A Splash of Summer

In the little time I've been home this summer, I've loved being with family. Here's a couple shots. I love shooting kids, especially in their natural and favorite environments. My cousins love water. It wouldn't surprise me if they were part fish! My sister loves being in the pool too. I'm lucky to have such wonderful family who put up with the constant click of my camera. :)

I adore how much is going on in this shot. The chaos of a beautiful summer day. (: 

My cute little cousins. (: 

I love the angle! 

My adorable sister and her boyfriend (looking forward to doing a couple shoot with them in the next weeks!).

I couldn't resist adding these pictures from a walk I took around where I work a few weeks ago. (: Also part of my summer! 

Since these weren't posed portraits, I'd still like to hear ideas. :)  Also! I just added a place for you to enter your email and follow me. :) Please do! And share! I can't wait to learn! 

City that Never Sleeps...

I would love to travel all over Europe someday, but for now I'm content with the trips I've made along the East Coast. Here's a couple shots from my trip to NYC two springs ago. (I can't believe it was that long ago!!!).

Central Park Bridge. (: 

Staten Island Ferry

Both from Central Park. I'm a huge Beatles/John Lennon fan! 

Lanterns where Tavern on the Green was. 

A few of the hundreds of shots I took and edited of the Statue of Liberty. Quite an incredible experience.

Wall Street. 

I had thousands of shots from this trip, but these are some of my favorites. Some are still waiting to be fixed up a little bit and maybe I'll get around to sharing them one day. :)  

Lemme know what you think! 

Some Shots to Share!

I figured I'd share a few older shots I took and just recently edited (since I have this program I'm learning. :) )  Mostly nature or travel, not to many portraits to share yet! :)

 Flowers from a wedding I went to a year ago. I actually like them in B&W. 

Hyacith where I grew up. (: 

My favorite beach around sunset. 

Tree where I go to school this past spring, blooming. (: 

Some of my favorite flowers from where I grew up. (: 

Lamp post where I'm from. This is one of my dad's favorite shots I've ever taken. (:  one of mine, too, honestly. 

The beach is my favorite place in the world. I love the way the editing turned out on this one. 

Well, there's some old shots--newer ones will appear, but I just wanted to add a few more things. :)  Not all of these have been recently edited on gimp, some were iPhoto edits before I was brave enough to figure gimp out! :) 

Thoughts/comments/tips always welcome!!! 

Hello!

So, this whole blog thing is new to me. We'll all be learning together. :)

Basically, like my info says--I'm not a professional photographer, nor do I claim to be. I'm merely someone who stumbled upon a huge love for photography.  I do have a life out side the camera, but I'm still dying to learn more and more about everything related to  taking good pictures, editing well and sharing the moments I capture.


Things will probably move slowly on here for awhile. I'm just now learning how to edit and playing around, so things are still rough around the edges, though I have been capturing people, places, moments, animals, plants and everything in between for a few years now as what I would consider a serious hobby.

I've been told in the past I'm talented when it comes to photography, but for me that isn't enough. I want to be good, even great. I want to learn everything I can about composition, lighting, settings. I want to know what every single option and button can do to my photographs.

So that's why I'm here. I hope to follow other photographers--especially professionals--and learn. I want to hear constructive criticism, tips, ideas and anything helpful. I'm not out here to make money. I'm out here to learn. To enhance what I know and to grow as an artist. I'm someone who loves this but knows I don't have what it takes (maybe just now--or never) to really make it in the cutting edge world of photography as it stands now. But, I do love this. I love it more than most things in the world (music being the first thing I love to do!).

I believe photography is a window into so many worlds--the photographer's, the subject's, and life in general. A great story can be told in a single moment. The world can be shared in a single shot. Art is made, lives are captured and shared and beauty can never be forgotten. It's a blessing to be able to do what I can for people when they ask me to "take a few shots" for them.  I believe in taking a chance, shooting what you can and striving to get the image you, and your subject, hold in their minds.

Other than that? I'm your normal girl. I'm currently studying to become a music therapist, so music is a huge passion of mine. I hope to one day treat military patients for traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress disorder and any other trauma. I have a wonderful family and a great group of friends there for me no matter what. They all mean the world to me. I love to read, I've recently taken up knitting and I love theatre (though, I'm not the one you'll find on stage!!).

So, welcome. Please please please comment and help me along! I'm very excited to what this can teach me!