Here's one from the archives that never fails to make me smile. It's just a guy and his dog, and they are oh, so happy together.
Spring Cleaning
It's the time of year. People are climbing into their attics to sift through boxes of unwanted junk, dusting off the bookshelves that haven't been dusted since last spring, and sorting through the junk drawers. Something about the snow melting (metaphorically of course- I live in Georgia after all) feels like a fresh start, maybe even more so than New Years does. I've certainly been doing my fair share of cleaning. It seems like the second little man goes down for a nap I'm bolting around the house trying to get something done. I've cleaned the carpets, worked in the lawn, and cleaned places in my house that should have been cleaned a long time ago. Yikes.
But there's a place in my life that is even more in need of a spring cleaning than the rest of my house- my computer. Last year at this time I was pregnant and lazy (seriously, how did I sleep that much?!) and so, even though I was taking a lot of pictures, they all ended up in an un-edited pile on my desktop. I don't even want to know how many raw files have piled up.
So my big spring cleaning project is to go through and edit all those raw files. I've got a street photography set, some personal family photos, photos from my baby shower, some boudoir photos, and a set of my #1 model at the beach. This could take a while.
So to kick things off, I'm going to share some photos I took last year at this time during a day walking around Savannah.
I went back to wander downtown with my sister in law, our babies, and our dogs the other day for the first time in a long while. And even though it's a year later, these photos perfectly depict what's happening in Savannah right now- musicians playing in the park, people relaxing and working in the sunshine, and the gorgeous green grass of spring. My little family really lucked out to get stationed in such a beautiful vibrant place.
Monday Photo Dump: Week 14 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer
This week my hubby was out in the field (still) so I had a lot of down time. This meant that I actually got out and did some stuff this weekend, and I think as a result got some fun pictures.
3-29-14: I spent my Saturday evening wandering Savannah and taking pictures of One Love's Paws for a Cause event. They had dancers performing and, seeing that I minored in dance and have a strong interest in the subject, I really enjoyed photographing it.
3-30-14: Sunday I went with some friends and some dogs out to the beach at Hilton head. This dog (sassy) had the time of her life chasing water droplets. I'm pretty sure she can fly!
3-31-14: I got my exercise this week with some tennis. I attempted to use my phone's camera as an experiment to how well it works. Not very well, it turns out. If this had a proper exposure it wouldn't have been half bad though. Does any know any manual camera apps for android?
4-1-14: I've been really enjoying how differently I'm able to grocery shop with my hubby not around. If I want salami and brie for dinner I can do it, and nobody is here to complain!
4-2-14: I got a remote shutter release for my camera and spent some time messing around with it. I was going for a model-like photo, but I guess I'm better off behind the camera, because I do NOT know how to pose myself. I accidentally got this shot of myself and Jerry playing though.
4-3-14: Another cell phone pic! This is one of the Petsmart cats being all belly's up and cuddly, which, after my day at work, I really needed.
4-4-14: I bought a new 35mm lens and took it downtown to do some street photography. This was one of the first shots I took with it. I love this lens!
And that's it for this weeks photos. Next week will kick off with Jerry at the beach and some sharkless shark fishing. Stay tuned!
Monday Photo Dump: Week 12 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer
This week has been a bit different than usual for me. It's been all about me time. My hubby has been in the field since Wednesday which means that my week can be summed up in just a few words- dogs, cats, bubble baths, books, and wine. And work, but I try to ignore that part.
3-22-14- I met these two cuties at the adoption event with One Love at Tailspin on Saturday. I was soo close to taking them home. If I was a single woman, I would have a house full.
3-23-14 Just some pretty flowers because spring has sprung.
3-24-14: Over the weekend I broke my phone (it was my first time ever breaking a phone). But I was able to use it as an excuse to upgrade back to an android. It was kind of disappointing because I really like the idea of the windows 8 operating system, but it just didn't run well enough.
3-25-14: Saturday was my husband and my anniversary. We've been keeping this charm bracelet since we were dating and the idea was to add a charm every year. We were a bit behind so he ordered some to catch up. Each charm represents a year in our marriage except the first two which are for when we were dating, and our wedding.
3-26-14: This was the first day of the field for my hubby. I took this as an opportunity for my kindle, a glass of wine, and a nice long bubble bath.
3-27-14: I'm excited because the plant that I thought I had killed just sprouted some new leaves.
3-28-14: Jerry and I have been getting a lot of quality time together with the hubster away. I think he even listens when I have conversations with him (uh oh am I crazy?). This is his interested face.
So that's it for this week's photos. Next week will be jumping off with Sassy, the amazing flying dog. Curious? Check back to find out what I'm talking about.
Monday Photo Dump Week #10 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer
Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for another Weekly Photo Dump!
This week was rainy and awful, but the weekend was gorgeous. I spent the weekend outside (yet didn't bring my camera, what was I thinking?) and then spent the rest of the week playing with dogs and eating (hey, my two favorite things.
So without further ado:
3-1-14: Okay so technically this was taken the night before, but since I had to work early Saturday morning, and this is what we were doing the night before, I think this gives you a good idea of how my Saturday felt- sleep deprived.
3-2-14: Sunday was also spent outside, somehow without my camera. Although I wasn't able to get any pictures of my adventures, my hubby did let me take this quick portrait of him and my dobe, Jerry. I can't believe how big that dog has gotten!
3-3-14: My Monday consisted of work and then hours spent at the car dealership while they figured out that they needed to replace my transmission. This is how I felt about things.
3-4-14: And then came the rain. A five minute storm flooded my yard, and then we were stuck in the cold, wet, gross weather for the rest of the week.
3-5-14: I used to be totally scared of raw chicken. It freaked me out. But this chicken is about to be delicious!
3-6-14: Thursday I decided to embrace the rain and play with my friend Sam's dog Sassy. She was not phased by the nasty weather. She just wanted to play!
3-7-14: I spent Friday playing with the dogs too. Magnum was so kind as to pose for me. He looks so dignified here!
After my missed photo opportunities this weekend I decided to take my camera with me more places, and I am much happier with this week's photos because of it. Sticking to this idea, I already have some great photos for next week including a day at the shooting range. I'm excited to bring some new life into this project and see where we can go with it. Stay tuned!
Monday Photo Dump: Week 9 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer
Phew! It's been a crazy week. I got stuck working two night shifts next week with not a whole lot of break between that and my day shift. I may have worked less hours, but I am still recovering from the lack of sleep.
I don't do well without sleep.
And then yesterday, when I was supposed to be posting last week's photos, I spent three and a half hours at the car dealership for them to tell me that I wouldn't have my car for a week while they replace the transmission. At least it's warranty work.
Anyway, this is going somewhere, I promise. Basically I'm giving you all my excuses for why I'm a) a day late, and b) using cell phone pictures this week.
I had originally planned to do every picture for my 365 with my DLSR, but quite frankly that wasn't doable this week. My week happened at work, and I can't exactly carry my DSLR around at Sam's and stop work to shoot some pictures. So, although the quality makes me cringe, I'm using some cell phone pictures.
Whew, I'm a bit long winded today, aren't I? Let's get to the pictures.
1-22-14: Before all the craziness, I spent my Saturday afternoon at an adoption event at Tails Spin in Pooler hanging out with this cool guy and a few other sweet adoptables. Fulton (the guy in the picture) is a complete lover, and he was posing for pictures left and right. He also licked my lens at one point. Nothing like a little dog slobber to make your pictures sharp, huh?
1-23-14: Sunday I went over to some friends' house to do a lifestyle photo shoot with them. I've wanted to do this silhouette shot for some time, I just hadn't found the right subjects and situation. I love the way this turned out.
1-24-14: Yes, it's supposed to be upside down. My hubby convinced me to go for a jog with him Monday. Let me just say, I don't jog. I was so sore/tired/defeated by the end of this jog that I pretty much collapsed on the floor afterwards. Once I recovered, I decided to do some yoga for my poor, poor muscles. Jerry seemed to think it was a game and was running around all over the place, so I took this shot: my view from downward facing dog.
1-25-14: Que the night shift. This was my "rockin' the night shift" selfie for instagram that I took on the first night when I was consuming way too much caffeine and driving a forklift around 'cause I was bored.
1-26-14: After work I thought I'd go home and crash. I curled up on the couch and Jerry joined me. I was exhausted! But I was so amped up on caffeine still that I couldn't sleep. And Jerry's nose was constantly in my face, so that didn't help much. I ended up watching I Love Lucy all day instead.
1-27-14: My last nightshift was dragging on by the end. I was still full of caffeine and spent most of the night jamming out to The Fratelli's, but as the last hour came I was losing steam. I tried to entertain myself by doodling one a post-it note.
1-28-14: This was my recovery day, also spent on the couch watching I Love Lucy (I've decided I'm in love with Ricky Ricardo). This time Gizmo kept me company.
Like I said, it's was a crazy week. This one is off to a rough start, but I'm hoping for smooth sailing from here on out. We will see. Until then I've got some serious house cleaning to do, so that's all for today!
It's a good day to be a Doberman | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer
It's starting to feel like Summer here in Pooler, and I am SO ready. I love the winter, but this one's been all the cold with none of the benefits (i.e. snow). I'm a northern girl and I would kill to hit the ski hill, but since that's not an option I will take a wake board out on the water instead, no doubt about it.
But since it's not quite Summer yet, I'll have to settle for soaking up the sunshine and running around the backyard with my favorite dog.
It's a good day to be a doberman!
Friday Photo Dump: Week #4 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer
Hey guys! It's that time of week again for a bunch more photos.
This week I came up with a last minute theme (I seriously decided as I was taking the first picture). The theme is:
Outdoors
it's pretty straight forward. You would think that would be quite easy except for one little thing--
It's been really cold.
Okay I probably have all my readers from up North shaking their heads right now. Fair enough, it's been really Georgia cold. But the thing about Georgia cold is that it's not pretty in an "I want to go outside and play in the snow" kind of way. Things are just brown and dead and cold. I also haven't been feeling super motivated to leave my house this week, so that left me with the challenge of finding things to photograph in my cold, dead yard.
Let's see how I did.
1-18-14: For Saturday and Sunday I did actually leave my house. My husband and I took our dog Jerry on a walk at the park. It was pretty dang cold in the shade, but when these lovely rays of sun showed up it was perfect out! The rare thing about this photo is that my hubby is actually in the picture. He hates cameras, so this may be one of only a few photos of him this year.
1-19-14: After my dad brought home my childhood kite during Christmas, the hubby and I decided to take it out for a test spin (I never got the chance to use it as a kid). Well, during this endeavor we learned that Jerry loves kite chasing. I'm just lucky those big sharp doberman teeth didn't snag my kite!
1-20-14: Did I mention that it's cold out! Well, I had this brilliant idea that I was going to have a bonfire with the Christmas tree that is still sitting patiently in the backyard. Turns out I kind of suck at starting fires. This is the best flame I got.
1-21-14: I took advantage of this blue sky day to take a silhouette picture of the tree in our front yard. I love the crisp lines in this photo.
1-22-14: Here's Jerry basking in the evening sun. Don't let the warm colors of this photo fool you though. I still had two sweatshirts on.
1-23-14: The Christmas tree is still in the backyard. I should really do something about that.
1-25-14: It's just another beautiful, blue sky, sunny day. And freezing. I had to continuously pause from my paperwork at work this morning in order to breathe on my hands to warm them back up. And that was inside the store!
And that's it for this week.
Since I've used this word entirely too much in this post, I've come up with a theme for next week and it is: Cold.
I'm still on the hunt for new themes, so if you have any ideas please leave them in the comments.
See ya next time!