I love you Mann's!

Yesterday I got to take photos of my best friend and her family.  We had just barely enough time to take photos while the sun was still out... but I think the photos turned out well!  The goal was to get one good family photo... I think there are more than one, but that's for Jacquie and her family to decide.  Shhhhhh..... don't tell my Sister I worked on these photos first!!!  I'm pretty sure she'll kill me.  However, this is a blog... she's bound to see it someday :-)

Photoshop is my bitch

I feel like a genius.  I was able to use Photoshop Elements to modify a picture of my sister and her boyfriend.  Now, I did a lot of "auto" and guided tours to figure it out, but that's not the point... is it?  In any case, take a look at my mad skillz.  That's right, there's a Z added to "skills" because I feel that awesome!  The photo is taken at the LOVE sign in Scottsdale near the Scottsdale Civic Center.

I haven't been taking photos lately.  It isn't something I'm proud to post... it's just the truth.  In December I signed up to be a CAbi girl.  The clothes are to die for and I love the women who I'm now linked with.  The only downside to starting my own part-time business is my goals of photographing in 2011 have not been achieved.  My good friend, Jacquie, asked me to take photos of her family and I will be doing that soon.  I just got around to Photoshopping some of the photos I took of Jacquie and her Mom in OCTOBER.  Ridiculous, right?!  I actually prefer taking photos to Photoshopping.  Photoshop just sucks away my time and I'd rather figure out how to use my camera to get amazing shots.  Below are some computerized updates to Jacquie's Mom's photos.

I do love b&w photos

Photoshop Elements is mine!

My birthday was yesterday and my Sister graciously purchased Photoshop Elements 9.0 for me.  I spent most of the day playing with my new toy.  I enhanced some photos of my good friend Carie and her son.  I think the ones I've modified turned out pretty good.  The only way to really find out is to print them!

A photography workshop with Val Westover

On Saturday I took a photography class with Val Westover.  For those interested this is his website - http://www.valwestoverphotography.com/.  The workshop included 4 hours of lecturing and 2 hours of actual practicing.  Both were fantastic.  I learned how to adjust the light meter so people don't appear blurry.  I learned how to really utilize my camera properly.  And, if I'm feeling really ballsy I can put my camera on Manual mode and control ALL aspects of the camera!  I am including some shots I took from the workshop.  None have been touched up, but I think these look pretty good without it!

We took photos at the La Hacienda, a beautiful park at The Buttes.

I was trying to make the color exact.  I think it turned out really well.

I love it when the background is blurry.

A farmhouse... look how blue the sky is in this photo.

Val Westover running like the wind

My first action shot that actually turned out.

Run Stephanie run!

Stephanie Adriana running slow enough that I could capture her.  Unfortunately the background isn't blurry. 

Val Westover and Stephanie Adriana 

The goal was to make my skin tone NOT look pasty white.  I think I accomplished it!

Look how blue the sky is!!!

What I want to be when I grow up...

I've been trying to figure out what type of photographer I am or want to be.  This morning I think I finally figured it out.  I like to photograph life as it happens. I don't want to add extra elements that didn't already exist to a photograph using Photoshop.  The only thing I want to do is enhance the natural lighting so the photo looks even more beautiful.  I don't want my clients taking photos where they look unnatural.  Why would they want to keep those?  I want them in the moment doing whatever it is they were doing at that time. Now that I know that, taking photographs should be even more fun.  My models just have to act natural and do whatever they would be doing normally.  Sometime that's hard.  I know when my husband and I too our engagement photos it was weird and awkward because we knew someone was watching.  Eventually we got the hang of it and my favorite photo from that session was one of the very last ones taken.  Below is a photo that Justine Miller took of us at the Boojum Tree in North Phoenix.  That is one of the greatest places to take photographs because each part of the building is different... oh and it's outside!!!

In any case, we blew up this photograph to an 8x10 and it sits in our bedroom.  This is what I want to be able to do.  Capture real moments by real people while they're happening. Hopefully I'll be able to make that dream come true!

Portrait Session with Mrs. Briggs

I was honored to be asked by my good friend Jacquie if I would take some photos of her Mom and some of them together. I haven't had much practice with sit-down sessions, so I said YES immediately! Her Mom just got a new haircut... and looked SMOKIN' if I do say so myself... and she wanted to take some updated photos. I think she might be using one of them for an article she writes in the local paper... or maybe I made that up. We took some gorgeous photos at Discovery Park in Gilbert. Unfortunately, my Photoshop program isn't behaving, so I will have to wait to enhance the photos. (Fingers crossed Santa brings me Photoshop Elements under the Christmas tree!)