Lovelies

Since I have not shown an image of my own in a long while, I figured I'd show you one of  my most recent candid captures.

Marisa DeMarini

Marisa is a very dear college friend. Isn't she just gorgeously classic?

This shot is studio lit, but I didn't set up the lights. I just happened to be along on a photoshoot where my subject for a photojournalism project, Alaina, was styling Marisa. When I saw this light falling on Marisa I just had to take the shot! I even love that she closed her eyes at the very second I clicked the shutter. Everything just seemed to fall in place. Have you ever had one of those days, when things just work out beautifully? They're rare times, but when they come they're so refreshing!

Happy Sunday! :)

Favorite Things : Evernote

 These are a few of my Favorite things : Evernote

My Evernote Dock

Evernote gets me through so many binds. I can't imagine my life without it. Long gone are the days of random Word files floating around on my desktop. Now, I just create a new note from scratch, a screen capture, a copy and paste, or a ink note doodle and I can keep track of all my ideas, assignments, class notes, and inspirations.
My Favorite Feature(s): all of the source info is recorded when I copy and paste, which is AMAZING when using Evernote to do research for a paper, or project! Oh! Everything is synced up with Evernote's online server too, so when I need to access my "notebooks" everything is all in one place. Through their website, the dock, or the app on my android phone, I always have my notes with me! Ah! I love it!

I totally created an AWESOME(ly long) study guide on Evernote on my PC, synced up, and carried it around on my phone studying in every spare minute!


Another Favorite? I did say "few" but this post is pretty wordy already. There is something new that keeps me inspired, but I'll share that one another time ;)

SO What about you? Do you have any favorites to share? I'd love to hear about the things that make your life easier! Maybe they'll help me too!?

Inspirations

I've been really inspired by vintage objects lately. As I had mentioned earlier in the semester, I would really love to do my Studio2 final on a vintage theme. So, I've really been paying attention to what runs across my Facebook and Twitter feeds - all that's vintage, or even just creative is really standing out!

Here are somethings that have caught my eye lately -

Feathers!!!

The "Flapper"esque cap on the left is one of my favorites, both for the cap and the photo, Love!

Love the micro tulle veils! They remind me of my mothers wedding, I would really love to have brides whose style was like this! And I would find so many uses for these veils as props fo various photoshoots! I also really enjoy the innocence of the poses - young brides!

Twigs and Honey
I really enjoy that even the poses and styling complement the hair pretties.
( Photography by Elizabeth Messina)

Below: some bridal hair clips. I really love the dupioni silk roses, which almost seem re-purposed, and the combination with the feathers and the birdcage veil. These are my favorites on the BRYDFERTH site.

BRYDFERTH
(Love the idea to photograph with books as a background!)

Here's a slightly more affordable version, no modeled shots though, which is unfortunate. Also, unfortunate that it's black, because I'm more into the creams and blush colors for vintage.

Anthropologie

These are some shots which I just thought were very angelic and dreamy. I love the hair piece which looks like it's made of some sheer fabric, lace and pearls - Classic!

Green Wedding Shoes
(White Swan inspired shoot. Photography by Jessica Claire(but of course!))

So, there it is - a growing love for all things vintage, dreamy, soft and innocent.

Sprinkles Cupcakes, Lust, and Wednesday Afternoons..

Wednesday is a great day for me, well at least it becomes a great day when I get OUT of photo history. It's a day when I have a three hour block between classes of free time which I never have a clue what to do with. Last week, Karen and I started hanging out during that time slot. Ice skating was where we started, which I mentioned last week, this week was Karen's birthday. From the moment she told me that her birthday was this week, I new that I wanted to treat her to cupcakes. She wanted to go ice skating but, thankfully *wink wink*, it rained. So we hopped on the red line, got off at Chicago Ave, and headed to 50 E Walton St.. Sprinkles, and their gluten free red velvet, was just waiting for Karen and an Irish Chocolate(the flavor of the month, photo to the right) for me....mmmmm....mm. Amazing, fluffy, puffs of of deliciousness, with butter-cream frosting on top! YUM! It was Karen's first time and I doubt it will be her last, if only they had a couple more of their 20+ daily flavors that were gluten free for her.

Here's a bit about the sprinkles concept: (Watch the video below) Sprinkles was the very first cupcake bakery. They started in California and are now in 9 cities! I've talked about them on my blog before, more so in lust than anything else.. after all, they do tweet like 5 times a day talking about various ways to get free cupcakes. They also send out reminders to watch Cupcake Wars, which I never miss, on Tuesday nights! And I am officially, in a stalker-ish-craving-every-day-lust, with them... Thankfully, I don't have the time to catch the red line everyday! Follow Sprinkles on Twitter, Facebook, and watch Cupcake Wars! Believe me, you will not be disappointed, that is, unless there isn't a Sprinkles near you yet :(



p.s. I was thinking about themes and I'm almost afraid to start a theme because there's that, "what if I don't have anything to say on a theme this week," thought.. But, I'm also thinking that I can always build on a theme through out the week if one is set in place and people will then have something to look forward to each week. Still torn though. What do you think? Would you like to see a continuous theme each Thursday?

Hello March!

Wow, so it's officially March and all for about 3 days now and I am ready for spring! Man, am I ever! But neither Chicago, nor I could let go of the cold before I had the chance to go ice skating. I'm so glad I have a friend who loves to skate, because I probably wouldn't have gotten to go this year if I didn't.

I got out of class yesterday and had about 3 hours of down time before Studio2. At a loss for what to do, I remembered that Karen lives really close to school. Maybe we could hang out or something, before our class started. So I sent out a text and before I knew it, I was at Millennium Park skating with Karen in the amongst the buildings. Ah, life was good, and turned even better when she told me how many calories we were burning! 710 in 2hrs, man, that's good stuff!

Another awesome Wednesday occurrence - I got back the 4x5 transparency film I shot Monday morning in the studio and it's lovely! Oh, is it lovely! I think I'll go tape it up to my window and shoot some photos of it - that's how excited I am about it! Anyway, yeah, I'll post whatever I shoot so you can see it too! :)

I really do love the glow and vibrancy of transparency film - not enough to buy more of the expensive stuff- but if ever I have the chance to shoot it, for me, I think I'll do it. Hopefully, I'll have a friend with a lab by that time and super cheap, or free, processing, but I would so shoot transparency for fun.

While shooting that assignment, I actually realized a real appreciation for 4x5 instant film, or instant film in general! That stuff is a lifesaver! *Thank you, Karen!* And I love how it feels, so instant, no printing, no real processing, so final.. A very fine art approach to art, I suppose, but it's imperfections and slight color casts are just understood, and accepted, and that's a really great thing. It's like there is no room for perfection in the medium itself, but yet most of us, in studio anyway, use it to perfect our scene before we create a transparency or negative. Kinda interesting, I guess..


So back to spring - I'm eager because spring means playing outside, shooting outside, showing off cute outfits instead of coats, bright colors, sunglasses, cute hair rather than hat-head, Easter, and Easter family photoshoots!, and kid shoots, and warm photojournalism assignments, and of course, sunlight! I could go on, and on, but I think you get the picture!

Here are some cute spring "teasers" of my niece, Taylor - Look at the light on the floor in the shot on the right, isn't it awesome! LOVE!

All Images in this post taken with the Htc G2 Android.