Self Portrait

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Sometimes, when I'm feeling reflective and introspective, I like to take these kind of weird self-portraits.  They help me think and process things. They usually just live on my hard drive, but I guess I'm feeling like sharing tonight.

Happy Easter!


I pray that your holiday has been filled with reminders of His tremendous love for you!

thankful the story doesn't end here

Thursday, March 28, 2013

MY GEAR

Monday, March 25, 2013

I've gotten some questions about what gear I use recently, so I thought I would write a blog post about it for everyone's reference. :) As a hobbyist and not someone who makes any money from photography, I don't have a lot of money to spend on gear, so I generally try to make do with what I have and not lust over too many new lenses and additional gear.  It's so hard, though.  There is so much cool stuff out there, and it's super easy to get caught up in the mindset that more/better gear will make you a better photographer.Speaking of that idea, I want to talk about that for a minute.  It's been said a million times before, but I'm going to say it again anyways:  More expensive camera bodies will NOT make you a better photographer.  They won't.  I promise you.  What will make you better is education and practice.  Just like anything else - learning to paint, or playing the piano, or playing basketball.  Sure, better paintbrushes are nice, expensive pianos may sound better to trained ears, and nice basketball shoes are great, but they don't make you better.  It takes skill.  It's something you have to learn.  It takes time. In the photography world, my gear is nothing special.  And that's exactly why I wanted to write this.  My camera body is almost the bottom of the totem pole.  Several of my lenses are "third party."  I would love a 6d and some "L glass" but it's just not happening right now.  So, I'm a believer in Rocking What You've Got.  And this is what I've got:




1 - Sigma 30 f/1.4  This one changed my life.  The focal length is perfect for everyday shots on my crop sensor and the super fast aperture lets me use it in low light.  I love it.  This one lives on my camera most of the time.

2 - Canon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6  Yup, that's the kit lens.  And yes, I still use it.  I love the wide angle end of it especially.  I use it for landscapes, street photography, and everyday outdoor images.  Kit lenses (those are the lenses that often come in a bundle with the camera bodies) get bashed a lot in the photography world, but the truth is that if you are careful with the variable aperture, you can totally get some awesome shots!  The biggest hindrance for me has been that the aperture doesn't open up as wide as I'd like sometimes, but with landscapes and such, you don't want it wide open anyways.  I realize that it's not as high quality as other zoom lenses, so it isn't as sharp or well built or whatever, but the truth is that it's working for me right now.  (Shown wearing a Lens Leash)

3 - Tokina 100 f/2.8 macro -  My baby.  I love this lens.  Not only is it awesome for macro (up-close) shots, it also rocks portraits.  It's sharp.  It's well built.  And the price is great!

4 - Canon 50 f/1.8 - The "Nifty Fifty."  The first lens I bought after the kit lens that came with my camera, this is the one that is generally recommended if you're serious about learning photography.  It is a "standard focal length" but I found it too tight for my liking, which is why I bought my Sigma 30.  But I keep it around just in case.


Sorry for the not so great iphone snap of my DSLR, but it's the only option I had, besides taking a film shot and then waiting forever to get scans back.  And I didn't like that second option.

5 - Canon Rebel t2i  It's not a $2000 camera body, but this thing can do great things!  The ISO expands all the way up to 12800, and although it has a lot of grain up that high, there has been more than one occasion when I have been thankful for it!  I consistently shoot at 800, and even 1600, and the grain doesn't bother me too much.  (Shown wearing a Phat Straps wrist strap, which I also love)

6 - Canon Rebel 2000  My film friend.  This guy is a super basic film slr, but he has been great for dipping my toes into film without much commitment (actually, without any commitment, because he was a gift. :) )

7 - Opteka Macro Filters  I used these for quite a while before I got my real macro lens.  They satisfied my craving for macro and I got some great shots with them.  I still use them occassionally because I can throw one in my bag when I only can bring one lens with me.

8- Lenspen  I have a bad habit of not using my lenscaps like I should. (I should buy myself more of those Lens Leash thingys) That results in my lenses being smudged and dusty sometimes, so this little thing makes cleaning them quick and easy.  Love it.

9 - Expodisc (neutral)  This one is a fairly new addition to my camera bag, but I love it too.  It's a white balance filter, and it makes my white balance perfect in camera and reduces my processing time by a ton!

10 - Kelly Moore 2 Sues (in Mustard)  This bag is amazing.  It's not too huge, but it fits so much!  Enough room for a ton of photography equipment when you're going somewhere where you need it all, or just enough for my camera and an extra lens and the normal purse stuff for a normal day. I love the fact that it has both a shoulder strap and a crossbody strap.  It's cute, it's well made, and it's a beautiful color.


Oh, and by the way, I shoot in Manual mode 100% of the time and have since I bought this camera.  Don't even bother buying a DSLR if you don't plan on learning Manual.  A DSLR on Auto isn't any better than a point and shoot.  Okay, that's a lie - it is a little bit better, but not much!  It isn't easy, it takes a lot of practice, but your camera is just a machine and it isn't smart enough to make good choices by itself!  It needs your brain!

Let me know if you have any other questions for me - I love to answer them! :)







Be Lucky : March 2013 Blog Circle

Sunday, March 24, 2013
It's hard to believe another month has gone by already!  Last week was Spring Break at the school I work at, so I enjoyed a week off.  It was wonderful to finally have some time to cross some things off my to-do list, spend some time with my camera, and read a book or two!
I also spent Friday going up to Oklahoma City for the day with my mom and a friend.  We, of course, did some shopping and then we headed into the city and spent some time at a park downtown.  It was a really nice and even though it was chilly, I enjoyed photographing the flowers, plants, and especially the ducks!

IMG_8162-2web

IMG_8141-2web

IMG_8139-2web

IMG_8134-2web

IMG_8130-2web

IMG_8052-2web

IMG_8041-2web

IMG_7988-2web

This post is a part of a blog circle!  Please follow the circle around to Andrea's post - I'm sure she has something great to show you this month!

P.S. Do you "like" me on facebook yet?

March Macro Challenge - Candy

Thursday, March 21, 2013
Back in January, I started a monthly Macro Challenge.  January's theme was "kitchen utensils" and I came up with this one:
Utensil Macro
I totally skipped out on February, but I'm back in for March's theme of "candy!" I mean, who doesn't love a good excuse to buy candy?!

Easter Candy Macro
Easter Candy Macro
Easter Candy Macro
Easter Candy Macro
Easter Candy Macro


And as I was cleaning up, I stacked the dishes up and then thought "Hey, these look really cool!" So of course I had to take a picture!
Easter Candy Macro

SUGAR & SPICE

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Tea parties, teddy bears, and pretty purple flowers.

Sweet Raegan agreed to be my model for an idea I wanted to try out in exchange for a milkshake. :)   Thanks for all your help, Rae!

collage-par1
collage-part2
collage-part3

PLEASE EXCUSE THE DUST

Tuesday, March 19, 2013
I'm doing some renovations and updating around these parts, so if something doesn't make sense or a link doesn't work, that's why. :)
Thanks for understanding.

contact

Friday, March 1, 2013
If you would like to contact Megan, please email her at 




hello@meganschreursphotography.com




Friday afternoon's dose of flower macros




Well, those flowers I bought myself back before Valentine's Day lived an amazingly long time, but they are finally dying.  Amazing how dying flowers are still beautiful though!

Bio

Hi, I'm Megan.

I got a film point and shoot camera for my twelth birthday, and I've been in love with freezing time via photography ever since. I took several photography classes in high school and college, and finally purchased my first DSLR in March 2012. Now I am on a journey, learning everythng I can about this adventure called photography. There is so much to learn! Thank you for caring enough to follow along with my journey!