May 20, 2008
Why? Because we’ve got a brand new website! Hallelujah! Come on over, have a cup o’ tea, and we’ll have a jolly old time… And don’t worry, all the old posts from this blog followed us over to the new one! It’s always better to have everything in one place!
April 10, 2008
Today is a super exciting day in the life (albeit a short life) of Kelly Heasley Photography! Drumroll please… since January of 2008, this blog has had over 500 hits! Pretty amazing considering that I started this blog thinking that Garth would be the only one reading, and that he’d only be reading it because I’d quiz him on the content of that day’s entry before we’d fall asleep…
I’ve also got a couple things up my sleeve for the near future, too! I’ve chosen a company to print and bind our albums; we’ll have three great options that I’m excited to show you as I start to receive samples! I’m working on a little bit of blog redesign, some gorgeous business cards, and even a new domain name to make it easier than ever to get here!
Most importantly, though, I’ve got some absolutely amazing, beautiful people who want me to take their picture! What goes better with springtime and daffodils than happy people, full of love? It’s making me grin just thinking about it!
Oh, I almost forgot! I want to share with you the pinnacle of macro wedding ring photography, courtesy of Nate and Jacyln of The Image is Found…
April 2, 2008
Garth and I worked on these lovely photos as part of a project for a grad student at The University of Virginia. The assignment was “create an umbrella out of anything and take a picture of yourself using it”.We bought an old paperback at the Goodwill store, taped the pages to a child-sized umbrella, and braved the chilly mountain snow to capture these images. Since Garth is my “better half”, and thus considered part of me, I thought it wouldn’t be cheating if he took them… isn’t he quite the photographer?
Sorry the colors aren’t as vibrant as they should be. I’m still trying to figure out my colorspace issues. If this doesn’t inspire compassion in you, read this. Then you’ll understand my pain. And every other photographer’s pain. Enjoy (as much as you are able, considering all the sympathy that is undoubtedly welling up inside you this very moment)!
March 25, 2008
Where do you go for inspiration? Because I was born at the dawn of the internet age, I (sometimes ashamedly) admit that I often find myself blog surfing. I know – not what you might expect from an “artsy type”; but there is much beauty to be found in the depths of this electronic haystack, and that’s exactly what I stumbled upon just a few minutes ago.
These amazing polaroids are by artist Elizabeth Soule. I don’t know how she does it, but she’s managed to capture a feeling, a memory I’m not sure is real, but one that is decidedly genuine. That’s the line I want to walk as a photographer. I don’t aim to document something with stark accuracy because precision is not the language in which our hearts remember. Rather, I want to capture it as it is felt by its most fervent participants.
March 14, 2008
It sure feels like it. My copies of Photoshop CS3 Extended and Lightroom are on the way! I’ll be probably be holed up in my studio for the next week, just playing around with all the new ways I’ll be able to tweak my photos! And ACTIONS! I’ve been waiting for forever to try out the Boutwells’ Totally Rad Actions and some of Kevin Kubota’s stuff. Oh, and I musn’t forget Nichole Van and Anna Jones.
For anyone out there considering becoming a Photoshop geek, consider yourself warned: IT’S ADDICTING!
March 12, 2008
My handsome husband and I went down to Beverly, West Virgnia earlier this month to celebrate Garth’s dad’s 60th birthday. I thought I’d post some snapshots. A day in the life of Miss Kelly…
Here’s the familar Lula in her private doggie bungalow. That’s an actual log cabin. A dog cabin, if you will.
“Whatcha doin’? Can I see? Can I play?”
Garth’s dad, Steve. His mad-scientist hair looks even more rad when it’s BACKLIT! Ooooo.
Garth with his mom’s giant remote control. He tried for hours to get this thing to work, and I don’t think he was ever successful. So sad.
Callie the calico cat. She’s in a basket on top of the piano. Her secret hideout from Lula. The ladies don’t get along.
Aasta (Garth’s sister) decorating the cake! For the record, Aasta has the greatest possible hair. It always looks like she just got back from the beach. Also, Aasta has the best possible personality. For the record, I like Aasta.
Birthday Boy.
Here’s a shot of the cake I made. That’s a Chocolate Layer Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting made FROM SCRATCH! It took all day, but Garth’s dad who never asks for anything from anybody (he’s awesomely unselfish like that), wanted a homemade chocolate cake with a million layers. Ask and ye shall receive, Steve.
February 20, 2008
“The Great Pyrenees is a white, giant, well balanced dog of unsurpassed elegance and majestic appearance. Its amber eyes have a serene, intelligent, thoughtful and dignified expression.”
Um, apparently Lula didn’t get this memo. Maybe it’s just an awkward phase, but as these images will attest, she’s a little more “offbeat” than this description indicates she ought to be. That’s okay. We like her just the same.
Here she is at just a couple months old:
Oh, how time flies. They grow up so fast. Here she is at about 9 months. Already a hearty 80lbs.
I love this image so much, I just HAVE to post it full size. Click on the picture to enlarge it.
Have a fantastic night and, if you’re lucky enough to have a puppy of your own, give him a little scratch behind the ears and maybe even a chicken treat. And let him sleep on your bed. There’s plenty of room.
February 19, 2008
Sorry for going stealth the past couple weeks. I’ve been doing a lot of research on the technical side of things, seeking wise counsel (in the form of Amy Carruthers from C Studios), and searching my soul (FYI: don’t do this while listening to Dashboard Confessional – you’ll feel like a teenager again in all the ways you’re glad you grew out of). So, while I apologize for a lack of posts with pretty pictures, I’m glad to have been spending time really wrestling through the practicalities of this endeavor. It’s great fun to take snapshots on vacation or catch a sweeping landscape in the viewfinder, but photography as a business has so many more facets (good and bad) that need to be carefully appraised before you jump headfirst into something that WILL take up countless hours of time and seemingly endless amounts of money! 
So, what does that mean for Kelly Heasley Photography and you faithful readers (all 3 of you)? Not a whole lot, other than keep checking back to see new images (I have a super-fun, super-cute session scheduled on Saturday, and hopefully an engagement session or two in the next month!), and keep telling your friends to stop by!
I want to do a quick review of my goals for 2008, and add some more:
-Shoot 1 Wedding
-Shoot 3 Portrait Sessions
-Create business cards with an image on one side that “sums up” my style
-Buy a Canon 5D and at least 2 lenses
-Save up to attend Love Affair ‘09 (a photography workshop hosted by some of my favorite photographers)
-Buy Photoshop CS3
-Design and “sell” one album/coffee table book
-Redesign my blog to a more photography-friendly format (larger images, custom layout)
February 6, 2008
My first portrait session! Nevermind that it was my in parents’ basement and that my lighting was a incandescent desk lamp clipped to a treadmill. I shot most of it in RAW, and quite honestly, I’m having a tough time adjusting. My white balance was completely off while I was shooting (and I had no idea how to fix it), and processing the images after was a whole new ballgame. Some of my black and white conversions turned out pretty good; most failed miserably (as you will soon see). Nevertheless, I had a fantastic time, and I think we came out of it all with a few real sparklers!
Without further ado, I would like to present baby Jack, in all his glory (the naked pictures were at the request of his awesome mom, Jessica). With a tush that cute, how cold I refuse? Jack’s tush, that is, not Jessica’s.* I’ve grouped the images into “fun” shots, and “sweet” shots, even though every moment with this kid is fun and sweet! (Watch out for the “Olan Mills” shot! You’ll know it when you see it. Can we say “soft focus”?!)
Fun……………………………………………………………………………………
Sweet…………………………………………………..
*An important note: Jessica has a nice tush, too.
January 28, 2008
I thought it would be a good idea to experiment with exposure, manual aperture settings, and trespassing (all of which I will use frequently if I ever become a real photographer). I circled Hoover Reservoir in Westerville at sunset one Saturday, and got a few fun shots out of my adventure. None of them are especially skillful photos, but they each capture a small victory over camera settings and lighting and Photoshop (I have the baby “Elements” version – I’m considering buying Lightroom first to manage my images, and then investing in CS3 later, since Elements is serving my needs pretty well now, and I found a website that claims I can use actions if I tweak Elements a little). Enjoy! Also, sorry many of these are of me. I’m not narcissistic, but when you’re all alone and trying to learn to photograph people, you have to improvise. Enjoy.
I love the colors in this one. I’m still trying to figure out how to make the weed stand out more when I reduce the image size for the web, but I’m not having much luck.
I wanted to try some backlighting, and I got this weird flare-y thing at the top of the frame. Not necessarily a bad thing, just very mysterious.
I just like the long shadows on the grass in this one. Those colors are straight out of the camera. It was a lovely evening.
This one is sooo Bob Ross. Happy little trees. I caught a little of the closer shoreline in the bottom of the frame, and the horizon is just crooked enough to annoy me, but I’m not going to change it. Nobody’s perfect.
Lens flare is hip again. Or at least it’s coming back. Or trying to.
I’m so sad. Garth said this one’s my emo album cover. Funny.
I wish the subject in this one stood out a little more, but I was trying to keep those rocks in the foreground blurred but not unrecognizable, and I think it worked.
I lit this with my car headlights. It’s not really a good picture, but I thought it was funny, so here it is.
This one’s lit with my car headlights, too. Probably my favorite shot of the night, just because I love the depth of field, and because who woulda thunk car lights would work so well? They’re glowy. I like that.
