Night shooting.

I was feeling the urge to go out night shooting. 

I drug my friends out in the cold with me (what good friends) just to get a few shots. 

Our adventures did not last that long because I'm a wimp and was cold. 

I couldn't feel my fingers...why did I decided to do something where I couldn't feel my fingers?

Oh, because these shots were totally worth it for me!

 

 

& then starbucks. 

 

 

 

Take a peek

I recently started a idea/inspirations journal.

& it's one of the best ideas I've had in a long time

I think this all really started by taking Photo Critique where we look deep into photographs by describing, analyzing, and  interpreting them. Sometimes I'll get these really great ideas for shoots but never document them which makes me forget about them later on.
I take photos from magazines & cut & paste them into an adorable notebook I got from Urban Outfitters. 

I like to write myself notes of why I like the photos & how I can use these ideas in my future photographs. 

It's like pinterest...but more personal. It's so much better for me because holding the photo I feel like I can critique it better in my mind. 

It's a great way to keep your creative gears moving & always something to look back on if you're stuck.

I think anyone who is in the creative field should have their own ideas/inspirations journal. Whether it's photography, design, culinary, writing... anything. 

Some News

1. I was highlighted in Green Trees & Red Rose's blog for her People Pursuing Passion!

I use to sing in a choir and went to school with Kiri, she is one of the sweetest and most inspiring girls!

Her blog is about the positive and wonderful things life has to offer. 

If you ever want your spirit lifted, follow this blog!

Oh, & she also does wedding highlights, something every girl can love. 

(I can't wait to see her wedding on the blog!) 

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Highlight here!

2. I need to re-dye the purple in my hair, but unfortunately, unlike every other girl from Utah, I can't do hair...sooo...teach me?

3. I've gained 5 pounds! At least I'm most positive. & I feel quite alright by this because 

a)Something isn't wrong with my body like I thought.

b) I have just a tad more booty back

c)I still have confidence. 

4. I took my very first gay couple portraits last night!

We were assigned to shoot a couple for portraiture, and I wanted to do something different, something I haven't done before. & well, you rarely just rarely see consumer portraits of LBGT couples. I hope I can do more in the future and be a photographer that people are comfortable being themselves around. 

Happy Sunday!

SELLING.

I'm in the process of putting together selling some things I make, all photo related.
Right now I'm working on Holga Prints and Wood photo transfers. 

It's in the process and a growing idea still. 

First. 

I want to start doing more personal work with my Holga. 

I make prints myself on an enlarger in the darkroom & mount all photos myself.

These prints are done on 11x14 fiber paper a street art series. 

I love street art. 

I will soon have more photos and sizes. 

Second. 

I will be making wood photo transfers. 

I will have an array of photos to choose from, sizes, styles, ect.
I would love to add these to photo services someday as well.

Orchid 4x4

Poster art. 4x6

Pimp your Holga.

Remember the show "Pimp my Ride" on MTV?

Kind of like that. But 100x better.

Because cars are overrated & cameras are cool. 

I mentioned the other day how I had to get a Holga for class and just how excited I was. I also said that I would decorate it. Well, tada! 

It turned out just how I visioned it. 

When I was first looking at Holga cameras I was more then tempted to buy the mint green camera. however, now that I have a black one I just added mint green & pearl white on top! 

I'm very indecisive with colors and couldn't choose between mint green or pearl white, so why not do both? A pearly mint holga. I'm not very good at painting, maybe I'll get a thinner brush and touch up the edges

& of course some buttons. For those of you who have received handmade cards from me would not be surprised by this. The yellow and purple added some good color.

What I used. 

Vuala!

Career.

Today in class a bunch of us were talking about what we wanted to do with our photography careers after we were done with school. We have to have a general idea of what we want to do before our portfolio classes.

I've been debating this for awhile now. I know that I love taking photos of people and places. When other's ask what I want to do with my photography career it's hard to explain. It's a lot more to me then just saying "Portraits, maybe some photojournalism, documentary type work"

Here's a little more of what I really want to pursue as a career. 

If you know me, you know I have a big heart and love to volunteer. I'm big on confidence and true beauty.

I've wanted for the longest time to put my passion for photography and big heart together. 

One of my biggest inspirations is Joni Kabana who is from Portland, Oregon. She talked to one of my classes   about her travels and what she photographs. She's been to places such as Ethiopia and Madagascar photographing people, their poor healthcare, etc. 

One thing she does that I would love to take on someday is photographing cancer victims. Gallery here.

She shared with us how she was photographing someone as a model and when her model saw the photos she started to cry, she said she had an abusive husband and never felt so beautiful. I want to make people feel that way.

http://socialdocumentary.net/ is a fabulous website that has some amazing galleries and stories. 

I have a couple more years of school and maybe I'll change what I want to do someday. I may not even be able to have the stomach for all that I really want to photograph. But I've had this in my mind and heart for awhile now of what I want to do after I graduate.

I want to document the tough stuff around the world. I want to help to others find her beauty.

I want to create change through photographs.

Sunday Inspiration

Photography books. 


It was a Sunday Morning well spent.
The rest of today I knew I had to study hardcore for my placement test and took the morning to relax.
I decided to lock myself in my room with a Chai latte and my photography books.
These books give me inspiration and excitement of having my work published into a book someday.

In Portland I would love to spend my time in Powell's bookstore and get lost in the photography section.
When there weren't creepy men going nuts and drooling over the nude photograph books. Made things awkward.
Once I found a postcard leading to someone's photo project, it was interesting to say the least.
Click here to read the blog about the stranger's secret hidden in my book


My collection so far makes up of  these six books.
Places by Jim Krause- "Ideas and inspiration for creating professional-quality images using standard digital equipment"
Face Time by Patrick De Wilde- This book has photographs of many faces from different countries. Something I hope to do one day. It shows the true beauty of the people and their culture.
Citizens of the Sea... National Geographic- I had an obsession with intense sea animals for awhile. I was hoping to take photos underwater while in Mexico. I thought this book would be a good inspiration for me, exploring the deep blue ocean with my camera. I chickened out though.
Annie Leibovitz At Work- This wonderful book shows the photographs she has taken of the famous. She tells stories behind the photographs and how she made the photos in her own words. You get a real look of Annie behind the lense.
Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz- If you are an Annie lover like I am this is highly recommended. Not only is it filled with amazing photographs but it goes into depth about the photos and the history of the places she traveled.
Vanity Fair The Portraits..A century of iconic images.- It's a true beauty. It is simply large prints of portraits from Vanity Fair telling the year it was taken, the photographer, and the subject. My goal is to memorize all of the photographs, the year and the photographer. I'm sure I've narrowed down Annie's photographs.

Someday I'll get there.
Someday my work will be printed onto pages of a book and stories of my photographs will be written and read.
 Someday I'll inspire other photographers too. 

Thankful Thursday

Today Keiran and I went on an early morning drive so I could take some photographs. 

He was a sweetheart and didn't mind being ready by 6:30 a.m.

I am thankful today of the beautiful place I call Home. There is so much beauty around my hometown. 

We drove out to Springdale, such a quiet and quaint place.

I am also thankful Keiran came along with me today too, he made it very enjoyable.

A good feeling

You think you have pin-pointed exactly what you want to do with your career in photography someday.

You are positive that you want to make a change in the world with photographs. 

Share your idea with a boy that makes you smile

& this is their response

"Not gonna lie, its really refreshing talking to a beautiful confident woman with strong convictions and a great idea of who she is! its quite sexy I must say." 
-Keiran

I feel like a million bucks. 

Date a photographer.

I almost cried. I would love a man who sees all of this in me someday.

Date a girl who takes photographs. Date a girl whose favorite sound is the click-click of the shutter as it closes and opens to capture a memory. Date a girl who sees the wonder in the simplest things. Date a girl who looks at the world and wonders how to put a little of herself in it.

You might find her in the park, lost behind her lens, the world a blur around her as she tries to capture a single moment in time. You might find her in an exhibit, a look of concentration on her face as she contemplates a photograph that called out to her as she was passing by.  Or maybe you will find her in a bookstore, a book in her lap as she pores over photographs of weddings all the while wondering what hers would look like.

Take her out to photo walks and laugh as she tries to take a picture of you. When she gets tired of walking, buy her cupcakes but wait until she has taken pictures of them before proceeding to eat them.  Listen as she tells you her ideas for a photo shoot on the ride home.

Take her to a restaurant and wait patiently as she surveys the menu carefully, appreciating the food photography. And again, wait until she has taken a photo of your food before digging in. Allow her introduce you to Ansel Adams while you both eat your lunch. Introduce her to your favorite musician as you wait for the bill to arrive. When you get home, change your Facebook profile picture into a photograph she took of you. She silently hoped for it.

Take stolen shots of her. Compile it and give it to her on her birthday. Tell her you love her over and over until your voice replaces the click of the shutter as her favorite sound. Kiss her after she lifts her head up from the camera. Give her camera-shaped necklaces. Go places with her.

You will never be bored again.

Date a girl who takes photographs. She will never whine about a little dirt on her favorite pair of jeans as she kneels down to get a better angle of her subject. She will never be afraid to take adventures with you. She will take photographs of you not just with her camera but with her mind as well and keep it to herself to admire at night. But above all, she will teach you how to look at the world with a brand new perspective and she will do that unknowingly.

Marry a girl who takes photographs. Ditch those wedding photography books and give her the most beautiful wedding you could. She will teach your kids to find the beauty in everything just as she had taught you. Every day will be an adventure as she tries to create photograph-worthy memories with you. She may wake you up in the middle of the night because she is buzzing with ideas but she will make it up in the morning with a stack of hot pancakes beside a steaming cup of your favorite coffee blend.

Grow old with a girl who takes photographs. Sit with her on the front porch as you both pore over the bits and pieces of the moments you’ve had together. Stroke her hair as you both relive the photo walks that you took and the places you have been when you were both young. Smile as you both reenact your clever wedding vows.

Date a girl who takes photographs because she will always see that “something” in the most “nothing” of things.  She will never let anyone take you away from her like she never lets anyone steal her photos and that is just one of the evidences that she loves you.

Source

Sunday Inspiration. V.3

Joni Kabana

When I was in Portland for school my photography instructor would always bring in guest speakers, once we had a wedding photographer, a food photographer, and this lovely inspiring lady, Joni Kabana. I can not tell you how much of an inspiration she was to me. I was so moved by her and her work that I was in tears, she was doing the things that I have been dreaming about. (I forgot that I really did cry, I looked back at the e-mail I sent her and said I was Mariah Baumgartle, the red head that was in tears, guess she did move me that much)

She has been doing street photography and traveled to places like Madagascar and Ethiopia to take photographs. She is a lady with a huge heart and amazing photographs. I have always wanted to go to places such as Africa and take photos of the people there. I want to go to places who are in need of help and show that awareness through my photographs.

She told us a story of how she photographed this girl in her studio, later after seeing the picture she was crying and told Joni how beautiful she thought she looked, she never thought she was beautiful, she had horrible problems with her husband. It's things like that I want to do with my photographs someday, make people realize how beautiful they are and let them have their time to shine.

One thing I remember that she does is take photos of people on the street, she gets up close and personal to them too. You know those people that just seem and look so interesting? I've always wanted to get photos of them but never knew how to approach it, I am still scared to just take photos of people on the street for fear of what they might do. She has a way of being able to do it though.

One of my favorite projects she does is called "Children's Cancer Association" she takes portraits for children (& sometimes with their families) of children who live in serious health conditions. The photographs are so beautiful and moving. As she was telling some stories she was in tears.

After I went back home from her talking I had to send her and e-mail and tell her how much she inspired me to go for what I really want to do. She e-mailed me back saying how happy she was to get my e-mail and that she was really busy getting ready to go to Ethiopia but to go to one of her events so we could talk more. Sadly, I was not able to make any of her events. I am hoping that when I visit Portland it will be a time she is having an event.Not only is she amazing at what she does but she has such a drive and a passion for her work. She told us before she left to just go for what we dream, don't worry about the money, if it makes you happy, then just do it.

She does so much, more then I could ever explain!

Here is the link to her website, you should seriously check it out: jonikabana.com