I Heart Faces Photo Challege-Props| Redmond, WA Photographer
Posted on July 18, 2011
This week’s photo challenge is props, fun! It’s pretty fitting, since Sam has been totally into being a pirate lately. I didn’t even have to convince him. 
And, there are a ton of beautiful props for girls, but I think there are just as many fun things for boys to throw in the mix, especially if you let them help in the process. Arrr!!
As usual, you should totally check out I Heart Faces and all the other talented folks’ entries! 
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Project 52-Favorite Things|Redmond, WA Photographer
Posted on January 14, 2011
Yes, flowers are one of my favorite things. I love them all. I do not discriminate. I even like dead flowers. Sometimes even fake flowers. Heh.
I love to get them as a surprise, buy them for myself or just look at them on a walk. On a side note, I’ve always loved the smell of a flower shop too, though it’s not really “flowery” just decidedly unique. Maybe I like it because I can identify with that.
I’ve decided this year I’m going to make a point to have fresh flowers in my house as often as possible. Even if it’s only dandelions from my backyard.
Have a fabulous weekend everyone!
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Smile! Happy Birthday I {Heart} Faces!!|Redmond, WA Portrait Photographer
Posted on January 11, 2011
If you are interested in photography and would like a great place to find tutorials, inspiration and lots of other like-minded peeps, you should definitely check out:
It’s a great community, full of wonderful people and fabulous photographs to peruse. Happy 2nd Birthday to them!!
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Being Creative|Redmond, WA Portrait & Fine Art Photographer
Posted on January 11, 2011
What does being creative mean to you? Probably not the same thing it means to me, or anyone else for that matter. And, that’s exactly the point of being creative. I used to think I wasn’t creative at all. Really, it wasn’t until I started taking pictures, a lot of picutres, that it struck me: I AM creative. I just had to figure out what I was good at and had the desire to learn.
There have been times I’ve struggled with the desire to be creative vs. my creative abilities. But, recently I’ve begun to realize that we all “create” differently. And, that’s the way it should be. We all have different things floating around in our mysterious brains. Ideas, projects, thoughts, worries, hopes and fears, which all contribute to the way we see the world and create within it.
I used to wish I could paint. Truthfully, I still kind of do. I admire the patience and skill it takes to create a beautiful and thought provoking painting and it’s probably one of the biggest reasons Matt and I have spent countless hours in museums across the world. I have several blank canvases in my office (contributing to the mess in there), along with a few different kinds of paints, brushes and even an easel. But, I just can’t focus enough to find my creativeness in that realm, at least not yet.
Anyhoo, the point of this post is just to say that we aren’t all Martha Stewart and we all have different skills, abilities and creative tendencies, but to not let them hold us back from a passion or a desire to be good at something. I whole-heartedly believe that there are those who are inherently good at some things, but I also believe that if you desire to be good at something and put the work in to improve yourself, that anyone can become proficient with pen and ink, brush and paint, camera and film, paper and glue or digital image and Photoshop.
Perhaps one day I’ll show my photographs alongside my paintings…or not. It all depends on my desire to pursue that goal, I guess. For now I am satisfied with my creative photographic side and plan to keep working on improving, rather than moving on to a new creative pursuit.
What will you create today…this week, month or year? I’d love to see what your creative and/or hard-working, practiced side produces!
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Think Inside the Box
Posted on January 9, 2011
I get a lot of questions about how I improved my photography skills so quickly and a lot of the time I’ve answered, “Oh, I don’t know,” or “I’ve spent a LOT of time on everything related to photography in the past year.” Well, duh. Of course I have, but I’m betting those who have asked me that question were looking for something a little more concrete and helpful. Heh.
So, for all you peeps who want a little more insight into my crazy ways of photography and life, I’ll tell you the top things I think have given me a little edge.
- Doing a 365 project-one photo (or more) a day for a year. Seriously, committing to practice every.single.day. works pretty well in helping you learn what is and isn’t working with your photos.
- Bringing my camera EVERYWHERE
with me, and I do mean EVERYWHERE. Having a great case or bag, or at least some padding in your carrier of choice for your camera is helpful, just so you don’t whack it into stuff and end up with a broken one you can’t use. - Getting off the “auto/green box” setting and onto the manual setting and shooting in RAW format. Then learning how the combination of ISO, aperture and shutter speed all work together. As well as learning about all the functions my camera had to offer that I wasn’t taking advantage of previously. I read the “Dummies” book for my camera along with the manual that came with it, with my camera in-hand so I could actually see what the books were referring to at the same time. And, shooting in RAW really gives you an edge when playing with editing after the shooting has ended.
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Thinking inside the box. And, for me, this is a really big one and when I started seeing the world differently on many levels, even those not related to photography. I’ve always thought of myself as a perceptive, attention-to-details kind of girl, but I feel that “seeing the photos” all around me, in my everyday life, has really upped my game in this department. Now I see photos everywhere, in even the most mundane of situations-at the grocery store, “Hey don’t those stacks of egg cartons make an interesting pattern…” at the park-”Look at the way those shadows are falling on the fence..” and even on the grayest of Northwest days, “Cool! Wouldn’t the texture, and the darks and lights of those rain clouds look cool in black and white…” I can’t help myself these days and I get really upset if I ever do happen to be without my camera and I miss “the perfect shot.”
As I stated above, I did do a lot of other things that helped me grow with my skills in the past year, but the 4 above items are really at the core of my learning and are fairly accessible to anyone with a camera (since even a lot of inexpensive point and shoot cameras will let you take control of some of the settings these days). As always, if you have any questions, let me know! Happy shooting!
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A Little Sunshine|Redmond Fine Art Photographer
Posted on November 25, 2010
Just a bit of sunshine to warm you up on this chilly Thanksgiving Eve…
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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The Crocketts|Redmond Family Photographer
Posted on November 16, 2010
My family and I had great time hanging out with the Crocketts yesterday at Marymoor Park. Their two boys and our one boy had fun running around with the dogs, stomping in the mud and climbing trees. All had a dirty, messy awesome time, as it should be.
Adam and I go way back…sort of. We met 20 (!!) years ago at a church function where our families hit it off and went out to eat together quite a bit. After said function, we came back to Spanaway and they went back to Arkansas. We kept in touch for a while via snail mail (yes, we’re old, heh), but eventually got busy with our teenage lives and lost track of eachother.
Fast forward to the days of Facebook and random searches for people I suddenly remember from my past and voila! There was Adam Crockett. Living in Burien…huh?!! And to top it off, I found out his wife, the awesome Heather, (www.shotbyheather.com) is a photographer too! It took about a year and a half of FB chats and comments, but we finally managed to meet up at my art show in August. I knew from the minute I met Heather she was a kindred spirit. I feel like I’ve known her forever and am so glad all of the stars aligned so we could meet.
Our boys play nicely (for the most part ) together, we can talk shop and they are willing to wear mustaches to satisfy my creative agenda. What more could a girl ask for in friends? Heh.
I’m definitely looking forward to our next kid/doggie playdate. You Crocketts Rock!
