Elizabeth Messina on Instyle Weddings

I was just browsing Instyle Weddings online when I discovered wedding photos of Josh Schwartz & Jill Stonerock shot by one of my favorite wedding photographers, Elizabeth Messina. She is just an amazing photographer.

The Love Story - Celebrity Wedding: Josh Schwartz & Jill Stonerock - In Style Weddings

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First Two Rolls

My first two rolls of film came back from the lab today. Both were cheap, no, free from the guy who sold me the camera, Walgreen brand ISO400 film. I used Sam's Club's lab to process those and the price was very reasonable. I didn't ask for scans this time because I wasn't sure if the pictures would come out all right and now I regret it, well, at least for the second roll. Both of these have been expired for more than two years, but they still look pretty good. I used the first roll to do some test shots of my new bike (more on that later) and played with exposure settings. I actually wrote down what settings I used for each frame so I could refer back to it later. Boy, wasn't that a good decision. I learned a lot from my notes. The second roll was shot in a near by park, so mostly just landscape and plants. Some of them are quite nice, and the colors are beautiful.

Bottom line, if cheap expired film can look this good, a better brand will probably blow my mind. I am sold. Period.

Film rocks!

P.S. Will be paying the extra $$ scanning my film from now on.

Minolta X-700

I am officially the proud owner of a Minolta X-700! Hence the start of my analog journey. I still use my Canon XT sometimes, but more than half of my time is spent learning on my Minolta. I also discovered Inside Analog Photo and have been listening to their podcast. It's a really cool podcast. I am learning a lot from it.

Yesterday, I went to the library to get some books on how to shoot film. When I was ready to check out, the guy at the counter said, "By the time you are done, you will know everything about it. Right?" I laughed and agreed with him. I did check out a lot of books. I just can't help wanting to get better at shooting film.

Kelby Training

I am so glad I subscribed to Kelbytraining. I needed help with Photoshop and they had great courses to get me started. The one thing I liked the online structure better compared to reading books is that I learn much faster watching the videos online. Also, Photoshop is a huge program, and as a photographer you really don't need to know everything about it. Kelbytraining focuses on what photographers will most likely to use and give you straight forward information.

I recently finished watching Photoshop CS4 for Beginners and it has helped me tremendously. I think just this one course alone is worth the one month subscription fee. At least now I can get around Photoshop without feeling lost and confused. Oh, did I mention I love the healing tool?

Shopping for a Camera

I've decided to get a 35mm film camera so I can start practicing how to shoot film. I did some research online to see what my options are and discovered that there are lots of great old cameras out there at decent prices. The only problem is I have no idea which ones are good for me. In fact, this whole film thing seems a little overwhelming. I feel so alone and lost in this digital age. Why couldn't they just come up with a digital camera that can produce the look of film? How about an editing program that can truly produce film effect? Or maybe I just need a good mentor to guide me along the way. Where can I find someone like that?

Favorite Photographers

I have been looking at a lot of different photographer's work online lately. A few that really catches my eye are Lisa Lefkowitz, Elizabeth Messina, and Jose Villa. What surprised me was that they all are film or mostly film photographers. This made me think perhaps I should seriously think about learning film photography.

Photoshop Training

I just signed up for a one month online training subscription at Kelby Training. I am so excited! Can't wait to learn those cool tricks the pros use.

Playing with Preset and Actions

I recently discovered the world of Lightroom presets and photoshop actions. Boy, what a difference those things can make. Here are some examples.

Original


Lightroom preset: Direct Positive


Lightroom "Direct Positive" + Pioneer Women Actions "Seventies"


Previous two setting + PW "B&W Beauty" at 75% opacity.

Photo Blogs

Whenever I have some time, I read photo blogs. I find that it is a great way to learn different styles, and sometimes even the story behind the picture. If I discover a really good blog, I tend to want to read every post ever written. It is very interesting to see how a photographer's life unfolds over time. At this point, two of my favorite blogs are Becker's Blog and Jasmine Star Photography Blog. I am learning a lot from them. Their blogs are empowering and inspirational. It would be wonderful if I could meet them in person and talk to them.

Bitten By the Photography Bug

Yes, I am back at being obsessed with photography again. The last time, also the first time, it happened was about three years ago. Then, it kinda died down after a few months. Recently, it came back with a vengeance. I am actually thinking about doing some serious study and possibly turn it into a part time business. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling this fever isn't going away soon.