Self-Portrait, Week 4

Retro

Thoughts:

Tonite was my first time playing around with my new wireless remote shutter release. I'm definitely going to be addicted to that thing! I went flea-marketing this afternoon for some photog props for an upcoming shoot and was in the mood for a retro photo. 

I couldn't decide between the two, but ended up choosing the first as today's fave.

I'm getting extremely antsy to get outside taking photos again on a regular basis, but my under-construction website is begging for some attention. 

P.S. I apologize for no before & after last thursday, but I was out of state for a funeral. This week's shall be fabulous to make up for it!

New Web Site ~ Sneak Peek!

So I'm just a tad bit behind on my timeline for launching my new website... It seems that I've been having some technical difficulties along the way that I wasn't anticipating.

Anyway, just wanted to give you a sneak peek of what I've been working on... This new site will be the hub for my Facebook page, my Website, and also my blog. I'm now shooting for a February/March launch to coincide with some nicer weather and just in time for scheduling some spring photo shoots!

**Drum roll please...**

TA-DA!!

Let me know what you think!

Broken-Hearted

Mourning the loss of a dear friend today.

Big Chuck, you loved people more than anyone I've ever met. 

I know the angels in heaven are singing at your homecoming,

and because of your passion, 

you've given me the opportunity to love the country of Brazil and its people...

You will be missed, but never forgotten...

Sua irma em Cristo,

Jen

Feelin' Vintage

I wanted to introduce you to one of my favorite photography sites, Simply Bloom Photography. Today's blog post just blew me away. It was an engagement shoot full of Coca Cola, cupcakes, and overall awesomeness. Here's one of their cupcake shots...


I love Simply Bloom's post-processing style, and they've inspired me to do some of my own more vintage-esque looks. Be on the lookout for a vintage-inspired session or two in the next few weeks!

Before & After Thursday

Editing photos is fun. I've always loved art, and in a way, Photoshop is like my paintbrush. I can add texture and color and special effects to make the mood of the photo appear the way I see it in my head. But at the same time,  some photos don't need a whole lot of editing. If they're taken correctly in-camera (meaning that I've set all manual settings for light and shutter speed correctly), then they should only need a few tweaks to create a WOW factor...

Case in point, this little beauty below...

BEFORE

AFTER

POST-PROCESSING:

I punched up the saturation to make the colors more vibrant, and then focused mainly on the eyes to make them pop. With a few tweaks here and there, and a crop at the end, I think this picture shows off how flawless this little face really is :)

Doesn't it make you smile?

Self-Portrait, Week 3

Curls

Thoughts:

I curled my hair this morning for church. Curly hair makes me feel really girly. I'm especially drawn to photographing little girls with curly hair. I adore their tiny ringlets and the softness that they bring to a little face. 

There's nothing too exciting about this week's portrait... Just wanted to use the natural lighting from my back door to highlight some features. And I wanted a camera angle that looked down, because I think my eyelashes are pretty long-and-luscious-challenged and I wanted to help them out a bit. Mission accomplished.  :)

Before & After Thursday

I sifted through some old flower pictures to grab today's Before & After. I never loved this picture, but I liked it... and after I looked at it again, I realized what it was missing. 

It needed to be vintage.

BEFORE

AFTER

POST PROCESSING:
Totally Rad Actions

*Select o Sharp 100% on flowers and stems

*Get Faded (Autumn) @ 100%

*Dirtie Birdie @ 100%

*Wish You Were Here @ 100%

*Antique Tone @ 100%

*Crystalniqua Delicious @ 100%

*Grandma's Tap Shoes @ 51%

*and a crop at the end

View the larger photo here.

I miss warm weather and flowers and green grass!

Soon, dear camera, soon!

Self-Portrait, Week 2

Praying for Haiti

Thoughts:

Just listening to the news while working on my self-portrait... I didn't really know where I was headed with this week's photo, but when I heard more news about the destruction in Haiti, I knew that I should do a reflective portrait using candlelight. I had more plans for this photo with some texture and other added effects, but apparently my laptop's hard drive is getting full again, so no fun stuff like that in Photoshop tonite, anyway. Maybe next time.

My New Logo!

So the New Year is here and I'm getting closer to completing a big project I've been working on... my new website! The new website will be the hub for my photography, showcasing my portfolio and providing the links to this blog, as well as my Facebook fan page.

One of the first steps was to get a logo designed that reflected my photography. I had a few things in mind... 

*I wanted the logo to reflect my favorite colors--burnt orange and dark turquoise

*I wanted it to be circular like a stamp

*I wanted it to look pretty intricate, but not too frilly, 

*I wanted it to have a "J" in the center.

*and I wanted the words to be a lowercase, sans serif font

and here is the official Images by Jen Photography logo....

Chris from Austin Creative (You may remember him from a recent photo session...) worked diligently on getting the logo together for me. The logo was inspired by the aperture of a camera lens, like the picture below. You can see how the cursive "Js" surrounding the center of the logo look like they're spiraling inward. Clever,  eh?

I'll be sharing a screen shot of my web page soon... I'm excited!

Let me know what you think!

Before & After Thursday

I ran into one of my fabulous friends, Lee Ellen Starks, at the park several months ago while I was waiting for some clients for a session. Lee Ellen had brought her dog, Tolmi, out for a romp in the park. I snagged a couple pictures before they headed off. I gave this finished photo to Lee Ellen for Christmas, since she loves her "Tolmers."

BEFORE

AFTER

For the processing on this one, I used Photoshop Mama's Sketch Tutorial on YouTube. Then I darkened the black areas around his eyes and mouth. If you're able to view it large, my favorite thing about the picture are the teeny tiny bubbles of spit on his tongue :)

This is a two-fold post. I'm here to plug my amazing friend Lee Ellen because she's an incredible songwriter and musician. Check her out her next gig at Heroes Coffee on January 15.

Also check out Lee Ellen's YouTube channel and MySpace page and blog.

View pix from our photo shoot here and here from over a year ago!

Self-Portrait, Week 1

One of my New Year's resolutions is to do a continuous photography project for 2010. I finally decided to do a 52-week self-portrait project... one self-portrait a week for a year. Not only is it a project that focuses on creative composition, but it will allow me to showcase what I am learning in post-processing and Photoshop.

Self-portraits are unique in that they force you to look at yourself from many different perspectives. In my pictures, you won't always be able to see my face, or my eyes, or my hands, but every photo will be a reflection of me... my moods, my views, my faith... everything that makes me Jen... one photo at  a time.

Here is my self-portrait for 2010: Week 1.

Thoughts: 

What better way to start off the new year than to celebrate God? The new life verse for my church in 2010 is Psalm 19:14. I memorized this verse back in college, and I loved how familiar the words were when Pastor Scott shared them with us. I decided to incorporate it into my first self-portrait... I wanted the words to appear where my mouth should be, to accentuate the essence of the verse.

And in case you're wondering... that's not a rug on my head... it's a fur hood. :)

Sisters

My dad's mother, my Grandma Alverta, is 93, and her sister, Nadine, is 97. They are best friends. It seems like every time I see them, they are holding hands or whispering to each other. I treasure every moment I get to spend with them, and the older I get, the more I realize that my photos of them are an extension of my memories with them... 

Time is short. Photos last.

Winter Snow

We had such a gorgeous snow here in Springfield last night and this morning... Today, the sky dropped huge, beautiful flakes all day long. After church, I created a snow coat for my camera out of a plastic baggie and some hair ties (to prevent any moisture from the falling snow from damaging it).. then I layered up and headed out to my favorite place in Springfield... the Missouri State University campus. 

The campus has the most fabulous trees that just happen to look amazing with a little bit of snow on them. I wandered around for over an hour and came up with some shots I am really happy with. The best thing about today was that it was fresh snow... and no one else was on campus except me! (and the security guard who kept following me.. I looked menacing?). Walking through fresh snow makes me feel like I am an adventurer... and it makes me excited to explore and find new and beautiful things.

Enjoy! 

You can view the rest of today's snow photos on my Facebook fan page!