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.

9.15.10 -Melting my heart, giving me the fever.

I found these shots of my husband with our friends' children while going through a recent event I photographed.  They make me smile...and make me want having kids even more!  He's a natural!

 

Look at him with Baby Gabe!  Ahh!  Makes me smile.  I just wanted to share these. :-)

9.11.10 - Honoring 9/11

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.

8.27.10 - Behind the Scenes: Oasis Church SHE-Net Fashion Show, Nashville, TN

If I could fit more into the title without it being more of a mouthful, I also would have included that in this post, I experimented with no flash in a low lighting area, and since I only got one chance at these photos, and there was no staging, I had to accept what I got.  For the most part, I was very pleased!  Also, black and white. It worked so well here.

Both campuses of my church meet once a quarter for an event for only women, hosted by our leader, Pastor Jill.  It's always something fun: Wii Olympics, a Q&A panel...but this time.  It was a fashion show!  So when us Boro Babes (lovingly named by PJ) were asked to not only attend but participate, we piled into our vehicles and came down.  Five of us were models for the show, so we got to experience what being in a show was like, down to trying on clothes, choosing the right look, and doing our make-up.  The shots I am about to share of 5 of us crammed in front of the tiny vanity getting ready.  It was awesome.

Now, as you can see, there are some imperfections in most of them, again, one shot, really low lighting, low of time, but I actually loved how they all turned out.  Photo #1, I used flash, and since I hate flash photography, ESPECIALLY in dark places, I suppose this one came out all right, all things considered.  Her hair is a bit blown out, but I'll know next time.  Photo #2, didn't quite get the shot I wanted here, although she is still stunning.  I was hoping for a bit more of the compact... Photos #3-4 came out great, love the composition, and the dark lighting on both.  Photo #5...Now that's my gem!  I know that, as a photographer, you are supposed to stay out of the photo, and do angled shots with mirrors, however, I love the camera in this shot.  I love the lighting, I love the focus, I love the subject.  Get ready, Brides, this could be you! (I'll take myself out of yours, haha).  I love it's "technical imperfections".  Thank you, Mrs. Ayers, you are beautiful.  And Photo #6 - Ok, seriously?  The light where here eye silhouettes?  When I finally saw the images, I was shocked and how lucky I was for this.  It's magic.  And the reflection of the girls getting ready in the mirror?! LOVE!

Thanks, my friends, this was more than I could have asked for!

7.8.10 - Mt. Washington, NH

This year I have had the pleasure of doing and seeing things I have never done or seen before.  One of those things was driving halfway up the famous Mount Washington, NH.  It's where the Man in the Mountain is, or was... his nose broke off several years ago.  Tragic.

While on vacation in Maine, we drove down to North Conway to travel the Mt. Washington auto road.  We reached the half way point, right before it turned into a gravel, one-car-width nightmare.

I wanted to share a couple images from this experience, and these few of course, are of clouds.  One of the things I take away from my trip is how high in elevation we were.  To look out and see clouds eye level was breathtaking.  (I hear at the top, you are in them, crazy!)  Also, it was so lush here.  I've living in the south for 14 years now, and yes, it's green, but it's not green like it is Northeast.  Maybe because it's so hot, and I don't associate heat with lush vegetation.  (heat=warm colors, cold=cool colors?)

Yes, to the right there is a cloud that was hugging this side of the mountain.  It was like steam rising from the ground.  Anyways, it was a fun time.  I have roughly 200 photos from this, and no idea what to do with them all.  I just couldn't stop shooting, it was a sight I may never see again, or at least not for a long time.

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. :-)