July 4th

Here is my view of the American Flag.
Happy Independence Day!




 I also have another patriotic photo. If you would like to see it, click here...

http://www.jpgmag.com/photos/817153

Teal Blue

This outfit is for those days when you want to get some sun, but also look more than just a beach bum. I love that each outfit can be mixed with any other article of clothing that you may prefer better. The color teal is one of my favorites and is actually a popular one this summer. This outfit was styled by Shelly B.

Boho Beach

For those of you who will be hanging out with the sun and sand during the summer, here is an outfit that is carefree and with the boho style is quite fashionable. The colors blend into her skin tone and the pop of blue accents reflect the ocean that is calling your name. This outfit was styled by Shelly B.

ShellyB's Lookbook

I must say that I really enjoyed this photo shoot. Despite the terrible cold, we were able to take photos in a rugged downtown area. This was my first time working with a fashion designer who arranged the entire theme and clothing designs. I normally am the one who decides everything for myself, especially if it's for one of my classes. But it was quite nice to just focus on the photography aspect of a photo shoot. I also worked with another photographer which was comforting to know that I didn't have to get every single possible shot. Most of all, I loved the fashion and working with real models! I hope to be working more with the people I collaborated with to make more fashion and art. I hope you enjoy these photos as well as my ramblings.
All of the photos are meant to be in black and white, but I put some in color just to show another example of what they could look like as the finished product.

Fashion designs by ShellyB.

Forty Five

Fashion design by ShellyB.

Did an amazing shoot today. I loved working with these girls and seeing how each part (the designer, models, and photographers) was essential to the photo shoot and made everything successful. I am so excited for you to see the rest of the photographs.

Forty Two

This was the last time I spent time with my wonderful friend Sara. I miss her.

Forty: I had a dream that I could fly

Taking pictures for my last project of the semester. This has been a long journey, but I believe that I have grown and learned a lot over these past months. I am excited to see what God has for me in this coming year.

Thirty Nine

Hanging with my best friends on the last weekend before school break begins.

The Secret Garden

When I was a young girl I read the book, The Secret Garden, it is such a romantic story of magic and the imagination. I always placed myself in the story, as if I were truly there. Here is my interpretation of the Secret Garden.

Thirty Six: Complacency

I am now in the process of developing my concept from my last project, this is only the first picture of this new project. I am discovering what it means to be complacent and showing the visuals of how it has affected my life.
Complacency is self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies. She is stuck looking into her reflection of the past. She holds onto every word written in her journals which she is unable to let go, in fact, so much so that they are apart her very own self.

Looking into the past, yet so complacent with life, that she is unable to go forward. One day she will get out of this mess and live in the brightness of the day.

Thirty Four

The semester is almost over and I can't help but see how much I have grown since the beginning of the semester. Just this summer, I was editing my pictures with Picassa then I moved on to iPhoto, when I got my laptop. Now I am using Adobe Bridge and Photoshop and it is just amazing to see the different things that I can do with my pictures. Here is one of my first photo shoots, I hope you can see the difference in my work and I am excited to see what my growth will be in the future. (This picture was taken from the series of unorthodox portraits)

I am also excited because I have over  ten thousand views on my blog!

Just a Hobby

There is one thing that will always disappoint me and that is when people ask if photography is just a hobby for me. 

I'll never forget my freshman year of high school. For some reason, I was very nervous and unsure of what I wanted to do when I graduated. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do.  I prayed about it for an entire month. One day, I was looking through a magazine and there was a photography contest. I saw the winners and was amazed by what a person could do with a camera. I had never owned a camera before, so I didn't even think of photography as a hobby.  I was immediately inspired and I had this overwhelming passion that I knew only came from God. Ever since that moment in time, I believe that God has given me this desire to be a photographer.

I don't know all the answers. I don't know what I am exactly going to do when I graduate from college or how I can use photography to give God the glory. Five years ago, I had been dreaming of the moments of when I would go to college and learn from professors who specialized in photography. I can now say that I am living my dream.

I know that this is a season of change for me and I don't know what the future holds, but I must say that I love what I do and I pray that no one will ever confuse my love for photography to be something as mediocre as a hobby. Just like on the movie, Chariots of Fire, I truly feel God's pleasure when I take pictures.

Contrasting Color

I finished my first photography project of the semester. One of the assignments was to take figure and ground pictures of color or shape. I remember I did a project similar to this my Junior year of High School which was my first photography class. Now that I look at the pictures I have now, I can see a major growth in my skills.

I have learned today that I should not compare myself with my photographer peers or even professionals. It is good to learn from them, but at the end of the day, it can be a blow to the self-esteem. I need to appreciate the gift that God has given me and know that I should always strive to be better as long as I live.

I hope you enjoy these and I will be posting more photos from my assignment later.