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Thanks L, W & K...for a fun photo shoot! It was great working with you again this year. Hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday! |
L, W & K...2010
Leslie - 2011
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Thanks, Leslie, for a great photo shoot! You were fun to work with...and, it was awesome that you included your historic violin. Can't believe I didn't ask you to play something...gotta hear you play sometime! Congrats on your upcoming graduation. |
Keeley - 2010
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| Sharing a few pics of Keeley...a shoot from a few months back. Started out in Zilker Park and finished on SoCo. It was a blast "striking a pose" with her! Thanks so much, Keeley, and hope you are having fun in college! |
Yvonne & Keith - to be Wed on...December 11, 2010
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I recently had the privilege to shoot engagement photos for Yvonne and Keith. It's obvious that these two are totally in love...this is the real deal! They made it easy to capture sweet moments between them. Congrats to Y & K on your upcoming wedding - and starting your new life together! |
Dee Dee & "the girls"
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A few pics from a recent photo shoot with Dee Dee and "the girls". It was a lot of fun capturing these moments. Thanks, Dee Dee - it was great to work with you & your family!! |
C & J...and family
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| I loved taking photos of this cool family - and it was awesome that they included their pup....he's a family member, too! Thanks so much C & J - it was great to work with you - and lots of fun, too! |
J & E...and family
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| I love dogs!! It was super hot on the day of this shoot, but everyone held up well in the heat. And, it was lots of fun capturing some great family moments. Thanks J & E! You were great to work with, and I loved meeting your pooches. |
Jordan - Senior '11
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| Sharing few pics from my recent senior shoot. The shoot was a lot of fun...we started out on South Congress, and ended on Annie Street. Jordan, thanks for being a great sport, and congrats on your upcoming graduation! |
New Portfolio Gallery - Portrait Work
Hello! Just wanted to let everyone know that I've posted a new photo gallery on my client website. This gallery includes recent samples of my portrait photography work. Here's a link, if you'd like to take a peek: Portrait Photography Portfolio.Chianti Region, Tuscany, Italy
Here are a few photos from the Chianti Region of Tuscany. Such a beautiful place! For additional pics, please click on this link. More to come soon!
San Antonio Missions
I recently was able to make another trip to photograph the SA Missions that I missed on my last visit. This time, I visited Mission San Juan Capistrano and Mission Espada - both circa 1731. Love the architecture and history of these old structures! Here are a few of the photos from my visit. More can be found at: SA Missions.
December 12 Wedding - Part I
Hello! I recently shot a great wedding - what a blast! Aside from the nonstop rain and the emergency room visit during the reception, that is. It's a long story, but I'm happy to say everyone is healthy and happy.The bride was my old college roommate and high school comrade, and it was great to reconnect with her! Thanks, Sherry - it was a privilege to be able to "document" your special day!
I've include a sampling of photos from the first part of the day. Part II will follow soon!
Day Trip - Texas Hill Country
I just returned from a great day trip to the Texas Hill Country. Visited Johnson City, Luckenbach, Fredericksburg and Enchanted Rock. Click here to view a sampling of pics that I took in Johnson City and Luckenbach. Trip commentary and additional photos, including Enchanted Rock, will be posted soon.
New Facebook Page
Announcing my business page on facebook. It's a work in progress, more to be added soon!
Missions, Mariachis and Spanish Dancers
Wow! I just got back from a really great day trip to San Antonio (photo gallery link). A very cool photographer friend joined me in the fun. We had a loose plan to visit the missions, the market and possibly the Riverwalk and Tea Gardens.
We started out the day a little slow...visiting Mission Concepcion first. Church services were just beginning, so we only were able to see the outside of the church. It was impressive, but a tad monochrome. I ended up with some decent shots of it, though. I tried a framing technique with the ironwork on the well in front of the church - and it seemed to make for a cool effect. We really lucked out, as it was cloudy most of the morning. If it hadn't been overcast, we would have been shooting straight into the morning sun, which would have been a huge challenge.
We soon headed over to Mission San Jose. We knew that a mariachi band would be playing at the noon church services, and we wanted to try to get some candid shots of them beforehand. We arrived a bit early, so we were able to spend some time photographing the grounds. Mission San Jose is much larger than Concepcion and the grounds were more well-kept...with a beautiful garden, etc. We also found a cool outdoor walkway with repeating arches...that would be a great area to shoot portraits in...lots of great light and shadows.
The mariachi band arrived quite early for the services, so we had the opporunity to take quite a few candid shots. We chatted with them and they were all very nice. They told us that they had just been featured on Good Morning America a few days ago. Wish I would have caught that show. A couple of members of the band humored us by posing impromptu for several shots...and we were very grateful. I had forgotten how nice SA folks are...so laid back and easygoing. They asked us if were were taking photos for a magazine, and we were flattered that they thought we were of that caliber. We told them that were just taking photos for fun....no, we weren't "on assignment".
After we took pics inside the church, we headed to the Market. Ate at Mi Tierra - great food! Living in Austin, I don't eat authentic Mexican food very often...and it was really yummy! After eating, we headed over to what we thought was the produce/farmer's market section...and we happened upon a group of Spanish dancers. Talk about being in the right place at the right time...that's really what it's all about. We stayed for the performance...however, they were moving so fast and the lighting wasn't great (no flash with me)...so it was hard to freeze the action. I ended up with a few decent shots, though. We never found the produce...I'm guessing that the farmer's market is only out once per week, and not on Sundays.
After the performance, we walked around the market for a bit, then we headed over to the Japanese Tea Gardens. I only took a couple of shots there, as the sun was very high and the lighting was contrasty...and it was very hot. I love the gardens, though...they are a perfect setting for photo shoots.
I had a fun time with my friend, she is also a freelance photographer. We commiserated about marketing ideas, technical stuff, etc. all day. Both of us were saying that we usually bore others with our "photography speak"...it was fun to have someone to talk to who is as excited about it as me. I think she will be a fun photo buddy in the future, we talked about going on more field trips in the coming months.
All in all, it was a fabulous day. We met some really nice people and we happened upon some great photo-ops. Plus, it was great that the clouds cooperated for the first half of the day. I need to plan another field trip soon!
Prints Too Dark?
I found this great article in Shutterbug magazine, and wanted to share: http://shutterbug.com/techniques/digital_darkroom/0809prints/. A few months back, I sent several photos to print and all they came back too dark. I am sure that this problem was a result of my high resolution LCD screen, as discussed in the article. At the time, it was a real inconvenience, as I had to lighten of my images by about 10% to 25% and send them back to print.
I'm happy to say that my reprints ended turned out great, and now I know that I need to lighten up photos before printing. Thank goodness I had built in some padding regarding my project due date. Until I read this article, I didn't realize the problem was so prevalent.
Hopefully, someone reading this will find this tidbit of information helpful...
Why I Love Photography
I'm a freelance photographer in Austin, Texas. Photography has been a passion of mine since I received my first camera as a gift when I was nine. Why do I love photography? I've asked myself that question many times over the years. Here's what I have come up with--
I love the way I feel when my creative juices are tapped and flowing. When I am out taking photos, I lose all sense of time and I get totally lost in the moment. I feel most alive when out experiencing the world through photography.
Photography forces me to live in the moment and to pay attention to my surroundings. In order to take a great photo - I must be very observant to all that is going on around me, I must be in the right place at the right time and I must be ready for the shot. I can't be thinking about other issues that might be going on in my life, I can't waste any time being preoccupied, and I can't spend time worrying about things I can't control. I must totally embrace the moment for all that it is worth. Photography allows me to experience things on a whole new level.
Too often, people walk through this world in a preoccupied state....they miss the beautiful sunsets or the heartfelt moments that are going on in front of their very eyes. Photography enables me to consciously observe my surroundings and capture these beautiful brief moments. I love photography because it enables me to capture a moment in time - never to be repeated. This is true whether it's family portraits, a wedding, a birthday party, a beautiful landscape, a city scene, etc.
If you were to ask anyone if they could save one thing in their house in a disaster besides their loved ones, it would be photographs. Why? Because photographs are a documentary of one's life, of one's family history. They are part of one's memories. Those little captured moments in time are so precious - that they supersede most other material things. Life is short, and my goal is to experience it to it's fullest. Photography helps me to do this for myself and for others. In my opinion, that is what it's all about.
Carpe Diem!
-Michelle
