~This and That~

~It's Been Awhile~

Goodness, where has the time gone?  An entire year has passed since I've uploaded.  Things have been super busy and I am excited to share with you all what has been happening.

This place has definitely blessed me with meeting wonderful people who share a love for art.  I have tons more to post to catch up on a year and to get ready to show the new work I have coming!

~Publications~

~Attention! Read All About It!~

~When A Man Loves A Woman

If you've been following my blog here, you'll know that I was fortunate enough to meet Ana a few months ago and was able to shoot her in one of my all-time favorite sessions.  One of things that I often hear is how beautiful she is, she's stunning, gorgeous, and so on.  What many do not know is that she is such a kind, generous soul.  I am a firm believer that if you are a truly beautiful soul, it will shine for all the world to see.  I do believe this is the case for Ana.

Ana and her new fiancé, Ryan, are such a wonderful couple.  They constantly steal looks at each other when the other isn't looking.  They give each other genuine, heartfelt smiles.  There is a sense of familiarity between the two, that only soul mates would know.

I told Ana that her and Ryan would be perfect for an old Hollywood themed shoot and I'm so glad they went along with it.  They not only pulled it off, but they really outdid themselves!  It was truly like they were channeling that golden era so long ago.  Timeless, classic, romance.  They are the epitome of all three.

Ana and Ryan, I truly wish you all the happiness in the world as you continue your lives together.  May you both be blessed with love, understanding, and many children.  I adore you both!

~January 2014 Publications~

~A Light Bulb Moment~

Since this is the new year, I have decided to focus more on simplifying when I shoot and edit.  I think it's great to have a goal/plan for every year and each year I work tirelessly to achieve that.  I want to learn and absorb as much knowledge and experience as I can so I can continue to grow as a photographer and artist.  When I realize that I am spending more time planning than actual shooting, I know it's time to scale down, for me personally anyways, and re-start myself.

I wish you all a fabulous New Year and I hope that each of you find a creative outlet anywhere that you look!  Blessings to all!

~Ana Rodriguez~

I was very fortunate to be able to meet and shoot Ana Rodriguez earlier this month.  For those of you who don't know, Ana is Miss Texas 2011, and an MTV Made Coach.  This lady is full of class and sincerity and she was such a delight to work with!

 She was unfamiliar shooting in the fine art genre but still so rocked the shoot!  She has a natural grace that came through in every photo.  Each frame she told a different story with her slight change of angles and body language.

 Going through her images, it was truly difficult for me to decide on my favorite from the shoot.  There were so many that I instantly fell in love with.

Thank you, Ana, for coming out to play with me and a huge thank you to Sally Kolar, of Sally Kolar Photography, who not only set up Ana to model, but showing me her glorious field of dreams.  Sally is an amazing photographer who truly knows her craft so well.  Her dedication to photography is refreshing and I adore her tremendously!

~December Publications~

Model: Marcus Branum

Author: Juliet Marillier

~November Publications 2013~

 Author: Silene Lehto

Finland, 2013

 US Vogue, Print

December 2013 Issue

 Author: Michael Palmer

UK, 2013

~How Do You Plan Your Shoot?~

I get asked a lot of how do I go about planning a shoot.  Do I write all of my ideas down or draw primitive or really detailed photos?  What is the process?  Well, honestly, all of the above are ways that I plan for a shoot, but I also will shoot inanimate objects as practice subjects such as the photo below.  I've never shown or told this before, but this has been one of the most helpful practices I have done!

Shooting inanimate objects as a stand in for a real person, I can do test shoots, so to speak, and play with what kind of lighting I want, backdrop, poses, even styling! I can literally see how the light will fall on the subject at a certain time and place.  To even go further, I can even play around with editing to see how I want the final piece to look.  Instead of just writing my ideas down or even horribly sketching them, I can see them come to life, or at least take the next step in doing so, but going through this process of pre-shooting.

In the above image, I used one of my daughter's dolls and sat her in front of the window at about noon. I have a shoot planned for this setting and I needed to see how the light will be filtered through the blinds at this certain time.  I really love how it envelopes around the doll, so I will be using this time, space, and pose for my upcoming shoot.

Whatever way you plan your shoot, I encourage you all to try something new.  This just happens to be my personal way, stage 3 of planning, to get prepared.  By preparing as much as you can, you can help your shoot go more smoothly, you will be able to communicate with your subject on exactly what you are wanting, and you will already have an idea in mind of how it will look in the end.  You must take into consideration of those moments where inspiration may hit you during the shoot, and by all means go with it!!  But a little planning and preparation never hurt anyone. ;)

From my work flow to your's, I wish you all a wonderful, artsy day!

~There's Always One~

There was a saying that I heard several years ago while watching a movie and it resonated with me more than the movie itself did.  I believe it was one of the most powerful statements I have ever heard in my life.  I make sure to tell those in my life this very thing all of the time.  It holds the truth - now and always - and I only hope I can continue on this path.

So what was that saying?  "Why try to fit in when you are born to stand out?"  Yep, those very few words have had such an impact on my life.  While it can be so terribly easy to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before you literally tracing every step, metaphorically speaking, and emulating what they have done, remember that it was their path that led them to where they went.  Now, there is nothing wrong with this, this is how we grow, how we learn, how we become who we not only want to be, but who we are MEANT to be.  But there comes a time when you have to step out of the crowd, take that one fear-filled moment, and just let yourself be YOU.  Forge your own path and show the world how YOU shine.  Remember, there is only one you and you are meant for so many great things.

**Photography Tip: To get eggs to stand straight up, just put a little salt under them.  Science is awesome!