Depth of Field

I took a workshop last week with some amazing photographers. Val Westover and Stephanie Andriana. Check out www.valwestoverphotography.com. It was pretty much a refresher course for me, but re-learned a few things that are working! I've always loved to shoot dept of field and I really like playing with shallow depth of field. I just think you can do so many different and cool looking things with it. So here's some small depth of field shots I've taken over the last week. This weekend was the Horse Drive, I rented a 500 mm lens and shot over 600 pictures. Still going through them, but I promise I will share soon. This spring weather has got me in the photo spirit! I'll be posting a lot!

Can't decide which one of these two I like the best. Thoughts?





Finding beauty in the gray and brown of winter!


I just think this shot is cool. Even though it wasn't, I like to pretend the truck at the end was an ice cream truck!

Daydreaming

It's getting sunnier but I'm missing the warm. So a couple places I really wouldn't mind being right now!


Obviously it'd have to be June or July here...



Someplace with flowers and gardens like these...

Happy Birthday Lily!

I can't believe that 7 years ago tomorrow Lily was born! Where does time go? I wanted to do a blog of Lily through the years. It was fun and heart tugging to go through pictures looking for these to post! Time goes so quickly!

1st birthday and cake!

2nd Birthday at the beach!

2.5 years, and she became a very proud big sister!


3rd Birthday!

4th birthday!



5th birthday


6th Birthday

wow, already 7!


I had to throw this last one in here. this is from April of 2005, right after her 1st birthday. We took a spontaneous flight back to Ohio and got to spend time with my grandma, Alice. Lily's full name is Lillian Alice Jones. Her middle name is after my grandmother and Matt's grandmother who were both Alice Jones. I'm thankful for this picture and this weekend because it ended up being the last time we saw Grandma as she passed just a couple months later.

Pony

Last night was girls night out,so Crystal, Tigerlily, April and I drove up to Pony. A good time was had by all. I've always loved Pony, from the first time we drove up there to check it out I've said I want to retire there. The Pony Bar is one of those small (very small) town bars in Montana where everyone is friendly and it's always a fun atmosphere. It's where I got my idea for my book...more about that another time.
Being in Pony last night reminded me of some photos I took up there this past fall! One thing I miss from Ohio are the falls and all the trees and colors. So this last fall I went out searching for some fall and I went to Pony knowing I'd find it there and I did!



Oh and "it's girls night, Evan"!

Friday

Yay tomorrow is Friday! But this is about Friday the horse. If Amanda isn't the subject of my photos, one of her (oh, and Kyle's) animals is...and it's often Friday. I have a confession to make, I'm actually kind of scared of horses. I think it goes back to when I was little and a babysitter had horses and she got thrown off a horse or something and I was there...I think that's a legit memory...but you never know...mom? Anyway, this is from another of my photo assignments and it was for back lighting. I really like this photo even though technically I shouldn't have cropped it so close to his head....technicalities, technicalities!



I like this one too! Someday Tanner will learn to cooperate for photos as well!

Montana

This is one of the photos from my first photo assignment using great depth of field. This place is on the back roads from Helena to Missoula, if I remember correctly it's somewhere between Avon and Ovando. Places and photos like these are what make me love Montana!

These Boots are Made for Walking

I'm taking the Professional Photography course through the New York Institute of Photography. I'm halfway through it but have kind of stalled out recently because of, well, life. I needed to get motivated to get back to my current assignment, so I was flipping through my photos from previous ones. My sister in law, Amanda, has been my model for most of my shoots. She's a pretty damn good model as well. I tell her my vision/idea and she is able to carry it out so well that the photos are more than I had even envisioned.



Ok, now I'm super motivated to finish my current assignment because the next one, Amanda and I will be able to do the shoot we've been talking about for at least a year! Sorry, can't tell you what it is, I promise I'll get to it soon and share the pictures with you when I do!