5.28.11 - A peak at H&Ts Engagement Session

This photo rocks my flip flops off. Stay tuned.

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5.20.11 - Engagement Preview

I have an upcoming shoot this weekend, one that I have been waiting on for a long time :-)

One that involves my two best friends commemorating their engagement!  I was very excited to put it on my schedule.  Lots of great ideas...

While I was on location for the previous posts' maternity session, I scoped out the Parthenon, the sight of the actual proposal, and one place we are tackling this weekend.  I fell in love instantly.  I have been to Centennial Park a bazillion times, but have never actually walked up or around the Parthenon.  I was awestruck... the lines (oh, the lines!) and the depth are completely wonderful.  I had a blast snapping away, even without breathing subjects!  I just cannot wait to pop my BF's long legs up against these pillars...  Gonna rock, just sayin.

Stay tuned for what's to come of this!

Til then... love the lines.

4.9.11 - Spring means Sounds Baseball is here!

One of the things I am learning to love about Spring is the return of minor league baseball right in my backyard.  (Well, if my backyard was 40 miles away).  I'm a fan of the game, but I am also a fan of what it brings to our city, and to the families in it, my own included.

It started on one warm night in April.  My family and my best friends piled down to see the opening weekend game at Greer.  Though the pollen was thick and the stuffy noses' ran high, the evening was perfect.  I was surrounded my most closest and favoritest people.  Lemonade, funnel cake, cold drafts.  It was a great way to kick off Sping in Nashville.

Another thing that comes to mind was around this time last year was the premiere of my zoom lens.  It's not a break-the-bank lens, but it serves me well.  I first broke it out at a Sound game last May, and I was not disappointed.  It has made plenty a run since, but I appreciate it much at these games, it really helps me capture all the things that surround baseball and what makes it great.

Nashville Sounds | April 9, 2011

4.5.11 - Baby Landen Preview

I have been trying to upload the pictures from this session to my Facebook page for days, but for some reason, they will not upload from my new laptop.  Trying to figure that out...

Anyways, I wanted to share with everyone a few previews from my first session with Baby Landen.  I gifted a New Life Session to his mother at her shower, and after several schedule conflicts, we were able to squeak in a session within his first month of life.  He's the cutest thing I've ever laid my eyes on...

 I made these baby blocks for his mother's maternity session :-)

Beautiful Baby Landen...

3.13.11 - Spring is Here!

Ahh, spring.  Longer days, warmer weather (usually), flowers, green grass, house work, Vitamin D.

Sunday was my mother's birthday.  And it was chilly, in the 50s.  We didn't get out to do any yardwork, though the promise of that is till looming, given warmer weather (Yay!) but we did take a walk.  There were so many signs of spring coming!  The Bradford Pears were in full boom, as were the over-populated daffodils and other wild flowers. There was also a beautiful tree that I am not sure the name off.  I've googgled it, of course, but have come up with Tulip Tree, and Magnolia.  But Magnolias are usually white, right?  I really don't know!  It is gorgeous.

I am particularly proud of a lot of these images, they show some growth in the macro area.  These images are sure to make you happy, even if you are still experiencing some winter blues!

 

 

 

1.10.11 - The "Big" Snow

Snow.  I've seen my far share of it.  I was born in Massachusetts, and lived in New Hampshire until I was 11.  I've seen some snow.  I had snow fall on the night of our town's Halloween Party that was held on our property.  We were bobbing for apples in a metal basin, and there was ice inside.  I've seen snow.  My uncle would drive his tractor to our home across town and plow our property until there were snow piles 10 feet tall.  I would sled down the hill on my uncle's farm until I couldn't feel my toes, fingers or nose.

When I moved to Tennessee in 1996, Nashville had a record-breaking snowstorm that winter.  We were with our family in New Hampshire.  Kinda ironic.

One winter while I was in college, (2003, or 2004) I had to drive from Nashville to Clarksville to get back to school in white-out conditions.  It scared me to death, because I am from the North, but I had never had to drive in "bad" snow before.

For the first time since I have lived in and not traveled away from Tennessee, I saw snow on Christmas morning 2010.  The last time me and my sister saw snow on Christmas was 1999.

I absolutely love snow.  Because it is silent and beautiful.  Snow quiets the Earth.  It falls and everything seems to turn its volume down.  The traffic slows, people stay inside.  The animals rest, huddled somewhere.  The wind whispers instead of whistles.  God, how amazing!  He really does know how to create beauty.  Everything is so white and gentle.  I like taking deep, cold breaths.  The soothing taste of winter.  I feel like I need to enjoy it before it melts away.

Here are some shots from the "Big" snow that fell on Middle Tennessee, January 10, 2011

The Perfect Preview: Amber & Kris : Wedding

October 17, 2010 - Wild Turkey Ranch

Reflecting back to 2009.

So, It's 7 days until the Sauls/Ingram wedding.  I am excited and nervous.  This is not the first wedding I have shot, but it is my hurdle.  After completing this session, I will have overcome my first big step.  I have been taking pictures forever... by my transformation that has taken place in the past year has brought me to realize several things.  One, I do it because I love it... I truly am at home behind the camera, no matter what camera it is or how much it cost.  Two, after reading thousands of words about photography, I know that I still have a lot to learn, but am confident in my personal skill.  Also, I have realized that it's okay that everyone has a love for photography, and it's okay that professionals want to write articles about how it's not okay.  Everyone has gifts.  It's how you use it and what you do with it...and how you transform it.  Yes, God gave me a passion, joy, love for this media.  Ok?  So what am I going to do about it?  Am I going to assume that my first picture ever taken of a client is "IT"?  That's my gift?  No.  I am going to learn, adjust, advance, stumble, make mistakes, and adapt.  I am going to use my gift over and over and tweak it.  It's mine, and I am going to make it wonderful.

One of the things that I did not have a year ago was great confidence.  I glided by on compliments, and how much I love it.  I have adjusted myself to know how good my work is.  Since last October, I have sold work, put it in auctions, made a FB fan page (and accumulated fans!), gotten clients that I did not know, purchased a high dollar camera, and focused my love into making my gift better.  I bought editing software.  I have put in time and sweat and effort.  I even struggled to create the perfect, fair, price list.  I am about to launch a website. 

I'm on my way.  When people say, "Oh, I didn't know you were a photographer," my answer is often, "I'm trying to be!"  It doesn't sound great writing about it, but what I mean is... I am in that beginning stage that EVERY professional has to be in.  The realization of your gift and realizing what you're going to do with it.  I'm gaining pride.

So, thank you.  Thanks to everyone who has supported me in the past year of my journey.  I am expecting your continued support.  You all are great.

Cannonsburg, October 2009

These are two of my favorite pictures from one of my very first sessions, taken about a year ago.  Before the Nikon, and with no post production.  I am proud of this work, but more proud that I can reflect on this session and see where I have improved.

9.22.10 - Happy Fall...sort of!

These are just a few pictures from my walk today.  I will post more when I can get all of my software companions to agree with me.

I love autumn.  Pumpkins, leaves, cool air, the colors, the smells, the fashion (Hello, boots and sweaters!)  We are having a strange autumn here in middle Tennessee.  It was 94 degrees today.  Not how I thought I would be celebrating the "first day of fall".  It's time to start ordering Pumpkin Spice lattes, not Passion Iced Tea!

The leaves...are starting to change.  I'll give it a few weeks, then hopefully my fall photo sessions will look like fall!  Anyways, here are some indications it's starting to become autumn around here.

8.14.10 - Ferris Wheel & Fun Photo Aps

I downloaded a fun photo app on my new Android X during my road trip to St. Louis.  I enjoyed playing around with it, it pretty much takes care of any layers and fancy editing one may want to add to their photos.  I loved it!  It brought me so much joy, hehe!  Here are some of my favorites of my favorite ride at Six Flags.

7.9.10 - Behind the Scenes: Heidi & Charlie: Ogunquit, ME

Welcome to my first "Behind the Scenes with Krystal Sargent" blog post!  Here I will give insight, record memories, and include extra images from that day's session.

Today's post is from my mini session with Heidi and Charlie while I was vacationing in Oqunquit, Maine this summer.  I really enjoyed this session because it was with people I love, at a place I love.  My affection for this state isn't a secret...I love Maine almost as much as Florida... I summered in Maine as a little girl, and still go to the same places and beaches as I did then... (This is formulating into a future post, I think...)

Interestingly enough, our original plan wasn't to be on the Marginal Way.  We were planning on doing our session on the beach.  However, our experience early in the day showed us that we would have to find another spot.  This is a picture of what the wind was able to accomplish in just a matter of an hour.  I knew that trying to have a successful shoot with the wind and sand like this would prove to be a challenge.  Not that I'm not up for one, but with so many great back-up locations, it wouldn't be necessary.  And so it was decided we would walk the Marginal Way to dinner, and would have our session there.

What a  w o n d e r f u l second choice.  I loved every minute of being out there.  I was blessed by the scenery and the plethora of places for poses.  Every other step was another beautiful view of the ocean.  The colors were amazing.  I'm so glad that I got the opportunity to do a session here.

This is a view of Ogunquit Beach (and beyond) from near the middle of the Marginal Way.  This tiny lighthouse adds some character to the walkway, and was a tourist favorite.

This is a peak at some our pictures together.  I absolutely love my cousin, so much.  She is beautiful, smart and compassionate.  I enjoyed my time with her.  Growing up, there were lots of pictures taken of us together, but as we got older, there were fewer and fewer.  The pictures we got on this day hold a special place in my heart and I will treasure forever.

Ah, the three loves of my life, Scott, the beach, and photography.  When they meet, all is well in the world.  I love this picture for a few reasons.  One, my husband is a hottie, just look at him!  Two, look how freakin' blue that water is!  Serious!  Now, I love Florida, but this is killer.  Killer.  Three, the land in the horizon is a part of me...a part of my past.  That stretch of beach includes the beaches I grew up on, and parts of the North that I am familiar with.  And you know what's cool?  This trip was the first time he got to see all of that.  So this picture is sort of like my postcard of Scott's first summer trip to Maine.  How about that.

This is one of my favorites of the day.  The composition of this photo elates me.  I could star at it for hours.  Some people (including myself, sometimes) could star at wedding photography all day.  I could look at this.  All day.  I love catching him when he is doing his own thing.  He amazes me sometimes.  I like how he isn't the first thing your eye goes to, he's just there, being himself.  Just adding to my photo.  Gray, green, blue.  Gosh, I love Maine.

New England coastal towns rock my socks off.  And so does that sailboat.

And what a man after my own heart.  So, I am that girl that not only takes people's pictures for them when they ask, no, I walk up to people and ask them if they need/want their photo taken.  I've always been that way.  "Heck, if I take their picture, I bet they'll take mine!" That's my mantra while on vacation with my husband and there's no convenient way to place my camera on a timer.  There's times when you just gotta get that stranger to snap one for you.  I caught this action going on while we were getting ready to move down the Way.  How great is he.  Taking their picture.

And finally, behind the scenes with Krystal Sargent...

Wind, check.  This is me, mocking myself.  Telling people where to go and what to do is part of a photographer's job.  I just have that nice, off the cuff personality that makes it seem like I'm telling them what to do, when really, I just expect them to know:  I want to play around with where they are, what they are doing, what's behind them... I like to see what I can do with the naturalness of what they are doing first, before I have to move them.  It's funny, people often stand in front of my lens with this really blank look on their face, like... okay, now what?  What I really want is for them to be natural, and look good doing it.  Feel natural in your own skin, it will make for a better memory later.  That's my tip for today!

Hope you have enjoyed the first Behind the Scenes with Krystal Sargent. :-)