A Little Catch Up

Hello hello hello! I know it’s been a bit again. I graduated with my biology degree and have been looking for a new job. Finishing up school and this job search has taken up most of my energy, and the energy to be creative was put in the backseat. I’m trying to make creativity a priority in my life now.

The next few posts are going to be a few shoots that I’ve done over the course of the last year. This first shoot was a wedding with a couple that I’ve done photos with multiple times in the past. They are the most kind and genuine people and I’m lucky that they chose me to take photos for them.

I rented a macro lens for this shoot - I’ve been wanting to get one for a few years, but I’ve never pulled the trigger on it. This was a really good chance to test it out and here are some of the ring photos that I’m excited about! :)

(Had this in drafts since 4/22/2022, oops😳)

Long time No Shoot

Hello again. Its been a bit. I’ve been feeling really lonely but I got my COVID shots, am getting a therapist, and I think everything is finally looking up. :)

This last weekend we went camping in Eastern Washington and ended up doing a 10 minute photoshoot with my partner’s sister and her fiancé. I found myself being totally lost at how to pose again. I thought I was getting the hang of it but the long break really created this unnecessary tension between my creative brain and I. It was honestly really rough. I felt so awkward and like my mind just couldn’t figure out how to move their bodies in angles that were appealing through the lens. I gave up trying after a few minutes.

We looked at some pose inspiration beforehand but overall I let them be themselves with each other in front of the camera and I just took photos of them. Less stressing about how to get the poses right, and more focus on just trying to get the photos.

There was no reason for this shoot to be stressful but it actually was pretty stressful. But also really fun. I miss taking photos of people. I need a group of friends to just travel and practice taking photos with. You know, Instagram influencer style. That requires money, friends, and time. None of which I have currently, its unfortunate but someday it’ll happen. I just gotta keep taking advantages of camping trips and friends willing to let me photograph them.

Hopefully anybody reading this is feeling mentally stable and in good spirits that we are facing the right direction. Take care of yourselves. Love you all.

Been a year

It’s been about a year since I have picked up my camera. My goal for this blog page was to be open and honest with anybody reading these. I’ve been super depressed and just gave up on pretty much all of my hobbies. Please take your mental health seriously. Reach out to people. Get therapy. Call a helpline. Here is the National Hotline number: 800-273-8255. Don’t be ashamed, Time, and help truly heals.

Mental Health is often overlooked, and not taken seriously. It is extremely important for us as a society to advocate for mental health in your local communities and be there for each other. Here is a link to donate to Mental Health America. Don't donate if you aren't in a stable financial situation. There are other ways to help, however, if you are financially stable and have the ability to donate, please do.

DONATE- Mental Health America

Back to photography:

I got a new job at a sushi restaurant mid summer 2019, and right before the pandemic hit, around March my boss was trying to redo the menu. I offered to help - I don’t know why, something just told me to. I brought my camera, ring light, and a black cardboard cutout to work the next day.

I found myself getting excited about photography again.

I was loving how the photos were turning out PRE edit. This didn’t happen very often before. I was ecstatic. Honestly, so excited to be enjoying my favorite hobby again.

New dark edit. First attempt at food photography.

I was unsure how I wanted to theme the shoot. I wanted the menu to have a darker theme, so I attempted my first dark-food-photography themed shoot to match.

Playing with colors on a dark background.

Here we are trying this again. I forgot how important it is for your mind and soul to have a creative outlet. If this quarantine stuff has you feeling depressed, try picking up an old hobby - see how it makes you feel. Learn something new. Go out of your way to be there for yourself. It’s important.

Not a family photographer

I’ve been thinking hard about what type of photography I want to label myself as. I think that I am the best at couple shoots, I love the energy between couples. I truly think those are my best shoots.

I recently did a family shoot of someone who I have done couple shoots a few times over the last few years. I just am not as comfortable with families or even siblings. I probably will get better the more I practice, however, it doesn’t turn out as good. Here are some photos from the session that I truly like!

I don’t know if I should turn down family shoots or really just anything that isn’t a couple shoot, or if I should keep taking them and maybe I’ll get better?

Self Portraits

Self portraits are so much more than your average selfie. Why wait around for people to model for you when you can model for yourself? I’ve found taking self portraits are actually a really good way to practice composition set up and model posing.

It is sort of crazy what just a small body shift and head tilt can do.

Re-Editing Old Photos

Re-editing old photos has been SO important in my creative growth. I recently have found myself completely stuck and hating everything I’ve been editing. I felt like just giving up. If you can’t edit the photos you take, good luck competing in this industry. Not giving up and just continuing to practice editing truly has made a difference in my photography. I really feel like different editing styles can effect your photos. Professional? Amateur? Beginner?

Getting the photo right in camera is only half the battle. Imagine not really knowing how to work photoshop and getting it WRONG in camera. That in itself isn’t just a battle, it’s a whole war.

Over the years, I’ve learned that it truly is best to get the shot correct in camera. Have the model set up how you want, make sure the exposure and white balance is correct, set the aperture correct, compose the shot, and THEN take the photo. I used to just fire away and hope to get the right composition and pose. This was a huge mistake. It would take hours playing with the colors and cropping in photoshop and they still wouldn’t turn out anywhere close to decent.

I don’t think I am anywhere near professional level yet, but I do feel that I am getting closer than I was even just a few months ago.

I really liked the look of these photos, but now I see that they are a bit green for my liking, and just very washed out. I don’t know what I was thinking.

I like a more “real” color scheme in my photos now. A bit darker with real skin tones and less washed out. Even since I have edited these photos, I feel like I want more warmth in them. Finding a set editing style is so hard and feels impossible.

How many different editing styles how you gone through before you found one you truly love?

Finals + Photography

What do you think of when you think of the word college? Parties? Work? Fun? Social? I think “Complicated.” College has been one of the most intense times of my life, and I still have what feels like so long to go. Trying to balance work with school, AND find time to do homework in-between has been a rollercoaster of crazy. Plus trying to find time to have a social life on top of that is basically impossible. If you are one of the ones who can have a social life, work, and get good grades please share your secrets! I’m literally begging you. (;

This week is dead week. Next week we have finals, and life is happening so hard. I got in a car accident recently and now have my first ever car loan. Our landowners are selling the apartment complex we live in and have been doing walk throughs/ inspections- so I’ve needed to get our pups out of the house so they can do their thing. I am failing chemistry. It makes zero sense in my brain, and this is unfortunate because I need three chem classes to move on to my harder biology classes so I can graduate. On top of all this I am struggling so hard to find time to take photos and practice new lighting and editing techniques.

“Quality is not an act, but a habit.”

— Aristotle

This quote is what is keeping me coming back to photography. I love the whole process of the art of photography. It just seems like there is no time at this point in my life.

I simply can’t accept that. I continually come back to learning about photography in the times that I really should be focused on something else. It calms me, and gives me so much motivation to go out and try new techniques.

Edited using a new style I’ve been practicing.

Right now, I am learning how to blog. I always thought that this would be easy, but no, I was SO wrong. A good chunk of time I have no idea what to even say. But a quality blog will come eventually, as long as I make working on it a habit.

How do you stay focused and keep habits when life hits?

Instagram is down.

Instagram is down and as sad as this is, I feel like I don’t know what to do with myself. I keep finding myself refreshing a page that won’t refresh, or scrolling through the same 10 photos that have previously been loaded. I even deleted the app and redownloaded it. Now I am logged out of my photography Instagram, and I keep trying to log in without any luck. This is kind of infuriating. I didn’t realize that it was a worldwide problem until after getting all frustrated. Knowing its not my phone acting up is actually sort of nice.

We’re all in this together.

I’ve been trying to keep up with posting on a regular schedule (trying to make that a habit) but having Instagram down really is putting a halt in forcing myself to post new content. So here I am, listening to some throwback Jonas Brothers songs, writing about how Instagram being down is throwing my daily routine off. This seems so sad. Being addicted to social media is a whole other topic but it feels ridiculous to be even slightly unsure what to do simply because a social media site is down.

I am sorry if it seems like I complain about life a lot here. I just hate that “perfect life” aesthetic that a lot of people seem to have on the internet. I want to be relatable to you. I want to share my struggles and triumphs with you. I want to grow my photography business being real with you. It feels scary though. When you’re in your own mind, being honest and open with the world is terrifying. Putting your work out there is nerve wracking enough let alone broadcasting emotions and struggles too.

Throwback to when the lead singer for Grouplove posted my photo on his personal Instagram. That was pretty cool.

Stuck Color Correcting When Editing?

SAME.

I’ve been trying to find an edit for these photos since September last year. But I think I FINALLY found something I like. Just keep practicing and don’t give up! The edit that you want will come eventually. Promise!

The problem I’ve been having with this shoot is that the longer she was in the tub, the water turned more and more pink. The first shots looked like this:

As the milk bath shoot went on, you see those lil’ red things? Yeah, I guess they strip their color FAST. We continued on with the shoot anyway. We honestly should have emptied it, went to the store to get more milk, and started over. I’m actually glad that we didn’t though. This gave me an opportunity to play around with a crazy RAW file in Lightroom.

The whole entire feel of this shoot completely flipped as the water color changed. Darker, more moodier images worked better with the pink water. So we went for it.

I don’t know if I’ll like these in a month, but thats okay! Shoots that get you out of your comfort zone are the only way to broaden your skills.

Have fun and get weird with a new shoot!

Whats your favorite “out of the ordinary” type shoot?

Traveling to Portland, Oregon?

Have you ever been to Portland, Oregon? If not, it definitely is a place you need to have on your bucket list!

We have been traveling to Portland on and off for around 5 years now and it still hasn’t gotten old. There is something for everyone in this city. From literal blocks of food trucks for the foodies out there to Ground Kontrol for the video game enthusiasts, all the way to Powell’s Book Store for bookworms out there.

We took our very first train ride to Portland for a little weekend getaway and if you have never ridden on a train, I highly recommend it!

New to Blogging

I never really know what to blog about.

My life truly isn’t all that interesting. I go college, I work at a pizza place, and I take photos. Seems pretty basic, and feels even more basic typing it out. I have always felt that since I am posting these blogs onto my photography website that I should make them about photography somehow. I never know what to write about photography though. I don’t have presets for you to buy, I don’t have special tips and tricks for you to learn, and I am very bad at marketing. Which is like 80% of having a successful business. Probably should work on that. But I just love putting my work out there, and if you like it- awesome! If not- that’s okay too!

I have tried blogging about my photography sessions, and while this most definitely was something to blog about, I made a new website and now those posts are in the “work” section, leaving the “blog“ section and my blogging mind empty.

So here are a few photos of work. I brought my camera in, and while it was slow took some pictures of the pizza line. It was random, and sort of fun. I’ve never taken photos inside a business before like this, and I kind of like how they turned out.

I am going to try to post at least two blogs a week. Maybe that will give me some practice with this, and I’ll come up with something better for you all than photos of my work! 😂

I hope that everyone reading this has a beautiful day.