Assignment #1

I was a little late getting around to the assignment, but better late than never. :)

I dusted off the trusty ol' 50mm for this shot. I will always love this lens. I love the depth of field you can get with the 50. Too bad not all lenses can be in this price range. Got a little flare in the shot, but I can live with it. And sometimes my best shots are the "blind ones" (just randomly shooting w/o looking into the viewfinder). Of course this results in a lot of trial and error since subjects may be out of focus.

Since I'm entering my 9th month of pregnancy and have yet to take any "professional" pregnancy photos, I decided to take some myself. I am totally against going to a dept. store photo studio, such as JCPenney or Sear, only because I think those places are uber cheesy. So I just set up my tripod and used the timer. Let me tell you, I felt so embarassed posing by myself in my "backyard", wondering if the neighbors were wondering what this pregnant girl is doing.

My session wasn't as productive as I thought it would be and I only managed to walk away with 2 decent shots. I found it difficult to focus on "myself" to set the timer when there wasn't "myself" to focus on (if that makes any sense). This is the only shot that I thought was worthy of even showing...but at least I have one to show!

Next assignment for the DBPC is "lights".

Circles

Since there are so many dslr lovers/users out there, a fellow photographer started a photo club on facebook. There will be assignments every week in which a topic is issued and us photographers have to interpret the assigned topic either literally or conceptually. Basically it's a little push to get us shooting and to get feedback / criticism from colleagues sharing the same interests.

I'm really looking forward to these assignments. I used to carry my camera around with me all the time. Lately I haven't. Our first assigment is due this Sunday so let's see how creative I can get!

Messing around with Lightroom

Finally got the chance to test out Lightroom. It's a bit overwhelming plus I was working w/ jpgs as opposed to RAW files. Here are some photos to compare between PS and lightroom editing:

Photoshop vs....

Lightroom

Photoshop vs...

Lightroom

I see the LIGHT!

Last night I finally made it over to my friend's studio, TYE Studios. It was my first time actually stepping foot into a professional photography studio (other than your Olan Mills or Glamour Shots). After my quick tour and catch-up session w/ my fellow photographer, he hooked me up with the Lightroom App for my mac.

And now I see the light!

After using photoshop to edit my photos (and only shooting in jpg format), I finally realize how post production can take hours for one photo. It's amazing how much you can tweek using this application. I haven't edited any photos yet using this new app, but I'm dying to start.

I plan to post some before and after shots....eventually...

And I need to start shooting in RAW format.

The Big Easy Ain't So Easy

Beautiful. From the weather to the wedding to the last little detail of the bride's dress.

But man, it wore me out. I haven't felt so drained during my entire pregnany. I guess just waddling around at 30 weeks consumed every ounce of energy in me. I managed to take a few shots here and there...not as many as I would have liked, but someone would've had to push me over and roll me around to get me to move anymore!

St. Louis Cathedral

The First Dance.

The Groom admiring his Bride.


Bridesmaid and sister of the Groom.


The Newlyweds' champagne flutes.


The Cake. Yum.


Ze lovebirds...

And introducing...the new Mrs. Mercado.

(for better resolution please see my gallery. Adriel & Cherrielet's Wedding)

NOLA...till we meet again.

Note: Nawlins patrons don't wait till Mardi Gras to earn their beads...if ya know what I mean.

Shooting Downtown Chicago

I was in Chicago this past weekend for a wedding. A few fellow aspiring photographers and I had some time to do a bit of shooting downtown. Unfortunately Hurricane Ike followed us up north and the weather was not so ideal. I managed to get a few shots throughout the course of the weekend, but I must say I was very unhappy with my results. I'm so used to doing detailed / portrait shots using low f-stops, so I didn't really go much higher than an f/8.0. Boo.

My landscape shots were not so sharp. Even with my brand new lens! Very disappointing. ::sigh::

I'm even too embarassed to post photos from that day. So I'm determined to revisit my tutorials and handbooks. When? Somewhere between studying for my anatomy class, work, catching up on sleep and the trying to find some time to even do some local shooting.

On a lighter note....I've figured out what my next toy will be. A new flash. :)

Yes boys and girls, its the Canon Speedlite 430EX. Photography is such an expensive hobby...priced at $230, who knows when this will become part of my collection. A girl can dream...

New Kid on the Block

There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer. ~Ansel Adams

Inspired by a fellow photographer friend, I decided to take the plunge and purchase my first Rebel. My friend picked up a rebel and just started shooting. I was amazed at the difference in quality between a DSLR and your ordinary point-and-shoot. Purchasing my first Canon Rebel had been my largest investment on a single item (until the 17-55mm lens, that is).

I don't have any formal education (but would love to take classes). I have yet to work in the professional field of photography. I don't have a studio or assistants (however it would be nice someday).

All I own is an slr with a few lenses. I cherish every opportunity to photograph- whether it is of kids, couples, the city, or my dog.

I want to make you see what you don't see.