Aimee & Alyson {Preview}
I had such a lovely time shooting these gorgeous twin sisters this weekend. Here are a few shots of each of them for now, and I can. not. wait. to show you the rest of them. I literally found myself gasping as I took them.
Thanks Aimee and Alyson for being such wonderful models!
AIMEE
ALYSON
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Sammy {Senior} : Cars, Guitars and Shoes Worth Wearing
I’m excited to finally show you BOTH of Sammy’s shoots from earlier this fall. The first session included Sammy’s beloved car, a sweet orange chair that I’m so glad Sammy brought, and Sammy’s boyfriend, Logan. This was also the first senior shoot where I had the opportunity to use both my Canon 5D Mark II and my 50mm 1.4 together. Dreams do come true.
Our second shoot was in the gorgeous rose garden at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, but it was actually more like a colorful ice box that day. Shout-out to Sammy for braving the cold and still managing to create stunning pictures!
I hope y’all have a very Merry Christmas and I’m looking forward to sharing many more shoots with you in 2012. I am soooooo excited to show you my next couple’s session…almost as excited as freaked-out Sue. My hands are paralyzed.
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My Favorite Person to Photograph
I have been away from my camera all week. It was a sad, sad thing to be without. Luckily, my sister got home from college the same day I came home, so I was in luck. Vogue luck.
She had been baking & decorating sugar cookies all day today (while I documented, blog post to come) and I had been sifting through mounds of inspiration from my Vogues (more blog material). It was getting close to golden hour, so I literally forced her to go change for an impromptu photo shoot in our front yard. Because, unfortunately I’m NEVER home during golden hour so I grabbed the light while I could, and hugged it pretty tight.
Our last shoot was over a year ago, which you can see in this post. For now, here are a few of the shots we were able to create in about 15 minutes. As you can tell, we love stripes, shooting back-lit and being unashamedly vogue.
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Interview with Photographer Maloree Hamel of Nelle’s Images
I’m very excited to introduce one of my sweet friends and fellow photographers, Maloree Hamel of Nelle’s Images.
Mal’s been an inspiration to me even before I knew I wanted to create beautiful pictures. She’s been a mentor and constant source of encouragement. I was so excited when she agreed to be featured on my blog because she has great advice and an eye for beautiful shots.
This is my second installment of Interviews with Photographers, you can find the first one with fashion photographer Jackie Puwalski here. Please enjoy Mal’s words of wisdom & beautiful work and don’t forget to leave her some love afterward!
One of the best things about photography is that it expresses who a person is from within. Photography is an individualistic art that makes no two images the same. Whether you use photoshop actions, use film, or just take RAW images, it all is different. So how do you find out who you are in the artistic world of photography?
Be you.
It is so important that you find who you are as an artist and stick with it. I have been doing photography for about three years and every time I pick up my camera, I learn something new about who I am as an artist. One of things I enjoy doing is gathering positive feedback and constructive criticism on my images. This takes time and research to find adequate mentors and inspiring photographers to follow. Some of the people I have followed and had mentor me are the following…
Emily Potts
Kelly Moore Photography
Julie Harris
Josh McCullock
Ashley Ann Photography
The two biggest things that I want you all to remember is…
1. Julie Harris (a photographer from Colorado) states this, “Everything I do, I do because I like it for me. There are days that I’ve spent hours looking at other photographer’s work and then wanted to throw myself under a bus. Seriously. I can’t compare myself to others. My work is my own. I am an artist and have found a style that works for me and that my clients like.I don’t claim to know more than anybody, and I’m certainly not technically driven, but I will say that I absolutely love the art of photography and am inspired by all sorts of photographers—not just the perfect. My advice to anybody trying to learn some tricks is to keep it simple—do what works for you and keep your work pure. The camera is an extension of your soul–it’s how you see and interpret the world. Focus on this, and the technical aspects will follow.”
Always. Always… remember this about yourself.
2. One of the more recent things I have found to be such a useful resource is the Simulcast DSLR internet camera
I would highly encourage each of you to search for great resources, practice all the time (I like to grab my camera during breaks and just go to the park and practice).
Remember…
Find who YOU are.
Take the advice of mentors, but always remember what you are trying to express.
Try to shoot in manual, because you have more control.
Capture everything… look for the moments that are not expected (a mother’s tear, a quaint giggle between a couple, a baby’s bright blue eyes).
If you are wanting to make a career out of your photography, be confident in who you are and don’t give yourself low expectations.
Reach high and persevere. It’s totally worth it.
Every moment, even the most difficult.
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Here are links to Mal’s work and websites. Please go crazy, by all means – creep on her work, and show her some love!
Nelle’s Images Website: nellesimages.com
Nelle’s Images Blog: nellesblog.com
Personal Blog: fromtheyellowchair.wordpress.com
Nelle’s Images on Facebook
maloreehamel@gmail.com
P.S. >> I’ll be featuring another photographer in the next few weeks!
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Mariah {Senior} : Cows, Trees & ATV’s
If there was ever a night for a perfectly-buttery-golden-hour shoot, it was definitely this one. I mean look at that butter coming through the trees! Thank you Mariah for introducing me to this perfect location!
After this day with Mariah, I can now answer yes to the following questions: Have you ever shot someone’s picture while they were in a tree? Have you ever ridden an ATV to your shooting location? Have you ever been met by 4 cows while maneuvering safely around an old barn?
Needless to say, we had a great time and were never lacking excitement, or insanely vogue shots, thanks to Mariah. Now if we could only have those warm days back…
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The Little Things
I think I’m starting to have a slight addiction.
I knew it was coming. It was only a matter of time.
I’m not sure what it’s called, but it’s that tendency to whip out my camera every time I see…just about anything. I used to only think really amazing circumstances merited taking a picture – like going to Europe or Christmas time with my family. But lately, and it may have something to do with just having celebrated Thanksgiving and everything God has blessed me with, I’m starting to appreciate the smaller, beautiful things. And along with that, learning to relax in the every-day. And those merit remembering too, right? I think so.
I definitely had that opportunity last night with Yupkins and Kel Bel. We tore up the town – though less enthusiastically – after we realized the restaurant we had been dyyyying to eat at was closed for the holidays. But we did the next best thing and ate at the restaurant next door. And it. was. awesome. One word, sweetpotatofries.
Highlights included: naming an owl necklace (which I’ve already forgotten), cracking up at cat videos way louder than any acceptable inside voices should be, wedding scheming, attempting super-cucumberified ranch, and just enjoying the fact that we had nothing better to do than sit around and talk to each other for as long as we wanted. And so that’s exactly what we had-done-did. Yes, we talk like that sometimes.
We also talked about our guys, BIG SURPRISE. And how I’m currently in count-down mode. T-6 days until Mark leaves the west coast for good ol’ Bville. On a random-yet-necessary side note, if you happened to watch Conan last night, Mark was there and – if you ask me – he really should have received an Audiencey Award for Ryan Reynolds look-a-like. It’s a tough job, but someone has to accept it.
A smile for Yuppy’s favorite phrase. 
A mid-drink download. 
Apparently it was day of the boot.
Everyone’s favorite pose. Rawlings.
And there you have it. My camera addiction.
And the wonderful, little things in life that make it worth remembering.
P.S. I just came across a new blog which I think I could look at for hours. It’s called Anna with Love and is very much a celebration of the everyday beautiful things.
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There’s Never a Right Time to Say Goodbye.
Christ Brown said it perfectly, but he definitely wasn’t talking about what I’m talking about.
Over the weekend, I needed a few things. Things that I really couldn’t have survived without. I mean I literally would have been crawling up the steps during the ceremony and hoping nobody pushed me out of the way before le kiss. I shot a wedding and the only lens that actually works with my new camera now is my 50mm 1.4, which I adore almost more than my entire collection of stuffed penguins, but that’s an entirely different blog post.
Like I was saying, the only lens I use now is the 50mm for portraits, but – obviously – you probably can’t survive shooting a wedding with only a prime lens without passing out. So, I did my research and found out that one of the staple lenses used in weddings is the Canon 24-70mm 2.8, which ranges from being great for group shots to documenting the most detailed of details. So, I decided to rent instead of buying, because let’s face it, that would be very. expensive.
Where did I rent from? After researching and asking other photographers, I found Lens Pro To Go. Let me just tell you that I have never rented before, but even if I had, this would probably still be the easiest/only way to go. You find what you need, it’s mailed to you, rent it for a minimum of four days – up to however long you need, and then mail it back. And they even included candy in my box which has never happened before in my entire mail-receiveing lifetime. Also, when I had a question about my order (fretting UPS would shut down for Thanksgiving weekend) I got to talk to a real person who was very helpful and followed up to make sure I would get exactly what I needed.
I also rented the Canon 580EX II speedlight, which was fun to bounce off the high ceiling of the church. But I gotta say, natural light has a special place in my heart.
All this to say, I had a great experience and just wanted to pass this on to you if you ever think about renting. But I really wasn’t ready to let go of that lens today when I mailed it back…that song definitely played through my head as I walked out the door.
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Sammy’s Garden Shoot {Preview}
Before I got out of the car today, I made sure my little black gloves were in my camera bag.
Then I noticed Sammy was wearing a little black dress sans coat and I felt very much like a wimp. Luckily, the fact that it was in the upper 40s didn’t prevent her from producing great shots, the entire time. In addition to having an incredibly brave and gorgeous model to shoot today, I loved…
- Shooting as wide open as possible. I cranked it up to 1.4 and almost fainted. But then again, I already knew I loved that one.
- Shooting in full shade at mid-day.
- Shooting through miniature trees.
- Cranking down my ISO as. much. as. possible.
- Giving two great pairs of heels their much needed close-up.
- Breaking all the rules. Rule of what?
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Rich & Steph’s Engagement
They’re finally up! I’m so excited to show y’all Rich and Steph’s engagement session! There was lots of train hopping, pole balancing and tree climbing, oh and two very fun & photogenic people that I had the privilege of photographing.
I also had the opportunity to shoot their wedding today – which was a blast – and is something I never thought I would get the chance to do. I loved it. I learned so much and loved having the chance to be part of their amazing day! Can’t wait to (in time) share all the memories from today with everyone.
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Kady {Senior}
Way back in August, I had the pleasure of meeting Kady for the first time. We had a fantastic time exploring downtown Bartlesville - shooting in staple places as well as new locations. Kady was such a fun girl to be around and I rarely captured anything but her joyous smile. I’m looking forward to her second shoot very soon!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know I did! Blessed with family, laughter, wayyyyy too much food and lots of singing and Christmas lights.
P.S. I am currently preparing to shoot my first wedding this weekend and preparing to exercise my inner Jasmine Star in nail-biting, joyous anticipation. I’ll be keeping a ginormous mental notebook of my shooting experience to share with y’all.
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