Be Still 52 Week 2

This week's assignment for Be Still 52 reminded me of the importance of taking time to simply be alone. I don't know about you, but there's not much I like better than curling up with a book and a cup of tea and just watching the birds swooping about in utter silence. The image is one I've been wanting to make for awhile, so I'm happy this week was the time it finally got to leave that vague "some day..." region in my head and get captured with the camera!

Awaiting a New Beginning - Be Still 52

I'm taking a new class through the talented Kim Klassen. It is primarily for still life photographers. Since I create a lot of still life sets during weddings, parties, etc., I am sure it will come in handy! I am really enjoying it so far. Here is my first week's image:

Fashion Edge Prom Portraits - Cecil County, Maryland

Prom and homecoming dances are such a huge milestone. You spend hours getting everything just right - finding that amazing gown, doing makeup...While you'll be getting a quick portrait at the event, it won't be about highlighting all the details. I love when clients find some time to book a prom session before the dance. We can really create some amazing images with a great fashion edge that are completely different from the formal shot they'll get at the dance that evening. Here are a few of my favorites from a recent prom portrait session in Cecil County, Maryland.

 

 

Winter Birds in Maryland - The Epic Snow of February 2014

When you're snowed in and feeling bored, there are two things to do - go out and play in it or stay inside and huddle by the fire with a cup of cocoa. I did both - set up a bird feeding station outside my studio window and then set up a bird blind inside at the window to get some photos. It was a ton of fun and the birds appreciated it since all the berries and whatnot were under over a foot of snow.

Want to get some great bird photos of your own? Prep a yard area near a window so that there aren't a lot of things like deck chairs, etc. nearby and set up a feeding station. Create a bird blind in the open window (I used cardboard) and set up your tripod and camera. I used a 75-300 mm lens. Keep your shutter speed high. Anything below 250 will mean a ton of blurred photos. Those little birds are constantly in motion. Ideally, you'll want to be much higher than that, but definitely don't go lower. Bump up your ISO a hair instead of lowering the shutter speed to get correctly exposed photos.

Have fun!

Perryville Panthers Football Player Portraits - In Studio Sports Photography

If your child is on a sports team, you know you'll get a team photo and your iPhone is probably filled with images. However, it can often be hard to get a great portrait of your child in uniform in these situations. This Perryville Panther came into the studio with his family to get football portraits done.

Kubota Artistic Tools Viva La Vintage Actions Review

I had the chance to try out Kubota's Artistic Tools Viva La Vintage Action Pack this month. You can use these actions as is - just click apply and save. However, I've discovered that the most beautiful images are created by painting on an effect. I can choose to make a balloon pop and make skin creamy and softly vintage by using several different actions and painting them onto the original image.

On this image, I painted Hot Flashes onto the balloons and Vintageous to the model.

Having the option to paint on the photo using Kubota Tools is really nice, as you don't need to mask, invert the mask and then paint the effect back in. I created a duplicate layer as soon as I pulled the image into Photoshop and then just painted directly onto the duplicate layer to create the perfect look.

On this one, I used Creme Brulee for the background, used Edge It to create a slight vignette and painted Vintageous onto my lovely model.

Want to try Kubota out for yourself? The Dashboard and 50 actions is completely free. Viva La Vintage, which I was able to use for 30 days to review, is currently $109 and includes 25 nice vintage actions.

Maryland Styled Wedding Shoot - Grungey Alley Fun

What do you get when you combine models looking to update their portfolios, a makeup artist and a lovely vintage gown? A styled wedding dress shoot in an alley right here in Port Deposit, Maryland.

 

Model: Shamia
Makeup: Alexis Michelle
Styling: Katelyn Thomas Photography