Candid Veronica
A rarely updated, yet always truthful photographer's blog
The White Rock Trail in Dallas offers joggers, cyclists, and casual strollers a place to stretch their legs.
It also offers high school seniors tons of beautiful, park settings for portraits.
This last weekend, I took Dakota's senior portraits at one of my favorite spots on the trail, a park at Walnut Hill and Greenville Ave. It's lush and green, offers the right mix of shade and light, and has ample parking (always a plus).
A few months back, I shot Kelli and Jame's awesome, country-inspired wedding. Kelli is one of the highly creative minds behind Lavish, an auction being held by the International Interior Design Association to raise money for Dwell with Dignity.
In a nutshell, teams of designers partner with companies to design these really cool spaces. Then they're going to auction off items and the spaces to raise money to help families escape homelessness and poverty through design.
So their kickoff was a few weeks ago, and I went just to get a feel for everything and shoot the designers as they met one another and were teamed up.
I can't wait for the actual event in November. We're going to treat it paparazzi style, with a logo wall and everything. I hope the designers aren't camera shy.
I received a message from Brock Duke, and my first thought way, "Wow, that's the coolest name I've ever heard." Come to think of it, my second thought matched the first.
Eventually, we met up in downtown McKinney, which is a cool little spot. We shot some portraits for his new website (which isn't up yet at the time of this posting; I can't take credit for the photography on his page yet). And I learned quite a bit about the law.
So if you're in need of an attorney, I highly recommend the Law Offices of Brock Duke. Brock's a great guy who knows his stuff.
And his name kind of sounds like a super hero secret identity.
My fantastic web designer, Mike, was kind enough to update my blog and stick it on my proper website. Go ahead, take a look at his stuff. You'll be impressed. Anyway, despite Mike's talents, I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to add all of my latest work!
Hopefully, things will plateau a bit and life can get back to normal.
But then again, what fun is normal?
Kelli and James are awesome. And I truly enjoyed being at their wedding. Their Texas roots were on full display during their wedding at the Beaumont Ranch. Kelli's closest girlfriends all wore boots, as did Kelli herself. And James and his buddies proudly displayed their Aggie pride.
Stephanie and Joe had a cool idea to have two engagement sessions. Session number one took place at the State Fair of Texas. And session number two took place in and around Downtown Dallas. We went to Thanksgiving Square, the Dart Rail, the Dallas Museum of Art, and a few other stops.
Stephanie and Joe also had another cool idea. They brought along their sweet doggie! She might have had more fun than all of us (except when she wasn't the center of attention, that is).
The Rollins family welcomed a new member into their family a few months ago. So it was about time to update the ol' family pictures. Since the youngest Rollins family members are itty bitty, we decided to keep the shoot close to home. Literally. Besides, I love taking photos of families where they spend the most time. Not to mention, it's easier on the kiddos (and usually the parents!).
Jordan wanted something different for her senior pictures. Most of her friends have gone to the usual local spots, but Jordan ventured to Oak Cliff with me. So we wandered around the eclectic Bishop Arts District, drank sodas, and listened to good music. All in all, it was a great way to spend a few hours.
This Sunday, I'm trying something new.
I'm hosting a free Q&A type of How to Use Your Camera workshop on Ustream.
I'll be teaching the basics of how a camera works and then answering specific questions from you!
If you've attended a How to Use Your Camera workshop in the past, or are interested in attending (or hosting!) one in the future, check out the stream.
Sunday, January 16th
2:30 p.m. Central time
Have your cameras charged and ready. See you then.
The State Fair of Texas is known for fried food, butter statues, and live shows. It's also a great place to take engagement photos, so I was totally excited when Stephanie and Joe wanted to shoot their first engagement session there.
We went on a Wednesday night and fought the crowds. It wasn't an easy thing to do, but we made out with some pretty awesome shots. I can't wait until their second session. And then the wedding.
Congrats, Stephanie and Joe!
Little known fact about me—I grew up around horses. I'm perfectly comfortable on a saddle, around a horse trailer, and at a rodeo.
And although I live in the city now, my mom still lives out in the country surrounded by horses.
She wanted me to get some photos for her birthday (which was a few months back but we had to wait for the weather to drop below 100).
I finally got around to posting them here. And I must admit, they make me a bit nostalgic.
I'm also attempting to post these as a slideshow. I'm not really sure what that's going to do!
I learned photography with a very old, film-based SLR camera. I had to meter light with a grey card. Assess the shadows and arrange reflectors to adjust the light. Then take a photo and cross my fingers.
Because I wouldn't know what the final product looked like until later. Much later.
But that's not the case anymore. Now, anyone can have perfect photos with the help of digital photography and PhotoShop.
A part of me thinks it's really cool. Because film and developing is very expensive. And PhotoShop is a one-time cost.
The other part of me thinks it isn't fair that anyone can pick up a camera, take a photo, and then fix it later. Because that photo becomes a lie.
PhotoShop is the auto tune of the photography world.
And the few of us out there who swear by taking a photo right the first time, are getting left behind.
So I'm slowly adapting. Creating unique effects for the people who want them. But only if they ask.
I worked hard to learn about photography. I should use those skills instead of fake them with my computer.
Right?
Veronica's Camera is very excited about blogging from a phone. Not sure when/why it'll come in handy. But the creative wheels are spinning.
In the meantime, enjoy this photo of Ross. And this other photo (taken with a phone) of his art.
If super heroes were real, they'd look and act like Kristin Newman. She fell into the sport of Olympic lifting (she's also been a ballerina and a judo master).
How do you fall into Olympic lifting? I have no idea. But look at her body; I think she's found her thing. You may have also seen her inside the pages of a comic book. Maybe.
My husband's college roommate from yesteryear invited us out to Amarillo for Fourth of July weekend.
He also told us he was going to propose to his girlfriend. Luckily for Josh and Julie, I happen to be a professional photographer.
So a small group of us watched fireworks from the lake, and then walked back to Josh's house. On the way back, he dropped to one knee, I grabbed my camera, and the rest of the crew lit sparklers.
It was really fun playing a role in their engagement. And I can't wait to see them get married. Congratulations, you two!
It's time for another How to Use Your Camera Workshop.
This time we'll be in Grapevine, Texas. And we'll really cover the basics ... all of them.
-Using Auto Focus -Using White Balance -Using the Program Settings -When to Use the Flash -Indoor vs. Outdoor -and more
There will be fun (and educational) activities, a take-home guide, and one-on-one instruction. We need ten people to hold the workshop.
RSVP on Facebook. (The list is kept private.)
It's been all of (almost) four months since my husband and I tied our happy little knot. We're both of Irish decent, and we both had always dreamed of going to Ireland. So not ten minutes after he proposed, he asked me, "Do you know where we should go for our honeymoon?"
Of course, he asked with a particular country in mind. And my answer was perfect.
So we planned our trip to the Emerald Isle, where we drove across the country. And along the way, I would ask him for his wedding band.
"Why do you keep asking for my ring?" he asked me.
Well, love, this is why.
I took this the other day during an Ooh La La session.
Granted, this particular picture isn't very ooh-la-la. But it is cool (if you ask me). And I can promise that the model wasn't hurt.
The workshop was so much fun. Thanks to everyone who attended. I can't wait to teach another one.
For images taken during the class, visit the Veronica's Camera Facebook page.
I'm pretty darned excited. If there's one thing I love more than snapping photos, it's teaching. So if you're intimidated by your camera, learn how simple it really is to use. And if tomorrow's already booked, have no fear. I'll be hosting this workshop again.
Here's the event page on Facebook.
