot of fun shooting. These are just two shots that I've edited so far. All I had to do was sharpen the eyes, boost the color (or remove it) and add a border. Since these are my very first headshots I'd love to hear some critiques. I did a lot of research beforehand, but I'm always looking to improve.

Goal #8

In my 2011 goals list, number 8 is "take and post a picture of myself that I'm really proud of." I'm really proud of how my Lighter than Air photo scored in the challenge, and it is a picture of me, but in a more abstract way since you can't see my face. Here is a more straight forward photograph I shot of myself last week. I was testing out lighting for headshots I was going to be doing later that day. I used my favorite lens (85mm), placed the camera on a tripod, and shot in the shade with a reflector in my lap. It was noon, which is a time of day that I usually shy away from.

I cannot wait to post the actual headshots of Leigh and Dan that I shot this same day!

My "Lighter Than Air" Challenge Entry - 4th Place

To Be A Kid Again : 4th Place

This is so cool! I had the swing idea for this challenge right away, but when I tried it out (twice) I wasn't super happy with the results. They just weren't what I saw in my mind's eye. I emailed a trusted advisor (Ruben) who convinced me to enter anyway. Apparently I have a habit of saying things like "Don't worry so much what everybody thinks, just enter." So, I entered a picture that wasn't my absolute favorite, and it turned out to be a crowd pleaser on DPChallenge. I ended up scoring a 6.58, which, though not my highest score ever, was high enough in this challenge to earn me 4th place, which is my highest place ever. For those of you who use DPC I even get my "almost ribbon" listed on the side on my profile page! Makes me feel so legit! In addition to my highest place ever I also got the most comments I've ever gotten and the most favorites (people who marked my photo as their favorite.) I'm especially proud to have gotten such positive feedback from people on the site whose photos I've been using for discussion in my classroom for years.

Thank you to Dustin, my co-photographer on this image. He gladly swung for a whole bunch of test shots and gave lots and lots of creative advice. I wanted to use my remote, because I feel weird about saying it's "my picture" and entering it in a challenge if someone else presses the shutter release button. But, while I was swinging and holding the remote, it wouldn't fire the camera, so Dustin stood off to the side and it worked.