#so yeah we got external input and now understand a bit better our friends and their problems

[seariii]

Wait what do you mean people don't normally talk to themselves and give themselves therapy-

[heyyyem]

Considering how this year started, it’s definitely going to be a busy year. Everyone has resolutions, but I decided to challenge myself this year with my photography.

The first challenge is to shoot at an aperture of f/5.0 or higher. So far it has been a little bit difficult because I love shallow depth of field so much, but as I’ve learned more about the technical aspects of photography, I’ve realized that simply shooting with a “low aperture” isn’t enough to create amazing portraits. Another reason for this decision is the realization that photography is a completely relative type of work. I was taking some photos where the expectation was to have the person completely in focus – but for some reason, the eye farthest away from the camera would be out of focus. Considering that wasn’t what was intended AND it wasn’t necessarily flattering, I had to learn to change my settings to better match the intended photo. Thinking about how you want a photo, how to achieve the angle, and how to frame it using an external piece of glass is an interesting challenge. It requires you to consider all the variables and how they interact, and that’s something I need to improve this year to become an even better photographer.

Because of external factors and some basics, I haven’t been able to test this challenge too much. Michigan winter day length and having work or class from 9am to 5pm does not serve me well. However, free weekends are a blessing, so this is something I’ll be working on closer to spring.

My next challenge to myself was to do more work with the kit lens and use it to create amazing images as a reminder that it isn’t just the gear that makes an image – it’s how you use it. My main reason for not using the kit lens for regular portraits is that it doesn’t have a fixed aperture. Instead, it has a variable aperture of 3.5 to 5.6. Originally, the issue was I didn’t understand what all of that meant. Now, if I’m trying to learn more about photography, it seems like it would be important to learn about how gear works and some of the more technical aspects of equipment, right? Even after learning, I was still hesitant to stick with the kit lens because I couldn’t consistently shoot with a lower aperture. But that’s part of the fun and adds to the first challenge.

My first run at this challenge was a set of self portraits I did over the course of 3 days. The first day, I had no plans for the photos I wanted. I got some interesting results.

After taking these, I learned that small spaces don’t suck for taking good photos. However, it does provide a serious limitation on the use of a space. The first photo uses all natural light from my bedroom window. Holla at ya girl for those tones and actually getting a good self portrait with the kit lens! It was a challenge. The second attempt is quite vibrant, but this time using a desk lamp and the on camera flash for light, with the same empty bedroom wall as a background. That one was a bit out of focus. Had this been taken with a lower aperture, my face would have been TOO out of focus and this photo would be unusable.

Other than these self portraits, I was also able to take some fun photos with Christina and Carolyn Ridella, two really cool people who happen to have shared a womb at the same time. We started our shoot at Morning Glory in Grosse Pointe, which is an adorable cafe/bakery that is so nice and warm inside with some super furniture. We asked permission to shoot there, because my mantra is, “It’s better to ask permission than it is to ask forgiveness,” especially when it involves businesses and their functions. I do not want to impose or impede the function of businesses, especially places I frequent, so asking is a great way to make sure you stay out of people’s way and not piss them off. If everything goes great, they get some publicity and you get a cool location you know you can use regularly. Below are some photos of the twins!

                    The next shoot I did before leaving for school was a shoot with a fellow CMU student who absolutely kills it whenever she’s in front of the camera. She looks so good. Shooting with Ashley was mostly me asking her to sit still and wait for me to find an angle since we were working in a small space. The lighting was too spectacular to pass up, and the photos that we got were gorgeous because of her and the lighting.

Thanks for letting me style your outfits and patiently freezing while we took some ridiculous shots! You make all my clothes look better than they do on me.

My most recent completed shoot was with my spectacular fashion photographer friend Alex, who I’ve referenced in other posts before. I’d like to say that we took the time to plan out the locations and outfits we’d be shooting at to optimize our limited time, and therefore limited daylight, but no. We didn’t. It’s Alex.

Alex shows up in Mt. Pleasant to kidnap me between classes and make me stand in the rain near piles of old automobile parts. Alex takes me to construction sites and makes me put my butt against cold metal in the rain. To be fair, I do go along with these things and she doesn’t force me. I do complain a lot though.

Since upgrading to an 80D, I can shoot in indirect light without having grain immediately present in my photos (the T5 isn’t the best in low light). However, the entire time I was searching for a camera, I kept looking at the full frame cameras available. The Canon 6D was quite tempting, but if I bought it, I would have to buy full frame lenses and those are a bit out of my budget right now. However, Alex does have a full frame camera, which means when we shoot together, I get to practice shooting on full frame with her camera. Heck yeah. It’s also the perfect time for me to get revenge for having a cold, wet butt. We both get cool photos, we both have fun. It all works out!

Alex’s challenge to me was to use my kit lens more instead of just my beloved 50mm f/1.8 lens. Using the kit lens, I automatically have to shoot f/3.5 or higher depending on the zoom, and I also have to zoom out once in a while to help with composition and framing. Alex loves wide angles. I do too, when it incorporates more of the story and the background contributes interest to the photos. I also love really close cropped portraits. Above are my 5 favorite photos from our cold, wet, and windy day long outing.

Have any suggestions for equipment, theme, or shooting restriction challenges? There are plenty of ways to get in touch, and I appreciate your input. Leave them in the comments below, comment on one of my Instagram photos, send me a message, or shoot me an email!

Interested in modeling for me? Get in touch and we can try a test shoot!

It's been a while! I've been working on learning about photography. Read the post for updates! Considering how this year started, it's definitely going to be a busy year. Everyone has resolutions, but I decided to challenge myself this year with my photography.