That Was Then…

It has almost been a whole year since my last big adventure. I itch for another extravagant excursion. Until then, a reflection on my trip to India will suffice...sigh.

My Favorite Models

Yesterday I had the joy of spending the entire day with my boyfriend, Chad’s family. After watching a few hours of football, his sister Kayla, along with her friend Nora, and I decided it would be fun to have a photo shoot. Seeing that they both have beautiful baby girls, we had the perfect set of models.

Here are just a few photos of my favorite models, Lyla Grace and Brinlee.

Low Light

I love the smell of a good ol’ challenge.

While this new up roaring digital world is fun, my heart will always have a love for film. I have been shooting a lot with my dad’s Nikon film SLR. Not too long ago I saw there was going to be a bike rally in Murfreesboro, TN and thought it would be a fun place to soak up a new sub culture. I grabbed my camera and headed to the coconut bay café where the rally would be held. The rush before a new experiment is always the best. I got into the shoot by explaining I was a photojournalist for “Speed and Street Magazine” (in case you were wondering, that magazine does not exist…whoops! But they loved it!) I mingled throughout the roaring crowd of drunks and mufflers. I had such a blast getting to know these people and learning about their passion.

The event was outside at night. There was not much light and I chose to shoot without a flash. I wanted the challenge of shooting in low light without a tripod.

Here are just a few slides that I have scanned.

And So It Begins...

So this is my first blog. I love journaling, so this should be fun! However, I have never journaled for the world to see....here it goes.

I love challenging my creative mind. I love the rush of discovering something new. This feeling makes me feel innovative and accomplished.

I knew photography was my cup of tea when I came home one weekend from college. I remember being especially eager to get home this particular weekend. This trip home was different because I was bringing home my first prized weekly photography assignment. I remember I had called my dad and told him to have the light table ready to review my color slides. Like most kids, I look up to my father. Our fathers are there when life happens and we need advice, love and support. While my father provides all of these "fatherly" attributes he is also my mentor. He is extremely deep and is in my eyes one of the smartest men i know. I know I am my fathers daughter because I catch myself thinking like him probably too often. Anyway, he is an artist and it seemed fit to have his opinion of my accomplishments. We spread everything out on the dining room table and the critique began.

I'll never forget the challenge he proposed. He asked what I wanted out of photography. I told him I wanted to challenge myself and others. I wanted to submerse myself in people's social groups and document unique entities about these groups and individuals. He challenged me to then begin to see things through new eyes. We then discussed legends and what works of theirs evoked adoration from generations to generations.

As artists we must realize that accomplishments don't spur solely from untouched discoveries. We must challenge ourselves to try things we have never tried before. So what if it has already been done a thousands times before by others, try it. Maybe through this exploration one will discover something untouched. While striving to be heard through making a lasting discovery is a fun dream, it should not be our only thirst. It is the challenge and the ever developing mind that keeps me feeling alive. This is why I love photography.