Incredible. Just incredible. Chicagoans have no idea how blessed they are to reside in a state that has a city as gorgeous as Chicago. Each time I'm here, it reconfirms how much I love this city and just how simply stunning it is.
Aside from the two hour bumper to bumper traffic I sat in on the highway yesterday while attempting to get here (traffic was because of a horrible accident), the ride in was wonderful. I lived it up in the car for 5 hours (was supposed to be three but the accident ruined that idea) during the drive in completely alone. It was just me, God, my Rob Thomas & my Kings of Leon tunes. I enjoyed every second of being able to crank up the stereo without busting my kids ear drums. And let me just tell ya', if you don't have any Kings of Leon music, GET SOME - like now! I love their band - love their style - love their sound. Either way, I rolled onto Michigan avenue at about 6:15pm last night. I made the dinner on time with the rest of my workshop attendees. They are all great! So fun and so nice. It's great to be in a group where each of us could sit and talk photography for hours on end and never flinch. We did just that last night. After our incredible dinner together, we hit the town and had a ball playing around with our cameras in the midnight hours. If you've ever been to downtown Chicago, you'll know that the city is still A-L-I-V-E at that hour of the night so it is almost like it is day time due to the amount of people out and the lights still on. We hit the river front which is conveniently right across the street from our hotel, and snapped some cool shots while experimenting with panning and slower shutter speeds. We also hit this under pass and practiced slowing the cars waaayyyyy down to get this ribbon streaming from their lights. Very, very cool. I had a lot of fun with this...
Looks wicked, doesn't it? Almost like the cars are ghosts and the only thing you see is their lights passing you by. Too fun!
After practicing with cars, we hit the river front and I managed to capture this cool shot of a river yacht going by while I was shooting. I slowed it waaayyyyy down as well but attempted to keep the rest of the scene crisp and clear - even getting some star bursts on a few of the lights...
And here is the tail end of the river yacht. Love the squiggly ribbon lines from its lights. Everyone on the yacht was waving to all of us (all 11 photographers with 11 cameras and 11 tripods - we looked like a force to be reckoned with and got quite the questions on the street. I think some thought we were the paparazzi and that a celeb was in town. HA! Some guy stopped me and said..."What are we looking for, I'm from another state and need to know." Ha ha!)
Needless to say, I'm having an absolute blast. We had a fabulous night with spectacular weather last night. We are hoping the rest of the weekend will prove to be the same. We just finished up a wonderful breakfast together this morning at the Corner Bakery and are now headed out for a day and night full of non-stop shooting. Our day will be chocked full all the way up until at least 10pm tonight according to our instructor. I can't wait to share our "captures" with all of you once I return home to Indy. For now, I hope you enjoyed the night light shots above. Enjoy your Saturday. And hey...if you happen to be off Michigan avenue or in downtown Chicago today or tomorrow - and run into a group of 11 women packing cameras, flag us down and say hello. :)
This weeks FOTO FIND FRIDAY theme is "eyes." Here is my submission...
If you'd like to participate in the foto find Friday eye theme this week, please blog a post on your own blog that has pictures pertaining to eyes. It can be human eyes, animal eyes, alien eyes, or whatever. :) We just can't wait to see them. Also, please make sure that you mention and link back to this AGD blog when you place the post on your own blog. We need you to make sure your link takes us directly to that specific post (and not your blog home page). Also, please make sure that your post includes the info that links back to AGD. If those two things are not there, your link will unfortunately be deleted and you'll have to re-post it the requested way. Have fun! Blessings, Angie
It's Thursday and I'm packing like a mad woman. Nothing like waiting until the dead, dying, last minute, eh? I'm headed to downtown Chi-town (Chicago) for another 3 day photography workshop. I'll be gone tomorrow thru Sunday evening. I'm looking forward to this workshop because we'll be discuss things I'm totally unfamiliar with as well as learning Adobe Lightroom 2.0 and the benefits of shooting in RAW. We'll also be doing full fledged night shoots with tripods on the streets of downtown Chicago. The instructor has several professional models lined up for our benefit and we'll be ROCKIN' out the Urban shoots again in the countries coolest most Urban-esque city evah! Did you feel my heart skip a beat? I'll be totally in my element again. I'm traveling alone this time so please pray for safe travels on my trip to and from there as well as while we are walking the streets of Chicago. (especially at night) Michigan Avenue is perfectly fine but I'm sure we'll be hitting those 'off the beaten' path areas just as we did in downtown Indianapolis a couple of weeks ago. Every city in this country has areas like that somewhere.
The good part is that there are 9 other women in this workshop with me so including the instructor, there should be about 11 of us. We are all staying in the same hotel together as well as eating at the restaurants and such for each meal together. Therefore, I'm eager to meet some new friends who carry the same passion for photography that I do. It should be a great "girls weekend." This weekend kicks off a stint of several weekends worth of back to back travel for me in the coming weeks. It's going to be really hectic from here on out. I'm looking forward to the craziness of it all though. And yes, even the 3.5 hour drive from Indy to Chicago all by myself. Pay no attention to me should you pass me in my vehicle on the highway during the afternoon hours tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be ROCKIN' out the tunes and pretending like no one is watching. God help the passer by's. HA!
In the meantime, there are still some slots open for my photography workshop. The class starts next week so jump on it if you want in with us. See the post below this one for details. Also, tomorrow's FOTO FIND FRIDAY theme will be "eyes." Locate your "eye" driven images now and be sure to play along with us this next week. Although I'll be away for the weekend, I'll still have access to my laptop once back in the hotel at night so feel free to email me should you have any questions. I'm looking forward to seeing what you ladies come up with. For now, I'm off to my cardiologist appt. It's the first time I will have seen her since learning of my PFO condition back on May 29th. If you remember correctly, I found out about the PFO an hour or two before hopping the plane to FL for the summer. My doc called and confirmed what she had suspected and immediately placed me on a high dose of aspirin each day to avoid stroke risks. She then said to enjoy my flight and my Summer and that we'd talk more in depth about my future with this medical condition once I was back in Indiana come August. Well, it's now August and I'm eager to get in front of her and start drilling her with all of the questions I've conjured up in my head over the past 3 months. I've had some issues pop up again with the palpitations and some weird feelings within my heartbeat lately too so I'm really anxious to ask her about all of that and get her opinion. Needless to say, I'm asking for your prayers for a productive appt. today. I meet with her at noon. I pray she tells me that we can avoid the PFO heart surgery depending on how small or large the pin hole size hole is within my heart. My ideal situation would be to keep with the heart medication (I'll commonly joke and refer to it as my heart worm pill - like a dog has to take) and then also just stay with the easy enough high dose aspirin regiment she has me on. I'll keep you posted.
Lastly, for all of you Twilight lovah's out there who've emailed me in the past week or commented on my last blog post about the books/movie...you'll be happy to know that I'm halfway thru book #4 now. I'm taking it slower then the others and really savoring each page. I'm astonished and blown away at what I've read so far though within Breaking Dawn. I can't wait to see how the end unfolds. Whose in for a New Moon midnight movie premiere party with me come November 20th? No joke. If you want a fun "Edward" fix for the day, check out this old video interview of him from last year before Twilight came out. It's hysterical! Love his laugh! Click HERE for the video. It doesn't even look or sound like him in comparison to what he looks and sounds like in the movie but he is still such a doll. The laugh just cracks me up. Make sure to watch it all the way through.
We still have openings for the next beginner photography workshop that starts on September 1st. If you are interested, feel free to sign up before Monday of next week. Our first class was a huge success and I couldn't be more proud of the graduates. They did a fabulous job over the 4 week class and really impressed me with their talents by the time the class had ended. In fact, here are some reviews of the class and what a few of them thought in regard to the workshop in general...
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"Simply stated, this class was priceless. Angie has a unique way of explaining photography terms in everyday language that is easily understood. She is open and honest in the way she approaches photography. And she is encouraging and extremely "hands on" through out the entire class. The class forum is unlike any other I've ever been apart of. It's simple and easy to use. Angie invites questions of all sorts and answers them completely for each student. Angie Seaman is very gifted and artisic. She loves art, she loves life, and she loves sharing with the world through her pictures. Above all else, I've learned that "beauty is in the eye of she who holds the camera!!" ~Amanda in Texas
"This class ROCKS, as Angie would say!!! I have a Nikon D60, and have for the last year, I learned more about the options/menus of my camera in the first week, than the entire time i owned it!! I was able to tackle things, that I would have not tried, and really enjoyed it!! Angie is a great teacher, she is easy to communicate with and speaks in "human" terms, when it comes to teaching.. I was very happy taking this class, it is has been a great experience and very rewarding!! I am even more addicted to my camera than I was before, and I actually know how to use it, now!! Haha!" ~Christina in California
"Angie Seaman really knows her photography! She is a passionate teacher who is able to connect with all of her students. The forum is well organized and easy to use. I highly recommend taking this class. It is truly a gift that I have given myself. I encourage you to give yourself the same gift and sign-up for Angie's photography class! You are an amazing teacher and I love how you take complicated topics and turn it into manageable chunks for beginners to understand. I enjoy reading your writing and your personal photography is beautiful. I love how this class was organized as well. You can tell that you put a lot of time and effort into this class. Thank you very much! I would recommend this class to anyone and everyone. Plus, I can't wait to take other classes that you offer. I will continue to be a loyal reader of your blog and I am always available to give feedback to potential clients or customers." ~Bernie in Maryland
"I don't know if I can sum up how wonderful this class was in only a few sentences...I'll try. This photography class was hands down amazing! I was a little hesitant to sign-up for an online class thinking, how much can I really learn through the internet?, but I totally proved myself wrong with how much I have walked away with. Before I was terrified of every button on my DSLR and now with Angie's stellar lessons and consistent feedback I feel more confident in capturing our life's important moments. Thanks again Angie...please keep me on your e-mail list if you should do a next level up class (okay you have to do another...no pressure)." ~Meg in Texas
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If you are ready for a basic, beginner, photography class...go HERE to sign up. Once there, click on "portraiture," then on "classes." From there, you can walk thru the registration process. Should you have any questions, please feel free to email me at Angie@AngieSeamanPhotography.com. There are only 20 spaces available. The class sold out within approximately 48 hours last time. If you want in, now is your chance. We'd love to have you. PS...You can have a point and shoot camera or a DSLR for this class. Either one is fine.
I recently had the pleasure of photographing a very stylish young man. Not only was he trendy but he sure knew what to do in front of a camera lens as well. Very photogenic to say the least. These shots were done with Leah during the mentoring workshop. In fact, this is Leah's oldest son. Needless to say, due to his experience in front of a camera, he made my job extremely easy.
I loved his smile but I also loved his ability to just kick back in front of the camera as well. He knew when to smile but he also knew how to just roll with it so naturally.
His Mom brought these sunglasses for the shoot and I loved them. Again, I'm a shades girl so any kind of sunglasses make me giddy. I particularly liked his aviators. :)
This shot below ended up being a little too "low" for my taste but I still loved it either way. Therefore, I decided to post it with the others.
Love his look here. (above) The scrunched nose, the freckles, just all of it. Too cute for words.
And lastly, how about this laugh below...
Love, love, love it! He totally needs to be in a GAP ad somewhere. :) A huge thank you to "G" man and his family for allowing me the opportunity to shoot with him. He made my job ridiculously easy. :) Stay tuned...I'll have more of "G" man in another part to this Urban shoot which I'll be sharing soon. Blessings, Angie
Well, I'm on the last book. Breaking Dawn. Ever heard of it? Wink wink ;0) I'm about a quarter of a way in. Please excuse my absence while I savor the final few chapters of Edward and Bella's world. I had a huge, long, post written up about this. About Twilight, about Edward, about me hiding out with a flash light, under my down comforter Sunday night until 4am Monday morning while finishing up the final few pages of book #3 - just like a kid at camp, etc. I had the post all done here on the blog and went to hit publish...then my computer locked up on me. I lost everything. Lost it all. I'm sure you can imagine how "beyond ticked" I was after sitting there typing all of it out. Normally blogger saves as you type. Of course this time, it didn't! It wasn't a pretty sight. So, I'm just going to leave you with this mental picture instead...
Back to Edward and Bella's world for now. Well, maybe after I go pay some bills anyway. Ha ha! And for those of you who mimic the thoughts I used to have up until two weeks ago about this whole Twilight saga...about how it was all so stupid and so ridiculous??? I urge you to go get the movie. Follow my instructions here...I won't steer you wrong. Never have before, have I? So...go get the movie. Watch it at least twice. Maybe even a third time. Back to back. Yes, like three nights in a row or something. Then, go buy the Twilight books and read all four of them. I promise you that you'll never be the same. I'm not a book reader but I've read two thousand four hundred and forty-five pages over the past week. From last Tuesday until today. Like Brent said to me, I've read more in one week then I've read since 3rd grade. And he is right. I have! And I've loved every minute of it. You will too. Just trust me on this. Go get the movie. Watch it 2-3 times in a row. Identify with the visual pictures of the characters/cast. Then go get those books. I mean it, do it! You'll thank me later! :)
I had the wonderful privilege of getting to photograph baby "L" today. She is such a sweetheart - and those eyes - WOW! Little miss "L" is the daughter to Kenidi's old teacher (Mrs. Alison) from last year. Remember when she went away on maternity leave? Well, this is who she brought home. What a doll, eh? Here are just a few quick images from our session today. Please note... These are her REAL eyes - no enhancements were done to her eyes when editing these images. Amazing, eh? I just can't get over them.
We got a quick stint with her before she decided that my camera lens was not her most favorite thing in the world. In the 6 years since having Kenidi, I've definitely lost my touch with babies. :)
By the end of our time together, she was clearly over me. Ha ha! However, I had to throw in these "out takes" because even while mad - she was still adorable!
I told you she was over me. HA HA! A huge thank you to her Mommy as well as to her for allowing me the opportunity to photograph her today. It was a real treat! However, I'm no longer friends with Mrs. Alison (her Mommy-Kenidi's old teacher). Reason being, I was leaving their house & she hands me a huge plate of brownies - stacked high into the sky. She told me that her and little "L" made them together. I brought them home and got to stare at them all day in the kitchen before finally conceding and giving in to the temptation a bit ago - just after our dinner. Nope, soooooo not friends anymore Alison! ;) Wink wink!
This weeks FOTO FIND FRIDAY theme is "color." When I see this picture of Kenidi (taken last night), it just screams color to me because of the clothes, bow, and color of her summer tan skin here. This was shot with my 50mm 1.4 lens and I just love how it picked up only her one set of eye lashes and focused on them but blurred the rest of the image out. Oh how I love that buttery blur.
If you'd like to participate in the foto find Friday color theme this week, please blog a post on your own blog that has pictures pertaining to color. We can't wait to see them. Also, please make sure that you mention and link back to this AGD blog when you place the post on your own blog. We need you to make sure your link takes us directly to that specific post (and not your blog home page). Also, please make sure that your post includes the info that links back to AGD. If those two things are not there, your link will unfortunately be deleted and you'll have to re-post it the requested way. Have fun!
Gosh, I don't even know where to begin with these shots. I spent the last 4 days pouring over them and attempting to organize them all the best way possible for the blog. (to show you guys) In other words, I'm overwhelmed. Ha ha! After over 600 and something shots, I don't know what to show and what not to. They are all starting to run together now. Either way, I thought I'd share this shoot first. I'm going to break the images up shoot by shoot. This particular one was actually the last of the 5 shoots that we did together out of the 3 days I was there. It was by far one of my favorites though because it was one of two urban shoots that we did. Therefore, we went to downtown Indianapolis and Leah shared some really cool locations with me that I can't wait to use again someday as another backdrop. I'm all about the funky, urban, out of the box, backgrounds. Very cool! This first set of images was done at an old abandoned train depot in a not so great part of Indy. However, the location was a photographers dream. I loved it. This first round of images are all of a model that is a client of Leah's. She had shot her before. The Mother of this young girl was kind enough to allow us to use her again for a practice shoot so that I could have hands on experience.
Needless to say, as you will tell by her "look" in these images, this little gal made my job very easy and very fun. She was full of personality and I loved working with her. I'm leaving out names for security purposes but hope you will enjoy her personality via these images as much as I did by way of meeting her in person. What a doll!
This shot above and below was taken in a different area of town. Still loads of fun with great old, worn out, back drops. LOVE THEM! We even had some goofy fun in front of the camera during parts of our session. This one below is just a small example of that...
She really was a natural in front of the camera. And beings that I am a sunglasses kind of girl, I loved her "shades."
This shot below is one of my favorites of the whole shoot. It was a candid moment when she didn't realize that I was still shooting. It was just her being "her." I am not one for "posed" images if we can keep from it. Posing really isn't my style and I will avoid it at all costs. I'm all about capturing what the camera picks up in those in between moments. This shot below is a perfect example of that.
Leah was teaching me back lighting in these shots above and below. That was a lot of fun. Love the way the lighting is hitting her here in this alley.
And below...we are back at the abandoned train depot. Again, she really was a breeze at this...
Because I am so used to taking product shots for my AGD line, I am used to getting in close and tight. However, Leah taught me that I need to train myself to start backing up a bit so that I can produce images which will be conducive to wall canvases. In order for an image to work for a wall canvas (should the client want to order one), you have to have enough room at the top, bottom, and sides to "wrap" it. Therefore, you can't get in so tight that you end up wrapping their head, lower body, etc. So...I really had to work hard at retraining how my eye sees things in the view finder. Stepping back and leaving room was tough for me but I managed to pull it off on some of them.
We even pulled a quick stunt with her and stuck her out in the middle of the street as cars were coming and going to get this shot below...
And finally...another fav of mine that was just for fun...a shot of her at the depot in front of some graffiti that was already there. No, I didn't add this to the picture. The word "MISBEHAVE" was there for us on the brick when we arrived. Too fun!
These are just a handful of the shots I took of her during that session. There are a ton more but too many to post here of course. She was an absolute sweetheart and so were her Mom and Grandma that came along to watch. A huge thanks to them for allowing me to practice on such a beautiful subject. :) Stay tuned for the other 4 sessions of the 3 other people. They are coming. It's just taking me a long time to get thru all of the images. And no...still no calibration kit yet. Ha ha!
Should you have a need for an "urban" session, call or email me and we'll get you or your family scheduled. I'd love to work with you. xoxo, Angie
