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.