Monthly Color Blog Challenge~ September~ Black & White {Nebraska Photographer}

Ah, here we are again! I feel like my blog as been neglected. Please forgive me. We are getting married in a week and a half and things are CRAZY around here, but in a good way! :-D

To recap you on what this blog post is about. A group of fellow photographers and I have banded together to challenge ourselves each month. We have a color or colors we must revolve our photos around. This month is Black & White. Either something black & white or a black and white & white photo.

 

This month mine is of some cow's noses. We have been weaning calves left and right this month and it was my job one day to check the hydrant at a tank. These Mommas were hopelessly watching their calves wander on the other side of the fence but took the time to get a drink. I just love a cow's nose. They are wet and shiny and you just want to pet it...but more then likely can't.

 

Please continue on the blog journey and visit Lynn Puzzo and see what she came up with this month!

Feel free to leave us some love! We would enjoy hearing from you!

The kindess of strangers {Nebraska Photographer}



How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. ~Wayne Dyer

I have two memorable "random acts of kindness" moments in my life.

The first one was when I was 20 years old and a junior at Michigan State University. I drove a 1997 Chevy Cavalier and would push the gas mileage to it's limits. I worked 20 miles away from campus on a horse farm and on my way home one evening I tried to make it on the little gas I had left. I broke down literally YARDS from the gas station. As I walked across the highway (a four lane busy intersection) a gentleman stopped and asked if I ran out of gas. I told him I was just going to walk over to the gas station and he insisted I go with him to his work and get some gas, "they'll charge you for a gas can at the gas station" he told me.

I took him up on it. He had a young girl in the front seat, and I thought, "he has a daughter, nothing bad can happen to me." I was very naive when I was young. So I get in the back seat of this old Oldsmobile and then started to notice little things. There wasn't a radio in the dash (it had been torn out), the little girl was talking about scary movies and the man said, "your Mom and Dad won't let you watch those, will they?", Oh my gosh! She wasn't his daughter. I got nervous, and dialed 911 on my cell phone ready to take action.

He drove to a used car lot and got a gas can and drove me back to my car. I tried to pay him and he simply said, "No, now you go do something nice for someone". Wow. I felt foolish and lucky all at the same time.

My second encounter was yesterday. I was feeling down as the day wasn't shaping up to the way I had planned, and went to the mall to try to find a sport coat for my son. They didn't have any in his size at one store and the second store I couldn't find JUST coats, they all came with pants.

At the second store the sales lady stopped and asked if I needed help. I mentioned I just needed a coat not a whole suit. Her face lit up and she told me she had one at her house that her son wore years ago. They were just going to donate it so she called her daughter to bring it to the store! She had no idea who I was, but was willing to go out of her way to get me a suit coat even out of her own home. I was floored. She could have just told me they didn't sell just coats and send me on my way.

The coat is too big, but STILL, she helped a perfect stranger. I hope I see her again, she was the sweetest lady.

In our society, we all assume people are out to harm us. But it's nice to know that there still people out there that will stick their necks out for a stranger.

Pass on the love, I know I will.

Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.

~Edwin Hubbel Chapin

LW Leather Model Shoot {Nebraska Photographer}

I  heard about LW Leather from my neighbor that had some custom chinks made for her daughter. I wrote an article for the The Fence Post and met with Lisa and watched her work for a bit. You could just see the passion she has for her business and her work. She knows what she likes, and won't sell anything but high quality leather goods.

I thought it would be a good idea for Lisa to have some photos of her products on the people who love them so much. I got a few neighbors together and we had some fun!

We took A LOT of photos that night, the light was PERFECT!! Here are a few of my favorites~

 

Love the color of ~J~'s chinks!

 

They kept saying they felt silly, but see girls, it doesn't look silly at all!

 

She was good, never hit me!

 

 

 

Such natural models!

 

These chinks are used on a daily basis!

 

I told him to look at the girls, and they said he couldn't be serious...I guess not! hehe

 

 

I can't wait to see what photos Lisa chooses for her website. It was so much fun taking these photos. Especially of a product that I would feel honored to own. We have another project in the works...stay tuned!

Rachel Eve~ Let's Learn! Week Two {Nebraska Photographer}

Ah week two. I took the time and downloaded the trial version of CS6...now I think Rachel needs to buy it for me, kidding! Though, I do love it! Hoping I will have enough sessions in the next 30 days to buy it!

So, here we go with week two. I wanted to use photos I shot Saturday, but since it was a product shoot, there weren't many face-on shots, it was all about the legs. So, I used one of my photos from last week.


I have to say I love ACR!

I didn't change the skin color, but played with the background. Not sure how I like it, but it was fun playing around!

I think haze kids of works with this photo, vintage isn't a bad thing! :-)

 

 

Am looking forward to using CS6 for my son's three year photos, and using these new techniques!!

 

Thanks, Rachel!

Monthly color Blog challenge~ August~ Rainbow {Nebraska Photographer}

This month's color challenge was Rainbow...yeah wasn't sure how I was going to do this. It's fun to have a challenge, though!

A brief recap of what this blog post is about. A group of fellow photographers and I decided to challenge ourselves and post photos each month with a color theme. Sometimes it was easy, sometimes not so much. We are now in our eighth month! Wow! It has been so much fun!

 

My image this month is from a product shoot I did last night. I am in LOVE with evening light lately so of course I had my models come toward evening. The light just kept getting better! I took some silouette photos for myself, because obviously you can't see the chinks we are trying to showcase. I just LOVE how the sunset is a purple/red behind her. No, it doesn't have the entire "rainbow" of colors, but it does have some different colors.

 

Please continue to the next photographer Lynn Puzz0, and leave us some love! We love hearing from you!

 

See you next month with Black and White! 

Photo of the week ~Week 33 {Nebraska Photographer}

I missed last week...sorry! This week was nice a cool here in Nebraska. We were LOVING the 80 degree weather, and even had to wear jackets during the bronc riding Wednesday night! Tuesday, it was actually a little warm (in the 90s) and my Son wanted to play in the "cool", hehe. He was splashing and jumping, as his lips were turning purple! The water wasn't exactly warm, lol.



Oh how I love those lashes!!

He LOVES to splash! I have one of him when he was just under a year old splashing away, such a cutie!

Summer is winding down, and thought it makes me excited because it means the weather is getting cooler, I kind of hate to see it go. I am not ready to lose my tan! haha

Happy Weekend!!

Rachel Eve Photography~ Let's Learn~ Week 1

So, I have to say...I procrastinated...oops. I had this lesson in my head all week and kept saying, "I have to make sure to catch that sunset tomorrow" it ended up being tonight. Seeing as I will be out of town tomorrow, I wanted to get this posted tonight so I wouldn't miss the deadline. See, I WAS thinking a little bit!

Ok, this week was challenging to me. I know light, at least I thought I did. But you got me thinking on a whole new level. When my fiance' walked outside and saw me turning in a circle, he laughed and said, "what are you doing?" he smiled when I told him I was looking for the light. He understands me!

A little warning, I like my photos a bit on the warm side. I tried my best for natural reflectors, but out here on the ranch...it's difficult. All photos were taken with my Canon 7D and 50mm 1.8.

So, here is what I came up with~

Side Light

I had my fiance' hold up my small reflector on my son's right side to illuminate the shadows. Compared to the shot before I had him do this, it's a GREAT improvement!

Settings- f/4 @ 50 mm, 1/800, ISO 400

Glow

We had JUST missed the sun behind the hill, and by the time we would have opened gates to chase it further, it would have been gone. I wanted this to be my flare, but it ended up being my glow. Working with a toddler, you take what you can get, lol. Being a Mother, I love this shot, as it shows my son's crazy personality.

Settings- f/4 @ 50 mm, 1/640, ISO 400

Flare

Now, I shot this before the class started. This was early morning and there was fog all around the hay meadows. I really do love this shot, it just feels like home.

Settings-  f/4 @ 50 mm, 1/1600, ISO 400

Front Light

Ah, my puppers. He HATES to get his photo taken, seriously. I have had a camera in his face his whole life, so he tends to run from me when he sees the camera. Today was an exception, maybe he just wanted some attention.

Settings- f/4 @ 50 mm, 1/3200, ISO 400

Silhouette

This shot warms my heart. I really do love silhouette shots. Ideally, his legs wouldn't have been cut off by the hill behind him, but this is what I had to work with. Plus, it was hard enough to get my fiance' to agree to be in a photo!!

Settings-  f/4 @ 50 mm, 1/5000, ISO 400

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say, Rachel!! I know I have a lot to work on, and am open to anything you can do to give me some pointers!!