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Photography Tales - March 2011

Hey Everyone! This is the 13th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was PURPLE.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out by scrolling down the page.

And if you want to join or look at the other amazing photos taken this week, check out the Flickr group here.

This week's theme was PURPLE and I knew exactly what I wanted to shoot: Verbena Flowers. They've been blooming like crazy and have taken over the bed in our back-yard. I love them because they spread so wonderfully and bloom all spring and summer long. It's not the most creative subject for a color-themed week, but I couldn't help myself.


And because I knew exactly what I wanted to shoot, I didn't shoot anything else that was PURPLE all week (even though I LOVE purple!).

I did shoot other things though. My dad had his first art show this past weekend at Rosewood Garden Nursery in Calabash/Ocean Isle Beach, NC. He does acrylic paintings and pencil sketches and he had a good turn-out selling about 13 of his paintings. I'll try and put some photos up of it later.

So with that said, I visited my parents this past weekend to support his first art show and so did my sister (the model in last week's submission) and my grand-parents.

My computer-savvy step-grandfather has been watching my photography progress via facebook (yes, my step-grandfather is on facebook!) and decided to pass down one of his DSLRs to me, an Olympus E-1, plus the kit lens and a nifty 50mm/macro lens. He's also going to round up the flash and a telephoto lens for me the next time I see him. Considering I've just been using my Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with it's kit lens, you can probably tell I'm elated to have more camera/lens options.


The only thing is the Olympus E-1 is much less operator-friendly and I'll definitely have to get better at actually deciphering shutter speed, focal length, aperture and ISO instead of letting my camera do all the work. But that'll be one more thing that will push my photography hobby to new lengths, so I'm excited for the challenge.

But with all that said, the photo I submitted this week was taken with the new-to-me Olympus with the 50mm/Macro lens. I barely had to do any editing to this photo. I think I cropped it a bit and barely tweeked the color balance since the purple was so vibrant from the get-go. Here's my submission:

Purple Verbena Flower Photography
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


Here's the runner-up photo, again taken with the Olympus E-1 with the 50mm/Macro lens. With this one I drained the color out to give it a softer feel.

Purple Verbena Flower Photography
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


There were others taken, ones that showcased the vast amount of verbenas actually taken over the bed, but I just didn't love the way they turned out.

But, I shot a few more things in my yard with the new-to-me Olympus:

dogwood bloom
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


It's a single Dogwood Bloom in Sepia.

And here's a couple photos of spring blooms I took while at the art show at Rosewood:

spring flowers
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


With the next two, I caught a little insect resting on a bloom and I wish I could put these two photos together...

spring flowers and insect
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


I love the POV of this photo: I love the insect in profile and I think the bokeh affect is pretty and the flower is in great focus, but the insect isn't as focused as I would have liked.

spring flowers and insect
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


I love the fact that the insect is in focus, but I kind of find the background a bit busy and the actual flowers not as interesting...

Okay, since I'm going off-topic, let's get back to some PURPLE with my FAVORITES from the Flickr group this week:

the dSLR newbie - Purple Peeps - It's Easter-ready, with some purple Peeps coming out of their box with some fun purple fill she shot in a light box (I really got to get on making myself one of those!). I think it was a really fun and timely subject and done really well.

klubbers - Purple Stones - It's a shot of lit-from-under purple stones (gel caps?) and the lighting really works. It makes the stones glisten and there's also a reflective glow coming from them too (being reflected?) It's just a really cool shot.

RiseWithTheSun - Purple Horizon - She took things literally by light-writing the word purple against a purple and orange horizon shot. I think the light-writing was beautifully done (it looks as if it has star-bursts at the points!) and I love the deep purple sky with the orange street lights.

Honorable Mentions - rebeccavoy's Purple Lace and shutterboo's Purple Tie

Next week's theme is CIRCLE and considering my last day of work is tomorrow, I might just have too much time on my hands and there may be many more shots to chose from in these next few weeks. Anyone looking for someone to employ?!
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Hey Everyone! This is the 12th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was PAST.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out by scrolling down the page.

And if you want to join or look at the other amazing photos taken this week, check out the Flickr group here.

This week's theme was PAST. And although tons of ideas came to mind (antique cars, antique stores, historic buildings, abandoned buildings, etc.) I was too busy with my first attempt of Natural Light / Outdoor Portrait Photography to do anything else.

And so, my submission is a total cop-out. I'm using one of my favorite photos from my session with my gorgeous sister that I shot this PAST weekend. See how I loosely tied in the theme there? I know... it's kind of lame. However, I'm really proud of my first attempt at this style of portrait photography. I learned a lot and I would love to get more critiques, comments and suggestions on my shots from it and I can't wait to try it again soon.

So here's the shot I submitted:

Natural Light Portrait Photography Outdoor Weekly Photography Challenge
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


If you want to see more shots or just read more about the photo session, please check out my Natural Light Portraiture post.

But let's get to my FAVs from the Flickr Group this week:

flip_jones - Memory & Marker of the Past - It's a photo of a bench with a memorial plaque overlooking an estuary, in memory of her grandparents. The shallow DOF on the plaque and the deep, rich tones of the photo really add to it, and give it a very emotionally-charged feel.

Kimyjo - Past Memories - It's a tight shot of several old handwritten letters, postcards, pictures and a book. It makes me think of the time where computers (emails) and phones (texts) weren't even a thought, and someone actually had to sit down with a pen and paper to communicate. I like how there's nothing in particular to focus on which has me appreciating all the things in the picture.

rattyree - Past Meets Present - It's a photo of the Harbour Board Wharf Office building (1896) opposite a row of modern concrete, steel and glass office buildings in New Zealand. I really like the contrast between old and new in the photo and think it speaks to the theme really well.

Honorable Mentions - Whitnickle's Past Gravestone, slapshot's Spanish Eight Reale Coin and CraftyCripple's Remembering the Past

Next week's theme is PURPLE. And I'll try not to be so lame. That shouldn't be a problem, considering the beautiful purple flowers blooming in my flower beds and a trip to my father's first art show this weekend! Til then folks!
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Hey everyone! As a break from my Weekly Photography Challenge posts, I wanted to show you all my first attempt at Natural Light Portraiture.

I've been reading a lot about the subject and have seen a lot of photographs that I absolutely love using natural light in outdoor photography, so I wanted to try it out for myself. I convinced my sister to be my model and we headed off to her school where she teaches this past weekend to try out all the different styles I had been reading about.

Now, most websites say that the best light for outdoor portraits is in the "golden" light: an hour or so after sunrise or an hour or so before sunset.

These pictures were taken about 2 1/2 hours before sunset. The next crop I do, I'm going to try and get closer to that "golden" hour.

Now there were a few differing opinions on whether to use a flash and where the natural light should be coming from, so I really wanted to experiment with that in this shoot. Let's go through them as I show you my 6 favorite shots.

A little more information - I was using a Panisonic Lumix GF1 with a 14-45mm lens (which is not ideal for portraits). Hair/Make-up/Wardrobe/Model = Nicole. And I did use the flash to fill in the light on my sister's face in nearly all the shots shown below below.

This is the first shot :

Natural Light Portrait Photography
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


I love this one because of the eyes and the natural glow from the sun around her hair. This photo was taken with the model sitting on an outdoor staircase with indirect sunlight (sun above and behind the model). The flash was used to fill light on the model's face.

Natural Light Photography Portrait
Pros & Cons (Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography)


In editing, I only cropped the photo to follow the rule of thirds better and I also enhanced the color and gave it more of a soft focus. The reason for the soft focus was to try and dimish one thing I wish I had noticed while shooting. The green hedge in the background. It seems to be coming out of her head, which I don't like. Comparable, I love the metal railing that travels up the photo, bringing your eyes straight to my model's eyes.


This is the second shot:

Natural Light Photography Portrait
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


I love this shot because the model is barely looking off camera and the lines of the cinderblocks draw your eye to her. This photo was taken in the shade, but with open sky above her. The flash was used to fill in light. I think the color is really nice here and isn't as washed out as some with direct sunlight (see further below).

Natural Light Photography Portrait
Edits (Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography)


In editing, again I cropped the photo just a bit to more closely follow the rule of thirds, as well as boosting the color just a little bit. Again, I opted for a bit more soft focusing around the edge (it's just a style I like).


This is the third photo:

Natural Light Photography Portrait
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


As you can see, this is more of a body shot in the same location as the last photo. Still in the shade of the building, but with open sky above. Again, I really loved the lines of the cinderblocks behind my model and I think she's making an interesting shape with her arms that adds to the shot.

In editing, I really wanted to drain the color out of the photo without making it fully black and white or sepia. I felt that her facial expression seemed to call for something less vibrant than full color. So I played with the saturation, highlights and shadows until I came up with this. Her skin and hair have just the tiniest bit of color, while her patterned dress still shows off the blues, pinks, greens and purples.


This is the fourth photo:

Natural Light Photography Portrait
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


This photo was taken with the model sitting on a picnic table, with the sun behind her head. I was working from below and to my right in order to capture the sun flares peaking out behind her (which I LOVE). I also love how the wind gives the photo a sense of movement. I did not use the flash for this photo.

In editing, because I didn't use the flash to fill the light of my model's face, I needed to lighten the photo a bit to really show off the features of my model. Plus, I loved the sun glare so much that I decided to turn the photo black and white so that it became more of a focal point.

This is the fifth photo:

Natural Light Photography Portraits
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


This photo was taken with the model in direct sunlight (you can see it was off to the left of the photo and I was taking the photo from off to the right). I decided to almost center my model in this frame and I really like the out-of-focus foreground and just the peak of the sky near the top of the frame. I know this doesn't follow the rule of thirds, but I love how this one turned out.

In editing, all I really did was boost and antique the color.

This is the last photo:


Natural Light Photography Portrait
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


This is the same set up as the last photo, with the model in direct sunlight (again off to the left, this time I'm still shooting from the right, however, much tighter). I love the day-dreaming quality of this photo. And although the direct sunlight is a bit harsh on the edge, I also think it contributes to that day-dreaming feeling. The only thing I wish I could change is the framing, since a few fingers are missing from the shot.

Natural Light Photography Portraits
Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography


As for editing, I did the same as before, boosted and antiqued the color. The only thing I don't like from the post-processing in the color of the sky (now more of a yellow, then a white&blue)... But I don't think most will be looking at the skyline compared to the model.

Critiques and comments are more than welcome below!
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Hey Everyone! This is the 11th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was CURVES.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out by scrolling down the page.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Weekly Photo Challange, Week 10

March 9th 2011 17:45
Hey Everyone! This is the 9th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was MESS.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out (ELECTRICITY, JOY, CONTROL, COLORFUL, SIGN, REPETITION, FEAR, WHITE and LARGE) here


[ Click here to read more ]
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Weekly Photo Challenge, Week 9

March 2nd 2011 19:50
Hey Everyone! This is the 9th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was LARGE.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out (ELECTRICITY, JOY, CONTROL, COLORFUL, SIGN, REPETITION, FEAR and WHITE) here.

[ Click here to read more ]
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