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The Camera LOVES Her March 5, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Friends, Photography, Projects , 5comments

This is my friend Annette.

It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway, she’s VERY photogenic.

Photogenic people make great images.  :)  Not only that, but my time with her flew by and before we knew it we were starving!  (Which led to going out to lunch and chatting way too much!)

She showed up totally prepared.  We had one short conversation on the phone about what I envisioned and what I wanted her to wear, and she brought an entire wardrobe complete with tons of accessories to coordinate.

She was a dream to photograph I tell you.

She looked great in every image.  I could have edited EVERY STINKIN’ image from her shoot.  Honestly.

These are my favorites:

This reminds me of a movie still . . . I wonder who she’s looking for over there  . . .

This is image is just so soft and beautiful.

It’s equally beautiful in B&W.  I got this angle by sitting on top of the truck (see below) while she sat on the bumper.

I love this.  It’s like, “I’m cool, and I’m casual, and you wanna go for ride in my junker truck?”  Also, take note of her yellow shirt against the blue truck.  Do you like it?  (How happy was I that she brought so many clothing options!)  To make a color image really stand out, the colors should work together.  Yellow and blue are complimentary colors and anytime you use complimentary colors you will have visually dynamic color images.  To reproduce this on your own images, check out a color wheel to see which colors are complimentary. (They are directly across from each other on the color wheel.)

I love this head shot too.

And I like it in color.  :)

I love her facial expression here and her body language.

Take note of this image, I used my speed light (aka external flash unit) to properly expose this image.

The B&W is a beauty too.

Now, this is the point where I talk about using flash during the day.  Remember how I tried to explain that in a post earlier this week?  Well, I have better examples now.  :)

I shot this image WITHOUT a flash.  It’s OK, but do you see how dark her face is and how harsh the shadow is across her neck?

I used my flash for this image (it was the next frame) and look at the difference!  Her face isn’t dark!  The light is very smooth on her face and the shadow on her neck is soft and diffused.

I like this image so much, I wanted to share it with you in B&W as well.

I hope this post inspires some of you to go out and shoot someone!

Milestone for the Whole Family February 23, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Friends, Little Man Dallin, Parenthood, Photography, Thoughts , 3comments

C-sections are not easy.

Planned.  Not planned.  I’ve done both.

It’s not the worst thing in the world, it’s not the best.

The most painful time of the c-section does not happen when you are getting your spinal.  It does not happen when you are being gutted like a deer either.

No.

That part is actually great because you don’t feel a dang thing, and if you’ve never experienced labor pains that accompany a vaginal birth, you might wonder what all the “pain” hype is about.

The most painful part of a c-section comes 24 hours after surgery.

You are well enough to get up and walk around the hospital like a little old lady with your new boyfriend, the IV, but IT DOES NOT FEEL GOOD.  And you keep having to get up out of your bed using abdominal muscles that don’t work because they have been pried apart.  Laughing, taking deep breaths, and sneezing are THE WORST.

You ban anyone funny from visiting you.  I had to ban Brian.

I met Emily on day two of my c-section.

Why do I remember this patient care tech so well?

She was helping clean me up after some serious blood loss (not good, Dr’s and nurses came in and I was all, “Am I going to die?  How much blood is too much to loose?) and in making small talk (I’m sure to distract me from the severity of the situation) Emily told me she understood how much pain I was in.  She had two c-sections, and it was her opinion that day two was the worst.

I asked her how old her kids were, and she told me they would be two and one, but both of them had passed away.

GULP.

What?

I was no longer concerned about my minor medical issues of losing lots of blood (nurses and Dr’s still scurrying around the room) and I was sick to my stomach that a young mother had lost TWO babies.

She had TWO c-sections to boot.

Both of her babies had heart defects and did not live longer than five weeks.

Six moths after my chance meeting with her, she and her husband adopted this little guy:

And I got to photograph him for his birthday.  He just turned one a couple of days ago.

This is a HUGE milestone for their little family.  She never knew if they’d ever get to see one of their kids turn one.

And he is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E.

And a ham for the camera.  :)

Emily has such an inspiring story.  Congratulations to all of them!

Sweet 16 . . . FOREVER. February 15, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Friends, Photography, Texas , 1 comment so far

This weekend I got to spend some time with one of my favorite teenagers from Texas who is no longer a teenager!

Does this mean I’ve aged? I’ve known her since she was 16, and I swear, she will always be 16 to me.

Sorry Talera! You can never be your real age (21) because that means I must have had some birthdays along the way and honestly, I haven’t aged! Plus, it seems like I just moved from Dallas. I may have moved from Texas, eight moves ago, but you know, it still feels like I JUST moved. :)

I had a great weekend catching up with Talera.

I have several new projects in the works, (like a tutorial on shooting in RAW, and when to use your flash and/or reflectors) and when I can find two seconds to rub together, I’ll post about them.

Until then, you might just see a few more shoots from this weekend. :)

Weekend With Some Besties February 3, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Friends, Medical School, My Handsome Husband, Thoughts, Trips, Utah , 4comments

This last weekend David and I met up with some of our favorite peeps.

David and Brent (who lives in Ohio) were both invited back to Wichita, Kansas to take a second look at a residency program.

That last sentence can be interpreted the following way, “Hey, we like you guys and want you to pick our program.  We’ll pay travel expenses for you and your spouse, wine and dine you, and put you in a nice hotel.  Pick our program!”

We had a wonderful weekend.  Why?

1.  Because we spent a WHOLE weekend with some of our best friends WITHOUT ANY KIDS.

Really, do I need to say more than that?  Brent and Michelle drove down from Ohio, and picked us up on the way to Wichita at the airport in Kansas City.

2.  We stayed in a nice hotel and didn’t foot the bill.

3.  The men worked on some hair brained schemes, while Michelle and I worked on our chit chat skills.

Did I mention we had fun?

We also liked the program, (and we’re pretty sure they liked us) so we may just end up in the same city after all!  What’s better than getting a residency with your besties?

On a side note, every conversation I had this weekend went something like this:

New Person: So . . . where are you from?

Me: I’m from Utah

New Person: So . . . are you Mormon?  (Said with curiosity.  Am I intriguing?  I’m Mormon so I guess the answer to that is YES.)

Me: Yes. Yes I am.

New Person: Do you know so-and-so (insert name of the only other Utah Mormon they have ever met.)

Me: No.  I’m sorry I don’t.  (But really, I’m like, HELLO!  THERE ARE MORE THAN 12 MILLION MEMBERS WORLDWIDE!  Lots of Mormons around!)

New Person: So . . . how long have you and David been married?

Me: It will be 13 years in July.  (I know, I don’t think I’m even old enough for that!)

New Person: (SHOCK!  DISBELIEF!) Gulp.  Did you get married when you were toddlers!?  (True story, more than FIVE count them FIVE people asked me if we got married as toddlers.)

Me: Almost!  (Wondering if I should tell them I got married at 19, and just turned 32 . . .)

And this conversation happened over, and over, and over.  ;)

Needless to say, we had a great weekend.  When we returned, people asked us where we went and when I told them, “Wichita,” everyone responded, saying, “Is that in Kansas?”  Apparently, it’s not on the map . . . yet.

At One With the Universe February 1, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Friends, Photography, Utah , 7comments

Honestly, I must be at one with the Universe.

A few days ago, I met up with my high school friend, Cheryl, who now lives in Singapore.  She just happened to fly half way around the world to visit her family for Christmas and I just so happen to be living in Utah at the moment.  Like I mentioned before, Utah is home base for everyone and it’s nice to be here to see so many familiar faces.

She loves photography as much as I do, so we planned a night to photograph Utah Valley from across Utah Lake.

This is Utah Valley.  It’s really eye opening to see how tall Timpanogos mountain is from across the lake.  Normally, this mountain is just in our backyard (so to speak) and it doesn’t seem this big!  (It’s 11,749 feet to be exact.)

These lights are of Lehi, Pleasant Grove, and American Fork.

This last one is of American Fork and you can see the Mt. Timpanogos temple from across Utah Lake.

This Valley really is beautiful.

It is so fun to catch up with old friends.

I hope to see more of you!

This – This + This = This January 29, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Birthday, Family, Friends, Trips , 6comments

Today is my birthday.  I’m turning 29!  (Again!)

These are my plans:  flying out of town with David – the kids + meeting up with some of our favorite people = AN AWESOME BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!

I love meeting up with good friends.  :)

Happy birthday to my twin too!  He could pass for 29 and I could pass for 21, right?  OK, maybe 25?

I’ll have lots of fun pictures from our fun weekend I’m sure.  :)

To jumpstart the fun, I recieved this fun little beauty in the mail:

My sister Jenn sent me white Lustregloss by M.A.C. and I LOVE IT!  Apply it over any lipstick to give it just the right umph.  Trust me.  After you get it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!  (You see, I’m actually wondering how I survived.) I used to use a silver lipstick that I would apply over any shade of lip liner, lipstick, or gloss, but it has been discontinued.  (Dang you Trucco, Aveda, and Artistry!)

Jenn first heard about this make-up must have from reading an article on what Victoria Beckham MUST have and this was one of her top picks!

I can see why.

You should too!

Celebrate my birthday by getting yourselves one of these!  (Your treat of course.)  :)

Fake Knitter January 27, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Friends, Thoughts, Utah , 1 comment so far

Everyone in Kansas kits.  They knit everywhere.  At church, in the grocery store, at the park, in the shower, at the pool, at dinner, you know, ANYWHERE!  When I moved to Kansas last year, I became a knitter to see what all the fuss was about.  (I should probably clarify the “I knit” thing.  I knit on a loom, which isn’t like “real” knitting.  It’s like knit-cheating.  There.  I confessed.  David always asks me when I’m going to learn how to knit for real.  I’m a fraud!  What can I say?  I’m not nearly as crafty as I look!)

Obviously, I got hooked.  (No pun intended.)

I have made more hats and scarves than I care to admit, but I can’t quit.  Maybe this makes me a Kansan a heart?  No.  No.  I am a Texan at heart forever!

Last week, we visited Leslie and her Alpacas and I picked up some luxurious fleece to knit myself a scarf.

This is where the fleece starts:

(In the image, Leslie is pointing out the luster which separates this high-end Alpaca from others.)

Then it is spun into yarn . . .

(This particular fleece is from a baby Alpaca, which is called a Cria.  It is the softest, most luscious, yarn in the world.)

My bedding should me made out of this.  It is sooooooo soft.

And this is the final product:

I have given most of my handmade hats and scarves away, but this one is a keeper.

Honestly, David thinks he would like one of these too.

In black of course.  :)

 

We Visited the Land of Alpacas January 22, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Family, Friends, Utah , 5comments

Remember what I love about living in Utah?  Last weekend we went to visit one of my best friend’s mom, Leslie.  She really was like a second mom to me, and I try to make it out to her place every year when I’m in Utah.  Hannah and Dallin have seen her a few times in the last few years, but David hadn’t been out to her place in years.

She runs an Alpaca Ranch in Utah, and is pretty famous among Alpaca owners.

I think they’re pretty cute, AND .  . . they give great eye contact. ;)

Alpacas are bred just for their fleece.  It’s five times warmer than wool and finer than cashmere.  Basically, it’s amazing stuff.  (You know I picked up some fleece to make hats and scarves.)

Check out Dallin.  I don’t think all this chat about Alpacas is quite as invigorating  to him as it is to David.

We had a great time, the kids had fun, and Leslie 100% convinced David to buy some Alpacas.

 

Famous Neighbor January 19, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Friends, Medical School, Saba , 4comments

Our favorite next door neighbor (and fellow medical student) on Saba was a professional ballerina in her previous life.  (Previous life refers to any period of time BEFORE you started medical school.)

Now, she wasn’t just any professional ballerina.  Shannon danced with American Ballet Theater.  (Affectionately referred to as ABT.)  She has traveled all over the world dancing with ABT, and really is just amazing.

Her story is incredible.  She started dancing at the age of 14, and was hired by ABT when she was 18.  I’m just going to go ahead and do the math for you, THAT IS ONLY FOUR YEARS from the time she set foot in a ballet studio until she was dancing with the most prestigious ballet company in America. Dancing with the company at ABT with only four years experience is literally unheard of.  There is so much more to her inspiring story that I haven’t shared, that I would love to write about (because it is really, really amazing) but unfortunately, it’s not my story to tell. Her story is so inspirational, that after I saw the movie “The Blind Side” I thought of her.  Honestly, Hollywood needs to hear her life story and make a movie out of it.

I found this video clip of her practicing the Arabian Dance for the Nutcracker with The New Orleans Ballet Theater.  (Keep in mind that she no longer dances with ABT, and remember how she’s actually a doctor now?)

After watching this video, I’m sure you understand why I never attended any of the yoga classes she taught on Saba.  I’m pretty sure my lack of flexibility would have disqualified me from her class.  ;)

Go Shannon!

Why I Love Living In Utah January 11, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Friends, Utah , 3comments

Want to know the number one reason I LOVE living in Utah?

Let me give you a few hints: It’s not the sub-zero temperatures, or the stiff canyon wind that makes eight foot snow drifts in front of my door.  It’s also not my favorite thing to breathe the worst quality air in the USA either (that’s a fact, not an exaggeration).  I love living in Utah because Utah is home base for my friends.  We all seem to cross paths at some point when we’re visiting our families in Utah.  Last year I saw these people, and these people, and her.

My goal is to see as many of my friends as I can while I’m here.  I have a few months left in Utah, and I’m making it a priority to see some of my good friends who I haven’t seen in years.

Look at this little guy. Isn’t he cute?  He is the offspring of my good friend Pam.  The stars have aligned for us not once, but four times since I came back to the USA after living in the Caribbean.  I think I’ve seen her more than a couple of my siblings who live here!  (OK, that was a joke.  Kind of.)

Isn’t he a doll?  He’s a chubster too and I’m such a sucker for chub-a-lub babies.

More friend reunions coming up!