Wednesday, May 28, 2014

From One Amateur Photographer to Another...

     Hey everybody! I hope you're having an absolutely lovely spring :)
     So besides reading, playing the piano, and discovering new music, one of my favorite pastimes is photography. I have posted some of my pics on my blog before, but figured it was high time to share a few more... along with some tips for any more aspiring photographers out there! So here are a few of my recent faves:
   
                                                                Photo #1: Cityscape
Tip #1: Don't wait for the "perfect" day. I took this photo from a dorm room at Moody Bible Institute one morning. The tiny glimpse of sunlight peeking through the low cloud cover adds variety and intrigue. Don't be intimidated by less-than-ideal weather conditions. Some of the most interesting photos happen when the weather refuses to cooperate :)

Photo #2: Sunrise Field
Tip #2: Seek out backlighting. Backlighting is a photography term referring to light coming from the back of a subject, as the name suggests. Really experiment with this technique and I promise you'll love it! You can get this awesome warm glow around your subject, and often some really cool solar flares. Sunrise and sunset are the perfect times for taking backlit pics.

Photo #3: Bean Sprout
Tip #3: Back up and zoom in. You've probably heard that its best to get physically "up close and personal" with your subject. However, if you don't have a DSLR (I don't), I have found that stepping back and zooming in gives the most professional-looking results. That is the only way I have found to get this blurry background without buying a really expensive camera...

 Photo #4: Tiny Blossoms
Tip #4: Focus on detail. This was really a very ordinary-looking little bean plant just starting to bloom. But when I zoomed in on the tiny details (notice the ants on one of the flowers) it suddenly became very interesting and unique :)

Photo #5: Sunset Horse
Tip #5: Pick an unusual subject to focus on. The natural choice for a focal point in this picture would have been the horse grazing contentedly in the field... but who likes to do what's expected? ;) The focus on the cluster of oak leaves turned out really intense. Sometimes the best thing to do is to take several different pictures of the same subject, experimenting with different focuses.

Photo #6: Setting Sun
Tip #6: Don't be afraid of the sun. I know that there are times when it is best to have the sun at your back, or even for it to be completely covered by clouds. And if you're doing portraits, you might not want a big flaming fire-ball stealing all the thunder. But don't give up on it all together. As one of my friends once said: "The sun is so photogenic!" :D

Photo #7: Maple Sillhouette 
Tip #4: Silhouettes are awesome. Really the only way to get great silhouettes is to put the light behind your subject (again!). You can do silhouettes of nature things, like these here leaves, or of people! I recently took some silhouette photos of some girls sitting on a gate... turned out really good!

Photo #8: Senior Photo
Tip #8: Get creative with placement. I could have put my brother (the next three are from his senior photo-shoot) on the other side of  the frame that way he wouldn't have been looking out of the picture, but the long evening shadows were just too cool to cut!

Photo #9: A Few of My Favorite Things
Tip #9: Incorporate key objects. Including carefully selected objects, like my brother's guitar and Geo Tracker, can really add to a photo... especially when doing portraits. If you're taking pictures of people, think "what does this person really like?" and try to let that shine through!

Photo #10: Le Guitar
Tip #10: Edit. Now, you don't have to go all wild-and-crazy with editing, but some simple exposure adjustments or color filters can make an ordinary photo "pop." For these photos, I used picmonkey.com, which I HIGHLY suggest for non-professional-but-still-good-looking edits! The features I used on these photos include "auto-adjust," "black and white," "contrast," "dusk," and my all-time favorite: "cross-process" (used on 7, 9, 10, and possibly 2...)!!!


     Let me know which pics are your favorites!


Milestones

    
My "little" brother and his high school diploma!
     Well, I have been working for the past week or so on a rather long photography post, but feel like I should take a break from that one (why is it taking so long to finish that one crazy post???) and give a little update about the past week.
     It has been a week of milestones for my family. Why? First of all, my "little" brother graduated high school on Friday! Being homeschooled, we have very non-traditional graduations, especially when there's only one graduate. Needless to say, he was Valedictorian. We had nearly 100 people up at our mountain home for a big Brazilian BBQ, and it turned out to be an awesome day! I truly am very proud of the godly young man my brother has turned out to be. Congratulations, Caleb!
     And Monday I turned 20 years old! I'm not sure how I feel about exiting the technical teenage years, but I know God's got great things in store. My family and I shopped around Chattanooga for a while, and it turned out to be a lovely day :)
     Anyway, God is good, and He has blessed our family so much and brought us through so much together. Thank You, Lord, for the awesome week!

Verse of the Day:
"I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me;
because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let Your holy one see curruption.
You make known to me the path of life:
in Your presence there is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
                                           ~Psalm 16:7-11, ESV


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Summer Reading Countdown!

     I am a self-declared bookworm. I LOVE to read! The main problem with intense college classes is that I get so burned out on my hours of scholarly reading (which by the way, I still enjoy) that I don't have the time or eye-strength to read the stuff I really want to read; the books I choose, the ones that draw me into the pages and make me a part of the story while still safe in my own room :) Ya know the feeling?
      Well, now it is SUMMER, so I have time to READ AWESOME BOOKSES!!!! My current summer reading list consists of Radical by David Platt, In His Steps by Charles Sheldon,  How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler OR How to Read Better and Faster by Norman Lewis (So I can improve my speed-reading skillz for college), a new novel written by a good friend of mine (not published...yet. Think Narnia-type genre), and Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black. That's my personal list.
     But I just started thinking about all the great books I have read in the past, and thought I would share a list of my top 10 picks for summer reading in 2014 (in no particular order, and no, these are not necessarily my 10 favorite books, but they are all very good)! Let me know if you decide to read any of them and what you thought! Also feel free to comment with books you think I should add to my own list :) If you click on the title of one of the books, it will take you to where you can find it on Amazon. So here go the very random suggestions...

10- Pilgrim's Progress by Paul Bunyan. This one is a Christian classic for a reason. Yes, it can be a rather tedious piece of literature, but take the time to read it out loud in an Old English accent, and I promise you'll feel 10 times more epic! If you read this, you will be a truly accomplished reader :)

9- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Like I said about number 10, some books are classics for a reason. I read this one in my Junior year of high school, and I do not regret it. It deals with some touchy subjects (very tastefully, I might add), so I would suggest this one for high school or above. It is different, engaging, thought-provoking, and very well-written.

8- Unfriend Yourself by Kyle Tennant. I actually read this little (literally, it's like 90 small pages long) book for my first-ever college class. Take a weekend to unplug from FB with this quick read, and you'll re-enter the world of social media with a different and more biblical perspective, I assure you!

7- The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey. I also read this one for high-school (I was homeschooled, in case you haven't guessed), and it really impacted me. Too often we see the Old Testament as the less-desirable portion of the Bible, when it is just as much the Word of God as Matthew or Romans! I love Yancey's commentaries on several of the OT books :)

6- Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black. This one, as you probably noticed, is on my own reading list. No, I have not read it before, but I'm suggesting it anyway. It just came out in March by one of my favorite authors. I should be getting it in the mail in a day or two, and maybe I'll write a more comprehensive review of it once I've dug into it myself!

5- The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. You are never too old for Narnia, in my opinion. And this book is probably my favorite of the seven Chronicles. I actually started out my last blog post with a quote from it.... Maybe they'll make a movie one day :D

4- In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. I have only just started this one, but it is already so good! Ever heard the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" Well, I believe this book is where it originated. Another Christian classic :)

3- The Kneeling Christian by An Unknown Christian. Ahhh... this book. Short and sweet, convicting, inspiring, and (if you let it), life-changing. Probably the best book on prayer I have ever read!

2- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. If you like fantasy... this is awesome! All the more perfect because the final movie of the new Hobbit trilogy is coming out this December (midnight premiere, anyone?). Not nearly as hard to read as LOTR (Tolkien actually wrote this one with kids in mind), and VERY entertaining!

1- Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks. If you ignore all my other suggestions, read this one! Seriously, I think every Christian who desires to really dig into God's Word needs this book on their shelf! It will change the way you view and study the Bible, which for most of us is very needed. I originally zoomed through this one for a class, but am now slowly working through it again with my family. Don't let the size intimidate you, it's an easy read, I promise! I haven't read many non-fiction books I would classify as page-turners, but this is definitely one :)

So that's that! Let me know what you think :) Oh, and if you want to see some random bookwormish-type things, check out my Pinterest boards: "This Is So Me :)",  "What I'm Reading in 2013", and "Words Worth Repeating" (the link to my Pinterest is at the top of my blog).


This is way too relatable...

Friday, May 16, 2014

A Unique Story

     The above quote comes from C.S. Lewis' The Horse and His Boy, one of my all-time favorite books. When Shasta, a runaway slave (and a prince, though he doesn't know it yet) encounters the great Lion Aslan, he asks why a certain thing happened to his friend. Aslan replies that "no one is told any story but his own."
      And every story is different. As different as each snowflake falling silently to the ground on a cold December night. As different as each and every fingerprint, each strand of DNA, each personality. Sure, our stories have similarities, but they are each definitely, beautifully unique.
      I would never have guessed a couple years ago where my story was going, and even now, looking back, I am amazed at where I find myself right now! Here is a short update on what's been going on with me that past year (yes, its been THAT long since I've been on here, but thanks to the inspiration of a good friend of mine, I'm giving blogging another go :D)-
    * Last summer, I worked as a senior counselor at a local Bible camp. It was definitely not easy being in charge of several energetic kids 24-hours a day, but it was totally worth it. A great experience!
    * In the fall semester, I did a 10-week ministry internship helping out at a neighborhood Bible club as part of my college adventure (more about that in a minute).
    * In December, I went with several amazing friends to the midnight premiere of The Desolation of Smaug (in costume, of course!), which was tons of fun.
    * I just completed my first year of college online with Moody Bible Institute... another great growing experience. Classes like Christian Missions, Studying and Teaching the Bible, and Old Testament Survey are right down my alley!
    * And presently, I am preparing to head off to Chicago in about 3 months!!! I still find it hard to believe I will be on campus (at MBI) for my Sophomore year, but I am looking forward this adventure, the next chapter in my story :)
    * Of course, throughout all of the above, I have been reading, learning new theatrical songs on the piano, watching movies with friends, trying new recipes from Pinterest, hanging out with my family, and doing my fair share of traveling.
       I am going to try to post again in the next week or so... we'll see how that goes!

VERSE OF THE DAY:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
           declares the Lord. 

 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts."

                                  ~Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

RANDOM PICTURE OF THE DAY: 
This is from our Hobbit photoshoot; thanks to my friend for letting me borrow her awesome handmade elvish costume!