Inspiration struck.

Yesterday I took a whole bunch of pictures. It was one of our first truly beautiful and pleasant summer days so far in the season and I did a pretty good job taking advantage of it.

First order of business was a walk around the yard! My sister is working on some projects for her Earthtastic! shop and our mom's house happens to have an abundance of lavender growing around it. She cut away while I took pictures.

Many lovely water droplets all over the bushes.

A lady bug friend.

Elijah's interested was piqued by the lady bug.

Really, really piqued. He loves bugs.

Unjuy, handsome fancy feline, was enjoying the sun and our presence outdoors.

Some surprise lilies are growing near the front porch! We all love lilies.

A walk into the large backyard yielded some excellent photo opportunities. Cassidy brought me back there especially for these beauties!

It was very easy to take a lot of pictures.

I picked just three to share, but I have a lot more.

And finally, some peaches. Our yard is a treasure trove of flora!












My outdoor sunshine enjoyment continued into the late afternoon. I visited with a friend I hadn't seen in some time and nabbed some shots from downtown Poulsbo.

Here is Danny skipping or throwing (I wasn't really paying attention) some rocks at the Sound. I didn't follow him down the embankment because I had my camera.

A walkway from the small boardwalk that goes from downtown to a little park in the woods next to the water. I have taken photos of this cement stretch before!

Under-ripe berries? I'm not really sure. Yesterday is  the first time I've really used my flash in conjunction with nature photos. It was a great experience. In the words of Joe McNally, "It doesn't have to be human to light it". That may not be exactly what he said, but it was very close to that. I had never thought of using my flash for subjects that weren't people. I feel it has really brought my photos to a new level!

Obligatory historic shot.

A pub called Hare & Hound opened up downtown not terribly long ago, and then suddenly this 100% genuine, but non-functioning, British phone booth showed up outside of it! I was just tickled when  my Grandma came home about a week ago and told me about it. I had to stop and take a picture. I'll be able to get photos of ones in London soon!

So this concludes my inspirational day of photography. I hope to be struck again soon.

-MJ

Real life application.

I've been reading Joe McNally's book, The Hot Shoe Diaries, and I've been extremely inspired!

Last night I was up learning about EV adjustments in-camera and through the SB-800 unit and how they need subtle tweaks depending on the desired effect for an image. I was getting really pumped learning about new tricks and realizing that I had all the equipment necessary to start practicing the Joe McNally way!

Today I had just such a chance to put my new knowledge into play.

After enjoying a lovely dinner with my friends Xandre and Jacki downtown Olympia, we left the restaurant and I was greeted to an amazing looking downtown setting! The sun was heading down and most of the harsh light was gone, but the street was painted with glowing evening light and it made the texture and color of the buildings really pop. I've finally gotten to a place in my photographic career where I bring my equipment with me in my car in case a photo opportunity presents itself!

I yelled out in joy about the fantastic light and grabbed my gear from my car. It was just the perfect setting. Jacki is beautiful and always camera ready, and Xandre was more than happy to be my assistant and hold the diffuser over the flash for me.

It was a really fantastic moment. I felt like a real photographer, standing downtown with my camera, my model, and my friendly assistant holding a diffuser over my SB-800 on a light stand. I was chasing the light, just like Joe McNally. I knew what I was going for, and the top photo of this post demonstrates exactly what I imagined in my head when I saw the golden light hitting those buildings.

This is a great motivation point for me to always bring my gear! I never know what photo opportunities will present themselves.

-MJ