Landscape Photography Field Trip at Old Fourth Ward

I might be addicted to taking photography classes.  On Saturday I did another landscape photography field trip with Southeast Photo Adventures.  I still have so much to learn but it's been so amazing to see how much I've improved after only 5 classes.  It was sweltering hot outside but the Old Fourth Ward park is beautiful.  Here are a few of my favorites from the photo field trip. 

Taken using my Canon Rebel t4i and my new 18-135mm lens. Edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Bridal Shower Prep/Craft Night

At the end of this month I’ll be helping host a bridal shower for my friend Jenna.  Jenna has such a fun sense of style and she has always loved vintage fashion and photos.  We decided it would fun to have a Retro Housewife theme for her shower.  Jenna’s maid of honor Brooke is amazing and we’ve had a lot of fun planning for the event.  Tuesday night we got together for a craft night to work on some of the décor and finishing touches for the shower. 

I’ll post more pictures after the shower but here are a few teaser pictures for the shower.  I'm in love with this theme, so much fun!

Botanical Birthday Celebration

We were lucky and got to share in the birthday celebration for these two awesome people.  Joanna and Jon are such an adorable couple and their birthdays are two days apart.  We started the night at an amazing pizza place off Monroe Drive called Varuni Napoli.  I meant to take a picture of our pizzas but immediately started shoving my face instead.  The crust was amazing and cooked in a wood burning oven which gave it the perfect amount of crispiness and a slight char on the edges/bottom.  Kyle and I shared a white pizza with buffalo mozzarella, pancetta, pecorino cheese, and truffle oil.  I bet it makes sense now why I was too busy eating to take a picture.  I did remember to get a picture of the birthday boy and girl.

After dinner we went to the botanical gardens to walk around the imaginary world exhibit and to practice shooting with our cameras.  The sky threatened rain the whole night but thankfully it only sprinkled for about 10-15 minutes during which we hid out in the Fuqua Orchid Center.  The lighting was not ideal but we still had a blast and managed to get some decent shots.  Jon is the same Jon I referenced in my post about Southeast Photo Adventures (SEPA) so I felt really spoiled to get tips on lighting, aperture, ISO, and framing my shots while we were at the gardens.  Here are some of my favorite edited shots from the night.  In case you hadn’t noticed I’m a bit obsessed with my new hobby but photography is so much fun and there is so much to learn.    

Dream Cars Exhibit - Atlanta High Museum

We finally got the chance to visit the Dream Cars exhibit at the Atlanta High Museum.  We’ve seen tons of friends post pictures on Facebook and Instagram so I knew we’d love it but like most cultural events it had a much stronger impact seeing it in person.  All the cars were truly works of art but my two favorite cars were the 1936 Stout Scarab and the 1935 Bugatti Aerolithe Coupe.  The Scarab reminded me of a mob getaway car from a classic movie; it was beautiful but had some edginess to it.  The Aerolithe is a beautiful mint color and had an air of opulence and sophistication.  

1936 Stout Scarab

1935 Bugatti Aerolithe

1935 Bugatti Aerolithe

Exploring other exhibits in the museum

This is my favorite piece, it's a circular concave sculpture which refracts images and projects sound. So much fun to stare at and take pictures of!

Even the stairwells at the museum are beautiful!

Landscape 101 Photography Class at Roswell Mill

This past weekend I took my fourth class with Southeast Photo Adventures.  If you live in or around Atlanta and want to become a better photographer you have to check out their classes!  

The first two classes were theory based including Getting to Know your SLR and Basics of Digital Photography.  It was a lot of information but it helped me really start to process the range of settings and capabilities of my new camera.  The third one was a combination of theory and basic practice in their office in Roswell.  We made some great index card cheat sheets and recapped the key information from the more basic classes.  This past weekend I took Landscape 101 and the class was at Roswell Mill which is absolutely beautiful.  It was a refresher on key tips, tricks, and tools to use for Landscape photography then they let us loose to practice.  

I can tell such a huge difference in my shots but also in my confidence while shooting.  Here are my favorite edited images from the class.

Because people don't say it often enough

I have been reflecting lately on how blessed I am to be surrounded by such loving and empowering friends.  This post is my very small way to thank and acknowledge them for being a major source of enrichment, encouragement, laughter, and love in my life.  It’s my love note and thank you note to some of my favorite women.

Alyssa – it is hard to verbalize how thankful I am for you.  You have been part of my life since 9^th grade in high school and you get my past, my present, and you are always helping me analyze what’s to come in my future.  I have as much fun if not more fun watching movies with you in our sweatpants as I do when we have a fancy night out.  I can be honest with you without being fearful of judgment and I know in my heart of hearts that you are the kind of friend who only comes around once in a lifetime.  I’m never letting you get away!  I count myself lucky to have found a friend like you, some people never find a soul sister and most don’t find that forever friend as early in life as we did!

Mom – I have always loved you because you are mom but I love that have also become one of my closest friends!  You are so loving and encouraging.  You inspire me by always pursuing your passions and interests.  You are a wonderful listener and you have taught me so much throughout my lifetime.  You helped me find a love for reading and for dance.  You inspired me with your career before you had me and your perseverance to overcome obstacles in the workplace.  You also showed me that it’s ok to focus on other things besides your career as well.  You make the best sugar cookies and chicken noodle soup in the whole world and I appreciate you more than I can put into words!

Larissa – you started out like my little sister but our friendship has grown so much since college.  You are so grounded in your faith and you are one of the most thoughtful people I know.  Just being around you has helped me become more considerate and more willing to outwardly show appreciation and affection for others.  You wear your heart on your sleeve and you are so much fun to be around.  I love that we have so many common interests and that we can transition so easily from serious conversation to being completely goofy. 

Amanda – You came into my life pretty shortly after two of my best friends had moved out of state and I was feeling disconnected and lonely.  You were in a new city and looking for people to connect with and I honestly believe in my heart of hearts that God provides people in our lives at the exact time that we need them.  Our friendship has always felt natural and easy and I am so thankful we get to spend so much time together.  I want to thank you for your friendship and for all the fun memories we have shared and all the new memories to come.  You are my sweatpants sister!

Joanna – you are by far the best thing to come out of my Adrenaline gym membership!  It’s hard to imagine that had we not taken that Body Jam class on the same day we might have missed the chance to reconnect.  I cannot thank you enough for encouraging me to start taking dance classes again.  I love that we started out as workout buddies but our friendship has grown so much from there.  I love that we can vent about work, plan fun outings in Atlanta, try new things, and talk about life.  I wish I got to see you more often but I always feel like whether it’s been a week, a month, or two months we pick up right where we left off.  

Angela – You are my second mom.  I was incredibly lucky to find a friend like Alyssa but I got a major bonus of finding such a wonderful second family.  You have always opened up your home and made me feel welcome.  Thank you for all the great advice you’ve given me over the years, you always try to help people see the best in themselves and realize their potential.  Thank you for sharing your amazing daughter with me when she comes home to visit.   You are an amazing mom, sister, daughter, and friend to the people in your life and I’m so glad you are part of my life!  

Jenna - You are such a beautiful person inside and out!  You look for the best in people and you are such a loving and encouraging person.  I'm inspired by your pursuit for a career that you are passionate about and your commitment to make your dreams come true.  It's so easy to settle but you continue to persevere.  You are also so much fun to be around whether it's craft night, having a dance party while paining your second bedroom, hanging with friends, or our annual trek to 12 mile it's always a joy to be around you.  

Twelve Mile, IN – 2014

This is one of my favorite traditions as a married couple.  Every year since 2009 during the week of the Fourth of July we pack the car and make the trek up to Twelve Mile with a group of our friends.  The group of people who come with us varies slightly each year but it’s always a great time had by all. 

Kyle and I drove up on Monday night and got to spend a full day there with just his mom and Paul which was lovely.  It’s normally so hectic with so many people so I really enjoyed having a low key first day.  I am also glad we got a chance to help them finish getting ready for the rest of the crew to arrive.  Rob came in Wednesday morning and as soon as he set foot on the farm we all piled into the truck with the canoes.  We did a three hour canoe trip on the Eel River and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The weather was warm but not too hot and there was a mild breeze.  We got the sturdier canoe which was appreciated since Kyle, Rob, and I are pretty novice when it comes to canoeing skills.  We basked in the sunlight, learned a river song, sang some Disney tunes, talked about life, watched the birds/wildlife, and relaxed on the river.  It wasn’t until the last 10-15 minutes we were all feeling it in our arms and were ready for lunch.  Molly and Richard arrived that afternoon.  Paul made his famous fajitas and after dinner we spent the rest of the night out by the bonfire. 

On Thursday the last of our crew arrived, Blair and Jenna (and their pup Scout).  After sleeping off the car ride for a while we started working on our parade float, soaked in the hot tub, and even played a little bocce ball.  Then we got cleaned up and went on our now annual pub crawl in Logansport.  Pascaneli’s is one of my favorites because they have oversized Jenga!  Then we spent the rest of the evening at our absolute favorite Amelio’s.  The food and company were great and it was such a fun evening. 

Friday was the Fourth of July and is a big day in Twelve Mile.  We started with community breakfast at the town hall.  Afterwards we lined up for the parade.  It’s always fun to get be part of a parade and hand out candy to kids.  The parade ends in the ball field where the Twelve Mile 500 Lawn Mower Races take place.  They really are a sight to see.  They take building their mowers very seriously and racers have to pre-qualify so it’s quite the competition.  The lawn mowers are built to get up to 30 – 60 mph depending on which of the three races they enter.  It’s a really fun event and something we look forward to each year.  That night we had our own fireworks show by the bonfire and I loved playing with my new camera and the extended shutter release. 

Our final day was very low key and relaxing.  We went to Fletcher’s Lake, player shuffleboard at the Fulton pub, and spent the evening in watching movies and eating pizza.  It was a great trip and a very nice break from our hectic lives in Atlanta.  I am already looking forward to next year! 

Here are some of my favorite pictures from this year: