10 on 10 | August 2013

Whew!  It's been a crazy month, so picking just 10 photos was realllllly hard this time around.  But I decided to mainly focus on our trip to Washington state (Whidbey Island and Lynden) to visit my extended family.  It was gorgeous, as always.  One of my very favorite places and this trip sure didn't disappoint!

The beautiful summer flowers have been in bloom, so I've gotten some fun floral macro shots too lately that I just couldn't resist sharing. :)

By this time next month I'll be in Chicago, starting my big Chicago adventure, so that will certainly be a big change around here!

This post is a part of the Light Inspired 10 on 10 blog circle, so please follow the circle around to my friend Jessica's post to see what she has for us this month!

10 on 10 | July 2013

I went to Wisconsin last week to spend one of my best friend's wedding week helping her get everything done and as a bridesmaid in her wedding.  It was such a blessing to have so much quality time together with her.  Their wedding was amazing, beautiful, and tons of fun!  I didn't get my big camera out a whole lot during the week, and not at all during the actual wedding day - that's what they hired a real professional for, right?!

 We started the week with the town's firework show the weekend before the fourth.  I didn't have my tripod, so fireworks shots were definitely a challenge!

 There's something about fresh fruit.  Bright red, bumpy, fuzzy raspberries!

 Steph brought her hamster, Ronnie, along for the week.  So much entertainment.

 On the Fourth of July, Holly's parents had a party for the neighborhood, their family, and the bridal party that was there!  Tons of fun, food, friends, and fireworks!

 What is it about boys and fireworks?

 The happy couple!  They're so cute! :)

 Holly's dad is quite a musician.  He wrote a beautiful song for Holly & Brandon and then he and Holly sang a duet.

More fireworks.  I love all the sparkles!

Blog Circle: 10 on 10 | June 2013

I can't believe it's time for another 10 on 10 post.  Time flies.

It hasn't been a terribly exciting month.  It's an in between month and I am waiting (impatiently) for the next chapters.  I really try not to wish away any part of my life, but this has definitely been a month that I've found myself doing just that.  I had a REALLY hard time getting down to 10 images this month, so I'm stretching the rules a bit - collages only count as one, right?? :)

Anyways, here's a bit of what I've been up to.

During the last week of the regular school year, I brought my camera to capture some shots of my kiddos in action.  I'm not allowed to share recognizable photos of my students online, so that's why I've blurred out a couple of faces.  But I'm so thankful to have these photos.

When I was in college, there was a huge Christian music festival not very far away, in Sioux Falls, SD, called Lifelight.  We went every year, camped there and the whole bit.  Some of my very favorite memories happened there!  So when Lifelight announced that they were having a festival in Sherman, TX - just an hour and a half away from me, I was so excited!!  It only worked out for us to go for one of the three days, but it was still fun!  We saw lots of bands, the most notable were the Newsboys and The Afters.
And of course, I brought my camera along and tried my hand at concert photography.  It was hard, with all the crazy lighting and people's heads in the way, but I got a few shots that I'm proud of! Oh, and I totally used my kit lens (18-55mm) for these because I decided that a zoom is absolutely necessary and that the only one I have, so here's proof that the poor kit lens is not worthless!

It totally broke out in a thunderstorm at one point and they told us all to go back to our cars for a while, but it passed quickly and ended up resulting in an awesome rainbow and a beautiful sunset, so totally worth it!

And, my sister got a new kitten that I've had such fun playing with!  I haven't even attempted to photograph her because she is SO fast, but last night was such a perfect summer night, she brought the kitty over to play and we sat on the porch, so I got the camera out.  It was just as hard as I expected and I think my shutter speed was something like 1/1000 of a second, but the little guy is just so cute!

Now, please head over to my friend Colie's blog to see what she has to show us this month!

Blog Circle: 10 on 10 : May 2013

It has been an absolutely crazy month around these parts.  But here it is, the 10th again, so it's time for my 10 on 10 blog circle - 10 misc images from my month, and a bunch of my friend's too.

My mom's rose bushes have been blooming like nuts and they are absolutely gorgeous!

My grandpa, who lives in Washington state, came out to visit for about a week.  It was so great to see him, and I already know that this image is going to be a long time favorite of mine.  So glad to have this to always remember him.

During my grandpa's visit, my aunt and uncle (who live in Wichita, KS) were able to come down for a couple of days and we went out to a local state park for a picnic supper to enjoy the absolutely wonderful weather - we have to do it now before this Oklahoma weather gets too hot to enjoy.

It would be a Stevenson family get together without lots of card games!

This month I also drove up to Wisconsin to attend a bridal shower for one of my very best friends.  It was a long 900 miles both ways (15 hr drive by myself...) but completely worth it for the time celebrating these two's upcoming wedding - I can't wait til July!!

Holly's shower was tea party themed - complete with hats and pretty dresses!  This is another very good friend, Michelle, and I at the shower.

And one of my very favorite photos from the trip - this is Holly and her mom at the shower, just so happy!

This is what most my time with these wonderful friends looks like - sitting on the couch talking, laughing, and playing games.

So that's a tiny glimpse at my month.  Please follow the circle to read about my friend Colie's month here!

Self Portrait

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

MY GEAR

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

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!

















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?