03.04.2013
Amy and Jeremie are Engaged! // Austin Engagement Session
Meet Amy and Jeremie. These two make my heart happy, and I just love their style. I especially adored Amy’s one-of-a-kind Aquamarine engagement ring. Wait til you see it! You’ll freak out and want one yourself. :)
Amy and Jeremie, thank you so much for spending the afternoon with me! I had a blast getting to know y’all, swapping stories about our dogs, and chatting about what’s coming up next for you guys as a couple. So, so excited for your wedding! XOXO
03.01.2013
*Photo credit: Half Orange Photography (Aaron and I had so much fun modeling for their workshop!)
Happy Friday & Happy March! :)
Since it’s March 1st, it’s time for–what else?–goals! We’ll be taking a quick break from our typical Friday post, Words for the Weekend, to chat personal/goal stuff.
As I was creating said list, however, I had a moment. I’m planning, planning, planning what I want to accomplish/see/do in the future, but I’ve also already done so much and reached so many goals. Have I taken the time to be grateful?
This is my prayer for myself, and for you, my like-minded, goal-loving, life-loving friends: May goal setting never become about empty achievements, bragging rights, and impressing others. May we always remember the root of why we set goals: to FULLY ENGAGE in this miraculous, beautiful, God-breathed life–with our gazes firmly fixed on eternity. May we always take time to reflect, savor, and be grateful. May we let past, present, and future exist in harmony, never focusing so much on one that it costs us the other two.
For me, that’s what goal setting should be all about. On that note, here are some of my goals this March:
I hope you all enjoy your first day of March! What are your plans this month? Spring is right around the corner, and I can’t wait. :)
XOXO
02.27.2013
Film vs. Digital // Part 3: Image Comparison
Disclaimer: The title of this series is a bit misleading. To me, it’s not a competition of which is better, but simply an exploration of the quality/cost/experience of shooting film vs digital. The conclusions are based on my personal opinions, preferences, and taste.
I’m about to get all kinds of geeky, y’all! Today, we’ll be exploring the difference in images shot with film and images shot digitally–AND I COULDN’T BE MORE EXCITED! Now, we’ll be looking at just one image, but dissecting it beyond all recognition, so stick with me. Not to worry, I’ll be posting more image comparisons, but to me, the info is more digestible (and easier for me to share) when presented in bite size pieces.
It’s Kate & Jeff again! I shot their engagements a couple of weeks ago, and you met them on Monday. This was one of my favorite shots. I happened to take an almost identical shot with both film and digital, so it was the perfect photo to compare. Film is on the left, digital is on the right. The shot was taken at about 4 in the afternoon on a sunny day–not a cloud in the sky. No filters, reflectors, flash, etc. Just a camera and natural light.
LEFT: Shot with a Mamiya 645 + 80mm f/2.8 lens + Fuji Pro 400H film + Processed at Richard Photo Lab
RIGHT: Shot with a Canon 5D mkiii + 50mm f/1.2 lens
YOWZA! The differences are popping out like crazy! One of the first things to note, however, is that both images are exposed correctly–BUT notice the difference in the way they LOOK. Film is notorious for handling light beautifully, and IT DOES–be still my heart! To me, the digital image looks a bit muddy when compared to the brilliant colors and creamy skin tones of the film image.
Everything within me wants to hug the film image–it’s perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing (read: ZERO time spent in front of the computer editing). However, I’m noticing lots of things about the digital image that I’ll want to change. I want to correct the pink tones, I want to add contrast to make it pop, I want to brighten parts of the image, and I want to make the greens a bit more blue. Basically, I’m wanting to edit it so that it looks like film, which is what I always do.
So I did. And now you can compare the film image with the digital edited image:
I’m not too snobby to say it: they look pretty similar. So similar, in fact, that you may be thinking, “Who even cares about this whole film vs. digital thing.” And that’s just fine. Looking at those images above, it’s pretty apparent that you can create an almost-film look using digital. If that’s what you choose, more power to you!
For me though, I LOVE the fact that I can get a perfect image straight out of the camera using film. No editing. No hours spent in front of the computer. And…my eye still picks up on subtle, yet powerful differences between those two images up there. To me, the color in the film image is just stunning. The film photo has a richness and depth, and it’s beautifully saturated. There’s a quality difference between the two that I can’t seem to put into words. The it factor. Don’t get me wrong, both are pretty images. But personally, I prefer film. Not only for the final image, but I also appreciate the experience of shooting slowly and thoughtfully. Personal preference. :)
I’ve zoomed in even a little bit more below so you can really compare the two. Have a look. What do you think?
(Film image below)
(Digital image below)
Zooming in even more here, you can see the way the different mediums handle harsh light. You’ll notice that the film image, while bright and light, still retains most of the detail of Kate’s hair. However, the digital image, though exposed correctly, has a whole lot of blown out space, and all the detail there is lost.
This close up also sheds light on one of my biggest pet peeves about digital. You’ll notice the film image has little to no chromatic aberration, while the digital image has “fringes” of red on the brightest spots. Those fringes of color tend to show up in harsh light and intricate detail when shooting digital. I don’t like them one bit. Yes, I can minimize them when editing, but that’s just more time spent in front of the computer. Thumbs down.
(Film image below)
(Digital image below)
Finally, I just want to remind you that these are my personal preferences. Both film and digital have their strengths and weaknesses, and I’m just having a blast exploring and comparing them. As in, so much fun that I probably shouldn’t even admit it, because it’s just too geeky. Oh well, too late. :)
So, in conclusion, I was utterly blown away by the quality of the film image. YOWZA! I’m just loving it! But, the mere act of shooting film doesn’t mean you’re automatically going to start churning out the world’s most incredible photos. I’m realizing, film is only my friend if I know how to use it well. Believe me, plenty of my film images did not turn out well at all. Lots were underexposed or out of focus (oh, hello manual focus) and there’s not much you can do to salvage it in post processing. So in short, film image quality is unreal and beyond beautiful. But the only way you can achieve that quality is by knowing how to use it well.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the above images! Feel free to start chatting in the comments section. :)
02.25.2013
Kate & Jeff Are Engaged! • Austin Engagement Session
Yowza! I’m just warning you–these two are super cute! :)
Meet Kate & Jeff. Two gems with hearts for the Lord. What a joy it was to spend an afternoon with them! They were so sweet and even let me get all geeky, chatting about film. I’ve been so SO excited about the new challenge of shooting film that I can’t help but try to educate everyone around me about what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, etc. I’ll never forget, every time I finished a roll of film, they would cheer with me. :) Makes my heart SO happy!
Kate & Jeff, thank you so much for spending the afternoon with me! I had so much fun talking with y’all, hearing about your plans for the future, and seeing your love for the Lord and for each other. I absolutely cannot wait until your wedding! XOXO
This session was shot half film / half digital. Come back on Wednesday, because I’ll be continuing my film vs. digital series with an image comparison break down from Kate & Jeff’s session. I can’t wait! :)
02.22.2013
I grew up in a small town, and right before I left that small town for a big city, I had a newspaper article written about me and my business. (Sidenote: I act all cool about this, but in reality it was one of the biggest OMG!!!!! moments of my life.) To this day, my husband still makes fun of what I said in that article. When asked about my home office, I replied, “It’s a space for dreaming!” Alright…it was kind of a dorky thing to say…but…I’m pretty sure this quote totally had my back. :)
So get out there and dream this weekend! Happy Friday! XO
02.20.2013
Emily & Josh Are Having A Baby!
Meet Emily and Josh. :) Emily was my first friend ever. We were born two months apart and were best friends before we knew it. This girl is so special to my heart. And she’s about to have a baby! My heart just couldn’t be any more excited!
02.18.2013
Branches & Light Recap & Styled Shoot
Hooray, it’s recap time! :)
Nancy and I hosted our Branches & Light workshop just three weeks ago in Austin, Texas. What a beautiful day! We hosted B&L at The Winfield Inn (one of my favorite venues EVER!), and spent the day chatting about goal-setting, branding, studio organization, workflow, and overcoming fears.
The day just wouldn’t have been the same if it weren’t for our absolutely incredible ladies who attended. Our attendees came from lots of different places—South Dakota, Georgia, Florida, New York, and of course, all over Texas—and we could not have been more honored to spend the day with them. To the insanely wonderful ladies who came to B&L this year, I love you all so much and I cherish the memories we made together! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being there, for opening up, for being authentic. Please, please let me know if you are ever in Austin because I will want to make a coffee date with you! :)
We invited stylist & planner Stefanie Miles (from Lavender Joy Weddings) to be our guest speaker, and oh my goodness, she brought the love! Nancy and I just sat in the back of the room scribbling notes like crazy while Stefanie gave her insights on heartfelt networking. What a blessing it was to have you, Stefanie!
My proudest moment, as it has been for the past four years, was when I taught on overcoming fear. What a task it was to reach inside myself and be vulnerable about such a hard topic…but how rewarding it was. One of the quotes from the talk was, “As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.” (Marianne Williamson)
You can read more about my personal favorite moments of B&L here.
Prepare your eyes for some prettiness! Our styled shoot was TO DIE FOR! This shoot wouldn’t have been possible without hard work from THE BEST team ever. A big ol’ thank you to: Sweet Sunday Events (styling & florals), Juliet Jones (calligraphy & stationary), Amazing Kakes (cake design), Andrea Juarez (hair), Adrienne Pitkin (makeup), Claire Pettibone (wedding dress), Alice Moon (engagement dress), and of course our amazing models, Katie (plus husband Ross) and Stancy from Half Orange Photography. LOVE those girls! :)
A big ol’ thank you to Southern Weddings for featuring this shoot over the weekend! What an honor!
02.15.2013
Guess what?! I’ve been in hiding the past few days–brainstorming, journaling, reading, and digging deep at what lights my heart on FIRE–but I’m emerging with {EXCITING} new column ideas for my blog. It’s time for a shake-up, y’all. :) I’m SO excited to share my ideas with you, and the first column you’ll meet is my Friday column: Words for the Weekend. Each Friday, I’ll send you off on your weekend with a quote that’s inspiring / thought-provoking / encouraging / or just plain fun. If a particular quote I share resounds with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!
This quote has been sitting on my heart for a few weeks. It’s from “The Art Of Possibility” which is my favorite book I’ve read so far in 2013. Sometimes, I think we don’t share our true selves/gifts with others because we’re afraid of how they might respond. What will they think of us? You know what? I think that’s the wrong question. Have faith and get to sharing those gifts of yours! :)
This weekend, I’ll be getting in some good family time–my parents are coming to visit! Woohoo! Happy Friday! XO
02.04.2013
I have a thing for flowers. On my wedding day, nothing you could say could convince me to put my bouquet down. I was just in love with the idea of carrying around an armful of flowers. What can I say? It was the one day of my life where it’s totally normal to carry around flowers. :)
So naturally, bouquets are one of my favorite details to photograph at a wedding. Today, I thought I’d share with you a few of my favorite floral arrangements I photographed this year.
BELOW: I adore the feathery texture of this bouquet. It’s one of the most unique bouquets I’ve ever seen! By Sweet Sunday Events in Austin.
BELOW: This bouquet is from our Branches & Light 2012 workshop in North Carolina. By Tre Bella.
BELOW: Another favorite by Sweet Sunday Events.
BELOW: This sweet bride was one of my favorites ever. The bride’s necklace is from J.Crew, her dress is BHLDN, and her bouquet is Petals by Design (Houston).
BELOW: Pretty pretty bridesmaids below on the left with florals by Lindy Floral (Austin). Fun fact, Lindy did the flowers for my own wedding! Love her! :) The right image is another beauty from Sweet Sunday Events.
BELOW: Finally, I thought I’d end on this amazing design by Lindy Floral. Don’t you love the super rich colors and the amazing shape! I swoon over this bouquet every time I see it. :)
02.01.2013
I love new beginnings. I’m going to treat February 1, 2013 as though it’s New Years day, okay? My January was all foggy, so I didn’t post goals. I know you were all devastated. :) I did, however, have January goals, and somehow despite the fog, they all got done. FIVE. BIG. THINGS.
QUICK JANUARY RECAP
ON TO FEBRUARY GOALS:
So that’s what I’ll be up to this month. And for good measure, here’s a photo of me, taken the other day when Aaron and I got to model for the Half Orange Photography workshop. (We snuck in some bio photos after the shoot. No way I was letting that good hair go to waste!)
