Monthly Photography Challenge: Color Collage

Monthly Photography Challenge: Color Collage

6.21.2015

This month, Lauren challenged us to put together a Color Collage.  Basically all we needed to do was pick a color, take some pictures, and combine them all together.  Obviously, I picked the color yellow.  It's one of my personal favorites because it's such a happy color!  I initially thought it would be tough to find yellow objects to photograph, but I soon saw that yellow is everywhere!  I could totally do this kind of challenge over and over again.  It was fun!

Also of note, several of these pictures were taken with my brand new Canon 500D close up lens; it's like a filter that I attach to my 85mm lens.  I bought it instead of spending a boat load of money on a real macro lens (because it doesn't benefit my business at the moment) and I am loving the ability to get little details! It's perfect for flowers, food, toys, and faces close-up.  I would definitely recommend it!   

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Monthly Photography Challege: Gettin' in the Frame

Monthly Photography Challege: Gettin' in the Frame

5.20.2015

Since May celebrates mothers, what could be more appropriate than featuring us mamas this month?!  I may be a photographer, but I have very mixed feelings about getting in front of the camera.  A part of me loves a pretty picture of myself and the other part is self conscious about all my perceived physical flaws.  Plus, for some reason, it feels kind of weird to steal a whole frame to myself; I like the people I love most in the picture with me!  So in honor of Mother's Day, some pictures of my boys with me... in real life fashion.   

Click around to see these talented mama's faces:
Elizabeth

Lauren

Miriam

Rachel

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Monthly Photography Challenge: Water

Monthly Photography Challenge: Water

4.20.2015

Scenes like this evoke a lot of Idaho pride in me.  It's hard to describe how lucky I feel that this is my view, my backyard.  Idahome forever.

*****

See more water photos from our blog circle here:    

Elizabeth

Lauren

Miriam

Rachel

     

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Monthly Photography Challenge: Motion

Monthly Photography Challenge: Motion

3.20.2015

^^Jed and his friend Josh racing down the slide!^^

This month's photography theme was motion.  What a fun challenge, especially since I have two little boys that are always on the move!

When I photograph my boys at play, I like to freeze the moment by using a fast shutter speed as seen in these sledding pictures I took this winter.  I generally don't like blurry photos; they look out-of-focus to me.  But since these monthly photography challenges are about stretching myself, I decided to try something new.  I slowed my shutter speed and attempted to pan as Jed and Levi rode their bikes past me, hoping to catch a blurry background and little feet to convey movement in a single photo.  Miraculously, it worked!  I also packed my tripod to the park one evening.  I set up my camera to focus on the boys at the top of the slide and closed down my aperture a bit to ensure good focus.  Then I let the shutter fly!  And there you have it, four pictures compiled into one in Photoshop.  I think it looks kind of cool!

 Be sure to click on over to these other talented ladies' blogs for some more photos in motion. 

Alea

Elizabeth

Lauren

Miriam

Rachel

     

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Monthly Photography Challenge: Hearts

Monthly Photography Challenge: Hearts

2.20.2015

What could be more appropriate for February than hearts?  There could be so many variations on this theme (like what makes my heart skip a beat!) but I decided to go with the literal thing.  Enjoy!

Don't forget to poke around these other participating photographers' blogs!  I heart them.

Elizabeth

Lauren  

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Monthly Photography Challenge: Street Photography

Monthly Photography Challenge: Street Photography

1.20.2015

Technically, street photography, "features the human condition within public places," but I'm taking my own twist on the subject this month and featuring a lifestyle session I shot instead.  Family is the human condition nearest and dearest to my own heart right now as a mother.  I love how a lifestyle session documents those feelings and precious moments of bringing home a new baby in some small way. 

Perhaps I'll take another stab at this theme come April because living in rural Idaho, street photography to me involves tractors and farmers and cows. But it's January and none of that is to be had till spring. So in the mean time, hop on over to see what these other talented ladies have conjured up!  (P.S. We added another photographer, Elizabeth!)

Alea

Elizabeth

Lauren  

Miriam

Rachel

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Monthly Photography Challenge: Bokeh

Monthly Photography Challenge: Bokeh

12.15.2014

This month's photography challenge is bokeh.  (If you're new to the blog, you can see previous challenges HERE.)  With the Christmas season upon us and little lights glowing everywhere, it only seemed a natural theme.  Those gleaming lights look so pretty, all blurry and out of focus, in the background!  So I decided to try to light up the background for my darling neighbor girl's one year old birthday shoot here in my home.  I learned a few things.  One point in particular is how I desperately need a stand to hang my backgrounds on!  Lucky me, Bron designed something and took me to the hardware store that very night for some PVC pipe.  I am beyond thrilled!  But really, no set-back can underrate this little girl's contagious smile.  Paisley is so cute I just want to sweep her up and squeeze her!

Thanks for peeking in!  Don't forget to check out the other talented ladies in our photography circle, beginning with Lauren Jensen Photography.

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Monthly Photography Challenge: Night Shots

Monthly Photography Challenge: Night Shots

11.15.2014

There's even more fun, inspiration, and interpretation for this month's theme as I have teamed up with four other professional photographers who all just happen to be moms too: Alea, Lauren, Miriam, and Rachel.  I'm really excited about what these monthly challenges have suddenly turned into!  I'm not sure how long this will continue, but I'm enjoying the extra challenge of trying something new and the opportunity to get my creative juices flowing.  In fact, since attempting this month's theme, I have at least five more specific shots in my head I'd like to capture sometime this winter. 

When I first thought of night shots, I knew I wanted to capture an image of the Perrine Bridge over the Snake River Canyon.  And then I needed a picture of our local LDS temple as well, of course; it's a bright beacon in the dark!  So I grabbed my tripod and a coat and went to "work".  (Since when is photography ever work?  Haha.)  It took me several tries to hone in on the right settings, but once I found my groove, it was a lot of fun!  The most entertaining part was pressing the shutter strategically between sets of cars rushing past the temple.

 
And then the awful time change occurred.  The sun sets so early now!  But I'm trying not to complain.  The dark actually wound up being an inspiration for some in-home shots one evening.  Since my new camera has ISO that goes on for days, I knew I could embrace the grain and play with some hard light.  I'm so lucky to have such cute models willing to pose for me.

^^Watching cartoons inside the teepee.^^

^^I told Levi there was candy in the fridge.  Hehehe.^^

Now please click on over to the next talented gal in our photography circle, Lauren Jensen Photography, to see some more creative night shots.  I promise you won't be disappointed.

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Monthly Photography Challenge: Silhouettes

Monthly Photography Challenge: Silhouettes

10.15.2014

I'm teaming up with my friend from high school/college at Lauren Jensen Photography to bring you today's post.  I don't think either of us had any idea just how much photography would one day capture our adult hearts, minds, and souls, but it has!  So in an effort to continue to stretch and grow as photographers, we decided to set up a monthly challenge to shoot something different, something outside of portraiture.  A challenge, per say.

This month's challenge: Silhouettes.

^^The old dead tree in our neighbor's yard.  I sure wish the sky had some clouds in it that night, but ya can't win them all, right?  I think the tree looks lonely here.^^

^^A whopping thanks to my cute neighbor girls for humoring me!^^

^^Note to self: next time you set up a tripod, make sure it is square with the window.  Haha!^^

I actually had no idea how difficult it would be to purposely shoot for a silhouette!  I'm so used to exposing for the subject that it was weird to dial down my exposure.  But the hardest part was finding the right light... and then placing my subject in front of it.  If you know my two little boys, you know that they don't stop moving long enough for me to set up the perfect shot.  I just have to run with it them!  But I do like the few images I was able to capture this month.  That'll do! 

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