The After-shot

Something I've learned in photography recently, especially with reluctant preschoolers and children, is that sometimes the best shots come after the shot.  A child that doesn't want their picture taken may be difficult for the shot, but if you take a picture (or pretend to) and then say, "okay done,"  and then take another one (quickly before they have time to move!), you'll usually get the shot you were looking for in the first place!

Sometimes the same trick works for adults!  You know that feeling of when you've smiled so much that your cheeks are shaking, your lips are quivering and you're thinking "I don't know how much longer I can do this!"  Yes, well that thought shows up in pictures!  So sometimes, the unposed, relaxed after-shot, ends up being a good shot!

So here's an after-shot from tonight...and I just find myself drawn to it!

P.S.  check out my Facebook Page for more!

I Heart Shoes!

Baby Shoes!  Awww...they get me every time!  I'm not exactly sure why, but maybe because cute little baby feet go in them!  Anyway, here is a preview of Baby Bentley's fabulous wardrobe!  You can check out some more photos from the maternity photo session at Amanda Claire Photography

Like Amanda Claire Photography!

I'm running a contest on Facebook to give away a FREE mini session, when I have 50 people "like" my photography page on Facebook!  So head on over to my Facebook Page and show me some love!

You head on over to my photography blog and check it out.  Make sure you read my "About Me" section up near the blog header!

Amanda Claire Photography!!!

Well it took me long enough, but I finally did it!  I registered for my business license today!  That's right, you're looking at the new, proud owner of Amanda Claire Photography!  I am in the process of getting a Facebook page, website and blog up and running very soon!

I would also like to thank all those who gave me encouragement through this process of becoming a "photographer!"  A huge THANK YOU to my family, friends, instructor, classmates, photog mentors and blogette friend and aspiring photog, Heather Ellis.  Also thank you to all those who were gracious enough to let me photograph them and their families!

Stay tuned!  The best is yet to come!

Circular Rainbow

I just happened to look at the sky yesterday and saw a complete circular rainbow around the sun!  It was the coolest thing!  I ran inside to get my camera but could not get a picture of the entire circle because the sun was so high and so bright, my camera couldn't focus.  So I got as much of it as I could, and luckily you can still tell it is more circular than just an arc like the typical rainbow.

Feast your eyes on this beauty:

Connect with Purpose

I definitely experienced this during my Wednesday night photography class!  We had three local photographers that have taken the very class that I'm taking and have made it pretty big in the photography industry...especially the local photography industry!  I was hoping this class would lift my spirits and it most definitely did!

Enter Bryan Allen (Google him)!  He is a fabulous photographer and what's best is, he shoots like I do (or like I attempt to do) - candid (for his lifestyle photography).  Although he is much better than I am!  I have visions of being that good and maybe if I can go to some of his workshops and work my booty off, I too can become that good!  One can only hope!  Anywho, he is just one of those people whose personality and energy is just contagious - like in a way that you just want him to breathe on you so you can catch that personality and energy!   He started talking and I just wanted to be his best friend - instantly!

He talked some about his philosophy of photography and in essence life in general.  I LOVED every bit of it.  It's like all the things I wished and dreamed I could do/be/etc., were all encompassed in this one really cool guy standing at the front of the class.  I like his philosophy and his style of photography, I just wish I could manage to maintain it consistently instead of having what seems like brief moments of enlightenment.

Bryan talked a lot about creativity and how to get it.  I think to some extent my creativity has taken a backseat, since I've been focusing more on learning how to use the camera properly.  My goal is to train my brain on how to operate the camera properly in all situations and then let my creativity run wild.  I want to be so comfortable with the camera that I don't have to think about it anymore and let my creativity take over!

I think the other thing I liked about Bryan so much is that he sort of reminded me of Ryne - a grown up, more mellow version of Ryne!  He is an electrical engineer by day and does photography on the side.  His quirks and areas of interest seemed so much like Ryne's.  I just wish Ryne would mellow out a little already - sheesh!  I guess that's what any parent can hope for - that you raise a will-adjusted, smart, creative, centered, passionate, friendly child!

Anyway, my spirits have been lifted!  Not only did I connect with my purpose, I connected with someone else with a similar purpose who can be a fabulous inspiration for me and my photography!  I'm excited for the future!  

One Step Forward or Two Steps Back?

I've started my second photography class!  I'm excited and learning even more!  I think I will probably take a few other classes in the program as well because I am learning so much and so quickly!  However, sometimes I wonder if I haven't taken two steps backwards by trying to move forward.  My photos aren't significantly better than when I borrowed my best friend's camera and shot the pictures of Ryne back in November that everyone raved about on Facebook - some people even going so far as to say that they looked professional.  I haven't had as many comments like that recently and I am actually working towards being a professional!  Although the people who have done photo shoots for me seem to be quite happy with my work!  

Do I think the classes are worth it?  YES!!  I'm seeing photography in a whole new way.  I look at pictures differently and I have a VERY picky eye for certain things.  I can look at a professional's work and tell what they did with editing and such and my eye for composition has changed significantly!  I have learned to use my camera in total Manual mode rather than relying on the basic settings (you know the ones that have a picture of the running man, mountain, and flower for close ups).  I can make my camera do all that by telling it that I want this shutter speed, this aperture and this ISO.  So in a sense I feel that is several steps forward, but I don't have people knocking down my door for pictures...even free ones.  Since I tell the camera everything to do, I can also mess it up a bit, like have the wrong shutter speed or aperture or ISO, so not all my pictures are looking that much better.  Sometimes this is disheartening.  :(

Lets face it - I've spent a lot of money on a really nice/good camera.  I've spent a lot of money on classes and the best version of Photoshop.  I want my pictures to be spectacular already!  Anyone can take a picture and throw some basic editing software on it and make it look good, and if photography is a hobby, that's perfectly fine to do!  I did it too once upon a time and there's no shame in that!  I just want my photos to start reflecting my knowledge and I hope one day it will.  Otherwise, what use is it that when I see a wedding photographer shooting with all his fancy flash and whatnot pointed up to the sky in church with a super high ceiling and I know that flash is doing NOTHING.  Or when I see a professional holding their camera incorrectly (shudder the thought - pun intended!).

I never expected this to be easy, but I thought it would be easier.  I am hoping that class this week will lift my spirits a bit!  We are having guest speakers come who are Tom's previous students, and these people have made it BIG - not big in Knoxville, but big nationwide!  I trust that my education and experience with my instructor, Tom, will definitely come in handy very soon, but I am so impatient and such a perfectionist!  It's too bad that my true style of photography is more candid because it's harder to adjust my camera because lighting and exposure can change quickly with a moving target.  Editing my photos is harder as well because if you were posing someone you wouldn't necessarily do it in the same place or time as a candid shot.  I like the realness of my candid photos, and I am hoping to be able to adapt that into more visibly pleasing photos and I'm hoping my hard work, dedication and eduction will pay off!

The Climb

As much as I loathe Miley Cyrus, she does have some good lyrics from time to time and her song, "The Climb" has been on my mind for the past few days...well, since my climb!

Sunday, bright and early at 4 AM, Ronnie and I headed out to climb the Chimney Tops!  I had about 4 hours of sleep and Ronnie had none, but we were actually quite chipper!  Ronnie had been looking for a hiking partner and I was looking for someone that was brave enough to take me climbing before the sun came up for some amazing photo ops, and also someone that I could possibly outrun, if in fact we came across a bear!  You know that joke, that you don't have to outrun the bear, just the slowest person in the group!  Well, in a group of 2, I better be booking it if Yogi and Boo Boo decide to nab some hikers!

The Chimney Tops trail is not a very long one - only 2 miles, but we didn't realize the difficulty of the trail. I think Ronnie said it was roughly a 1000 ft elevation change over the 2 miles!  We made the first mile pretty quickly and without many problems.  We were decked out in our head lamps and short sleeved shirts.  It was cold enough that we could see our breath, in the light of the head lamps, but we were burning up from busting it up that mountain.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Ronnie and I are both incredibly out of shape, so that made this little hike even more eventful!  Around 1.3 miles we started feeling like we could puke!  We had to stop every 20 yards or so and sit for a minute.  I guess the change in elevation was starting to wear on us by that point.

The top of the Chimney Tops is actually rock-face or basically a bunch of slate jutting up out of the ground!  The trails technically ends at the base of the rock face, but we and many others, ventured forth to literally climb the rock face - like, looking for hand and foot holds kind of climbing!  At first I didn't want to climb the rock face, but Ronnie told me that I didn't get up that early and hike until I wanted to puke to just stand at the bottom of the rock face to get my pictures.  So I shimmied up the rock face and it was SO worth it!

Luckily, we made it to the tippy top before sunrise!  That was the whole purpose of the trip.  It was somewhat light outside before the sun truly came up over the mountains, but the view and the photos were still quite moving!  It's not the tallest mountain but it's tall enough and you have a 360 degree view so it's amazing... especially at sunrise!

I wish Adam could have gone and he wanted to but he didn't want to lose that much sleep and then have to start the work week the next day.  It was good having a little bonding time with my brother though.  Hopefully Adam will go again with me one day, maybe in the fall when the position of the sun is different and sunrise is at a different time!

Here are a few photos that I took at Sunrise and on the hike back down!

God's Flashlight!

 this is where God's Flashlight was pointing to 

S-curves in nature are beautiful! 

Little Red Squirrel who was busting a move!  I could hardly catch him clearly in a photo!

Family Photo Shoot

I had another photo shoot last week that I'd like to share some of.  They haven't seen all the pictures yet, so I am waiting to post them all until after they get their copies of them.  I will also have a photography blog up and running soon, and eventually my photo shoot pictures will be plastered all over that as well!  But for now, I have to think of a name, and a business name!  Decisions.  Decisions!

Anyway, this photo shoot involved some Senior Portraits, and a family of four, soon-to-be five!

Photography Friday

I HAVE to show some pictures from one of my first non-family photo shoots!

Talia and her beautiful family were brave enough to let me practice my photography skills on them recently.  Grant, her son, is such a cute, cooperative, little guy, and the entire family was a pleasure to work with!

So here is a little sneak peek...a little more than I shared on Facebook.

Thanks again to this beautiful family!

March Wrap Up

Holy Cow (said in my best Harry Caray voice)!  Happy Opening Day!  Today is Opening Day for Major League Baseball.  It's kinda a big deal in this house.  Normally Opening Day falls on a Monday.  Adam's dad always grills hamburgers and hotdogs for Opening Day and since Mondays are Adam's late days at work, we don't get to celebrate with the rest of the family.  We actually aren't celebrating today either, but we will be tomorrow!  We are having the in-laws up for, wait for it...salmon!  When we originally made the plans to celebrate Opening Day on Friday, we all forgot that Fridays mean no meat for Catholics, and I just wouldn't feel right eating a nice juicy burger in front of the rest of the family!  So we decided to go with salmon instead.  Not quite Opening Day food, but we will make it work!

Ryne started saying "baseball" and "play ball" a few weeks ago!  Just in time for the season!  We bought him an outfit and everything!  Also, if you've never heard this, listen to Dan St. Paul's impersonation of Harry Caray for the First Baseball Game!  Google it.  It's hilarious!

On to the child, which we call, Ryne.  He is plowing through jigsaw puzzles, without my help and on ones he has never seen before!  He's learning to recognize words - which leads to reading.  He is obsessed with cleaning, and mowing!  Hopefully he'll be a good little helper one day!

On to us.  We've had a few house showings recently!  Fingers crossed that it sells soon.  Bad news on the building front.  The builder we were originally going to use and the one that built our current house is closing its doors in a month or so.  They are honoring the current contracts they have, but we don't have a contract with them. Soo...that means they wont be building our house.  There are pros and cons to that.  They had a bigger floorplan for less money, but it's a cookie cutter home like the one we have now.  We are going to look into custom building a home with my best friend's husband's company.  We shall see....

I'm really loving a new book, I picked this week.  It's called, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  I LOVE it!  I thought it looked interesting and so far it is!  I consider myself much like the author in the area of happiness.  I'm happy.  Not depressed or anything like that, but I could be happier.  She writes about a year-long happiness project and covers different areas of happiness in each month/chapter.  She went to law school, so I love the way she writes - profound, yet down to earth!  I'm currently in the month of March, which has the topic of Work.

Speaking of work, I've been doing a few photo shoots recently and honing my skills!  I am going to get the biz up and running very soon!  I am currently working on a business plan and pricing.  This isn't going to be easy to start, but it's what I enjoy doing.  I am going to have a photography blog up and running soon also, to use as a virtual portfolio.  I'm also starting another photography class next week to learn even more skills!  Lots to do!

There is a lot to learn in photography.  It's not so simple as putting your camera in the basic settings and letting the camera do the work, not if you're wanting it to be professional.  It's telling the camera what to do!  I kinda like being the boss!  Editing is time-consuming for now, but I will get faster with practice.  Equipment is expensive, to say the least!  I wish they gave out student loans with these classes!  I'm nervous but excited and I know that in time, I'll be able to do weddings and fun things such as that!

Dirty Photo Shoot!

Literally, dirty!  When Mom, Ryne and I visited my grandparents last weekend, Ryne LOVED playing in Papa's plowed up garden.  Papa lives in the Sandhills of North Carolina, so his garden is different than most I've seen around East TN.  He doesn't really have much dirt, it's more sand or dirty sand!  I guess some of the dirty aspect to the sand may be from years and years and years of adding compost to the sand.

Anywho, Ryne wanted to go out one evening so I took him out there and slowly but surly his shoes started getting dirt all down in them.  He took his shoes off and thought he'd just walk around in his little white socks.  I thought differently about that so I took his socks off too, and he had the best time playing in the dirty sand!  Every boy needs some dirt and give a boy a stick and they will cooperate for photos!

I haven't had much of a chance to edit these photos, since I'm still new at Photoshop and I've been editing another real photo shoot that I did this weekend with a little cutie pie and his parents!  Such a beautiful family!

But I still wanted to share.  These pictures may not be works of art, but it captures the essence of Ryne in real life.  I think that's sort of the root of my photography:  REAL life, especially with children because they are more relaxed, cooperative, and fun!  I love great poses too, but my child isn't posable, so I take what I can get!  I am going to make an album for my grandparents to enjoy and to keep the memory of the family going!

Pre-editing.  Notice in the header of the blog, this picture has no house and removed some drool stain from Ryne's shirt!  This is my favorite picture from this photo shoot!

Bark off a log!

Playing in a brush pile 

 Dirty Sand

 Ryne likes to get REAL close to the camera!

 Exploring

 Crawling 

 Found a hole!

 In the hole...with four inches of drool coming off his lip! 

 Whoops!

 Trying to fill the hole back up with more dirty sand.

 Bubble Mowing is hard work!  

 More exploring

 Speak softly and carry a broken fishing pole

Chickens!  

When the Lights Go Down in the City!

For my photography class shooting assignment, we have to have a nighttime cityscape photo.  Here are a few I took last night.  They are obviously unedited (no cropping, enhancing, etc.) because I have to turn them in for the assignment au naturale!
I'm just proud of finally being able to do a decent nighttime photo!

New Direction

Recently, I've been having so much fun with our new camera!  Yay!  Santa came early this year!  And...I'm still so in LOVE with photography!  So much so that I'm considering making a go of it!  So what does that mean?  Well, that means I need to take tons of pictures (not just of Ryne and River) and put together a portfolio, to show potential clients...when I actually make my photography business official, sometime after then New Year!

I've been reading, and studying, but practice makes perfect.  So, I need people to take pictures of and I will do it for FREE!!!!  I will put some of the best pictures on a CD for you to have.  If you check to see what other photographers charge for a CD of pictures, a FREE one is kind of a BIG DEAL!

I'm trying to narrow my areas of interest and target market; however, for now I'm open to just about anything.  I have really enjoyed taking pictures of the boys, but I'd also love to work with some younger babies, couples, families, events and maybe even boudoir (it's getting really popular and what lady wouldn't want a classy, tasteful picture of themselves looking like a Victoria's Secret model - you know you secretly do!)

Here are a few of my favorite pictures that I've taken so far.  The picture in the blog header is also one of mine!