The World According to Angie

Miss Thang

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6mm; 1/250s at f/4.2 and ISO200 @ 36mm. Shot at an abandoned railroad track & trestle in Allen, TX on a bright & sunny afternoon in late October in full sunlight. Diffuser used to create shade on subject's face, and fill flash used to balance out exposure.

How is it possible that this sassy young lady is my stepdaughter, Veronica? She's growing up, right before my lens...

This is the first of what will be many posts of shots from her 14th birthday photo shoot. Work it, Miss Thang...!

Beautiful Beth

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8; 1/125s at f/5 and ISO 800 at 62mm; shot at dusk with speedlight used for fill flash.

This is Beth. Isn't she gorgeous? She's my niece thanks to my marriage to Jim ... she's his older sister's only daughter. When we gathered in Louisiana for the Key family Christmas celebration in mid-December, I had the chance to do a shoot for Beth's family. I'm delighted to have this photograph to prove to her that she is just as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside ... and that she should stop covering her face with her hair.

Love ya, Beth!

Michael, and His Guitar

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6; 90mm @ 1/250s at f/5.3 and ISO200; post-processing work done in Lightroom 3.

I shot this moody portrait of Jim's son, Michael, during our family portrait session in early December. We opted to use an abandoned railroad track in Allen for some fun, funky shots with Audrey - the same tracks where I shot Veronica's 14th birthday portraits - and we encouraged Michael to bring along his guitar for some additional flavor. Of all the shots I took that day, this is the one I like the best!

A Study in Texture

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 24-70mm f/28; 1/50s at f/4.0 and ISO 800 using natural light and no modifiers.

I shot this fun portrait of my husband, Jim, at the Cotton Mill in McKinney on a bitingly cold December morning. I remember thinking this would make an interesting study in textures, what with the worn green velvet sofa, crisp blue denim of his jeans, the dusty wooden floorboards, the shiny metal guitar strings, the smoothness of his head, the whiskers on his chin, and the flaking, aging bricks in the wall behind him.

I can't wait to blow this one up real big and hang it on the wall at home!

I Will Praise Him

Shot with Nikon D300s + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8; 1/30s at f/5.6, ISO 800, natural light with no modifiers. Developed in Lightroom 3 incl. tone curve & vibrance adjustments.

I cannot seem to find the words to describe how happy this photograph makes me. This is my husband, Jim. He's been involved in leading praise & worship for much of his life ... whether that's vocally or by playing the bass guitar with the band.

With the pillars stretching on symbolizing eternity, and the room filled with sunlight, Jim is raising his arms to heaven praising an audience of One.

This was shot at the McKinney Cotton Mill on a very cold December morning. This is in the upstairs (and unheated!) portion of the Mill; it has floor-to-ceiling windows along three sides, made of old glass that's either colored or warped. So although I said this was shot with natural light and no modifiers, that's not exactly true - the windows of the Mill serve as their own wonderful diffusers. I don't think it's possible to shoot a bad picture in there.

Portrait of My Mother (Summer 2010)

I absolutely, positively LOVE this photograph of my mom. I was actually shooting pics of the dogs as they lazed about the living room. She was crocheting (with a dog in her lap) and I took a moment to quickly turn my camera on her. One frame, that's all ... and the result is absolutely priceless!

Shot with Nikon D300s and Nikkor 50mm f/1.4; 1/80s at f/1.4, ISO 1600 indoors using natural and ambient light.
 

Little Man

This little man belongs to friends of Jim + I, and I think he's just the cutest thing around. When I tried shooting a family photo for their Christmas card last year, he was, shall we say, uncooperative. It amazes me the difference a year makes. At three, he is so much easier to work with - and this day, he was super excited to have his picture taken. It doesn't hurt that he really likes Jim, either. (I'm telling you, my husband is my secret weapon to getting great smiles out of kids!)

Shot with Nikon D200 + 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens; 1/80s at f/7.1 and ISO 200 on a perfectly overcast day.
 

Sweet Siblings

These sweet children belong to a friend; I spent an hour playing at the park with them on Saturday. I've got a number of fun photos from our shoot that I'll be posting over the next couple days.

Shot with Nikon D200 + 55-200mm Nikkor lens; 1/160 at f/5.0 and ISO 200 (at 55mm) using natural light on an unusually sunny day.
 

No looking back

This shot makes me want to make some sort of sappy remark about how her girlhood is behind her and those teenage years are ahead ... no looking back ... but I'll resist the urge.

Beauty in Bloom

It took a little experimenting with the tilt of her head, but I finally managed to eliminate the glare on her glasses. I'm so completely happy with this photo!

Shot with Nikon D200 and 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens, 1/80s at f/3.2 using natural light.