November 19, 2013

Free Wedding Photography Deadline!

We are getting close to the Nov 30th , 2013 Deadline for your chance to enter the Wedding Essay Contest!

Details are listed below..

Write an essay of your love story, date of your wedding, location or idea of venue and why you want me to be your photographer.


 Due: November 30, 2013 before midnight.


 Top 3 will get an engagement session in the studio and their pick of 5 photos on a disc


 Winner will be announced December 31st 2013, so get writing! You have the rest of this year to tell me and the world about your journey!


 


****All submissions are to be sent to laymanphotography@windstream.net.***


 


Please do not post your essay on facebook or other social media in which you may find me. I will only respond inquiries sent via email.

MoonClouds

I took my dogs outside and when I spotted the moon playing peek a boo in the clouds, I seen the wonderful hues. I grabbed my gear!

Tripod with remote control shutter...

Here are the photos and the settings of each photo.

F5.6/ISO 400/1.3 sec shutter

I decided to blur the clouds, they were moving so fast. I like the effect.
F18/ISO 400/7 sec shutter

F20/ISO 160/8 sec shutter

Maternity Portraits

A new family member or an addition, Maternity Portraits are a great way to help a Mother to be and her family celebrate before the baby arrives. I enjoy doing these portraits, I imagine years down the road a Mother and Father showing these to their child, to show them how much they were loved even before they arrived.

I had the opportunity to work with Latrice and her beautiful family! They were awesome to work with and were open to many suggestions which made the entire session so much fun!







November 1, 2013

Fall Landscapes - A Walk on The Lake

I took a walk..





Halloween Celebrations! 2013

My Holiday Season,
Well it starts with many birthdays paired with the holidays.

Jacob my 3 year old Nephew's Birthday Oct 26

A great toy I got him, Pumpkin Puppy sings "Witch Doctor" and moves his ears! He liked it, everyone got a kick out of it. I got an Uuuga Muuga Kiss for the gift.




My birthday runs shortly after and I got gifts and sweets. Thank you to all who made it special!



Canon Shaped Cup/Thermos! Ive used it many times and I love it! Thank you Karin!


Edgar's Bakery Cake-The Best Chocolate Cake Ever! 4 cake layers with chocolate chips and Chocolate Frosting!




I got to go shopping with my Mom and See some Wonderful Friends! Now.. time for Thanksgiving!

Thank you all for your support.
Stacey





October 4, 2013

Photo Of The Week- What Moves You?

Greetings to you all. It's T.G.I.F!!
 I hope you all have some great things planned this weekend. Something to rejuvenate yourself.

 Make sure you do something for yourself everyday. I believe its beneficial to take the time, just for you. My "me time" comes in many forms of meditation, be it exercise, Tai Chi, listening to music or reading up on photography anything!

I recently had the pleasure of a surprise phone call by of all people, my insurance agent!
 She had initially called due to a change that was made and had a legitimate question. She told me if she could live another life, it would be a photographer, capturing the beauty of the world around her. We got into a great conversation of what it was like for me, to do something I loved, a true passion.

She was excited to hear that I do a Shutter Bug Project, where I find a model, suggest a theme, find a location and teach anyone who wants to hone their skills. Amateur or professional, we just have fun!
 I   enjoy teaching and photographing. I can lose myself in it on a daily basis.

That phone call made my day. It also opened up my mind to start again, my Photo Of The Week. Not many were participating, even though I got a few interested. I decided to use only my images, so it would not fall through the cracks again.

One of the things I do enjoy when photographing is being able to show you the audience exactly what it was like to be in that moment. Show the atmosphere, feeling, ambiance. I also enjoy manipulating the scene, thru composition and lighting, giving the new or forced perspective.

In the photo below, I had decided on dessert at the Hot & Hot fish club. The warm atmosphere and the excellent wine made the dish decadent. When I began to process the images a few days later, I was happy with my decision to allow the warm colors to saturate the shot. I knew through software manipulation, that I could "clean" up the color but I was very please that I chose to take the best shot of how I wanted to relive the moment the first time.

It is my opinion that although nice and useful software can be, that most are not learning photography basics and taking shots with the thought of, "I will 'fix' it later". That saddens me, for if I had done that, the adding warmth during post processing, looks well, processed.

So, having said all this,, Here is the original shot, the processed shot and the settings.

50mm Lens
ISO 400
F.2.5
1/25



                                         
Personally for me, the image loses something.

Thank you all for your continued support. It means the world to me. Be sure to send me images of what moves you, give us the story and I may post it on my blog. I am always looking to make new friends and to share life's experienced. laymanphotography@windstream.net


Have a great weekend and Roll Tide!