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

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!

St. Patty's Day in Savannah

I did it.

Somehow I convinced my hubby to brave the St. Patrick's Day crowds to get the Savannah experience.  This holiday is kind of a big deal here, in fact it lasted all weekend. For those of you that aren't from around here, it looks a bit like this:

We met up some friends and drank some beer and of course I brought my camera. It turns out that street photography is really great when everyone is drunk because most people want to be in the pictures.  I had countless people pose for me, some that weren't even the intended subject.  Everybody was dressed crazy, drunk, and happy, (my friends and I included).

I did learn that holding a beer while wielding a big camera is a bit difficult, but I still think I managed to get the shots that really represent what this weekend looked like. It was a blast!

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