Week 12...

Sooooo, what am I up to this week? Well, in photography world, I'm getting out of my rut and back into the swing of things. With that in mind, I'm checking out what Courtney Slazinik at Click It Up a Knotch has to say about gettin' my groove back and finding my inspiration through tv. I don't have any sessions lined up for this week, so we'll see what kind of shots I can snag around the house in the next couple of days to share with everyone. I already have two sessions scheduled for April, and I had a friend ask about a May session just yesterday. It's so awesome when I get to snag some pictures for friends and family and improve my skills at the same time. It's something that I absolutely LOVE doing!!

In other news, have you seen these camera bags over at ShutterBag??? I think I just feel in love. Most peeps would be looking for a tripod purchase, a lens purchase, or something of the sort. Not me! As soon as I have the cash in hand, one of those bags will belong to me! They are FABULOUS!!!

Okay, gotta get busy. My full time job of domestic caretaker, student, and TA are calling for a little attention. Before I go, I'm extending a challenge. I share my pictures here each week, and I love doing it, but I'd love to see what others are doing. Want to share your work? Want to get feedback from others? Leave a little comment love below, and email your picture to me. I'll pick a few to post on the blog over the coming weeks.

Happy Snapping,
~Melissa~

Catching up... 10/52 and 11/52

So, I'm a little behind on the blog. I've been snapping pictures, but I just haven't had the time to update the blog. Can you say end of the semester rush???? Add to that my 3-year-old's first black eye, my 16-month-old's first smashed finger in door (complete with ER trip), and now all three of our children either have sinus or ear infections. YIKES!!! Mama's got a reason to be a little behind ;)~!

Look at this sweet girl. I just wish she could see her beauty...inside and out like I do!!!

Look at those eyes! Gorgeous!!!

 Know what this picture taught me??? I need A LOT of work when it comes to lighting. I still don't get it right all (or even most) of the time :/!

I couldn't help but snag one of my sweet princess :). 

And, last, but CERTAINLY not least, check out this handsome sweet heart! That sweet smile and those beautiful eyes just make my heart melt :)!

9/52: Playing with Light

Okay! So this week I did a little work...watching a few videos over at Adorama, like this one on depth of field by Mark Wallace. But most of my time was spent taking pictures and preparing for SPPPPRRRRIIIINNNNGGGGG BBBBRRREEEEAAAAKKKKK!!!! Praise the LORD it is finally here. It's actually more like Spring Catch Up for me, but, hey, I'll take what I can get these days!







So, this past Sunday I finally met with Haley and her beau to snap a few pictures. The occasion was their engagement and upcoming nuptials. I was so honored that she trusted me, a "newb", to capture these moments for them. And, can I just say it was so much fun running all over the town. They were up for anything I threw at them, and I must say that the result was some pretty great shots!

So, what are you up to this week? Let us know below!!!!

Happy Snapping,
~ Melissa ~

Week 9: What Happens in the Dark Room...

...stays in the dark room. Bahahahahaha!! I just love that cartoon! To be honest, I miss the days of film pictures. I miss the excitement of taking the photos to be developed (in an actual photo lab), and coming back to see what came out...especially when I found random rolls of film under the couch or in a drawer. I never knew what I'd find when those bad boys were developed! Oh well the days of film photography have stepped aside and digital photography has risen. (FYI: shooting in RAW is the digital equivalent of having a virtual dark room on your computer :])

So shooting my SIL last week made me realize that I have A LOT to learn about photography. She is beautiful (which makes my job harder to screw up), and, thankfully, she loved the shots. I, however, was less than happy, "overly critical" according to her sweet spirit.

I found that getting the exposure just right is both absolutely essential and an area where I can use all the help that I can get! I shoot in natural light settings, and it's harder than you would think!!! So, I found this tutorial to help me along the way. I also managed to snag a new ExpoDisc. I'm going to try that bad boy out tomorrow and see how it goes. It's supposed to help with white balance and nailing my exposure. I'll be sure to let you know how it went in the weekly blog.

So, what are you shooting this week? Leave a little comment love and let us all know.

Happy Snapping,
~ Melissa ~

8/52

While I have a "topic" that I'm looking into each, I find that I keep circling back to previous topics. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I need to learn about those basic concepts. Any who! On to what I did this week...

So, I learned about the RAW shooting and I LOVE it! I love the control that it gives me in post-processing when the lighting conditions aren't just right and I need to make some tweaks. The majority of my focus wasn't on this topic, though.

I have been playing with metering modes, particularly spot metering, and I was having such a hard time nailing my focus while getting the exposure (metering aspect) just right. It was INFURIATING. If I'm being honest, I was to the point that I wasn't sure if this journey was going to last. Mama was fed up!!

Then, my sister-in-law had asked me to take some pictures of her precious little family, and I decided it was time to "figure this thing out", an expression I take unapologetically from my father. So glad that I didn't give up!!!! I found the mother load of Canon resources, and these two were particularly helpful as I thought about exposure and nailing my exposure and focus.

And check out my gorgeous SIL and her pooch. She is absolutely STUNNING and makes any picture better just by being in it, but hopefully I got a thing or two right ;).

Happy Snapping,
~ Melissa ~