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

Here we are facing another Monday. I'm still sick. In fact today I am call in from work amounts of sick, so I've spent the whole morning on the couch reading Divergent, cuddling with my pets, and feeling all around crappy. But, I'm taking a break from all of that to share this week's photos.

3-15-14: We start off in the heart of Savannah's St. Patty's day celebrations. This holiday is kind of a big deal here, for some odd reason, so the party lasted all weekend long.  We went out on Saturday with some friends and I did some drinking and street photography. I wrote a quick post about it and shared some pictures here.

3-16-14: Sunday I revisited some old music that I used to love as a teenager and realized I've not developed an attachment to music in the same way since then. There is something about hiding out in the orange and yellow bedroom of my teenage years reading Ray Bradbury and listening to A Ghost is Born that in some ways, I'll never beat.

3-17-14: Monday was shopping day 'cause I was in desperate need of a new pair of running/work shoes. I made a first attempt at product photography, which, although it's a bit dark, I think I did pretty decent on (especially since I was working with natural light).

3-18-14: On Tuesday Sam took in this absolutely adorable foster puppy who we both got instantly attached to (for me, all it took were some puppy kisses).

3-19-14: Wednesday I decided to revisit my writing after coming to the realization that I never write anymore, so I busted out this old tattered journal.

3-20-14: More writing on Thursday, but this time in the form of poetry.  Inspiration hits at such random times for me (I wrote most of this in my head while counting jewelry at work), but it's such a great feeling when it happens.

3-21-14: Friday I did an impromptu photo shoot with Sam, her jeep, and the setting sun. I'm so excited with how this shot turned out!

That's it for this week.  Next week's photo dump will be kicked off with the cutest puppies in the world, so stay tuned!

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!

Chad and Erika | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Last week, some good friends of mine Chad and Erika invited me into their home to do a lifestyle photoshoot of them.  Erika is expecting, but not showing yet, so this will be some of their last photos as just the two of them (plus dogs).  We really focused on the two of them in their natural surroundings, and I love the way this shoot turned out.

These two were a blast to work with, but I already knew that.  Chad and Erika are always great to hang out with. But watching the interactions between these two was even better.

Chad is straight up goofy and constantly making faces or striking a Captain Morgan pose for the camera, despite Erika trying her hardest to get him to be serious.  We were starting to think he may not be capable.

We weren't sure what the photos would look like in the end, but as I look at the results all I can see is love between this little family.  Look at Chad's face in that ultrasound shot. He is absolutely beaming! And he has good reason. What a gorgeous family!

I'm so excited to come back and do this shoot again, but next time the family will be just a bit bigger.

We rounded out the shoot by letting Chad play with their gorgeous husky, Cyan.  She was very playful and wouldn't sit still, but I like the action shots anyway.  Look at those eyes!

I loved this photo shoot, and am excited to try more of these indoor lifestyle shoots. This just a little peak into the shoot, but you can find the rest on my website, here.

It's Super Bowl Sunday!

Guess what day it is... It's...

It's arguably one of the biggest "holidays" (if you can call it that) in America, where people all across the country form harsh alliances and rivalry's based on which team of men (who most of us have never met) will maneuver a ball better than the others.

Can you tell I'm not much of a football person?

That said, my Super Bowl graphic there shows that I obviously have a preference.  This is the first year in, well, ever, that I've actually cared even slightly about which team wins.  It's not that have followed any football ever to know anything about any of the teams, but I'm from Washington, so if I were to pick a team this one makes sense.  Go Seahawks!

But even if I don't enjoy the sport, I do love Superbowl Sunday.  For me, it's all about the food, friends, and of course the commercials (nothing can tug at my heartstrings quite like a  good Budweiser commercial).

So this year I'm foregoing my sleep (I have to work tomorrow at 4:00 am meaning that I'd normally be going to bed ridiculously early tonight) to spend the evening with a bunch of friends eating junk food and drinking beer and watching the game.  My hubby and I made homemade soft pretzels to bring (I'll be sharing the recipe on here soon) and, somewhat surprisingly, they turned out great!

It should be another great Superbowl Sunday.

So how about you, what are your Super Bowl plans, and who are you rooting for?

Let me know in the comments!

Putting the Camera Away | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Yesterday I brought my camera with me (as always) as we went out on a boat with friends.  The day was destined to be full of wake boarding, smiling friends, and beautiful scenery and I was going to capture it all.  I donned my bikini and my camera strap (a setup for some odd tan lines) and started my day.

We started with tubing and jet skis, just cruising around the ocean.  I had my camera to the eye the entire time and I got some good shots, too. I was enjoying myself, but after a while my husband started to get annoyed with the camera.  I don't blame him, it's been pretty much glued to my eye since I got it. I handed it off long enough to let someone else get some pictures of us tubing, and then it got put away.

Of course, just when my camera went into the bag we arrived at Dafuskie Island, this beautiful place with mossy trees hanging over the ocean, a low-key restaurant with live musicians, and people everywhere.  There was a little kid in american flag swim trunks chasing around a little girl, a rottie that kept getting himself wraped up in his leash, people playing with footballs and frisbees, and so many different picture opportunities.  I went exploring around the place a couple times by myself and ended up coming back and asking Robert to unlock the boat where my camera was.  He said no, and told me to just relax and enjoy the day.  It was harder than it sounds.

I didn't take pictures, but here's what I did do without my camera--

• I watched the lighting throughout the day.  I was out from golden hour to golden hour, and payed close attention to how the different types of lighting affected how people and objects look.
• I looked for interesting composition.  I tried to view the world as it would be seen in the little rectangle of a picture and thought about how I would place things within those limitations.
• I scouted locations.  I don't know the area well, so whenever I set up photos I tend to gravitate towards the same locations.  This gave me a few new ideas.
• I thought about exposures and how to set them up in different lighting conditions.

So even though I didn't technically practice my camera I did prep myself for future shots.  This is my obsessive style of learning.

When I did get my camera back it was perfect golden hour lighting and the tide had gone out leaving a beach full of beautiful cranes next to where we docked the boat.  I decided that to kill some time I was going to chase them around on the beach and try to get some pictures.  What I didn't realize was that the beach that they were on was pure mud and that I would end up ankle deep in an oyster bed if I tried to get to them.  Needless to say, it wasn't such a successful adventure.  I ended up back at the dock feet covered in mud and it wasn't until I rinsed them off that I realized I was bleeding.  A lot.

It turns out one of the oyster shells had put a pretty deep slice into my pinky toe.  I also learned that oyster cuts are the worst when it comes to infection.  My plan was to clean it out and super glue it, but the hubby had more sense than I did on the matter.  We spent the rest of the evening in the emergency room, where they wouldn't even give me stitches due to the risk of infection.

We got home late- tired, covered in salt and mud and hungry, and I came out of this whole thing with two important lessons:

1. Don't walk in oyster beds.  I don't care how careful I think I'll be, just no.
2. It's good to put away the camera sometimes.  So next time I won't fight it so much.  I won't stop learning the craft, I'll just do it without the camera.

I suppose I could add a lesson #3 in there that said something about listening to the advice of my husband more often, but no, I think that might be taking it just a little too far, even if he turned out to be right this time.