Lighting Up The Dark

In about two months, I'm going to have my very first wedding photographer gig.  I'm really excited, but also terrified! I consider myself pretty comfortable with natural light, but what I'm comfortable with isn't always going to be available, and if I don't want to be eaten by a bridezilla,  I know that I am going to have to make fast friends with flash photography.

This isn't a bad thing.  Flash photo certainly has its merits, but I think its often seen in a negative light (hah, get it?) because we mostly know flash photo as something produced from the little built in pop up lens that cameras come with. And really, those little flashes just ain't so great.  If you have a minute, check out this awesome website.  This guy has flash photography down to a T, and his pictures really prove how powerful and wonderful it can be.  I wanna be like him someday, but its gonna take work.

I bought a flash about a year ago, and I'm glad I did.  Because now I'm gonna need it.  The only problem?  I don't know how to use it. I mean really use it.  The only way to fix that is to try, and try again.  I had fun experimenting with my flash this past couple of weeks.  Here are some pictures that were created as a result...

Light bouncing a drag queen at Sheddy's

Scott and I getting some air :P

Flash pointed straight ahead

flash pointed straight ahead

Light bouncing in a dark dance club from behind the DJ booth

Art and I experimenting with light bouncing at The Bigfoot West

 

a mile a minute.

Sometimes I think of Blogger as Live Journal for adults. Lots of people post everyday and really, I have no idea how they do it.  I get the feeling there is probably a lot of talking about what they put on their toast, and how much their bosses suck.  I try to post about once a week, but even once a week is hard (unless you are fine with not sleeping). 

This whole damn blog is kind of like an art project, and because of this I would prefer to choose words wisely, and do things carefully.  In a nutshell, I want things to look pretty.

I am always curious about what other people think is beautiful.  I can do a whole post on just this subject, and probably will (good idea, self!)  I was always completely under the impression that what I thought was beautiful was the general consensus, however, one day I was proved very very wrong. (and that's two verys for the two people that proved me wrong).

In any case, I hope you find my pictures generally pretty, or at least, ugly in a good way?

Words are not my first choice of expression, and I keep erasing things because it is past the moment when I was inspired to write.

I'll give you a hint on what my next post will be about...

POOF!

Aly

 She's sharp as a tac...

cute as a button...

and sexy as hell!

I must have done something right to have her as my friend!

Whenever we go out to bars, or anywhere together, we always get the question, "so how did you two meet?"  Long story short, Aly and I met at SURFAS. She worked at the cheese counter, and I stopped by to check out the store every once in a while (ok, maybe more like obsessively, but whatever :P)  Since our meeting, we have bonded over a very important things like food, craft beer, and Los Angeles adventures!  I don't think I've ever had more fun :)

 

This last picture just kinda "happened".  We had just finished eating at Wurstküche and we were stuffed with sausage, french fries and beer.  We were well on our way to a food coma and it was a hot day so we walked around the corner and found a shady spot to sit down, only we could barely sit up. That is when I snapped a picture of Aly laying down on this ledge. It's hard to make pictures larger in blogger and it is unfortunately hard to see, but larger it looks really cool.

So many of the pictures from this shoot came out great that it was hard to choose which ones to put up.
If you're interested in seeing more (pre processed photos) from this shoot please e-mail me at craft.dee81@gmail.com.  Thanks to all who have been checking out and following my blog since the beginning! Over 600 hits seems like a lot for a newbie like me :)

Have a great week!

    Graff wall pics (shot in West Los Angeles):

Dress and belt+ Aryn K. 

Flip Flops+ Reef

    Comfortable cowgirl pics (shot in Downtown Los Angeles):

Sweatpants+ Forever XXI 

 Shirt+ thrifted 

Horse Scarf+ Forever XXI 

Felt Wide brim Fedora+ Christy's London
     Shoes+ Steve Madden

   Sexy librarian pics (Shot at Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles):

Blazer+ Have & Have 

Trousers+ Gap 

Eyewear+ Vintage ((and prescription!))

http://instagr.am/

Urban Dictionary's definition of the Instagram app for iphone:

1.	Instagram
	Every hipster's favorite way to make it look like they take really classy pictures when really they are still using their phones. Yeah, you might look really cute/old school/vintage/retro, but it's still a cell phone picture. Photographer: Hey man, look at this picture I took with my Canon 5D Mark II camera and edited in photoshop! Hipster: No way man, look at this picture that I took on my phone with instagram! It's even better! Photgrapher: *FACEPALM*

Let's face it.  Whoever invented the Instagram is probably very rich.  It capitalizes on nostalgia, and with over 4 million users, apparently we have A LOT of it (and hipsters).  I haven't been up close and personal with the program too much, but the instant results are often phenomenal.  From what I see around town, it can make an otherwise horrible picture not so bad, and it can make a great picture amazing.

There are also similar programs on other operating systems, but it seems like the name Instagram rolls off of the tongue in the same vein as the Kleenex, or the Xerox machine  (let me know if you think of any others).  If you want to take a snazzy picture with your phone, no matter the program, I bet you'll call it an Instagram.  Call it a PicPlz and you might get a funny look.  Call it an instagram, and we'll all understand.  I have a feeling that as long as there are camera phones, this will be the case.

Unfortunately, my downfall is that I don't have Instagram!  I don't even have a smart phone.  And the sad truth is that I DO KNOW WHAT I AM MISSING.  I am missing out on an opportunity of instant camera gratification magnified past that of the digital camera.  With Instagram, photos "instantly" look like they came out of a time capsule, or your grandmother's photo album.  This is something that not having the app inhibits me from doing, but nonetheless, I still strive to recreate the look in Photoshop.

So I give you, in no particular order, my version of Instagram photography- a picture taken from a digital camera and manipulated in Photoshop. We don't want to make anymore poor photographers facepalm, do we?

 

I think the hardest part about trying to replicate an Instagram in Photoshop is trying to make to photo borders.  If anyone has a good technique on how to do this, I would love to know!  I was just sort of testing different things out, as you may be able to see in the pictures.

These pictures came about when I was helping my cousin in law move a couple of weekends ago.  I plan on doing more cool picture posts of all of the crazy things I do around Los Angeles on the weekend.  So much fun!

Wisdom Spots

Call me a late bloomer, but I learned something last year that I probably should have figured out long ago:

If there is one thing you can depend on in life, it is that things are going to change.

This can be a scary realization for some, and for others, it is one which is met with eager anticipation.
Last year I made some of the biggest changes in my life so far, and for me...

it was a little bit of both.

When it comes to change, some people are forced into it and they don't have a choice.
Other people may see a need or an opportunity, and they create their own.

In the midst of all this change, maybe it is important to have something to remind us of who we are, who we were, and something to help us stay grounded as life propels us towards who we will become.

How do you do this?

Everyone has something to keep them grounded- something rooted in the past, but ready to go along for the ride into the future.  For me,  it is the jewelry that I never take off. I'm not even sure when I started wearing each piece, but I've come to realize that having my necklace and bracelet on everyday is sort of a personal safety net.

What keeps you grounded?  What are some of the things in your life that give you a daily reminder of who you are?

Bracelet chain+ Ritual Adornments (closed)

Bracelet charm+ Gifted

Necklace+ JC Penny

Shirt+ Nordstrom

*Ok, I was really tired so I decided to lay in my bed for this shoot.  The book I am reading is Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.  I'm almost finished with book 1.  I am also more eagerly reading book 2 of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and I can't wait to see how they will translate the book into a live action film!

*I didn't mean to do that effect with the owl, it just sort of happened? I liked it so I kept it.  :)

*Yes, I have a Hello Kitty comforter.