So we started the christmas vacation off by traveling. When we got to our destination for the first day, we awoke to a hoar frost. I Love this kind of frost. I first saw this stuff 2 years ago and since then I always wanted to get some shots. So I finally got some.
So, my mom had me take this picture. What a pain to do! This was a tough shot, because of the ambient light and the difficult texture of the crystal. I like it though. Quite fun.
So....I took this shot by WAY over exposing. This was done by accident, however, when I adjusted it, it turns out to be a cool technique. Santa's Marching band....the bane of my existence. Growing up, my Mom would play this thing for hours on end. I hate those little men with their mallets and their striking the bells.....curse who ever invented them. This pictures suits them. They are evil. They are cruel....They are .... Santa's marching band.
I LOVE bokeh! This is when the lights are represented more with a pattern than with a specific defined light. Holiday Lights are great! Hope your holidays are bright.
Brand new lighting techniques, thought I would try them out. I loved the lighting in these shots.
Ah...the love of my life. This picture captures her so wonderfully.
So I saw this interesting starfish on the shelf, and I instantly thought "MACRO"! So I pulled out my extension tubes and there you have it, a wonderful Macro shot! I love the textures on this shot. I love the nice lighting and depth of field on this shot. The lighting was provided by my on camera flash with diffuser.
So again, this is Jenny. This photo is my favorite from the shoot. The lighting I feel is perfect on the face. The expression on her face is one that works as well.
This is my next picture. This model's name is Jenny. She has a terrific smile and a great personality. I like this shot as I feel it captured the real person. I hope you agree.
So this is another one of Laura that I shot. I love the lighting here.
So tonight we had a photo shoot at Provo creative. There are a bunch of photographers and models who come together and just shoot and have fun. I will be posting several images over the next little bit.
This is Laura. She is a model with the group. Great personality and wonderful person to work with.
So last night I setup the trusty in house simple studio, and started shooting. I loved just getting down and dirty with my new 50mm 1.8 lens. I was able to do some macros and such, however, what caught my eye were the series of images placed here. I love the shell. It is interesting and fun to shoot. It really allows me to play with two different light sources as well, a constant from the right and a shoe mounted flash. Hope you enjoy!
More will come...stay tuned.
So I snapped this at a photoshoot I did on Saturday. I loved the look and feel. Believe it or not, I shot it without looking through the view finder. Turned out pretty well.
So, I always love experimenting with photography. Today, I shot tennis shoes, and a munchkin character. I wanted to have a lot of texture and an interesting lighting. I got these pictures. They really cause me to be excited, because of the lighting. I love the whole effect a simple light can cause on these things. Fun!
Super Munchkin
Originally uploaded by BrighterPhotos
If you've never played Munchkin the game, you are missing out!
So, mondays are hard for me. However, this morning, as I was feeling bad, I saw this. This made all the difference in the world. This is truly a majestic scene.
Sooooo....you might say....ew! Yeah...that's what I thought. When I was taking the pictures, I was loving what I was seeing, however, I had a hard time getting what I was seeing. But...live and learn. I learned quite a bit about how to accent the light. I loved the ornate nature of this lamp, and hopefully, I can get a little bit different look. Hope to improve on this one.
As I was leaving for work this morning, I looked out my garage and there was some cool lighting. Those pictures didn't work out, however, it encouraged me to take my camera to work. And this was the shot from my window at work. I LOVE the soft lighting on these hills and Mount Timpanogos in the fall. It makes me feel calm and reflective. It's a WONDERFUL day.
I haven't posted in a while, got hit up by the H1N1 flu. I came into work this morning, and saw this AWESOME cloud. I had to take a picture. It made me excited to be out and about again.
So I was parked at a street lamp and while there rolled the window down and shot his picture. The lift causes such a wonderful contrast. The picture just jumps out at me. It makes me feel thoughtful and reflective. I get lost in the imagery. I also took another picture which follows. It does the same for me.
So, I got a new iPhone app this morning which is just plain COOL! I figured I would give you a gander at the difference it makes.
The App: The Best Camera
http://thebestcamera.com/
When you compare the images, you will find you can do QUITE a bit with the iPhone. Thought you might enjoy this.
So today I left work, and while waiting for my ride, I took a moment to look around and found this little flower. When I saw this flower I immediately went calm. I always feel this way when I am taking pictures. Photography helps me calm down and focus on the small and simple things. I am able to appreciate more fully the important things and reflect on things going on in my life. This little flower has a hard little life. It's siblings are all chewed up and it will probably be consumed tomorrow, but for today and for the rest of my life at least, it will alays remind me of the small and simple things.
This is a quick one. I love this shot of my sister in law. She has a very interesting look. Although the light is blown out in this shot, I still think it works. The light naturally bounces off of her shirt and into her face. That is what makes the shot.
On Sundays, my wife and I eat dinner with her aunt and uncle and their family. We have all sorts of fun. On this past Sunday, we ate outside and the light was spectacular. I wanted to snap the light, but while I was positioning myself, the scene unraveled itself. There is so much joy in their faces. There always seems to be something so special about being "The tickler and the tickled.". May we all keep that inner child within and remember to keep the simple things in our lives.
So when I took this picture, I was interested in shooting the trees. I loves the sunlight that was passing through the grove of trees. The important part of taking a picture is the perspective.
When I see this shot, it takes me into a comfortable and quite place. I reminds me of the fishing trips my dad, grandpa, and brother and I used to take when I was growing up. They were in the mountains in Colorado. Wonderful pine trees and wonderful memories.
So my friend and I headed out on Labor Day, intent on finding great light and interesting stuff to take a picture of. We also wanted to relax.
You know, I love photography. I love how it makes me feel when I shoot a picture, and I can feel the stress just running out of my body. It's a creative outlet. I have a few images that were fun for me, so here we go.
Shortly after shooting these at the Provo City Library, we headed over to the Duck Pond by BYU. What a place! I have decided that, so far, this is my favorite place. I have a chance to sit and contemplate and enjoy my surroundings, while get wonderful shots of the wildlife. It makes me appreciate nature more and more. For that I am grateful.
It also makes me remember my family and appreciate them more.
Until next time...
So of late I have really been focused on looking at different qualities of light. This morning coming into work, I found this gorgeous spider web that had this marvelous light. I wonder what life would be like without light... I think it would be nothing. All that we have, do, and experience is due to the existence of light. In it's simplest term light and dark are opposites. Without one you cannot know the other.
I think this is why as a photographer, I enjoy photography so much. It is finding the balance of the light and dark to portray a picture. A picture tells it's story by that light and dark. We as people do the same.
I snapped this with an iPhone. I loved light on the berries. When I think of berries, I like to think of fresh berries in water and delicious to taste. When I saw these in this light I had to snap this and savor the flavor forever! Yum!
My wife and her sister. They are the closest of friends. In this image, the closeness of the two of them can be seen. When you look at them, they exude love. They are quite the pair. They play together and laugh together.
While we were at the cabin over the weekend, I asked them to pose for me. I wanted to experiment with the light. What sports! They posed and did a wonderful job. This shot was after a candid moment of them goofing around. They speak wonders in their eyes.
So today I am at a cabin in the Uintah Mountains. Of late I have been focusing a lot on my photography. Working on trying to get more and more business. Trying to find models and people who would be willing to have me take their picture. I think a lot of people view pictures and such differently than I do.
Growing up, my family did not have a lot of pictures taken. I can remember a handful of photos that were taken of me, these generally being school pictures or weddings. As I have thought about this, I have come to the conclusion that this is really what people think about photography, an event or something to remember.
Several years ago, my father gave me my first experience with Digital SLR. We went on a “photo safari” across the state of Washington. We went to the backside of Mount Ranier, and there in the rainforest, yes there is a natural rainforest on the backside of the mountain, I fell in love with photography. He gave me his old Canon Rebel, under the pretense that he wanted a new one, which he got the 5D Mark II, and since then, I have fallen more and more each day in love with the art.
As I ponder more and more on my story, I am trying to look inward on why I love it so much. Over the last few days, I have been pondering this, and now, as I sit the table in the cabin, eating Cinnamon Toast crunch, I have a moment to reflect on this. I seek to answer the proverbial question: Why do I do this? What motivates me?
Why do I do this?
When I first started, I was taking pictures of just about anything I could. Nature was the big theme: Trees, branches, fields, flowers, bees, bugs and insects. I remember, however, that I was focusing more on the composition than on the subject. I was just basically, pointing and shooting. Gradually over time, I came to realize that people were the most intriguing subjects for me. I wanted to shoot people because I love the emotion, feeling and expression that people share. I remember that I went to a parade in North Dakota, and while sitting on the side of the road, taking pictures of the people and cars and things. The people were great. While the parade was going, a 3 person party walked down the street with the nations flag. The men were solemn and gracious. I snapped a shot of a man in a Yellow shirt, a solemn expression on his face, told the story in nothing but his demeanor
When I started this blog, I started by thinking about what I wanted to accomplish and what I wanted to share. I have since watched many podcasts and other videos and people who have told me that the important part of a blog is to present yourself and or photos.
In this feeling, I am posting this shot of r a sunrise. This was shot in Colorado from the National Monument. I wanted to get something beautiful. I wanted to get the "bug" the photography bug. After this shot, it bit me hard! I love photography. And I hope to share a little more of me in the future.
