I Feel Like I've Been Abusing My Camera.

I feel like I've been abusing my camera. Not from over use, but from under use.

I've been thinking a whole lot on how I should work on my strengthening my photography. Major emphasis on thinking - there hasn't been much doing.

I've been into photography since about the fourth grade [let me tell you those pictures will never present themselves. anywhere.]. First it was flowers, and then nieces and nephews, and then over-dramatic self portraits of myself. I don't really know when my photography started getting better, but somewhere along the lines of my life, it did.

I want to work on posing. I want to work on angle. And editing. And I want to know how to function all the settings on that dang canon that I love so dearly.

I've been slowly learning all this, but I'm dying for everything to come together. For me to finally be as good as I hope to be.

I never know who to practice on. I practice on my friends quite a bit, but that's far too much in my comfort zone. I need people I don't know quite as well. But I don't want to do that until I get better? It's some sort of huge repeating cycle.

I went on a shoot with my friend, Stephanie, yesterday. [click here.] It was nice to finally have my camera out for something other than yearbook. And don't get me wrong, taking pictures for my school yearbook is a great way to practice. But in some ways, I feel like I'm starting from square one because I haven't had much experience in that type of photography. But at least I'm getting more practice, right?

There's a fallen pine tree in my backyard that we haven't hauled away yet [it makes a great backdrop]. So I decided to set up my tripod and have a mini photoshoot with... myself. Because I was craving using my camera, decided it would be good posing practice, and hey, I was wanting a new profile pic anyways. It was a win, win, win situation.

Tomorrow I'm going to take pictures at an LDS Temple near my house. I've been wanting more practice with buildings and objects, so here it goes.

I don't want to be just a portrait photographer, or just a wedding photographer, or nature photographer, or fashion photographer, or building photographer. I want to be all of the above. And more, however many different photographers there are out there, I want to take pictures of whatever they're taking pictures of.

So I made a new board on Pinterest today. All of pictures I want to recreate. Challenging pictures that won't be easy. Pictures that need props. Pictures of objects. I'm excited. Excited to start actually doing something. Hopefully I actually do.

And that's all.

//Sarah

Somewhere In Between

I'm somewhere in between of a whole lot of feelings. Between an extreme excitement for fall and quite a pang of missing summer. Between wanting to do great things and wanting to sit at home, just eating pizza, and watching chick flicks. Between cleaning out my inbox (297 emails) and not. Between being confused and just dealing with life as it comes.

I keep finding myself listening to songs that remind me of my favorite moments. I haven't quite let go of the past, but I don't really want to. People say you can't move on if you don't let go, but the past isn't holding me back all that much. I just miss somethings. And I know missing something means I was privileged to have it in my life, but why did it have to go? It's been said that something can come into your life, teach you what they were there to teach you, and then leave, but what if I want to know more?

I am full of in-betweens and questions and feelings and my heart is constantly feeling out song lyrics.

Yeah.

I took pictures at homecoming for yearbook and it was quite fun - Gatsby theme - dressing up, taking pictures and dancing our young little hearts out.

I also got my driver's permit yesterday! It doesn't feel real, because I've waited my whole life to be able to legally drive on the roads. Heck, I've waited my whole life just to be this old. I've always looked up to teenagers and it's still surreal to me that I'm a sophomore in high school.

//Sarah

PS// The Call by Regina Spektor is currently my favorite song as of half an hour ago. The lyrics are prime and it's been on repeat since I looked it up. Really it's a song for the soul.

PPS// Feel free to tell me about your favorite songs. And why they're your favorite. I'm desperate for some new jams.