Corporate Portrait - Blackbird Tattoo

These are just some of the shots that I got for Natalie's Corporate Portrait assignment. Carli and Jesse are a couple that I've known for a few years now, and I always love going down to visit them. I had a great time photographing their shop, and I got some images that I love and hope they love as well.

forgotten assignments.

I don't recommend running to your room with a massive bowl of pomegranate seeds. You might just trip over a cat and spill pomegranate EVERYWHERE.

Wedding - Ashley and Robert

My first time assisting Amber on a wedding! I had an amazing time working with her, she is truly incredible at what she does. Even when working with an unruly bride she didn't blink an eye. I helped in any way needed while taking some additional shots of my own. Learned a lot from her that night, and I can't wait to assist with her further. These are some of my favorite shots that I got that night, all unedited as usual.

deep breath.

I'm beginning to get nauseous every time I look at my planner. The days are blurring together and I'm finding it hard to believe that it's already November. Kits hired me back for the season, maybe even permanently if I choose to stay. But as stressed out as I am about school alone, it's made me nervous to be returning to my old job. Unfortunately, my need for money is much stronger than my need for any days off. At least I'll have one less thing to worry about.

Catalog - Semi final

These are the semi-final catalog layouts that I'm turning in for the assignment. Depending on how my critique goes, I may or may not switch some of them around. The layouts are set so I can't change any of the sizes or cropping, which hasn't made it easy in choosing a final product. Overall, I'm very happy with how everything turned out.

Unfortunately, I've still got a lot of editing ahead of me for the layouts as well as my favorite shots. The sooner I can get CS5 and Lightroom on my laptop, the happier I will be.

Catalog Favorites

A couple of weeks ago Karen and I went out to Sequim to shoot my Catalog for Robbie's class. It was just the two of us and our entire wardrobe/jewelry collection, as well as my equipment, spread out all over the place. I had a ton of fun and I got some great stuff. These are just some of my favorites (unedited) from four of the shoots that we did.

Assignment- Best Shot

Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite shoots that I've done so far in the program. My teacher didn't get back to me on the shots that I took of Leda, so I decided to experiment with Christmas lights to see if I couldn't get something better. We had several different kinds of lights that we played around with (multicolored, icicles, etc) but nothing came out as captivating as the ones with the white lights. The glow is just so flattering, and its got me thinking about trying to get someone to shoot nude with them. My absolute favorite shot is the 4th one down.

Again, none of these have been edited yet and need work. I plan to ask for money towards photoshop and lightroom this Christmas from my family. The fact that I can't edit photos from home is really starting to get overwhelming.

After I got the shot I needed with Tammy, she went on a little power trip of her own and took some of me. To be honest, I can't remember the last time someone photographed me. She did a great job though, and here are few of the ones she got that I like the most.

And, we're back.

I must say, I'm glad to be back in school again.

This summer was definitely a challenging one. After several months of trying to work things out my longtime boyfriend and I decided to split up. It was a difficult and life altering decision, but it was one that had to be made. I'm now living with a good friend not too far from where I was living before. It's been going really well, and I'm enjoying getting back into the rhythm of school while being dependent on nobody but myself to get things done. I've also decided to spend more time with my family. I realized how little time I have spent with them over the past couple of years, and I miss them a lot. My dad especially. He has done more for me this past year than I ever could have asked for. Without him, I would have never survived any of the changes in my life, let alone the first year of the program.

This second year so far has been really good. I'm liking that we have more quarter long projects rather than a photo shoot every week from each instructor- it's a little bit less overwhelming. I've been doing my best to keep on top of all of the assignments, planning them as far ahead as possible. I even went all out and bought myself a planner, one that I plan to actually use this year.

So far we have gotten 3 major assignments this quarter: a catalog for Robbie, a group magazine project for Tomas, and a business portrait for Natalie. For the catalog, I'm going with my good friend Karen (whom I am excited to finally have a chance to photograph) up to her family's summer house in Squim. I'm really excited for this shoot, and if shes available, Tammy may be coming with us as well. For the magazine project I've finally gotten a group chosen, and I'm looking forward to working with them. And lastly, for Natalie's corporate portrait assignment, I'm going to be heading down to Portland again to visit my good friends Carli and Jesse working in their tattoo shop. For this shoot I've got mixed emotions- crazy excited but really nervous at the same time. Luckily, Carli and I are planning to see the HP7 movie a midnight while I'm there. That should provide for some serious stress relief.

And because of high demand, I'm going to try my best to keep up with the blog this year. At least once a month. :)

Leda's Senior Portraits

Earlier this summer I did a shoot with my (not-so) little cousin Leda for her senior portrait. Unfortunately, the day we shot it was incredibly sunny, hot, and uncomfortable. Later, when I went to do some editing, I was more than disappointed with the results. Leda is incredibly beautiful, and the photos that I got that day did not do her justice. So I decided to do a reshoot, and this day went a hundred times better. These are just a few of my favorite shots. I have yet to have the time to do any further editing, so I'm more than just a little annoyed by the bird poo on the bench, haha.

Free Choice - Bre

This was the final assignment for Robbie's class, and he let us shoot whatever we wanted. I can't say that I enjoyed this shoot with Bre considering that its probably the last one I will ever get to do. It's strange knowing someone for as long as you can remember yourself, and suddenly wake up one day and know in your heart that you'll never be friends again. I find myself feeling very nostalgic whenever I look at this photograph. It reminds me of the childhood we shared and the adulthood that changed her.

New Media- Catalog

This was my first attempt at a fashion shoot, a big grey background and the 85mm 1.2L. There was a lot more drama involved in this shoot then I had planned, and it definitely effected what I got in the end. But I feel pretty lucky to have gotten the shots that I ended up with. This particular one I might add to my portfolio after I do some more editing.

Location shoot

I've been using Bre all year long as a model, and it wasn't until this shoot did I really get some of her that I love.

Instrument

Another shot using the 100mm macro. I think I'm asking for that lens for Christmas, its fantastic.

Stop Motion

This shot is from our stop motion assignment. I put silver glitter in water and shot with the 100mm macro. It looks like a melted disco ball :)

Color Assignment

This shot was from our color assignment. It's by far one of my favorite shots I've gotten this year.

Self Reflection

So, this took me a few days to be okay with. To come up with one shot to reflect how I see myself felt impossible.

Standing up in class to talk about it was heavy. I fumbled a lot, and was way more nervous than I thought I would be. I hardly even remember what I said. Looking back, I'm kicking myself because I left out a lot of the reasons why the photograph truly represents me. But in the end, the peace it brings me means more than anything else.

I was stunned by some of the shots I saw in class today. Its difficult to reveal the deepest parts of yourself to a class full of perfect strangers, and some people really showed us their hearts. I have a lot more respect for my fellow classmates, and I hope to get to know them even more during this program.