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!

SJ at Sunrise | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Last Saturday I got up bright and early to meet up with SJ, a gorgeous local model, to do some portraits at sunrise. Let me just say that it pains me to get up early on the weekends.  I wake up at 3:30 five days a week, so I really appreciate my Saturday sleep ins.  Even if that's only until 7:00.

But waking up early to work with SJ was definitely worth it.  We found a field and a lake to shoot at with golden morning light and steam rolling off of the lake.  Beautiful.

SJ was a fabulous model, and we spent equal parts of our time laughing and shooting.  What I love most about SJ is her sense of adventure. Some models might think it's weird when I ask them to climb a tree, for instance, but not her.  She just wanted to know which tree.

This was a quick little shoot due to the limited time frame that the lighting allowed, but it was a lot of fun.  I can't wait to work with SJ again.

If you want to see the whole shoot you can find it at my website here.

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.

The People of Savannah | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

With my new 50 mm begging to be tested, I went downtown a couple days ago for some more street photography.  As usual I met a lot of crazy, weird, and wonderful people.  Here's a quick run-through:

As usual I started off a bit shy and kept my distance.  With a 200 mm lens that works, but with a 50 mm you have to be a bit more bold. Most of my first shots were barely usable and only with extreme cropping.  That said, I did manage to capture this one.  Although it's not technically perfect, I do love the emotion that is captured in it.  The guy was playing football or something in the park, was very close to winning, and decided to bombard his woman with a sweaty hug.  I love her expression!

This one is probably my favorite shot of the day. I saw this guy sleeping (or so I thought) and thought it would make and interesting picture.  I got closer and realized he wasn't sleeping, he was smoking a cigarette.  It wasn't until post processing that I realized there was a prosthetic leg attached to the shoe beneath the bench.

On a bit of a happier note, meet Cabin (pronounced say-bin).  He spends his days on river street making art.  I had seen him before, and even taken his picture, but today I decided to stop and chat for a bit.  It turns out Cabin has a bachelors in writing (that surprised me a bit) and he likes to combine visual art with words.  Each of his pieces makes a strong political statement.  This isn't the kind of art you hang on your wall because it is pretty- this is the stuff that makes you think.  Cabin explained to me that what he really loves is carving driftwood.  He said that his dad taught him and that he has friends on the boats in the canal that pick up whatever driftwood they find for him.

This man caught my eye when I saw him walking around river street in tall white socks- no shoes.  The socks were clean, somebody must have just given them to him.  I was trying to figure out the best approach to take a photo of him when he came up to me and asked for a cigarette.  When I said no he asked if he could take my picture for me.  I said no again, but asked if he'd let me take his.  I explained my project and he agreed to a few shots.  We chatted while I took them and he left me with a little advice, "Keep taking pictures of what you love."

I took so many photos with so many stories behind them that day that it's too much to fit in one little blog.  I've created a collage to showcase a few more pictures.  So here it is: The people of Savannah.

Street Photography | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Camera in hand, I took to the streets of Savannah yesterday morning with one goal- Street photography.  A friend of mine loaned me her old nikon 50-200 mm lens that she doesn't use.  With that and some inspiration stemming from an engagement photo shoot with my brother in law and his fiancé last weekend, my mind was firmly planted in photography. Out of shyness, I started my adventure with the sniper method of street photography.  A 200mm lens allowed for nice, sharp pictures from a distance, but made me feel like a bit of a creeper in the process.  That said, I did get some good pictures that way.

But by the end of my day I had become more comfortable and was interacting with the people in my pictures.  I met a band who plays the streets at night (and had the cutest puppy) along with many other interesting people. But out of all of them, there was one interaction that especially struck me.

I met Earl as I was taking pictures of the fountain in Forsyth Park.  He saw me snapping shot after shot and asked if I'd like him to take one with me in the picture.  I thanked him, told him that no I was working on a Street Photography project, and asked if I could take his picture instead. He was happy to oblige, as long as I let him pose with his book. When I asked him how to get in touch so that I could send him his picture, he told me that he is homeless.  He asked me, very nicely, if I could spare a couple dollars, but I didn't have any cash on me.  I did want to do something though, and so I offered to send him a print of the picture, since I wouldn't be able to email it. He gave me his address at the homeless shelter and, first thing monday, I plan to get a print made and send it to him.

It may not be much, and it may not have monetary value, but I feel that by giving him his portrait I can give this man a very meaningful gift.  It is a slice of his life, a moment that he will always remember.  It may not technically be the best picture I've ever taken, but it has meaning for me now and I hope that Earl will feel the same way when he receives that package in the mail.

For anyone who is interested, you can see the rest of this set at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shulearue/sets/72157634989391640/

Also, I started a Facebook page for my photography in hopes of getting more into the business of things.  You can find it at

https://www.facebook.com/mikaelajoyphotos