Sunday, October 11, 2015

Project {24} Summer 4

I will be finishing up my first Project {24} Summer in France.  Nothing says Summer like the aroma of Lavandin wafting through the early evening breeze.  If I close my eyes, I can imagine myself there, listening to the laughter floating through the trees and smelling the wonderful flowers that surround the cottage that I stayed at.  If I just close my eyes...

Le Coeurisier: Le Thor, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Le Coeurisier: Le Thor, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Le Coeurisier: Le Thor, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Le Coeurisier: Le Thor, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Le Coeurisier: Le Thor, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Le Coeurisier: Le Thor, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

This concludes my first Project {24}.  I have learned a lot getting back into film and have had my equal share of frustrating as well as creative moments.  If you missed any of Project {24} Summer series, here are the direct links.


Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

Project {24} Summer 3

My summer concluded with a hop, skip and jump across the ocean.  Took one shot of my caterpillars and headed off to my flight.  The remainder of the photos will take place in the Provence of France.  

Amusez-vous bien! 

Monarchs: Fernandina Beach, FL

Lavandin: Coustellet, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

 Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque:  Gordes, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque:  Gordes, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Le Coeurisier:  Le Thor, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Le Coeurisier:  Le Thor, France
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

Project {24} Summer 2

Summer continues with plenty of time at the beach, lounging by the pool and baking yummy treats!

Amelia Island, FL
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Amelia Island, FL
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Amelia Island, FL
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Amelia Island, FL
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Amelia Island, FL
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Amelia Island, FL
ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Project {24} Summer 1

Not sure what Project {24} is all about?  Check out this link first.  This is the first time I set out to do this sort of project in film or digital, so it was a bit more of a challenge than I anticipated.  
I broke one of my guidelines within the first two photos I shot - completely unintentionalPROMISE!  After shooting the first tiger lily, the sun came out and I shot the second exposure with a little different composition, adding in the buds as well as capturing the sunlight on the flower.  

Moving forward I stuck pretty well to my one photo per subject guideline :)  Truth be told, I kind of like both the shots.  The first has a painting feel to the background and I am very happy with the second and how the bloom is captured bathed in sunlight.  This also goes to show that sometimes guidelines and photography rules can (and should be) be broken :)


ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

ISO 100 ~ Film
© Corrie M. Avila

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Project {24} Begins

The idea behind Project {24} was born with my love for film photography and my desire to do more of it.  If you missed it, check out the post about Project {24}.

Here is a recap on my "guidelines:"

  • Only taking one photo per composition
  • Creating a theme for that roll
  • Taking the time to make sure that photo is the one I want to take
  • Once the roll is complete, I will publish all 24 shots on the blog (even if there are ones I don't like or that don't pass my critical eye).  Scouts honor, you will see all 24 on here.

My first project theme is "Summer."  It was initially more difficult than I anticipated because not only did I want my photo to be individual, I also wanted to tell a story with the series.  It ended up morphing into more of a travel log of what we did this summer, which I am very happy about.  I will be releasing the photos in 4 groups of 6.


In the past, I always developed my film at walmart, costco, cvs ect, (I know, a disgrace to all film photographers everywhere).  I figured it was time to send my film to a real developing company.  After some research, I decided to use The DarkRoom, who is based out of California.  I requested a postage paid envelope and order form for your rolls from their website.  Price is decent, especially given that film has become more of a novelty.  You also have the ability to pre-pay online and then just ship your receipt along with your film.  Once film was developed, I got an email with a link to my photos to share/print online if I wanted.  A few days later I received my negatives along with a CD of my images.  I decided to wait to order prints for the time being.  One day I would like to dabble in developing film on my own, but for now, that will have to wait.


So film has been developed and I have the photos in hand.  Project {24} begins!

Capturing the Moment <3

Corrie

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

International Photography: Tripod

To tripod or not to tripod, that is the question.

I am gearing up for a trip to Europe and have been prepping my equipment and making choices on which gear will make the cut.  Since I will be traveling alone and to two different countries, I have to make choices to keep my luggage light and manageable, but have the gear that I need.

Something that is important for travel photography is a tripod, but there are pros and cons to bringing one.  They can be heavy and cumbersome, but they are quite essential for night photography.  There are some inexpensive tripods that cost around $20-$30, but they are not well made and can sometimes have trouble holding up a DSLR with a big lens.  You can spring for the carbon fiber tripod which brings strength and is also extremely light, but typically starts at $70 and up.  If you have no plans for night photography, you can probably skip bringing it, but that is a call you have to make.

Each city has their own ordinances and rules on tripod usage.  When I was in NYC photographing the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Plaza, I only was able to get a few shots before being scurried along by a guard.  I was unaware of any tripod restrictions prior to going, but was told when I was there that unless I was official press, I could not use a tripod.  Thankfully I already had gotten the shot I wanted before having to pack up and move on.  Sometimes there are no official rules, but I really did not want to test the guard and end up trying to explain to my husband why I needed to be bailed out of a NYC jail.  Here are a few shots from that trip.  All of these were taken with a tripod.

New York, NY
Rockefeller Plaza





As with anything when traveling, be aware of your surroundings.  I recommend traveling with at least one other person so that you can be eyes for each other while photographing, but if that is not possible, just remain aware and careful.  Having a tripod with you can also make you more of a target to thieves, so just be cautious and try to keep your gear as inconspicuous as possible.

That being said, I still have not made my decision on tripod vs no tripod.  I've gotten pretty good at improvising while I'm out on firm/stable surfaces and adjusting my ISO as needed.  Remember as a general rule, you don't want to handhold with a shutter speed lower than 1/60 sec.  There is much more of a chance of blur when you do that.  Using a stable surface as well as a remote can help you get those shots without the hassle of lugging a tripod all around.  But you sacrifice the exact shot you want and the possibility of a more grainy shot when increasing the ISO.

I took these shots a different trip to New York and did not use my tripod.  I placed the camera directly on the ground in the first one and then placed it on the ledge of the staircase on the second one.  As you can see, these shots were taken in the day, but because of low light, I needed a slower shutter speed.

New York, NY
Grand Central Station



When I traveled to Paris in 2000, I had no idea what I was doing with my camera technically.  I remember being extremely frustrated and could not understand why all my shots of the Eiffel Tower were either blurry (no flash and slow shutter being handheld = blurry shots) or you couldn't see it at all (flash fired and lit up the foreground and the background disappeared).  Paris is not on my list this trip, but I do plan on dabbling a little in some night photography.  I am excited as to the prospects and already coming up with a photography bucket list while I am in Europe including both daytime photography and night photography.

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

Friday, June 26, 2015

Project {24}

I will be starting a new series titled "{24}," and no, it isn't the TV series that stars Kiefer Sutherland.... although, that is quite the mental picture :)  This series will be based on 35 mm film and that traditionally, you have 24 exposures per roll.  Sometimes you have more, sometimes you have less, but on average ~ 24 exposures.  What do you take photos of when you have a limited number?  How do you handle not being able to experiment as you can do with digital photography?

Tiger Lily
Hendersonville, NC
ISO 400 ~ 60mm ~ f/4.5 ~ 1/50 sec
© Corrie M. Avila


It does make you think a bit more.  Here are my guidelines that I will "try" to stick to:


  • Only taking one photo per subject
  • Creating a theme for that roll
  • Taking the time to make sure that photo is the one I want to take
  • Once the roll is complete, I will publish all 24 shots on the blog (even if there are ones I don't like or that don't pass my critical eye).  Scouts honor, you will see all 24 on here.

My first theme is "Summer."  I encourage you to join me if you would like!  What does summer mean to you?  What activities do you enjoy doing during the summer?  What summer traditions do you have?  Be creative and enjoy the challenge!

The last time I shot film was shortly after we moved back in 2013.  Here is the link for some of those photos: {FILM} 35mm Style.

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

Saturday, April 4, 2015

{spring}

Spring is by far one of my favorite seasons!  I love seeing life come to my garden after being dormant all Winter.

 ISO 250 ~ 70mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/500 sec
© Corrie M. Avila

This was a favorite last year for the local 
hummingbirds and grows huge and lush!
 ISO 500 ~ 60mm ~ f/4.0 ~ 1/60 sec
© Corrie M. Avila

ISO 250 ~ 60mm ~ f/5.0 ~ 1/60 sec
© Corrie M. Avila

Tomato Plant
ISO 250 ~ 60mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/320 sec
© Corrie M. Avila

Mother's Day rose bush from last Spring
ISO 250 ~ 60mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/125 sec
© Corrie M. Avila

Wildflower
ISO 100 ~ 60mm ~ f/2.8 ~ 1/125 sec
© Corrie M. Avila


Capturing the Moment,

Corrie

Thursday, January 1, 2015

A New Year, A New Start

New Year's Resolutions

I resolve to spend more time doing the things I love
I resolve to spend less time thinking about other's perception of myself and my family
I resolve to smile more and worry less
I resolve to choose joy

Ft. Clinch
Fernandina Beach, FL
ISO 640 ~ 41mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/400 sec
© Corrie M. Avila

What are some of yours?

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3