Shadows

I really want to challenge myself to keep going in photography even though I've devoted this school year to learn about running a business. So, I've been browsing Flickr and different places to get the ideas rolling. But, my idea for this week actually came from an article I found... so I've been scouting out shadows all week. Actually, they are everywhere, but it's hard to think outside of the box to capture them.

I love natural light so much! Bright light, dark shadows, gradients, and everything in-between :) I don't know what I would do if I didn't have a window in my room.

Then last night, laying in bed, I saw this little "spot-light" on my wall from a Scentsy warmer I had going. There was some junk setting around that was being "shadowed" onto the wall that triggered me to think about my shadow project, so I moved the junk and had a little fun myself. :)

Does this look like a bunny? Ha! I'm really bad with making those little shadow figures, don't judge :P

Elephant! probably my favorite animal besides pets :)

A little motion blur + a shadow. Though, I'm sure the motion blur is more dominate in the picture :P

me and my camera

-MarLeahJoy

Close to the Earth

It's one of those days where I will be perfectly happy to sit by an open window and do my homework. I love the low light and the perfect coolness of an almost fall day (2 more days - Yay).

The earth smells so good after a rain, especially up near our pine trees.
I spent a little time this morning, just hanging out up there with my camera.

You know what this is reminding me most of...? Colorado. Yeah I'm getting
pretty nostalgic right now, lol.

-MarLeahJoy

Hello, Right Brain!

My creative side has been feeling very deprived lately!

Today, I realized that I just needed to get out and take some pictures.

But, then I remembered why I practically haven't taken pictures in two weeks...

Both of my memory cards have been full of wedding pictures.

I wanted to be double sure that they were safely backed up before I took them off.

So I just grabbed my camera tonight with a fresh memory card
and just took the most random nature pictures ever, but at least I
feel a little more connected with my camera now! :D

Oh, wow. People have been talking about fall... and taking
this picture, just kinda made it all sink in. Fall is definitely approaching!

Yep! It's a grave stone! I normally jog at the cemetery. It's really

a nice place to go (better than a park where everybody in town 

know that you're running) though I would much rather be on a 

wooded trail... but we don't really have any of those around here.

Yeah, I'm definitely feeling fall... sigh...

-MarLeahJoy

Colorado

These are some of the pictures I quickly lumped together and showed you 

in this post here, when I was still in Colorado. So here are the full images. :)

Garden of the Gods :)

I used my Lensbaby Edge 80 on this shot to give it a miniature look.

And I think this is my absolute favorite image I have taken with the Lensbaby yet. 

And I even taught my dad how to use the Lensbaby :)

So he took this one of us

And here again is the image I submitted into the landscape contest. You can vote for me if you have Facebook, and it will *maybe slightly* influence the judging, but the contest is not based on likes.

If you don't have Facebook, go on over and check out all the amazing entries anyway. Some of them are absolutely amazing! http://woobox.com/f4nhhw/vote/for/1292609 

I brought out my Double Glass optic, that I practically have never used since

the day I got my Lensbaby, and I think I actually kind of like it. 

It gives this zoom-y effect to every picture, so I doesn't work all the time, 

but I liked it for the tourist-y shots I got around town that day. 

All of the rest of the pictures in this post were taken using the Double Glass.

From PJ's Bistro. I was terribly, terribly sick at this point, but I was still

taking pictures ;P

Have a wonderful weekend!

-MarLeahJoy

Vote for Me!

Okay, remember how I said I like to submit into every possible

contest? Yeah, I've got another one of those and you can help me out

by voting for me. :)

http://woobox.com/f4nhhw/vote/for/1292609

just click on the link above and wait for my image to load 
completely and click "vote" in the top left corner

This time it's a landscape image from our vacation to Colorado.

We were kinda bummed that day because it was cloudy and stormy and we were 

supposed to go sight-seeing. But, while we were at Garden of the God's 

such magnificent light rays broke through the clouds.

So pretty, pretty, pretty please go vote for me :D

And stay tuned for more Colorado pictures coming up soon :)

-MarLeahJoy

Macro

I'm entering a Macro Photography Contest.

I really don't know what to think about contests.

I mean I know I'm not going to win, so why do I still

want to enter every contest {and giveaway} that comes along?

Maybe it's just what I need though, to challenge me to keep

seeing things in a different way and to keep trying diligently 

to improve and improve some more.

Anyway, you should check out my entry to see the images crisp and full size :)

I actually have two entries: linked here and here.

And feel absolutely free to leave a comment in my guestbook :)

So glad I nailed the focus on this one. It's quite an ugly critter, but who 

cares as long as it's in focus, right? lol

-MarLeahJoy

Stylized

I'm editing wedding pictures... Yay! :)

I just had some fun with this image, not necessarily to give to my client, but just a very stylized edit of my friend (bridesmaid) getting ready.

I kinda wish I had instagram or something so share more of these fun images... but alas! A blog post will have to do.

-MarLeahJoy