internship two, day eighteen

a new task with this internship and i've found something else i love doing with photos...

 putting together albums! 

i had to wait to post these specific photos because the couple wasn't going to see the finished product until their big day, but now i can finally post a small sample of what i've been doing while working in the office with eric. this is a book for the couple's reception using images eric took from their engagement session.

i'm still loving what i'm doing and have lots of updates to post on here, so stay tuned :)

internship two, day eight

my first engagement session with eric - we drove up to burgaw, about 30 minutes north of town, to meet marianne and daniel on the farm where marianne keeps her horse. it was a beautiful location with huge open fields and stables for the horses... however there were plenty of bugs AND a snake - not fun!

i didn't do too much shooting for this session because it was my first with eric and i wanted to spend some time observing how he operates as a photographer and interacts with his clients. it's definitely interesting to see the difference when switching from one photographer to the next for these internships.

so far in the new internship i've been doing a lot of design work for eric in the office - hopefully i'll be able to post some of it up here. while i've always thought i just wanted to shoot and avoid the business side of...well, the business... i have to say i am starting to enjoy those tasks, as well. it never ceases to amaze me just how much i love doing this on a daily basis, even if it isn't taking pictures all the time.

internship, day fifty-one

my last engagement session with susie. very bittersweet - i love working with her and have gotten so much out of this internship... at the same time i'm very much looking forward to my next internship to see what else i can learn about the business, how i can become a better shooter, and just see difference experiences.

for this shoot we drove down to ft. fisher to meet jenn and paul. susie and i got there early to scout for some new locations in an effort to avoid the same old same old... as i've worked with her and gotten to know wilmington, i see why it's so important to always be on the look out for new shooting spots, not only so your clients don't all have the same setting, but to keep things interesting as the photographer.

we found a great location for the save the date portion of the session, but unfortunately the killer mosquitoes only allowed us a short bit of time to shoot before running us out of there!

i love shooting at the beach.

 there's something about it that makes even the most awkward or nervous of couples/models become relaxed. (and NO, this couple was not nervous or awkward, they were amazing in front of the camera!)

i think i also just love being at the beach in general. and i love that i now get to call the beach my home.

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

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... 

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!

internship, day fifteen

third engagement shoot with susie - up til now, i've only had a 70-300mm 5.6 lens to use... but now i've got a new (to me) 80-200mm 2.8 and couldn't be more excited! it still amazes me to see the difference it makes with wide open aperture and how the subject can really pop right off the screen.

this couple was SO FUN to work with... we were cracking up the entire time at the soon-to-be groom's comments, which made the shoot a blast, but it flew by and i found myself wishing we had another two or three hours to work with them.

in other intern related news, i helped susie create a new lighting set up for her boudoir photography. 

i was very happy to see my studio lighting education paying off (thank you, kevin!) 

we get to test it out on monday - more details on that later...

internship, day five

 day five, my internship hasn't even officially started yet, and i'm already on my second shoot.

susie asked me to come with her for scarlett and sean's engagement session. the first photo was taken at unc wilmington, where the couple met. the second was on the south end of wrightsville beach at sunset.

(as a side note, one of the great things about this area is that you can see gorgeous sunrises and sunsets on the water. i am so in love with this town!) so, back to the shoot -  susie really wanted me to play with the available light to see what i could come up with... and here are a few of the results.

internship, day one

school is done and it's time to get out in the world!

for the second half of the semester i am interning with Susie Linquist in wilmington, nc. 

what started as a meeting a few days early to get organized for the following eight weeks turned into a full day of work and doing some second shooting for an engagement session she had that evening. i had a blast! susie is a fantastic photographer, woman, and boss and it was so great to get out of the department and see how it really works. and i couldn't have asked for a better couple to get my feet wet shooting engagement photos - this is jenn and carr. they are getting married this summer and are so freaking adorable.