I'm a very lazy web designer. I would be able to learn HTML and CSS coding if I wanted to and had the patience to do so, but I don't, so I end up copying and pasting a lot of codes from around the internet. That being said, all of the blog design here is my own work; my favorite part of the blog is probably the header. It took me forever to come up with a design I liked, but I'm very happy with how it turned out.
the photography
I didn't grow up being constantly photographed, so I'm not entirely sure where my love for photography came from. When I was really little, my sister and I would play around with the big blue Polaroid camera we had; we have albums full of pictures from that camera! I first picked up a digital camera when I was around 8 or so. It was a camera that my dad had had since the 90s and the viewing screen was completely cracked. I was given a Nikon Coolpix L20 as a Christmas present to share with my sister when I was 12 and got a Nikon P310 for a school assignment when I was 16. I got my Nikon D5200 as a graduation present in 2014. I currently shoot with a Canon 6D, which I bought in September of 2015.
I edit using Adobe LightRoom 5. I had a free trial of Photoshop CS6 and it was the most confusing month of my life. I do hope to get the program eventually, along with a brand new copy of "Photoshop for Dummies." I also hope to invest in VSCOFilm or Mastin Labs at some point; I really like their film simulations. I do try to keep my editing to a minimum; I think that editing should just highlight what is already there, not change what is there.
I shoot exclusively in manual mode. With the P310, I shot manual mode, but I was lazy for a while when I got my DSLR and just used automatic or other built-in settings my camera had. It worked decently most of the time, but I eventually got myself together and learned manual mode. I almost always shoot with the aperture set at 1.8/f (the exception is when it is extremely bright) and the highest shutter speed that the ISO will allow. I really try to leave the ISO at 100 for the best possible image quality, but if I'm shooting in really low light without a tripod, I sometimes have no choice but to raise the ISO.
I edit using Adobe LightRoom 5. I had a free trial of Photoshop CS6 and it was the most confusing month of my life. I do hope to get the program eventually, along with a brand new copy of "Photoshop for Dummies." I also hope to invest in VSCOFilm or Mastin Labs at some point; I really like their film simulations. I do try to keep my editing to a minimum; I think that editing should just highlight what is already there, not change what is there.
I shoot exclusively in manual mode. With the P310, I shot manual mode, but I was lazy for a while when I got my DSLR and just used automatic or other built-in settings my camera had. It worked decently most of the time, but I eventually got myself together and learned manual mode. I almost always shoot with the aperture set at 1.8/f (the exception is when it is extremely bright) and the highest shutter speed that the ISO will allow. I really try to leave the ISO at 100 for the best possible image quality, but if I'm shooting in really low light without a tripod, I sometimes have no choice but to raise the ISO.
I wouldn't say that I have a particular style of photography. I really like pastel tones and soft light, but I also take a lot of photos with high contrast, dark shadows, and cold light. A lot of the times it depends on what light and subjects are available to me. At my house, I end up with more shadowy, contrasty photos. I really just photograph what is around me and see what happens.
I officially started my photography business in the summer of 2015, but due to the fact that I bounce back and forth between two cities with half of the country separating them, it's really tricky to get any solid business. My goal is to have my business focus mostly on portrait work with a few events such as weddings thrown in. I have thought about doing creative product photography or stock photography, but neither of those hold as much appeal to me. For now, I do a lot of still life and sell prints on Etsy.
the fashion
I really didn't start this blog intending to post much about fashion, but during the summer of 2015, I ended up acquiring a few new pieces and breaking out the sewing machine, so I started the "how i dress" feature.
I have a very simple, classic, modest style; think Mary Jane shoes, full skirts, collared blouses, cardigans, and simple hairdos. (It's not as homeschool-style as that just sounded.) I also love vintage and what one of my friends called "European chic." I love subtle florals, small stripes, polka dots, straw hats, and skinny belts. I don't really like elaborate patterns as a major part of a clothing piece; I like them as accents or accessories for the most part. I don't really like anything that's too elaborate or modern; no chevron prints, cutouts, etc. I like to have a handful of staples - Saltwater Sandals, a striped shirt, a blue dress, etc. - and plan my outfits around them. It just makes my life easier. :)
the snapshots
I officially started my photography business in the summer of 2015, but due to the fact that I bounce back and forth between two cities with half of the country separating them, it's really tricky to get any solid business. My goal is to have my business focus mostly on portrait work with a few events such as weddings thrown in. I have thought about doing creative product photography or stock photography, but neither of those hold as much appeal to me. For now, I do a lot of still life and sell prints on Etsy.
the fashion
I really didn't start this blog intending to post much about fashion, but during the summer of 2015, I ended up acquiring a few new pieces and breaking out the sewing machine, so I started the "how i dress" feature.
I have a very simple, classic, modest style; think Mary Jane shoes, full skirts, collared blouses, cardigans, and simple hairdos. (It's not as homeschool-style as that just sounded.) I also love vintage and what one of my friends called "European chic." I love subtle florals, small stripes, polka dots, straw hats, and skinny belts. I don't really like elaborate patterns as a major part of a clothing piece; I like them as accents or accessories for the most part. I don't really like anything that's too elaborate or modern; no chevron prints, cutouts, etc. I like to have a handful of staples - Saltwater Sandals, a striped shirt, a blue dress, etc. - and plan my outfits around them. It just makes my life easier. :)
the snapshots
I take a ton of photos on my iPhone but I hate using them in posts where I use photos from my camera, so I started a little series called "snapshots" where I post some of the recent phone photos I've taken.
