Senior Session

I'm a happy girl! I feel like the sr. session I did today went exceptionally

well, even though the sun was shining and we had to maneuver around

all of the harsh shadows.

Keep a lookout for the rest of the pictures. :)

Hmmm... now I have to decide if I should do my homework tomorrow or sort/edit

pictures. ;) I know what I want to do. Hopefully, I can fit both in.

-MarLeahJoy

Sprint Triathlon

I am so excited that I have already been presented with so many

opportunities to explore different areas of photography.

I had such an enjoyable time today shooting at a local Triathlon.

Here are a few pictures that I have already sorted through.

Excuse the simple little watermark, my sister ran off with the laptop
that has my normal one on it. :P

-MarLeahJoy

Food Photography >>> Raspberry Waffles

I love breakfasts when they are anything but the typical!

Made with raspberries we froze from the summer.

Yep, they were delicious! :)
 
-MarLeahJoy

Practice Run

I'm am scheduled to take someone's senior pictures on Sunday; I have been
super excited and nervous at the same time. I took my sister for a shoot to get
more hands on experience besides all of the research I have been doing.

I learned some valuable lessons -- rather, nuggets of truth. :)



Truth: Alyssa knows how to edit; I definitely need her nearby throughout the
whole editing process until I get the hang of it. (she edited this one)







Truth: The Lensbaby Edge 80 has style, but it lacks in focus.  :( So I have decided
that until I can focus like a pro, I'm just taking my 18-55mm and Alyssa's 55-250mm.






Truth: Lensbaby works best on nature, buildings, etc. when you aren't trying to focus
on someones teeny tiny eyeball. :P



Truth: Alyssa has me hooked on messy window pictures. :)

-MarLeahJoy

Star Trail

I've always loved star trails, and that was definitely one thing I had on my list to do
once I got my DSLR. :)



You can read more about my experience in the previous post.

On a personal note: I honestly don't know how I am going to survive the next month
and 23 days. My camera is so distracting... it's all I think about all day long. So I bring
my little notebook to school with me and write down my ideas of what to capture and
blog about once I get home from school. I can definitely say this is a transitional time
in my life, and I know it is for the better. :) But the restlessness of this transition is rough.

Enjoy life by enjoying today -- I am! :)
-MarLeahJoy

New Adventures

Well,  this is something I've never done before. It's 5am; I am warming up
from my 2 hour station in the 24 degree weather.

No, my parents did not kick me out, and they knew I was doing this. :)

I was taking a star trail. :) I took 192 pictures at 30 sec exposure, 100
ISO, and f/4.0. 

This is one of the pictures that will be combined with the rest later to show
the movement of the stars.

Here is a little more of my experience for those who care to know:

I sat up my camera on a tripod with the 18-55mm lens set on 18mm. I
auto focused on a star by zooming in (I heard that it messes up the focus
to zoom in, set the focus, and zoom out; but I didn't notice anything
wrong). Then I switched it to manual focus so it wouldn't refocus (I really
need to learn how to use my back-button focus so I don't have to use the
switch).
I used the button-taped-over-the-shutter-release method again, haha. :) Which
is one of the reasons I had to stay out there the whole time: to make sure the
tape never loosened (it did at first, but I got it fixed). Also, I had my camera
set up right by the road, and I wouldn't think of leaving it out by itself.

Then, I sat there for an hour.... until I got the bright idea to get the laptop. Time
always passes so much faster with the internet and music, so that was a wise move.
Whenever a car passed by, I would hunker down and mummer to myself,
"you don't see me, you don't see me, you don't see me."   And then I wondered:
"What would they do if they did see me?" Well apparently nothing, because I'm
sure they saw me! How can you not see a person who is sitting 7 yards
from the road when your headlights are shinning on them? :)


Oh my, I'm sooo cold!
-MarLeahJoy

Sunday Snow

Most people hated this last late snow, but I must say even though I can't wait
for those warm summer nights, I kind of enjoyed this little unexpected snow.
(I say 'unexpected' because I rarely pay attention to what people say about the
weather, what we get is what we get!)

Snow laden trees make such a nice contrasted background. I happen to like their
shiny car, too. :)





-MarLeahJoy

Food Photography >>> Freezing Action

I really had a lot of fun getting everything set up for this
photo shoot, and I am more than happy with the results!



Who else loves eating cake mix raw? Okay, maybe 
just me. :)



Oooh, oooh! A massive water blob!









One of my favorite pictures from today.



I just had to capture the part of food prep. where the
flour flies everywhere.





Yum! Spoon, anybody?



Here is my little studio set up... I just go around the house
on a little "treasure hunt" grabbing whatever I need.  :D

The camera was set up close enough to the bowl that I could
mostly hold the shutter with one hand and mix and pour
with the other. I did have to use my "taping" method to
keep the shutter down while I was cracking the egg, though. :)

Have a great week... I'll be enjoying a 5 day hiatus from school!

-MarLeahJoy

Cherry Wood Waves

I absolutely love this ceiling design. I'm sure it cost more than a fortune, though.




-MarLeahJoy

Two Thoughts

1: Sometimes messiness makes me happier than cleanliness -- certain
messiness, like this lighting set up.

(yeah, I think the shop lights are permanently stationed in my bedroom)

2: "Help me, Lord, to faithful be, Give me grace to do thy will..."

And a bonus thought: if you don't object Irish folk songs, you should listen to this song; her voice is so beautiful.

Have a great weekend!
-MarLeahJoy

Jaime and Kaitlin

In the last two post I mentioned how much I enjoyed going to Crystal Bridges.
I think this post explains even more why I had such a splendid time: I got to take picture
all the time... of two great girls who were always more than happy to be original
and pose by anything! :)





















I love this picture so much. Isn't she so pretty? :)



In deep, deep thought



On the magic carpet :)



:) :) :)
-MarLeahJoy

Jumping Action

Finally! Here is the post; I was dealing with a sloooowww computer. 

I've always wanted to make and animated GIF, and I hope to make one for

my blog header -- eventually. 

So here's my shot at it -- using 120 pictures. It's nothing spectacular; and it
will probably take an eon or so to load depending on your connection.
Actually, it might just need to play through once until the timing is right.
Comment and let me know how it loaded for you.

Since I don't have a remote yet I had to tape a little

rubber button over the shutter-release. I just tightened the

tape to make it start firing. (the DIY way when my mom thinks 

you've spent enough money and should save things for her 

to get me for Christmas, haha)

-MarLeahJoy

Art from Art

Fancy this: I captured some art from the art at Crystal Bridges Museum of Art.
(when you read that in your head give yourself one of those "no duh!" looks
and emphasize every time you say art -- I give you permission to re-read it, haha)



I loved the colors in this sculpture -- or whatever the artist would have
called it.  :)






Some of the light fixtures in the gift shop.



I really like this picture because the area I focused on (using my Edge 80 lens)
brings out the colors and shapes of the image instead of the specifics of what
scene really is.









Part of our little tour group



Fun, fun! I think I could go to this place every year.
-MarLeahJoy