2 1/2 Tonys

I have another local friend having a baby (read: I found another opportunity to practice maternity photos)! Emily and Jon were great to work (play) with. I used some of what I learned last time and felt slightly more confident. However, due to scheduling conflicts, I ended up with less-than-ideal lighting conditions. I wasn't too excited about shooting in the midday sunlight, and I did end up with some crazy shadowy stripes that I couldn't fix, BUT I got some good editing experience and have a better understanding of how adjusting contrast and exposure can help downplay the brightness of the sun. There's always something to learn! Overall, I'm pleased with the results: 

(You can see the whole collection here.) I'd love to know what you think!

shrimp boat haiku

I love bright colors

no matter where I find them

(even on shrimp boats)

waterfall haiku

there is nothing like

the flowing, rushing, splashing

sound of waterfalls

heron serendipity

I've been wanting to take a decent picture of a great blue heron since I first started spotting them when I was new to the coast, but it's hard to get close to them without freaking them out. On an unrelated note, I've always wanted to try to create silhouettes with photography.  You see where I'm going with this. On Sunday, I took a long walk on the beach with my awesome new camera, and, amazingly, a heron perched on a piling and posed for me for the longest time. I could only photograph it from one angle since I was standing out on a dock, and I was shooting almost straight into the sun, so it created a silhouette effect with no real effort on my part at all. So cool! I took a BUNCH of pictures, but these are two of my favorites:

What do you think? Should these be listed in my etsy shop? If so, should I offer them separately or as a set? (I've never done a set, but it might be interesting...)

fly away haiku

sometimes, like Jen-ay,

what I really want to do

is just fly away

playtime portrait

One of my goals for this year is to take more pictures of people. I have fantasies about photographing weddings, but I'm a long way from being good (or confident?) enough for that, so I'll take any opportunity for practice. I haven't had any formal portrait sessions yet, but I made the most of some playtime with my favorite two-year-old the other day, and that'll do for now. Isn't he adorable?

 

P.S. If you're reading this and (1) are on the Gulf Coast and (2) want your picture taken, let me know! :)

Mississippi moon

Ever since I moved here, the Doobie Brothers have been singing in my head every time I look into the night sky:

Mississippi moon, won't you keep on shining on me?