Timely Procrastination... (Yes, It's Possible!)

    So now you're all curious--how in the world can procrastination be timely? My evil schemes have worked! Well, these pictures are from spring break, but the lovely young women who model in them are graduating on Saturday...so my procrastination in posting them is resulting in a perfectly timed blog post...which I did not intend at all! 

    As I look back at these pictures, I am so excited to share them with you all! At the time, this shoot frustrated me--we were rushed, trying to juggle locations, conflicting times, and different outfits, and I didn't think it turned out all that well. However, reviewing the pictures, I am actually proud to call several of them mine. My style and technique is definitely still in progress, but I am learning--I could not have shot these photos a year ago! Anyway, with that in mind, enjoy these photos of my sister Jenny and her friend Ruthann!

This is one of my favorites--I purposely over-exposed it to see what would happen, and it turned out great =)

Ruthann has a great smile =) It just lights up her face...she needs to model for someone more often... 

I love having models and friends who are willing to lie on the ground for me--and, believe it or not, the feet in the air are what make this picture so good =) 

The gravel driveway we were shooting on was a great natural reflector, bouncing sunlight onto Jenny's face so it shows up beautifully in the photos... (for the photographers who care...)

This is one of my absolute favorites from the day...the light worked beautifully for me! It's just our neighbor's gravel driveway, and it was mid-morning, but you can't tell!

A little breeze picked up, just enough to give a little movement to the pictures...so perfect! Ruthann, you've got the model look down! And that light, wow! Please, can I have that again? =)

And of course, we needed some pictures of the two of them--they've been friends as long as they can remember =)

 

This is the one Jenny chose for her graduation announcements--though it wasn't my favorite from the whole shoot, I was glad Jenny liked it! That's why I give my clients the whole selection of the good images from their shoot; they may very well like a different picture than I did best--and that's okay! We can all have our own favorites =) 

These were my only senior sessions this spring, but I have plenty more photos to share! Oh, and if you hadn't caught this yet.....you need to go watch the new Les Miserables trailer!!!!! It just came out today and it looks (and sounds, despite the fact that it's Ann Hathaway), INCREDIBLE! =D I'm just a little excited, in case you can't tell =) Finishing the book is on my summer reading list...maybe you should consider adding it to yours, so you're ready for the movie in December, too =) 

On Their Way...

I really want to share those photos I mentioned, but I came across (and rediscovered) a few things on the internet today that I had to share...too good to pass up when I'm too lazy/sick to edit pictures =)

First, the most important, and probably the coolest--I just donated money, it's so cool. Some friends posted this article on Facebook, so I was able to read it. You should, too.

I'm serious.

No, really. Go back, click the link, and read the article. Or go to the group's website:
    SavetheStorks.com
If that name doesn't intrigue you...you have problems. Let's just leave it at that.

Thanks. Having grown up as part of the pro-life movement, participating in annual "Walk for Life" events, and hearing my mom talk about pregnancy centers on a daily basis, something like this is both new and exciting...and shows how young people like me can truly make a difference.

Okay, enough serious talk...thanks for indulging me. If you've read this blog for any length of time (or know me at all), you know I'm really a sappy romantic at heart. Also, it's summer and school's out, so I've had time to really enjoy the posts on one of my favorite local photographer's blogs, chronicling the story leading up to her recent engagement...

They met in Oklahoma...hence the ginormous field of gorgeousness =) But seriously...if you have time on your hands and any ounce of romance in your heart...take an hour or two and read Kristen and Caleb's story...you'll melt =)

If you're still with me after that (I suppose I should have posted this first...hard to get past a love story, I know)...I must offer you another time-waster. But this one--this one will make you laugh. Granted, I know the writers of this blog. Even without that advantage, though, I think any of you might enjoy the tale of Russell the Special-Needs Dino...go check out this new blog...it's worth it, too! =) 

And finally, to counter the sappiness and further the ridiculousness, for any who share my enjoyment of Julian Smith...one of my recent favorites... ;)

                                

P.S. If that weirded you out too much, go look up Donut Pirate...it's not strange, just hilarious. I promise. 

That's all the randomness for today...thanks for indulging me. I realize you didn't have much of a choice, since it's the internet...but still. If you're reading now...you put up with it =) I'll be back with photos soon...

Let the Good Times Roll!

I'm so excited for this summer! Last week I was in Florida for the RUF Summer Conference (if you haven't heard of RUF, it stands for Reformed University Fellowship, and it's the ministry of the PCA on college campuses...and basically it's a group of awesome people getting together to worship!). When we get together from all over the nation in Panama City Beach, it's even more awesome--not only did we have amazing teaching, tons of time to spend with each other, but we got to spend hours at the beach every day! 

Here are a few photos from the trip:

Nope, got your hopes up, but I have to explain the title of this post and advertise one of my new favorite artists first: the title's from a song I love that gets stuck in my head allllllllll the time, by Ben Rector. He was part of a recent concert at Liberty, and though I'd never really heard of him before then, I was blown away by his talent! He's incredible! And his music is awesome. You all should go look him up and listen to his music!!!! Ben. Rector. Don't forget.

Okay, noooooooow here are some pictures =)

Some of my lovely friends:

We had many adventures in and out of the water...some ended better than others:

Volleyball was quite popular...some of our group had to be forced to play, but they ended up on the court when they were needed =) 

One evening we went out for dinner to a restaurant right on the Gulf, with live music and dancing...it was great =)

 The rest of my summer, I'll be in Pennsylvania, working at a military retreat center called White Sulphur Springs. I won't be earning a ton of money (by any stretch of the imagination), but I'm sooooo excited to be going to what is possibly my favorite place in the world and to have the chance to be involved in their ministry. God does amazing things there, and He always brings together people who are passionately following Him--I am so thrilled to be spending my summer there! I won't have internet most of the time while I'm there, but on my days off I may occasionally be able to get online and update the blog =) We'll see how that goes...I better not make any promises...

Before I leave for the summer, I have photos from another concert (the best I've ever been to, though you can't hear it from the photos), some portraits, and other fun photos from a few events with my family--I owe the blog a lot of updating!!! Certain friends who shall not be named have not liked the absences...I haven't either, and I'm thinking about where I want to go from here. I might just need to give myself a schedule {maybe starting with a weekly post and working from there...) We'll see.... Either way, hope you enjoyed these pictures!

Of Concerts and Free Time and Blessings All Around

Well, you know what I feel like I should say here, based on the ginormous gap between this post and my last one. But I refuse to say it. Since you all know what I'm thinking now and how sorry I am. So there. Moving on.

Liberty has been busy, but awesome! I have incredible friends, who might kill me if I put photos of them up here...but I might do it anyway =) But since I have some fun photos of people who won't care, that's what you get today. A few weeks ago I went to a Casting Crowns concert at Liberty with my parents, and they let me bring my SLR in...which is unusual for a concert (for example, my pictures from the Owl City concert I took my sister to last fall are on my phone. Yeah). So I was incredibly happy, especially because concert lighting can be super, super fun! Hopefully you'll have as much fun seeing the results as I had at the time =)

Lindsay McCaul opened, and then Royal Tailor (who is AWESOME!!!! I love their music now!)

Sadly, I have no pictures of the lead singer's moonwalking...it was great =)

Matthew West was the last to perform before Casting Crowns...

The picture on the right is one of my favorites from the evening...the lighting made me incredibly happy =)

And then we finally got to Casting Crowns! I hadn't been listening to their music much recently, but Mark Hall  really seemed passionate about his music and his mission, and I decided they were better than I thought =) 

This more acoustic set was perfect for the photographers in the audience...the whole band was in one spot and the lighting was perfect...

This was the view from the jumbotron...

An acoustic version of "Praise You in This Storm"...beautiful =)

At the end, all the performers came back up on stage to sing 'Until the Whole World Hears' and finish the show...it was a great night =)

Oh yes, and as for the rest of the title of this blog post...I am currently on spring break! Which is how I manage to have some free time...after taking senior photos for my sister and her friend, attending chapel, and taking a wonderful nap =) And God has been good...hence the blessings =) Nothing specific or special, but just general keeping-me-going during school insanity...for which I am extremely thankful! 

Anyway, I apologize for any incoherence...it's late =)

First Days...

For some reason, the song "Stop and Stare" by OneRepublic has been running through my head for the last week and a half. I would say it was the theme song for the beginning of my time here at Liberty, except that it doesn't really relate to how I've felt...but it's a cool song anyway =) Just not one that expresses my combined excitement about being here and sadness about leaving PHC and my wonderful friends there...so take that as you will =) Go listen to it if you want...it's a good song!

Anyway, this is really more of a personal post than a photographic one...since these aren't particularly exceptional pictures =) But I just had to demonstrate my neatness (some might call it over-achiever-ness/control-freak-ness) in packing up all my stuff...I was extremely proud of myself...and here are the results:

Boo.Yah. ALL MY STUFF. (except my favorite jeans that I accidentally forgot. but ignore that). And look how neat it all is! Aren't you proud of me, too? 

Here's another view, just so you can better see my achievement =)

We had to kill time on our way out (so Mom could pick something up at the library), so we stopped at Market Street and Tropical Smoothie (both of which I highly recommend) for our "happiness in a cup" to help us stay awake--hey we had to get up at like 8 am!! That's pretty early, when you've been on break for three weeks... =) 

Rachel already had her HAPPY cup from home...so neither establishment can take credit for that...

And that's the extent of my pictures from the day...I think my mom took a few more, but these are the only ones on my camera...

Oh, except the view that greeted me my first night in my new room! We had a beautiful sunset, after a gross day of cold rain...

I do believe this was a promising start...

So Much For "Tomorrow"...

Yeah...well...let's just say life got busy. Or maybe I discovered the "Hunger Games" series and spent like all my free time reading them and now really, really can't wait for the movie...which comes out in like less than two months!!! Maybe. Or, you know, maybe my internet was down...for ten days. Because you know, I would never give in and actually read a really popular series of books just because all my friends like it...which would of course be why I didn't read "Harry Potter" this summer. Mmhmm...

Follow all that? =)

Anyway. All reading aside...I've been adjusting to living on campus here, and so I haven't had much time to take pictures =P But I still owe you the photos from winter break, that Claire and I took...she needs to get on my blog, after all =) I don't think she's made it on here yet, which is ridiculous, since she's one of my best friends.

So without further ado...here are Claire and I =)

When we have free time and don't have to do school or go get a smoothie or something, we pretty much always bake something. So, presented with a morning of nothing we had to do, we made awesome apple oatmeal cookies. They were even healthy! (which was good, 'cause the boys ate tons of them).

The other thing we always do is listen to High School Musical. So we did. =)

Almost finished...

Our beautifully cookies and my beautiful friend =)

We've also decided that we have far too few pictures of us together...because it's true. So we took more!

Self-timers are wonderful things. Random pieces of grass that stick up in front of my face are not.

I think this one's my favorite =)

We like living on the edge...this should not be attempted at home without expert photographic supervision...taking pictures in roads requires great skill and ability to get out of the way quickly =)

Ask me how I know...

I think this is our epic "Chariots of Fire" picture...or something =)

So that's us...I've got a few pictures from the beginning of my epic time here at Liberty, and those'll go up shortly! So after starving you, you're gonna get two posts in one night! Excited? =)

Changes...

A lot of things are changing in my life right now...off to live on a college campus for the first time EVER. It's exciting, and a little nerve-wracking, and very sad as I leave my friends from PHC...but God is good, and I do believe He orchestrated this change...

Anyway, I'll have some more photos soon, hopefully, but for the moment, here are the fun photos from our trip to North Carolina--the "behind-the-scenes" view of what we really did for most of the weekend... =)

How many people can look at one computer? A lot, we discovered =)

Rachel and Abby were...having fun. I'm not sure what they were looking at, but most likely they were reading each other's chats. That's what we did most of the time...

I love my sisters and my friends, and I also didn't mind the lighting in this hotel...for not having photographers in mind at all, as I'm sure was the case, it wasn't bad.

And yes, I realize that I talk about lighting a lot. But there's a reason: lighting is one of the most important elements of a photo, and so often, I just have to work with what I've been given. In places like this hotel room, I could have turned on different lamps and turned the overhead lights off (in fact, if I had, these photos probably would have been better...but I didn't think of it at the time). Other times, like at the wedding, I really have no control...but manipulating my camera and the way it lets light in is really a huge part of getting a good photo. Anyway. Enough photographic rambling...

Yes, Sarah's devious look is most likely because that is not her phone. And who knows what she is doing with it =)

As for Grace...........I don't even know what caused that expression. 

Oh, I just remembered--I have a few photos from a trip to Claire's house to share, so those will come soon! Hopefully tomorrow, since I need to get caught up before classes start on Monday =)