Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Photo Project: February

As I said in a post previous, I wanted to get behind my camera again.
I didn't think I would make it out this month but lucky me there is an extra day in February! Yay leap year right?
{Even though I was sick pretty much all day, I had to get out there, just for a few minutes.}

So it snowed like crazy today. 
It was freezing cold
AND
The wind was blowing like mad

However, when I looked outside...it was absolutely breath taking

I wanted to try and use all of my lenses this trip but because it was so cold I didn't have the patience for my lens baby :(


So yes, back to my little excursion 

I got all my winter gear on (seeing as it was cold enough to make my eyes water)


Then I set off and this was the result:

I found these BEAUTIFUL horses that were standing in the midst of all the blowing snow. PERFECT!

But then I couldn't decide between the color and the sepia...


And no the horse isn't really grainy, that would be the fantastic Rexburg wind blowing snow all over the place
And then there's this one, I don't think I like it as much but I had to get one image of the whole landscape and the clump of horses. 

Fish Eye magic :)

So there's February. Pretty, but I am glad it's over.
I want spring!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Hi My Name Is Cassie, And I have A "Father Of The Bride" Problem.

We all have our addictions.
We all have our go-to movies that pick us up when we're having a bad day...right?

Or at least I have convinced myself that everyone has the same problem I do so that I don't feel bad.

My go-to movie is Father Of The Bride I & II


I watch it at least once a day.
Isn't that sad?

Devon has threatened to hide it, so I stopped watching it.

I have been Father Of The Bride clean for about 1 week now.
What an accomplishment?...

well glad I got that off my chest

Devon and I haven't been up to anything exciting lately just livin' the life of two young married folk

{Taken with my I-pod, don't judge}

We were putting the sheets on the bed the other day and, it doesn't look like it in the photo but, he looked like a tiny human with his body covered and I was like cracking up.
Unfortunately you can't tell here, but I tried. It makes me laugh whenever I see it

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Relax. Breathe. Shoot.

So upon writing my last post I had one distinct thought come to mind, "you need to get behind your camera again".

When I really got into photography in high school, my dad would take me out on little "photo adventures". We would wake up early in the morning, or go out before the sunset. My dad would ask me "right or left?" Then we would just drive until the good light was gone stopping to take photos along the way.


{This photograph is probably my favorite picture that I have ever taken. I took this when I was starting to really get into photography, so it's not perfect but it was on one of our photo adventures. I absolutely love deserted barns and ruined windows.}

I felt like I took my best photos when I was with my dad on those random trips because I was completely in my element. I was with someone who didn't care how long I took focusing on a broken piece of wood, or how long I took adjusting my settings. No one else was around. There was no pressure, or competition. I had no reason for taking the photos except that I just wanted to. They weren't for a project or for anyone, just for me. 

{ugh! Blogger made this one blurry for some reason! But this was an early morning trip, it was absolutely beautiful outside}

I desperately want to get back to this.

Don't get me wrong, I love my little photo business that I have started up. I love making people happy through photographing their precious moments. But I want to get back to my roots, and remind myself why I wanted to do this in the first place. 

So after writing my last post I decided I am going to devote at least one day a month to shooting. I'm going to start my own little "photo adventures" (and if any photographers want to join me I would be more than thrilled to not adventure on my own :)) and I will post the pictures here at the end of each month. I decided to devote a post to this so that I will actually do it. when I put a goal in writing...especially on the internet...I tend to actually do it. 

I might not be able to fit it in this month, but I am so excited to be doing this again. Even if I had to force myself :)

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Picture Perfect Obsession

From day one I grew up surrounded by art.


(Actually I could probably still only produce a painting that is as good as whatever it is I am doing right there.)


And I owe it all to this guy...




Yeah the funny looking gentlemen in the really big glasses :). You see, he's an artist and mighty fine one at that, and because he's an artist I was constantly enveloped in the art world. He paints for galleries and the church mostly now, but he used to paint for hallmark cards too. (actually i'm on a few of those cards...not to brag or anything).

 (This wasn't one that ended up on a card but just to give you an example...)

Whenever he would have an art show at a gallery he used to take one of us girls with him. At the time I just loved it because it meant we got to go on a trip to another place and get daddy all to ourselves, but now I see how much culture we were exposed to. I guess it was those experiences, and the many trips to the art museums, that instilled a love of art in me. I assume these opportunities were the moments that helped me have to desire to take up photography.


I was never really good at drawing/painting...i'm still not in fact. I just don't have the patience for it to be honest. My sisters are both pros and I was pretty darn jealous let me tell ya. I was, and still am, a huge daddy's girl. I always wanted to do things that would impress my dad. One time I had every NASCAR driver's name, sponsor, and number memorized all because my dad thought it was impressive haha. Anyways, because I was a daddy's girl and couldn't draw worth crap, I was always trying to find something that he would think I was good at.


I remember my family, my Grandparents, and I were all going to my aunt's house a few hours away from where my grandparents lived. The mountain pass was absolutely gorgeous that day. And naturally my dad wanted to stop and take pictures to paint from. (We stopped a lot on trips taking pictures of cows, horses, and other random things so he could paint from them). We stopped on the side of the road and the grass was absolutely covered in these beautiful violet wildflowers. I asked my dad if I could take some pictures with his big camera, he said yes, and I began snapping away.
When we got back home, my dad and my grandpa were looking through the photos that my dad had taken on the trip when my dad saw the ones that I had taken he was "amazed" (not sure if he was really all that "amazed" because I was only like 10 years old and didn't even know how to properly focus but I still took the compliment).
So I took that compliment and ran with it. I think I still have all the photos I took from that Utah trip somewhere. I was outside for the remainder of the time at my grandparents taking pictures of flowers haha. I took so many. Seriously.

So that's the background of how my passion for photography started. I know it was a lengthy post and I would venture to guess most of you didn't even get to reading this far because you were bored out of your minds haha.

Here's a little before and after for you...or at least a "just starting out photo", and a "where I am now photo"


Blurry as all get out haha but at least I had some good design going on right? haha

(The closest photo I had to a "floral")
And for some reason Blogger is making this one blurry too :( but I promise it's not...That's kind of a sucky before and after if they both look awful haha.

Well either way, I have come a long way. I am by no means perfect, and do not consider myself close to professional level, but I am learning new things every day. And it's awesome!

I still show all my photos to my dad to get his feedback. It's still the the most important thing to me. If he tells me "That's a really good photo Cassie" then I believe it.