Mock Wedding 2016

Mock Wedding

Here is a glimpse into the Randolph Community College Mock Wedding for 2016 from my perspective! Thank you to everyone who made this possible. It was definitely a wonderful learning experience.

Portfolio

These are some of my favorite images from the semester. Hope everyone enjoys!

https://animoto.com/play/1DGoxgQLv9CaiNmT7xcP2g

Family Session

Family Session

Jessica Soles:Senior Session

Check out the link below for a slideshow of pictures taken for Jessica's "senior session!" She was great to work with and I had an awesome time.

Jessica Soles. Senior Session.

Golden Hour

   This photo was taken one evening after a failed attempt at doing some panorama pictures. It was hot and miserable outside and me and my boyfriend had been walking around for well over an hour trying to find a good location to do my panorama assignment. We had come into contact with two rather large copper heads and my dog was so eager for attention that she decided to start following us down the road. As you can imagine, it is not easy to get a panorama shot with a hyper dog prancing through the frames. Once finally decided to give up and walk home I was feeling rather defeated. Then I noticed the beautiful light poking through the trees and decided I should snap a few shots just for the heck of it. This is the result and I can say that I am glad I took a few seconds to stop and appreciate the view.

On Location Bridal

Taken for my wedding photography class.

   I am not finished retouching these pictures, but I had a lot of fun with this session! I took these photos of my dear friend Carol this past week on my grandfathers property surrounding my home in Mocksville. We had been getting a lot of rain so I was nervous about going out, but thankfully the weather cleared up for us and we got a lot of shots. There is still so much more I wish that I could have gotten. There are just too many great locations in the area and only so much time to get that beautiful sunset.

Silhouette

   In my portraiture class, we are learning about feminine and masculine posing techniques. So for an assignment this week, we had to create silhouettes of both a male and female model to really get an idea of what makes a feminine and masculine pose. Typically, you look at the curve of a persons body to figure out the pose and it becomes much easier to see with a silhouette. On the left, you will see what is called an S curve which is a feminine pose.  To the right you will see a C curve, and this pose is a masculine pose. Poses are not just limited to S and C curves, but these are two of the most common poses used. So if you are ever looking for a way to pose someone for a picture, these are two simple ways of doing it!

"C Curve"

"S Curve" 

The First Day Of Autumn

   I may not be posting this picture on the first day of Autumn, but I did take it yesterday! This week in my digital media class, we learned about making panoramic shots and putting them together in photoshop. Now this picture is far from perfect and was mostly just a practice shot. Normally I would not be going for this wide angle look with a panoramic, but I wanted to see if I could get a wacky and almost fish eye appearance. As far as that goal goes, I think I was successful with the end result. I like to take the time to play around with my photography and find new, different ways of seeing the world. This is a fun perspective of a view that I have daily, plus I had a lot of fun creating it!

Here Comes The "Bride"

   Earlier today, I took bridal portraits in the studio of my lovely friend Emilee Jones. I have not had the time to go through and edit them yet, but I love how they turned out! Plus I had a ton of fun working with her.
   To start out with, I was really intimidated by this assignment. I had never really tried to light a wedding dress before and I had no clue how the session would go. Not to mention I had not even fitted her in a dress by the time I was supposed to be in the studio... Once I started working though, I actually started to loosen up and really enjoy my time. My only complaint is that two hours flew by so quickly! Thank you again to the beautiful "bride."

Focal Length Lab

Picture taken for my portraiture class 

   Not a lot of people realize what a big difference a simple change of focal length can do to a picture. A longer focal length is normally used for portraits because it does not distort the subject like a short length does. I do not always enjoy this odd and wacky look but every once and a while it can make for a fun picture.
   I have done this lab multiple times now and I still enjoy experimenting with these very different looks. I feel like this particular picture needed the distortion to make it come together.

Glistening

   Yesterday was a bit of a hectic day for me... Actually this whole week was, but not the bad kind! Just crazy is all.
  So yesterday, I was taking a break from editing photos to water my plants. Then I noticed this little web hanging out on the balcony. Normally I just see the webs outside as a nuisance and come at them with a broom, but this one was somehow different. The way it was so perfectly shaped and glistening in the evening sun. I saw it and knew I needed a picture.
    I normally don't really take a lot of pictures for myself, so I thought it would be worth sharing. The main thing I got out of this little web is that there can be beauty in even the nuisances in life.

Hobby VS Job

   I kind of feel like I am cheating on my weekly blog post with this picture because it was taken at the beginning of the summer semester... I still enjoy it though!
   Lately, I have not really had the time or energy to go and take pictures outside of school. To be honest, even over our summer break, I only really took pictures on my beach trip... I know... It is sad. I guess that is just what happens when you make a hobby into a career.
   It is not just something I do in my free time anymore. When I am doing it, it is always to get me one step closer to having a job. Plus the fact that it is not really very easy to get a job in this field. Even though I don't think photography will ever just be a pass time for me again, I am grateful to be going into a job that I am so passionate about.
   

Three Musketeers

Eden Holt

Jaime Sr Robles

   Now in my portrait photography class there are three of us... Yes I said three. I have never quite had any class like this, but I actually really love it so far. It gives us more one on one time with our instructor, plus it makes it easy for us to work together and problem solve. This will also really come in handy for our mock wedding coming up in October.
   I may not be extremely close with these two yet, but I enjoy them both and know that they are hard workers. I can tell that we are all going to create some amazing work together!

(Pictures taken for my Portraiture 1 class)

Summers End

   As Summer is quickly coming to an end and I am getting back into the groove at school, I find myself thinking a lot about how much has changed in the past year. I have had ups and downs, but all of it has caused me to grow. I become better with people, improved my work as a photographer, and I have learned how hard yet rewarding it can be to live alone.
   I am honestly proud of the person I am becoming and I can not wait to see what I learn in my last year of college!

RGB123

 
   For this assignment, we were required to take pictures of something red, blue, and green, and the numbers one, two, and three. The main point of the assignment was to refresh our skills on editing metadata in Lightroom.
   We were allowed to take pictures anywhere we wanted, but me and a couple of friends decided to make the assignment a little more interesting by shooting in one of our local antique shops. Since I have moved to Asheboro, going to the nearby antique stores is one of my favorite things to do in the area. Plus the fact that I can always something interesting to take a picture of! We all got some very interesting pictures to turn in and it was a great way to start the semester.

Sandy Paws

   Over our three week break between the Summer and Fall semesters, me and my family went to Emerald Isle, NC for a few days. We stayed in a small trailer owned by a family friend that was a few minutes away from the beach. It was nothing too fancy, but it was absolutely what I needed.
   A few days to take pictures that were for me alone and not having the stress of my images being good enough. The best part was that I got to spend that time with my family. It is not often that I get to really relax and even though I am back in the school for the Fall, I am grateful for those three weeks that I had to myself.

Selective focus

Taken in downtown Asheboro for one of my small format weekly's.

   This picture was done with a tilt shift lens. These lenses move left, right, up and down so that you can choose one part of the frame to have in focus while the rest of the frame appears blurred. I really enjoyed using this lens and it also kind of made me think...
   I feel like we as humans tend to do exactly what this lens is made for. Sometimes we get so focused on one thing, that the rest of the world is blurred. Unlike the lens though, we can get carried away and forget about the rest of the picture. It is okay to focus on important aspects in our lives, but that doesn't mean that we should forget about the other parts.

Home Run

Taken at a Kannapolis intimidators game on the fourth of July.

   If I were to compare my life to baseball right now, I would say I am a few feet away from home plate. I am a sweaty mess, covered in dirt, and almost out of breath, but I am on the home stretch.
   When I started this semester, it was hard to see myself at the end of it. Deep down I know I could do it, but I knew that it would be a long summer and it definitely has been. Now, I know that I am nowhere done with this "baseball game" (aka school) yet, but I am one step closer and I have to say that it feels pretty great!

Sidetracked

   I really should have had my camera glued on on the baseball field when I took this, but I just couldn't help myself. As the clouds were rolling in on this side of the sky, the sun was out behind the bleachers we were sitting at and there was a spectacular sunset starting to form.

   It is crazy how just a little perspective can change everything. I am currently trying my best to get a little perspective in my life right now as well. This semester is most definitely one of the hardest things I have ever gone through. Every waking moment, I am questioning whether or not I am good enough to do this and why I even chose to be here in the first place. And I know that a lot of my class mates are struggling with these thoughts as well. 

   Despite all of this, I am trying to keep going back to my dreams of making my passion into a career. The only way for me to stay positive in this time of my life is to change my perspective and focus on the day that this is behind me and I can say that I made it. 

Land Of The Free

   I made this shot before a copper heads game at McCrary Park yesterday evening. We got situated a few minutes before the game was going to start and when I looked over and saw a trumpet player getting ready to come onto the field to play the National Anthem I was stoked. In high school I was in marching band so I have a great appreciation for other musicians.
   When he started to play, I immediately got chills. The crisp sound echoing off the bleachers was... beautiful, that's the best word for it. As soon as he was getting to the last note I saw this amazing moment and knew I had to have it. I am not sure if I will be able to use it in my baseball pictures, but at the very least I was able to catch it for myself.

Glass

 Light Field   Dark Field

   To be honest, I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed photographing glass this week. We were taught in class to light everything around the glass, but never the glass itself. This keeps you from getting weird reflections and gives a nice crisp outline to the glass. I understood the concept, but with the way this semester is going, I was a little concerned about how many tries it would take my to get this skill down pat. 

   Once I got everything set up, it really only took really small adjustments to get the final product. I realized by the time I was done that I had really enjoyed doing it. 

Rag Rug

Fabric assignment shot for my product lighting class.

   I have a love hate relationship with working in the studio. On one hand, there are so many different ways to manipulate light and your surroundings. With so much equipment to choose from, there are endless ways to get the image you are going for. On the other hand, it is a little overwhelming. With thousands of dollars worth of lighting, stands, props, etc it is so hard to choose what to use.
   So this week I really tried to let myself play around with things I enjoyed. Well, at least what I thought I might enjoy. I think there are many things I could improve on, but I did enjoy what I was doing so I am completely satisfied with my results.

All Natural

Available light project shot for my product lighting class.

   This picture was shot with the help of window light and a spare black sheet in my apartment. I hung the sheet from a lamp post I had in my bedroom and draped it over a small table. I made sure to place the setup at the back corner of the window because it always has nice soft light pouring in. After that, all I had to do was place the subject. I also manually focused on the bracelet so that it was the most in focus while keeping a high enough f-stop to have pretty even focus on the bag as well.

Painting With Light

Picture taken for a light painting assignment given in my small format class.

   I have always been very interested in night photography. I love the thought of being able to see stars travel across the sky in the background of an image while seeing a perfectly lit subject in the foreground. With this last assignment, I found out that this beautiful photography is not nearly as easy as it may seem. It takes long exposures that can last anywhere from thirty seconds to fifteen minutes. During the entire exposure you have to run around lighting different areas of the frame, testing to see how bright the areas need to be and where the flashes should go off. And finally all of this has to be done in complete darkness. It is a look that I hope to test more on my own time and get better at.

Get On Their Level

Taken while working on my street photography assignment for my small format class. 

   While explaining another assignment involving strangers, my small format teacher told us that we should primarily focus on taking pictures of people over the age of 12 because anyone younger that that will not have be as interesting of a subject. I for one love taking pictures of kids and am realizing it more all the time because they are so enthusiastic about almost everything.
   These girls were waiting in line for food at a church cookout and while every adult had an impatient look on their face, these three were cutting up and having a great time. When I asked to take their picture, they lit up and this was the result. I do not mean to say this is the case with every kid all the time, but a lot of kids are happy to have there picture taken (as long as they can see it once you are done.)

Perspective

Taken in downtown Asheboro. 

   I love getting a new perspective on the world. The day I took this picture, me and my roommate were walking downtown when I noticed this one spot of grass. It was only a few feet long and a few feet wide, but it looked to fresh. It almost seemed to swirl and it looked soft to the touch. And regardless of all the people watching to the restaurant next door, I knew I had to lay in it and get a picture. I wanted to capture the movement of the grass and make it just as important as the cars and buildings surrounding it.  

Worth While

Self portrait taken for my small format class.

   Becoming a photographer is very time consuming. And by that I mean making photography into a career. I think photography as a hobby is great, but when you aim to make it into more than that you have a lot more to consider. Suddenly it is not just to express your creativity, you have to learn to keep customers (or in my case teachers) happy while still keeping that creative edge. You are also expected to know the technical side of it all like the back of your hand.
   It can sometimes be hard to remember that it is more than technology and people pleasing, but when you do know how to apply both the technical and creative elements to your pictures, it ends up being worth all that time and effort.

Stranger Danger

This is not the picture I used for the assignment, but I think it really captures how I feel about approaching strangers.

   I am not the most outgoing of people so reaching out to complete strangers is hard for me. This past week, one of the first assignments I received was to take a picture of a stranger that really emphasized their eyes and get their full name. I wasn't really too nervous to start out with, but then I actually had to go ask people. It should not be hard, I mean the worst they can do is say no, but for some reason the idea of taking time out of their day just for my project stresses me out. 

   I had already photographed a fair amount of people (another one also being a young child), but none of them were quite up to par, and then I found this little guy. His big brown eyes were amazing and his grandmother was more than willing to let me take pictures of him. I only spent a few minutes shooting but I knew as soon as I finished that I would end up using one of those. They all had incredible focus and met the requirements for the assignment. This is not the last time I have to photograph strangers this summer and I am still a little iffy about it, but I think this first assignment has really boosted my confidence in approaching new people!  

  

Isabel not Sarah

  

 Welcome to my blog! This blog is for a summer class that I am taking at Randolph Community College and is the first one I have ever made. I am a first year student and am going to major in portrait photography. 

   When I started at the school, I was dead set on majoring in photojournalism and one day working my way up to National Geographic. By about my second or third week of class I had changed my mind for one real reason, I am a homebody. I had just moved from my little hometown and house I had been in my whole life and was extremely homesick and started to think about the fact that this would be nothing compared to having a job that required a lot of traveling. Don't get me wrong I love to travel, but not more than being with my family, or even having a family of my own and being around to see it grow. And then there was also the fact that I would never be garnered a job for National Geographic. I could end up working for years just to be turned down.

   So then what was I going to do. I still loved photography, but I could not spend my whole life traveling for different magazine companies. After thinking about it I thought, if I love family so much, I should work to capture pictures for families. I now love the idea of getting to work locally with families I can really get to know and as their family grows, I can be there to capture every special moment along the way. 

   I come so far since those first couple of weeks. I can not wait to learn everything else I will need to be a portrait major and share my progress along the way.