Curtis & Natalie: Engagement

Here are a few more images from Curtis & Natalie's engagement session... You may remember them from their sneak peeks...

From the Garden

I'm busy finishing up some editing before I leave for Brazil... More session pix to come!

But here's a picture for today. A garden statue from Close Memorial Park

On the Farm

A few images from around the farm...

Deus e Bom! (God is Good!)

Just an update on Brazil... 

My Brazil mission trip is only two weeks away, and I am happy to say that God has provided me with the exact amount needed to take care of the expenses of my trip. I've had 9 sessions since my first post about Brazil, and I have a few more in the works prior to when I leave. I've also had the financial support of a generous friend (you know who you are!). As they say in Brazil Deus e Bom!

In the back of my mind, I know I've questioned the fact.. "Why don't you just use the money you have in savings to finance the trip?" But at the same time, it's the same premise of why we are physically going ourselves to Brazil to build the church instead of just sending the money.. It's in the physical act of working toward a goal, with God being the ultimate provider. And it's no different in my case.. He has instilled within me the passion for photography and he has placed people in my path who are willing to be a part of my experience. 

God provides.

I've obviously had quite a few sessions pretty close together, which means I've got some major editing sessions in my near future--Curtis & Natalie's Engagement session, Liliana and Girls, little Joanah and Jae, and the Evans Family. I'll be occupied with Brazil August 8-17, but I promise I'll have the other sessions edited and up for viewing as soon as possible.

I'll end with a picture of a cross a Brazilian friend carved for me out of Brazil wood.

Meet My Future Lens

After doing some research and getting opinions from some local photographers, I've decided to buy this fabulous Canon 50 mm lens f/1.8 II. (I was going to trade in the grip I just recently purchased, but by the fine print I'm just now reading, I'll be losing money). This lens will help out tremendously with the bokeh I'm wanting to achieve in my macro shots and also in my portraitures.

This lens has so many benefits.. It's cheap, it's light, and it produces sharp images. If you purchase a cheap reversal ring (around $8/each), you can also reverse the lens to get even more detailed manual macro shots. There's a terrific article on this lens here on the Digital Photography School site. If you're even considering a new lens, I would recommend that you read this article first.

I'm sure I'll be experimenting with it as soon as I receive it, so I'll be posting some shots. Check back soon!

P.S. I got my passport and new VISA in the mail today. Brazil is only a little over 2 weeks away! We received tons of toys, clothing, and shoes to take to pass out to the Brazilians we meet. On Sunday we packed these all up into 50-pound duffle bags. I even got to speak about my friendship with little Junior during church service on Sunday. I'm so excited to see what this year's adventure has to offer!

Helpful Sites for Photographers

I think I've posted some of these in the past, but here are a few sites I've come across that I visit frequently...

*Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider Blog. Scoops, tips, and comments on Photoshop.

*The Pioneer Woman--Ree Drummond. Free Photoshop Actions designed by Ree and just an overall awesome site!

*Pop Photo. Popular Photography Magazine's online site. Sign up for the newsletter.

*Rangefinder. Sign up for their free magazine (click on Subscribe at the top). Great articles in a nice, glossy mag.

*Digital Photography School. Photo tips and tutorials, cameras and equipment, and post-production sections.

*Stock Xchng. Free stock photos. Find textures and other images for Photoshop use.

*Photoshopmama. Great YouTube tutorials on Photoshop editing techniques. I am also subscribed to Tutvid tutorials.

*DIYPhotography. Do-it-yourself tips and tricks for photographers.

*Pandora. Can't edit without music? Me either. Make your own free radio stations here. My recent music of choice--Bluegrass. Random, I know.

Let me know some of your favorite sites so I can check them out!

What is it? Where is it? Guess!

Engagement: Curtis & Natalie

I've known Natalie since college. We even worked together for awhile. Then she ran off to live where the Ducks were... Branson, Missouri. She and Curtis met and fell in love while working for Herschend Family Entertainment (you know.. Silver Dollar City, Ride the Ducks..) Here are some sneak peek engagement pix taken at the Japanese Stroll Garden...

Evans Family Teasers

This family session was so fun! Mandy is a photographer herself and so I was honored to have her ask me to do family portraits! We started off at Jordan Valley Park, where the family sported their Cardinals garb, and then headed downtown for some urban shots. Even though a bird decided to doodie on my head and I lost my lens cap, I considered it a VERY successful session!

More Flowers

Here are some more flower pictures I took recently.. I'm trying to experiment with achieving more bokeh in my pix. (These have already been uploaded to my Facebook Business Page)..