Viewer Appreciation: Serial Princess

So after reaching my first 100 followers (which I am ecstatic about) I thought I would give a little shout out to those of you who made this goal a possibility!

With that being said, I plan on show casing one of my first followers, Serial Princess (aka Ayumi).

Serial Princess is a Blogger who writes about the hottest tech, fiercest sports, sleekest rides, and freshest recipes?

Yes, I said recipes. And damn, they are super scrumptious (looking)! Serial Princess brings a tomboy’s perspective on today’s cultural icons, products, and news. Princess balances her in-depth reviews with detail recipe instructions as well!

Recently she has begun to write product reviews for The Roosevelts,”Founded in 2012 to provide readers and brands we love a highbrow adventure for the brain featuring content that inspires, educates and entertains.“.

Please check out both Serial Princess at serialprincess.wordpress.com and here articles at the rsvlts.com

This explains everything

Photography.

I recently stumbled upon this photo/quote and found myself in agreement. Thought I’d share it with my fellow photographers!

Climbing Mountains is Exhausting!

Summit of Bear Peak , located on the Flat Irons near Boulder Colorado.

Huffing and puffing up 8,000 ft peaks is tough work, however the reward is super sweet! This was my first Mount Summit, and it was a blast. I’m too tired to write a in-depth article (plus edit over 100 photos). So enjoy this stellar pano I took this morning upon reaching the summit!

 

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Rodney Mullen: Mother of Invention

I remember as a kid looking up to this guy, watching him skate was mind-blowing! His creativity, and ingenuity was so original. Rodney had such a unique style and personality, I felt that I could relate. Yes, I was one of those kids that felt out of place playing team sports. I never really “fit in” with organized athletics. I always found more joy in trying to learn new tricks (wether it was on concrete or snow!). And now I still look up to the man, as a entrepreneur, seeing his extraordinary skill set shine through. Rodney never graduated from college, never received a diploma, however he still get paid to play!

Much like many successful entrepreneurs, Rodney found the creativity and invention were the keys to success. His personal go get them attitude, and the drive to be accepted in a community has led him to be one of the most successful skater alive!

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God bless our Mothers! They show us love in thousands (more so infinite ) of ways. From birth they carry us for the next 2o some years of our lives. Teaching us, encouraging us, and comforting us, without mothers the world would be a much mor dark and dreary place.

Lovely meringue cookies, made with love and a heavenly touch! So light and airy, eating only one would not suffice. My mom carefully created these beauties for such a spectacular day. She finds joy in creating wonderful treats for her family.

Mother and Son, on a beautiful Mother’s Day.

Mothers are the core to the family, they help teach us the most important things in life, how to be loving and caring people. How to forgive and forget, and most importantly build us into mature men and women.

Thanks Moms!!!!!

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Back to the Basics

Upon reflection, that is reflecting on my past work, I realized that I have been forgetting to focus on the most important part that make a good photo. So I have gone back to the basics, reading and studying composition, from different sources.

Some are from past greats (Bresson, Bourke-White, and Adams), and some are new professionals and writing books on composition techniques. Each time I look or read about great composition, it points back to simple ideals. A clear subject, and a strong contrast. Sure there is way more that goes into composing a masterful photo, but sometimes the most simple composition can compete with the greats.

So I have challenged myself to look at the mundane around the house and focus purely on composition techniques. Subjects that are prominent and don’t fade into the background (or foreground), clear and clean leading lines, and prominent framing.

Here are some of the results from my perusing around the house.

This was a challenge, but it forced me to stop, and consider my entire shot. It slowed me down and made me consider the surrounding elements (leading lines, focal planes, contrast, etc.) rather than just the subject. It was a wonderful experiment, and I learned some valuable skills for when I go out into the field to capture other wonderful moments.

It goes to show you that even the everyday household objects can create some interesting subject matter. So I challenge you to take out your camera (it doesn’t have to be any fancy dslr, just check out my other photo challenge) and start shooting away! You’ll be amazed at what you find!

P.S. if any of you found this interesting and would like to learn along side me as I explore composition techniques, or would like this to be a new subject, please vote on the poll! This allows me to get your opinion, and helps me know what interests you! Thanks again for the support and remember to stay creative!

Let’s Get Magical!

What is creative? Is there a straight definition for it, or is it more like “guidelines”. Webster’s Dictionary defines creative as, “4,to produce through imaginative skill”, and “1, to make or bring into existence something new”. I bring this up to discuss a recent happening in my life, a photo contest of sorts that I participated in at my photography club.

As an avid photo hobbyist, and competitor, I had to put my best work forward. The Contest consisted three separate categories; Color, Monochrome, and Creative. All great categories, but Creative is very broad. So with that, problems were bound to happen. What can a judge say makes a photo creative, whether its made prior to the exposure or only in post production.

Creative means to me, a new or innovate self expression, that cannot be judged or explained but only by the creator. The reasons why an artist creates a subjet that or not symmetric could have a significant meaning for the creator, and could me a completely different thing for the viewer.

Therefore, I was extremely frustrated at the outcome of the creative category. It seems photographers get lazy, only using photoshop filters to get “creative” shots. Although the contest defined the creative category as, “a clear departure from reality” I feel that limits creative to only surreal, or abstract. The only reason for my disagrement is their “definition of creative” and wished they would chose a different category. Maybe a rotating unique categories from month to month.

Enough ranting for this post, and if you feel the same way or disagree , please comment, I am open for discussion. I would love to hear from everyone that follows!

P.S.  Here is a creative Post-Production Image for y’all to get lost in.

Best Camera Challenge: Day 2

So after a hellacious day at work, a photo-walk was in desperate need. The thing that I love about photography is the opportunity to meet interesting people.

I met this shady character when I turned into boding alley. At first I was nervous approaching this badass dude, but he turned out to be really nice. After a friendly introduction I asked him if I could take a photo of him. To much of my surprise he said yes and proceeded to look as serious as possible. To cool, way to cool.

Moving on I explored every  corner hoping to find some inspiration. I ran across some graffiti in both spray paint form and typography (pictured first). I couldn’t pass up this raw adulterated art slapped on the ragged walls.

 

My journey ended at the St. Anne’s Catholic Church as the sun began to set. Legs tired and body achy, I took a moment to relax and rejuvenate the wary spirit. One word sums up this trip:Inspirational

 

-All these photos were shot and edited on the 4th generation Ipod touch.

-If anyone would like to know what apps I use to edit this photos, just leave a comment/like and I’ll write a post about it.