internship, day forty-seven

wedding day! 

a year before i left california i was hired to shoot my first wedding. until today, i thought it would have been my last wedding... ever. but it was also that wedding that convinced me to go back to school and actually study photography, not just walk around town like i knew what i was doing (knowing what i know now, i am so sure i had NO clue what i was doing back then!!)

susie, as always, was such a great support throughout the day when i showed up unprepared (who knew there were so many more things you need to bring with you to a wedding compared to an engagement shoot) as well as when i got flustered, having flashbacks to that first wedding i shot four years ago. 

overall the experience was intense and intimidating, but i'm so glad i got to see how a wedding *should be* shot. i'm also grateful i got to tag along for this wedding before leaving susie and my internship with her before starting my second one - i feel like i have a much better understanding of what i'm getting myself into...even if i'm not quite where i want to be just yet. and i'm still excited and looking forward to whatever may happen over the next two months of my next intern experience.

as a side note, it was really nice shooting a wedding on the beach... no shoes!

internship, day forty-five

jess & bobby's engagement session:

like i said in the teaser post, this was a really fun and exciting shoot - and i was even more excited as i started editing when i realized just how many images i wanted to share...this was definitely a first for me! 

i feel like i've finally gotten into a groove with susie as my mentor, so i'm sad to only have one more week with her. but i'm positive it won't be the end of our working together, and i've already got my second internship lined up with another awesome photographer! more than anything, i'm most looking forward to getting more experience and education before having to do this stuff on my own. i don't know how to explain how much i love doing this, even when i feel like i don't know what i'm doing :-p

rhythm n' blooms

[rhythm n' blooms festival - knoxville, tennessee] 

      paleface  |  sam quinn  |  jake shimabukuro  |  yarn

-------------------------

amos lee

internship, day forty-five teaser

i'm really excited about this shoot and had so much fun with jess and bobby. we started in greenfield lake park and made our way to wrightsville beach for the second location of this engagement session... 

susie gave me the opportunity to take over as lead shooter for a bit when we got to the beach, and let me tell you, it's more difficult than it looks! i've always had the ability to direct people i know in front of the camera, mostly because i'm already comfortable with them. but directing people you just met, 

who aren't always sure what to do themselves... it's tough, and i give susie huge props for making it look so effortless!

i need to finish editing my take but wanted to share a teaser because, again, it's been too long since my last post. so, here it is... 

poor, sweet azalea

the azalea festival is next weekend. 

unfortunately the spring bloom happened a little too early this year...

internship, day twenty-six

a.very.long.day.!.

(and lots to write)

i got to assist susie during a day of boudoir mini sessions, followed by second shooting for an engagement session that evening. during my time with her, susie has been great about letting me shoot during any and all sessions to get in the practice, but for the mini sessions, i have to say i learned so much more as her assistant - i didn't even take my camera out of the bag for those shoots! as a second shooter, it's difficult to always watch the boss and walk away with tips and tricks while you're busy shooting the scene. as her assistant, i was able to see how she works with the clients to make them so comfortable, how she approaches the scene, how she poses the clients...basically how she does what she does.

we set up shop at an inn by the river in downtown wilmington and worked with clients one by one on shorter boudoir sessions - these sessions give the ladies a taste of boudoir, with fewer outfit changes and less shooting time... but more times than not, the ladies end up coming back for a full session. these mini sessions are also great if you've got a group of girls together for a party, girls night or just because :)

after the mini sessions, susie and i grabbed a quick (and very delicious) bite to eat at the eat spot before meeting our next clients...

engagement session #4: stephanie and kelly

this couple loves the beach so much they drove all the way from chapel hill and fayetteville for their session! (which they'll also be doing for their wedding)

we started on front street in downtown wilmington, then made our way to wrightsville beach to catch the sunset. as always, i had a really great time shooting these portraits. one thing that's definitely been confirmed during this internship is my love for shooting (pictures of) people.

despite the fact that these photos were both shot with the sun setting in the background, i decided to post them in black and white because the moment was more important to me than the vibrant colors behind them. 

in addition to shooting with susie for this couple, i also got to do some editing for her, as well. i'm always amazed by how much i know in photoshop now that i'm outside the bubble of school. it's very exciting!