I spent this past Memorial Day Weekend in Sacramento, California at the National NCFL Tournament with my speech league team. Students had to qualify for the competition, and we traveled all the way from Pennsylvania for the experience!
Sacramento is a beautiful city! It has the lively spirit associated with city living, while still maintaining a suburban, town-like feel. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves exploring the area, with visits to Old Sacramento, Midtown, and the Capitol. We also had some of the most delicious food--I'm now a passionate lover of crepes (thank you, Crepesville!) and truffle fries (seriously, PA, why don't we have these?). Thinking of all those who have fought and sacrificed their lives for our country this weekend.
Despite the chilly weather yesterday. the trees looked beautiful, and I got the urge to go out and take some photos. I took my little sidekick Fitz with me, and he ended up being the focus of some of the pictures as well...he is just too cute!
What timing! Today I woke up to find a thin sheet of snow covering my car and bushes. I am NOT ready for winter, especially this early. Fingers crossed for a prolonged fall season. I'm just glad I caught the vibrant beauty before it was tainted with the icy weather to come. It is once again the most beautiful time of the year, and the season has only just begun. I get inspired every fall to go out and capture the beauty around me; however, this year, I wanted to actually preserve the memory with a photo of my family. A big thank you to my sister who was gracious enough for taking these!
Despite the fact that the best part of fall is the vibrant colors, I find myself equally torn between the colored version and the black and white version of these photos. There is just something so classic and timeless about black and white that I find myself continuously drawn to it. I've placed the photos below side-by-side with their color contrasted twin. What do you think?
If you can recall, back in January I posted engagement photos of my cousin Stephanie and her groom-to-be, Scott. Their pictures turned out to be some of my all-time favorite engagement photos, so I've been anxiously awaiting their wedding for another opportunity to catch them on camera! This past Saturday, Steph & Scott said "I do" in a romantic outdoors ceremony. Stephanie looked absolutely gorgeous and Scott completely handsome. Everything about their day was perfect--down to the weather; however, the show-stoppers were Steph's talented family. Her sister sang before the ceremony and during the first dance song, her brother sang before the ceremony and during the mother/son dance, and her dad had quite a surprise list of favorite tunes lined up for the father/daughter dance. It was all very memorable and sweet.
I never want to have the pressure of being a wedding photographer, but I do love the chance to take pictures leisurely at weddings. It provides the best candid practice. There is no stopping, no trying again. A missed moment is a missed shot, and there are no re-dos. As the main photographer, that is a scary thing; as a member of the audience, it is a fun opportunity to practice! Here are some of my favorite shots from the day. This weekend was my soon-to-be sister-in-law's wedding shower. If you've ever been a bride, a bridesmaid, or a person of significant importance to a wedding, you know that preserving memories and taking pictures are the LAST things on your mind when it comes to the shower and wedding itself. There is so incredibly much to be done, so many minor details to worry about, and so much greeting and small talk to be made.
Despite being obsessed with photography, I found on the day of my shower and my wedding that I did not take one picture on my camera or phone. There just wasn't time, and my focus was elsewhere. I relied on those around me to capture the important days for me, which was a risk. Luckily for me, my aunt took it upon herself to be my "official photographer" at both my shower and my bachelorette party. She took photos of every detail and every one, whether she knew them or not. I was so grateful to her, because without her selflessness and skill, I would have only a handful of iPhone photos to remember those special moments by. Although I am a bridesmaid in my future sister-in-laws wedding, I offered to take on that same role as "official photographer" of the day. I think during events like these, it is important for photos to have a real and authentic feel about them, so I did not do much editing. I focused less on making them professional (which is my normal go-to) and more on making them real and in the moment.
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Behind the LensMy goal is to develop as an artist and find beauty in the everyday world around me; to be inspired, and maybe inspire some along the way. Archives
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