Invisibility

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)

 

Jack 2000

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.

 

Saturday Experiment

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.

 

Room Makeover

What girl doesn’t love a good makeover? After living in our house for a year, I decided it was time to get rid of the “no cost decorating” we did in our bedroom, and go with something a little more our style. I got some really excellent deals, too. The bed (which is solid wood) was $299 on sale at Value City Furniture. The birch gallery wrap canvas was free from my friend Jeremy who runs a print shop and used my project to test new canvas paper. The little red nightstands were a steal at Ikea for $40/each. And I got the bedspread (which is patchwork corduroy) on clearance at Target for $39. The curtains (which are velveteen), were $30/pair at Overstock.com. We’re eventually going to replace the white dresser with a lovely Craftsman style one, but even with all my bargain shopping, it’s not in the budget right now!

(If you want to see the rest of the house, check out my facebook album.)

Before…..

After…

The rad stained glass lamp my sister got us for Christmas…

Some of my high-class clip-on earrings. Practicing my “macro” for wedding ring shots…

 

Disney!

We just got back from a fantastic vacation! My dad, mom, sister, two grandmas, my sister’s best friend, Garth, and I reveled in the magic of Disney World (and snickered a bit when it turned a little cheesy) for a birthday celebration weekend. I got to play around with my new camera and enjoy THE SUN! Needless to say, I did not want to come back to Ohio.

(Note: There are 25 images in this post, so be patient; it might take awhile to load.)

 

Jack Attack!

Here is a lovely, dignified series of photos from my husband and sister’s joint birthday party. These images capture my second cousin Jack’s salivating response to the abnormally large cupcake I baked to celebrate the occasion. (Jess, that’s a good baby you made. Excellent work.)

 

Sleeping Bear Dunes

This past Labor Day weekend, Garth and I went to Lake Michigan with friends for a few blissful days of camping, hiking, and laughing. Here are a few of my favorites from the trip!

 

Exceptional Edward

Awhile back, I got to take some shots of a Columbus band called Exceptional Edward, and they definitely live up to their name! I don’t pretend to be unbaised, though – I’m married to the bass player.

(P.S. Worpress did some weird resizing of these images that’s causing everything to be a bit blurred. I’ll fix it eventually.)

 

 

 

 

Not Another Blog!

So, why do I have a blog? Here’s the short version…

I want to learn portrait and wedding photography. One of the best ways to do this is to practice. I’ll blog about my adventures and mishaps and hopefully, if I’m entertaining enough to keep you interested, you’ll start to see me make some progress. If you’re a photographer and you’ve got some tips, or even if you’re a regular joe who knows pretty pictures when you see ‘em (or don’t see ‘em), post your comments and let me know what you think!

My goal is to shoot one wedding and three portrait sessions in 2008 (free of charge, of course- who would pay a tenderfoot to take their picture?).

-Kelly (who already feels stupid writing in a public forum, but this is just the first of many hangups she’ll have to get over.)