One foggy morning

dress- Thrifted,     belt- Forever21,     sandals- Thrifted,     earrings- Gifted

Last week, I think it was Thursday, I woke up, looked out my window and saw fog.  I immediately knew what I needed to do.  I quickly got dressed, put my hair up, grabbed my camera and tripod, and ran outside.  I was pretty excited to say the least.  It was so pretty that morning and the fog was like the icing on the cake.  I think I've decided that I need to take more photos in the morning; the lighting is just right and a nice change from the usual golden hour...

On another note: this dress!  Okay, so about a month ago my mom, sister, and I went to a thrift that was having a 50% off sale.  Clothes from thrift stores are already cheap, but then add 50% off on top of that- SCORE! When I came across this dress, I knew it was a keeper.  The color, the material, the buttons... pretty much everything about it I fell in love with...  I had been looking and wanting a more casual dress, so I was pretty thrilled when I found it, and I think I got this dress for about $4, double score!  Okay, I will stop now... about the dress at least...

On another note: I started back to school this week, *sarcastic voice* exciting right?  It actually hasn't been that bad, but I'm still adjusting back to school life.  Oh, and I'm defiantly not liking this whole "getting up early" thing.  

Happy weekend!  Yes, I'm happy about it. *smile*   

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The new normal + links

cami- Kohl's,    plaid shirt- H&M,    shorts- Kohl's,    shoes- garage sale,    hairband- gifted,    sunglasses- Banana Republic

Yesterday-my brother left for college.  Today-my sister and her family leave for Germany.  I'm in a sudden state of transition.  I'm trying to find a new normal.  Before, my normal was playing with Sebastian and Bruno (my sister's kids), watching movies till 12pm with Mary, listening to music with Isaac, and teasing him about his, um, eclectic style.... haha. I'm starting school next week, but in my "spare time" I'm going to start concentrating on sharing my creativity side on this blog.  I have decided that I want this special place to be an outlet, an outlet where I can display my interests and passions.  More recipes, photos, and style related posts. Oh, and there might just be a whole week dedicated to all things Fall coming up...  

Now a few links for you today....

For us shorties

Saying "yes" or "no" to an article of clothing

Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake, yum!

LOL

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Summer is ending

I hate to break it to you, but summer is ending, whether you like it or not.  For me, I like it.  Even though this summer has been incredibly awesome, it has also been crazy busy (crazy being an understatement).  It will be nice for fall to come and for things to start calming down again.  I'm ready for fall.  I'm not ready for school, but I am ready for the cooler temperatures, oversized sweaters, and days filled with just coffee, a good book, and a nice warm fire.  Just writing all about fall is making me giddy.  How do you feel about summer ending?  Happy?  Sad?

P.S. Check out these senior photos I took last week. I'm pretty proud about them. *smile* 

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testing it out...

   I love getting packages in the mail, they just brighten any kind of day.  I was especially excited about a package in particular that I received last Saturday, because in it was my new Lightroom 5.  Saying that I was ecstatic to open the mailbox and find this package would be a huge understatement...  When I first started editing my photos in Lightroom I was just overwhelmed.  I had basically no idea what I was doing, but with many hours of editing I became to understand what in the world everything did.  Do you use Lightroom?  Do you have any tips for an amateur?  

These are some photos I took last night as it rained...  enjoy!  (can you tell I like black and white?)

P.S.  It might be a little quiet on the blog this month, because August looks to be just as busy as June and July were.

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How to capture a candid moment

 Natural and candid, this is what most photographers strive for.  All the photos that you see on Pinterest are so pretty and "in the moment", not awkward, unnatural, and stiff.  If you are a photographer you have probably asked yourself at least once, "How does that photographer get such candid moments?"  I don't think there is a simple one sentence answer to this question, but I have gathered up some tips that I've learned thus far on how to make your model or client feel comfortable and how to capture those candid moments.

1.  Be a friend, not just a photographer.  Don't get stuck behind the camera just telling your client how to pose and what kind of smile to make, ask questions and get to know them.  Make jokes, be ridiculous.  Yes, sometimes a photographer has to be silly and ridiculous to get the perfect picture.  This is why every photographer should have a certain level of awkwardness and shouldn't be embarrassed by making fun of themselves.

2.  Help them along.  You just can't expect every person to be comfortable and natural in front of the camera, at least not at first.  They are probably thinking that they look ridiculous and are embarrassed about getting their pictures taken so this is why it is important to help them along.  Give them some guidance on where to place that arm which they don't know where to place and just try to make them feel like they aren't complete idiots while getting their pictures taken.  Another thing that can really help your client, is to actually show them the pose that you want them to make.   Telling them visually can help them see what they are actually supposed to do, and if you aren't a natural explainer, this is helpful for you as well.    

3.  Be ready.  There have been so many times where I was just a second to late in capturing a special moment, or forgot to turn on my camera.  Yes, I have forgotten to turn on my camera before... maddening!  This is why you should always be on guard, because you never know when the perfect moment will need to be captured. When they laugh out loud or give you a glimpse of their personality, whatever it may be, be ready.

                       

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A lot of photos of some lovely girls

Lately, I've been taking a bunch of miscellaneous, maternity, and portrait photos.  It was crazy, I took my cousin's maternity photos (on my Facebook page soon!) on Monday night and then the following night I took these lovely ladies' portraits.  I had contacted them a while back about my taking some portraits of them, because 1. I needed more practice, and 2. they are the best models that any photographer could ask for.  Anyway, after some talking and date making, they came last Tuesday.  It was the perfect night for taking pictures.  Wait, no, it was too hot... it was almost the perfect night to take pictures...  We started on the edge of our neighbors corn field, worked our way to our apple trees, then to our field.  It was a blast, and let me tell you, these photos wouldn't have turned out near as nice if these girls weren't in them.  Seriously, they are so comfortable in front of the camera (unlike others *ahem*, me) and are willing to do just about anything for a good photo.  So sit back and scroll through these pictures, it might take a while...

P.S. Keep checking back to their blog, Charlotte is going to post the photos that she took from the photo shoot.  

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Looking back at May and June

Where do I even begin?  I haven't updated about life since, well, I don't even know when.  This summer has been a total whirlwind, from May to present.  Time has gone by so quickly and when I look back, so much has happened.

May-  My brother, Isaac, graduated from High school, which seemed weird, especially since I still picture him as the crazy 10 year old... In May I was still working at a greenhouse, and since May is their busiest month, I was working a lot.  I also bought my 50mm 1.4 lens in May, and I am so happy with it.  I haven't taken it off my camera yet!  At the end of May I created a Facebook page for my photography, Joanna Christine Photography.  I was so excited to start it, and am hopeful to start shooting some people soon... now that sounds weird, doesn't it?  Anyway, on to June...

June-  June was by far the craziest month of the year so far.  I was still working at the greenhouse a lot into the middle of June, but am finished for the year.  There was also a lot of moving happening in this month.  My brother, Noah, and his wife and baby, moved out of our apartment that we have, into a house that they bought in town.  Then the day after they moved out, my sister, Mary, and her husband and two kids moved into the apartment for the summer before they leave for Germany in August.  Those were defiantly a crazy couple of days...  The first two weekends we had weddings to go to as well, one a family friend, and the other a cousin.  The Saturday of my cousin's wedding was thrilling/hectic/amazing/crazy because my sister and I photographed it.  I was a little nervous about the whole thing, but mostly I was nervous that I wouldn't like photographing a wedding, why, I have no idea.  Anyway, the day went by fast but smoothly and I absolutely loved every minute of it.  I think it is safe to say that I love everything about photography...

Now that July is here, I think things will start slowing down and that our summer will continue...   

Cody and I being weird as usual...

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