Greetings from Rebbecca

Hello All,

First of all, I apologize for my late entry. Things have been very crazy for me since receiving the invite to join the group. I am super excited to be part of this blog and am very thankful to Ashley for the invite.

I am not sure how to define myself. I am 38 years old and up until just recently have worked in a corporate setting. I have always had an interest in photography. I have taken literally thousands of pictures. I have boxes and boxes from my teens to present. It is sad. Every time I say I am going to scrapbook them or at least put them in plastic sleeved books something else comes up and the pictures stay in those horrible boxes.

I am currently taking photography courses because after 2 layoffs in three years I am done with the corporate world. My supportive family is encouraging me to start a business in photography so I could at least enjoy my work. :) It would also give me the opportunity to somewhat arrange my schedule to better be there for my 3 year old son.

My son just started Pre-K as he will be four in just a few weeks. I am learning to adjust to time without him. It is allowing me to work on my courses and practice my photography uninterrupted. However, I will have to say, I miss him terribly. I know that it is best that he is in school. He is super smart and needs to be in a group setting. Thankfully, the town I live is is very tiny, (129 people) so the school is really small. I am struggling with the rightness of the decision but know it is in his best interest. He is an only child and very spoiled. He needs to learn to share and be with children his own age.

That being said I am very thankful for the opportunity to learn from each of you. I had hit a point of being very intimidated by my courses and others' photography. I have not taken a picture (except Little Man's first day of school) in 6 weeks. That is very unlike me as up until 6 week's ago I had a camera on me whether it was a point and shoot or my SLR everywhere I went. I know that it was fear that took away my creative juices. I do not like failing at anything. My layoffs kind of knocked me for loop. Fear kept me from pursuing this dream when I was younger and has almost kept me from going after it again. However, I love photography. So even if I don't make it professionally, I want to learn as much as I can for my own gratification.

From the different posts, it appears that I will learn a lot from each of you. I hope to be able to contribute back as well. Time will tell. ;)

I will have to wait to post pictures as most are on a different pc. I will do my best to share soon as I would appreciate feedback.

Thanks,

hi....it's Diane

We are all soooo lucky to know Ashley!
Thanks Ashley for putting this blog together!
I have always loved to take pictures! - When I was in the 3rd grade, our elementary school had a fundraiser....you know the ones where you go door to door and sale "stuff"? Well, the prize I wanted to earn was a camera!!! and I DID!
Over the years I have gone through rolls & rolls of film :) - I wish I could say all the pictures were good, but I can't :) they definitely were not!
What makes me saddest is to see how crummy the pics are in my first 3 kiddos baby books - With my last 2 - they are all digital and much better - but, still it is fun to see the progress I have made with my photography skills even over the last 3 years. Around 3 years ago I overheard my friends daughter tell her that they needed to set up an appointment to get her Sr. pics taken. I told her that I would love to take them(for free) and then if they didn't like them they could still hire someone else. So, that was the beginning for me. They LOVED them and the word spread like wild fire. We quickly dedided I better get a better camera, so I bought a Canon Rebel with the kit lenses and was in Heaven! After a year -I knew enough to upgrade and bought the Canon 5D and a 50mm 1.8. I have since upgraded my lens and so far have the 50mm 1.2 & the 70-200 2.8. Both lenses are AMAZING!
I live in a small town and have lived here my whole life - so, just word of mouth has kept me as busy as I want to be.....sometimes busier than I want/need to be. Not long after I took those pics for my friend, my neighbor told me about her niece who had put together a group called the "photo mommas" - this is my connection to Ashley. I owe ALL my photography knowledge to the photo mommas. They answered all my questions thru the blog, my emails, and even phone calls. Just this summer in July, I got to meet Ashley in person for the first time! Yay!
I still have a BILLION questions about photography(things like metering :), about my camera, about editing, about photo shop, about computers, about the business side of things, and even about parenting(this has been one of my biggest struggles is making sure that my kids/family stay my top priority!- another reason why I admire Ashley - she is putting her photog business on the back burner to focus on her family!- thanks for your example Ashley!)
So, I ask lots of questions....about EVERYTHING!
I am rambling now - so I will stop!
BUT, just one more thing...I have been trying to read all the posts - but, I might not seem too involved in the blog right away...I am 5 sessions behind in editing, I have corn in our garden that needs to go in the freezer, tomatoes that need canned into juice , salsa, and spaghetti sauce, and my friend just called and told me I can have all the peaches on her tree- so I need to get them canned. My oldest daughter is a JR. in HS and has volleyball games every Tues & Thurs that I will be going to as well as keeping up with my 4 other kiddos. So, when I get done with the garden in a month and we all adjust to being back in school - you will see more of me on here!
Thanks Ashley for all you do!
I can't wait to get to know the rest of you!
sorry for not posting any pics - but, I have facebook- add me as a friend - you will see a picture of all 5 of my kids that I just posted from the first day of school :)

What is Metering

Oh metering, how wonderful you are if done properly! You make my photos come out perfectly exposed saving me LOADS of work in photoshop. Thank you meter, thank you. So what's a meter and how does it work? Well, here is where I tell you all that I am a science nerd and on top of just loving camera's and photos I love figuring out how things work. I was that kid who took the clock apart and could never get it to work properly again :) Be prepared for information overload sometimes and I'm going to go really basic here. The meter is the little graph in the bottom of your camera view finder that tells you where your exposure should be when setting all of the settings manually and if in auto mode it will set exposure for you to the middle of the graph.  Every DSLR camera has one and their main goal is to expose a picture for something called middle gray (18% gray, 18% of incident light, gray card etc.. Middle gray has a few names). To do this it reads the reflected light of the entire scene (evaluative metering), averages it and comes up with an exposure that would suit middle gray exposure , meaning nothing is pure black and nothing is pure white if at all possible (this can be viewed as a bell curve on the histogram, which is a whole other blog post!). The short of it is that your camera's meter likes a photo where there are no extremes, there is an even distribution of color throughout. Of course when photographing a bride in a white dress and a groom in a black tux things can get tricky because where is middle gray? If the camera is aimed directly at any object lighter or darker than middle gray, the camera's light meter will incorrectly calculate under or over-exposure, respectively. That's where spot metering comes in. To spot meter the camera just meters for the center of the scene so if the tux were in the center it would overexpose the dress and if the dress were in the center it would underexpose the tux. The photographer has a lot more control over what is exposed correctly and what is not. And lets face it, a lot of the time there is some extreme in the shot and a choice has to be made, what to blow (overexpose) or what to underexpose.

Here is a great intro to metering article if I've totally got your head spinning!


I use evaluative metering (exposing for the whole scene) most of the time but my camera shoots dark so I always "overexpose" a stop or two (one or two tick marks to the right of center on my canon 5D) on everything. This ensures proper exposure most of the time for me. I could go into my camera's settings and change the exposure compensation but I'm used to it now and I'd probably start blowing everything! I think each cameras meter is unique so practicing and figuring out how your camera exposes is important.  Just because that little tick mark is in the center doesn't necessarily mean you'll end up with the exposure you want. When I'm in a tricky lighting situation, say back lighting, where there is a light source coming from directly behind my subject I will always spot meter for their skin tone. When I was learning this process I would just get really close to the person and fill my view finder with all skin, set my settings for proper exposure then step back and ignore the exposure because I knew the skin was what I metered for. Now I just shield the light source, my hand is usually in the view finder, I meter then pull my hand back and viole! A nicely metered photo with personal space still intact :) Some people use a gray card. They hold the card in front of the camera, filling it with gray then meter. Theoretically this sets the meter perfectly but what, in reality, it doesn't do is allow you to expose for the subject you want exposed properly. You may end up with a slightly underexposed tuxedo or a slightly overexposed dress and oh how I hate an overexposed dress! You don't have to go out and buy a gray card either if that method seems easier for you. You can easily substitute something in your surroundings for 18% light. Just look for something, any color, in the same shade as 18% gray. A beige wall, a shaded sidewalk, a light blue chair, anything will work really just so long as it's not black or close to black and it's not white or close to white. BTW this is 18% gray;
  Amazing, isn't it!? Ha!!

So that's what I know about meters... and I'm stickin' to it ... unless someone has a better idea :) What do you all do? Spot or evaluative? Any tricks of the trade you've found helpful in nailing exposure in camera? Thanks Lisa for a great question!! And please, if anyone wants to tackle a question posed please feel free to! Again, I am by no means an expert... I'm just a little nerdy ;)

The Basics?

Okay, so most of you are just getting started in the photo realm or getting back into it and may be a bit rusty. I know my first challenge might have been a bit tricky for those of you without a camera or a wide array of photos to look through especially when the basic functions of running a DSLR can be overwhelming... trust me, I know! While finding the words can be tricky for even a professional it is still a great exercise for beginners and hopefully having some words or at least goals will help to keep you on a more steadfast track than I was on :) With that I'd really like to touch on topics in a somewhat tutorial fashion so that you all feel welcome to post any questions be it how to set ISO, what dpi means or anything else; how to edit for smoother skin, where to look for good light, how to make sparkly eyes (catch lights), what's a bokeh, how do you get a natural pose, how to deal with grain, what's a filter and are they necessary etc.. Anything! For this post please list any questions you have that you'd like explained or demonstrated and I'd love to get started trying to tackle the technicalities of shooting! I'll use this post as a running tab of things to cover so even down the road you can come back and add something if another question comes up.

Putting yourself in their shoes

As I mentioned in my "About Me" post, I've been working on a project called "52 weeks of Me" since the beginning of January. Basically, I take one self portrait a week for a year. Sometimes I follow a theme list, and other times I just do what I want. It has been quite a journey so far.

I always knew that I wasn't a big fan of being on the other side of the lens, but I didn't really understand that it was so much more than not liking how I looked in them. It turns out....I feel like a dork in front of the camera. I don't know what to do with myself. I end up looking "angry" when I want to look serious. I look "goofy" when I wanted to just look happy. Forget about looking "sexy". I just don't have it in me. I get nervous....and anxious, and uncomfortable.

Back on March, the theme was "over-exposed". Most of the ladies working on this project just went with the obvious. They over-exposed the shot using more light. I found myself wanting to be different. I had been feeling so very "over-exposed" in the process of the project. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. I wanted to capture my feelings in a single shot. So....Corey went outside the box BIG time. HUGE. I took a set of photos of myself that I NEVER imagined I would. It was an interesting experience to say the least. While capturing what I hoped would say, "over-exposed" and "vulnerable", I actually liberated myself a bit. I forced myself to sit in my skin. Be who I am....Modest...but not ashamed.

If you are interested in seeing the photo I am speaking of you can go HERE.

I feel that this photo shoot was a transitional moment for me. I accepted ME in my skin. I let go of the "what would people think?" and the "How do I look?" mentality, and let myself be captured exactly as I am.

This week, I decided to have a little fun with a fan! I wanted to see how it felt to be a model. I mean, aren't we asking our clients to be a model? I'm not saying, we ask them to be "perfect", but we are asking them to let go, and feel comfortable in front of the lens. If you shoot senior girls, especially, you'll find that they want to get photos of themselves that reflect who they are.....only BETTER! They want to look GREAT, and to look GREAT...you have to be comfortable....and that is harder than it looks.

I tend to get goofy, when I'm feeling uncomfortable, so I wasn't' surprised that out of the 105 photos I took....many of them looked like these:

However, it took 97 photos to get this one:

You can read more about this photo shoot HERE. The majority of the shots were taken at an ISO of 100, f/2, and a shutter of 1/80. I wanted the movement of the hair, so I purposely picked a lower shutter speed. I used my 135mm lens, just because I love it, and I didn't want the camera up in my face. I used a fan to get the movement in the hair, but stood still so as to not blur my face with the slow shutter.

Did I feel like a dork standing in my back yard doing BOTH the above photo shoots? YES! but I learned so much about what it feels like to be the subject, and I think that is so very important.

Lastly, I have learned to not take myself too seriously. I think it's good to have the ability to be free with who you are. Put yourself out there without worrying about being judged. It has released more of my creative side, and I love that.

Thank you for letting me share. Tell me how you feel about being in FRONT of the camera. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Can you challenge yourself to a self-portrait photo shoot?

Meet Susan!

Hello,
I am Susan Woodard. I took a dark room photography class in high school and was on the yearbook staff. Then I went off to college and studied education/ teaching. My photography took a back burner to books and crayons! Now that I am feeling more confident in my teaching I am getting back to the things that I love outside of work. I am taking a digital photography class and using a point and shoot camera (until December- YAY Christmas!). I would love recommendations for good entry level DSLRs!!! I am considering having a summer photography business.
The photos I am uploading are some of the photos I have taken over the course of the last few years. Most are from Yellowstone National Park. One is of Cherry Blossoms at the Capitol Building in Salem, OR. Also, a photo of a pine cone in ice. I have some portrait photos that I love- but can't upload students to the internet. :-( I look forward to sharing things with you as I progress and welcome all critiques. I am also excited to see everyone's work.
Susan Woodard

What's your style?

Alrighty, time to dig in ;) I know Kambria, Susan, Diane, Amey and Rebecca are still due for a check in but I want to get started! I've got a question for you all that really instigated a lot of growth in my own photography and still does today. I'm curious what you all have to say about it. What's your photography style?? What three words do you think best describe your photography and how do you stick to those words in editing, composition and all of the other aspects of your photography? If you run a business how do those words translate into your clients experience and if you don't have any idea of what your style might be what do you want it to be and what are the feelings you want your photos to evoke?

Exploring my style has been on ongoing process that initially started with my need to get the editing under control. I noticed that everything was getting hidden under layers of editing especially after I got photoshop. I really wanted to make a statement with the photos I was producing but I was having a hard time making the same statement over and over. Sometimes I'd go really contrasty, sometimes things would get super sharp and bright, sometimes my photos would end up vintage, sometimes light and airy, sometimes dramatic etc.. My composition was the same; sometimes crooked, sometimes straight, sometimes angled and sometimes wide etc..  I was all over the board and when I started doing photos for people it was anyone's guess as to what "style" they would get. I was a real Dr. Jeckel /Mr. Hyde!! I finally decided, after some encouragement from peers and some photo blogs that I followed, to pick three words and then see if I could convey those words over and over. My three words are heirloom, classic, connected. I want my photos to be treasured by lots of people in the family; heirloom, to be able to transcend the test of time; classic, and to bring back a connection to the emotion of that moment. Heirloom is a word that was hard for me to come up with because I am somewhat vintage but I love color and didn't want everything to look washed out or heavy with actions (preset photoshop edits). Classic was a given because I think most people want to have photos that last a lifetime but I hadn't thought about the fact that what I was producing fit a trend in photography, not something that I had uniquely developed through my own eye that could and would lend itself to all generations and time frames. Connection was also something that was very important to me because I have photos that I love to look at because they connect me to the memory. This allowed me to not get the perfect "everyone looking in the camera" shot but that candid shot of mom kissing the baby, dad throwing the toddler or a couple secretly kissing after a ceremony. I really began to look for opportunities to exemplify these three words. Now that's not to say that I stopped editing my shots or experimenting. I just kept the words in mind and it helped me reign in my over zealous editing and my attempts to go with the trends. In my business I use the three words to interact with my clients. I want them and their families to enjoy the experience of having their photos taken so much so that it will be talked about for a long time; heirloom. I want it to be something not totally off the wall but unique enough to make a statement; classic and I want them to look at their photos, connect with the memory captured and with the experience of having the photo taken. I also look for opportunities to convey these words after the session or wedding by branding myself in a way that is consistent to these things. I don't always function in this box of three words but I really love the fact that my editing is consistent within the limits of creative liscense, my composition is unique and yet people know what kind of photo they are paying for and my business style has been narrowed and developed to provide that link between the photos, photographer and experience.

So what's your style? What are your words?? And if you don't have words might I encourage you to think about it.

And because all posts are better with photos here are my three words in photo form :)

Heirloom;

Classic;

Connected;

My hello, finally.

Hi all!

I am sure my late arrival does not convey my excitement! I'm Rachel of Rachel Diane Photography. I picked up a DSLR in spring of 2009 and upgraded to Canon 5D the following year. I tote the 50m 1.4 around on it. I shoot weddings, seniors, and families. I've done one commercial head shot shoot. I love weddings but hate them at the same time so the verdict is still out on those. My favorite is senior sessions!

I have an amazing, supportive husband and we just celebrated our 4th anniversary on the 25th. We have two little guys. Titus turned three in May and JJ is 16 months old.

Please excuse the no-photo post as I'm posting from my IPad on day 3 of vacation. If I continue to be a little absent for the next week or so it's because I'm in vacation. Yes, I can't really say it enough. I'm on vacation. :)

I'm very excited about this group! It's been in many a prayer of mine since I picked up my first DSLR. I've tried some of the large groups like Clickin' Mommas and was about to dive into Rock the Shot when I got the email from Ash. Thank you Ashley for starting this up! I am very much looking forward to this journey together!

How often do YOU pick up your camera?

Hey Ladies! Just thought I'd start a conversation in regards to how often you pick up your camera. I can honestly say that for me, it is every single day.

As I mentioned in my "Introduction" post, I have been doing a 365 project for almost two years now. A 365 project is a photography challenge where you take a photo every single day for a year. Some folks, like myself, go crazy and attempt a 365 photo where you pick a single object to photograph each day. This is amazingly hard, but OH MY WORD....it stretches you imagination.

My first 365 was called, "The Kitty Project". I started out committing to a month, but I actually ended up going for the entire year. I challenged myself to take a photo each day that featured my little wooden kitty, and each photo had to somehow represent my day. I also insisted that each and every shot had to be different from anything else I had done before.

You might wonder how a project like this could move you towards your goal of being a professional photographer, but let me be the one to tell you that this will definitely force you to get to know your camera....to look for different angles.....different light. It will encourage you to play with depth of field, and to be adventurous when it comes to photography. All these things are essential, in my opinion, if you are to be successful in portrait photography.

Here are a few of my favorite "kitty pictures" from that project.

I took this one the day my friend's husband died.....I was devastated for her.

I was having fun at work for this one.

This one is soooooooooooo me! I'm so forgetful.

My favorite color.

A snow angel. ♥

Playing with sunflare.

Playing with water.

And the last shot of my project...the end of the road.

I am forever grateful that I took on that project, as I saw so much growth in my photography over the couse of that year. My current project that I am almost finished with, is just a basic 365...one shot...each day. It has been fabulous as well.

Haas anyone else done a 365 project? or considered it?

What are your thoughts on such a project?

Do you have any questions or concerns? I'd be happy to see if I can help.

Thanks for allowing me to share. ♥

How to post on blogger

I just realized that some of you may not know how to post to blogger!! Here is a little run down of how the process works;

Step 1; Login to Blogger.com using your gmail account information

Step 2: Find the I Heart Photos blog in your blog line up and from here we'll continue on as if we were creating a new post. To do that you'd select the blue button "New Post". You could also view the blog by clicking "View Blog";

Step 3: Once you click New Post a screen like the following will come up;

You'll want to title your post then compose your post in the larger white text square. To add photos click the photo button in the toolbar in between the link and the video take. Then the following screen will come up;

 Step 4; Select the location from which your photos will come in the left column. I almost always upload from my drive so I have "Upload" selected (highlighted in blue). Then select the "choose files" button and your drive upload screen will appear for you to choose your photos from directly off your hard drive. To select multiple photos at a time hold down the ctrl key while you select them or if they are all in a row you can hold the shift key and select the first and last photo in the series. All the in between photos will be selected as well. Then click "open" and your files will begin to load into the above screen. Once they are all uploaded they will be highlighted in blue. These are the selected photos that will be placed into your post. You can deselect them by just clicking on the one you'd like to take out of the post. Then click "Add Selected" and you'll be taken back to your post screen complete with pictures!

Step 5; To adjust the size and alignment of the photo click on it and the toolbar for the photo will come up. I usually use the Large size and center alignment.

 Step 6; Publish you post by clicking the Orange button at the bottom of your post screen and the following screen will come up;

You can return to the main page of the blog by clicking "View Blog" in the dark blue section at the top or you can view your post's page by clicking "View Post".

Hope that helps!! If there are any more questions about using blogger please feel free to ask!

Photo Sidebar

So while we're still in the middle of getting to know one another I thought I'd go ahead and post some photos of each of you in the sidebar to give us a better idea of who the comments are coming from. I like to have a face to put on people in this blogging world ;) I stole a bunch of photos from your facebooks, websites etc. and dug through my archives for some but if you hate the photo I chose just let me know and send me a new one and I'll change it quick as a flash! I am LOVING your intro posts and can't wait to hear from Diane and Rachel and possibly a couple of others. So far we're a group of 9 wonderful photogs ranging from beginner to seasoned professional! This should be a great forum for everyone!! Please start asking questions, sharing photos and the like as soon as you want! I'll have a little game to get us started down the line but if anyone has anything right now please feel free to share a shoot, ask for editing help, or ask any of the basics etc.! I must confess I was super nervous to start this group and you all have put me at ease so thank you!!

Update to add; if your screen name in blogger is different than your real name please sign your name on your comment, just while we're getting to know each other so that we know whose who. Thanks!!

Hello!

Hello everybody, my name is Callie Adams and I am a VERY beginner photographer. First of all, I want to say thank you Ashley for including me in this fun blog, I feel really privileged to be a part of all these talented ladies. I have always loved photography, but I didn't get really serious about it until I realized how artistic you can be with it! I love to look for interesting angles and bright colors... I end up taking lots of flower shots for that reason.
I am pretty young still (only in highschool) and I know I have A LOT to learn yet! I'm looking forward to advice, anything helps, so please give me feedback!

These two are from a recent trip to a gorgeous Saturday market in Salem, OR.


My little cousin...one of my first practice subjects.

Happy But Overwhelmed...

Hi everyone, I'm Jill! Thank you so much, Ash, for including me! I'm embarrassed though, because as much as I adore photography and love it as a hobby, I'm nowhere NEAR as educated or talented as all of you! I currently don't even OWN a DSLR yet--I've been borrowing one for the last week from a good friend to decide if it was what I wanted to buy (a Canon Rebel and YES--I want!). So I've been snapping photos of my favorite subjects, my sons Byron (almost 6) and Ayden (3). For now, I'm using a Canon Rebel XSi with a soft focus lens, an 18-55, and one other that I can't remember at the moment as I'm not at home! The camera that I'm slowly working my way toward purchasing is the Rebel T3i (thanks to Ashley's recommendation!) because I want the video capability. I use a combination of Photoshop CS3 (I've had it for a few years now and need to upgrade eventually) and the simple Picnik.com free editing website. It's more user-friendly for a newbie like me! I'll have to update this as I purchase my "baby" and all of the extras and start using them, but this will do for now! I have always been fascinated with photography and love taking pictures, but was intimidated by these "fancy" cameras. My love of good photography really blossomed thanks to the man who took my wedding photos--Richard May Photography in Eugene, Oregon. The hubs and I saved for 2 years before we got married to make sure we had money for two things: a fantastic honeymoon and a just-as-amazing photographer, and he was well worth the money! So, 6 years after being gifted with my first digital camera, I'm officially bored with point-and-shoot and I'm ready to branch out! I'm excited to learn tips and tricks to help me along in my love of taking great photos. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of my little loves from the past week or so...

As much as I adore my subjects, I know I need all the help I can get! Looking forward to this new blog!!

Hello There!

Thank you so much Ashley for including me in this fabulous group of ladies! I hope to get to know you all better, I have loved reading the other posts so far! I am married and a mom of a 16 month old living in Bandon Oregon. My husband and I met working in radio in Albany Oregon, we moved back to Bandon (I graduated from high school here in 1994) about two and half years ago and we absolutely love it, we bought a house back in December.

I started photography as a career back in 2004 right after my own wedding. I don't talk about it publicly, but I started because my own wedding photographer was HORRIBLE. He was uninspired, crabby, had zero attention to detail (in the formal shots there is crap leaning against the walls that someone could have moved if he had taken two seconds to say something after he looked through the lens). When I got my proofs (MONTHS after the wedding) I noticed after flipping through the book that there were no pictures of the cake cutting, no pictures of my dad and I on his antique tractor and few pics of just my husband and me together. When I brought this up to him he said, and I quote, "Hmmm. I must have dropped a roll of film out in the yard. Maybe your dad will find it next time he mows." Seriously. No apology, nothing. I don't curse him (too much) because if he had been nice, enthusiastic, or even SORRY and not lost a ton of pictures, I wouldn't be doing what I love today. :)


I would say I am mostly a wedding photographer - I love each and every second of weddings! Then Seniors, then families. Families visiting the Oregon Coast have been a huge deal for me this Summer.

My business blog is http://www.cardasphotography.typepad.com/blog
My personal blog is here: My life with wieners I barely ever update that though. I am addicted to Facebook. You can friend me there - Angela Cardas Meredith or my business page there is here: Cardas Photography.

I guess I should add some pics huh? If I had to say what my specialty is, I would have to say "Environmental Portraits." I am really big on incorporating the surroundings into my portraits.




This one just won an award at the Coos County Fair! Woop woop. lol


This is from a shoot I just did this morning:

edited to add my gear! I have a Shootsac which I always forget to bring with me to shoots. I really like to just have my two cameras on me - a 5D and a 5DMkII. I shoot with a 24-70 on one of the cameras 90% of the time and on the other camera its either an 85mmL/1.2, 70-200 L/2.8 or my newest love 100/2.8L Macro.

I think that's about it! :) I am an open book - so please feel free to ask me anything, anytime! :) My email is angela@cardasphotography.com

Thanks again!

Overjoyed

Hello Ladies, my name is Katie or Kathryn or Kat (according to Ashley). I am 20 years old and I currently live in Riverside, CA. I am a college student and a (way) amateur photographer. I've had my camera for a little over two years now and I've known how to shoot with manual for about a year. My gear is a Canon Rebel XT, favorite lens is my 50mm f/1.4, I use my 18-55mm standard lens and I also have a 70-300mm which I never use. This is all carried in a standard camera bag, nothing fancy (I am a college student after all :)) I use CS5 on my mac to edit oh and I love shooting RAW, which I would assume we all do.

Currently I am still figuring out what I love to shoot, this past summer I did a few different types of shoots to see what I liked. So far not a fan of family reunions or really families in general. I like kids but they're difficult to shoot.. maybe with more experience. I also shot a couple this summer and loved it but so far I love shooting fashion, girls in fancy dresses placed in the middle of a forest or desert. Any type of senior portraits I love too, something to show off the individuals personality. I can use all the advice I can get, be harsh it's okay I need it. I'm picking up a graphic design major to maybe one day use if I have kids in helping guide me with my photography.

Enough about me and my likes here are a few of my favorite photos I've taken so far:

One of my first nights at college, this guy was riding his skateboard and I asked to take his photo. I really like the artistic side of photography blended with the artistic side of skateboarding.

This was the most random/fun photoshoot I have ever done. We found this old-school laundromat next to my school and I asked my friend Taylor to dress 1940's and we'd take her photos. She was a beautiful model and I just love how classic this photo looks. Below is the same shoot but maybe my slightly more artistic side or at least I like to think so..

This is my favorite photo of the summer, I took this in a small barn on an orchard while I was visiting Oregon this summer. Samantha is a frequent in my photos and I just love her to pieces. I love the dark wood against the light on her skin.

I am really excited and honored to be a part of this blog of women that I can learn from. I am very new/amateur so it'll be great to get feed back and learn from all of you more experienced ladies. I have a few photo shoots coming up and I'll be on here soon asking for advice. :)

Nice to meet you all and love,

Katie