hello sweet friends, how are you feeling in this cold monday? it is very cold here and a littlebit rainy as well! how was your weekend? i have seen several snowy pictures, so i think that cold has been almost everywhere… which is perfect for indoor days… with warm fireplaces, hot tea & cupcakes!
so today we are having {sneak-peek :: photography} and the lovely guest is someone you might already know! she has a bright talent… and does amazing portraits. i will let her present her work, but first let me just tell you that this will be a very good insight for those who wonder about cameras & lenses. and here she is… maegan.
“thank you so much for having me here today, twiggs! i’m so honored to be in your lovely space! and i’m thrilled to be discussing photography…a hobby i love so dearly!
i never thought about taking more than snapshots until the soap making business i owned required some beautiful and creative product photos of my handmade artisan soaps. life, and the addition of my third child, has caused me to give up the soap making business…but the photography stuck and i’m not sure it’s going anywhere…ever! in it, i have found a way to find beauty and understanding in a world that can be huge and overwhelming. photography enables me to find my focus and find beauty in the everyday.”
“i find that i am most inspired by the little things that i see, touch, and feel everyday; the way colors combine to create emotion and feelings, the texture of fibers and layers, the smell of warm soup simmering in the crock pot on a chilly fall day, the way my little girls smile when they find a pretty leaf. it’s all in the details and the way they make up this grand bigger picture…this big beautiful picture!
there is a lot of inspiration to be found online as well. blogs, flickr, other photographer’s websites all serve up a plethora of eye candy that can cause me to loose whole days! but it’s easy to get intimidated and loose sight of our own original style. i think it’s important that your ideas come from very authentic places within…but i do love looking at pretty pictures! and that often motivates me to create something beautiful as well!”
“within my images, i tend to have a dramatic focus on one particular element in my composition and allow it to lead viewers to the feeling that i had when i was capturing my subject. the external details contribute to the story, but it’s that one focus point that really directs the emotion of the image. sometimes this is a face or a hand, sometimes it’s the flower’s petal or the jar that holds them, and sometimes it’s the light that is illuminating the whole scene.
i hope that when the viewer sees the image, they somehow understand the story i am trying to tell. but art is subjective, and part of the enjoyment of art is the viewer’s own interpretation stemming from their individual life experiences. So in this way, our interpretations mingle and expand…it really is a beautiful thing!”
“i currently shoot with a nikon d90. i happen to love it… although i do hope to upgrade one day. however, it’s important to understand (and for me to remember) that it is not the equipment, but how it is used. i have seen some remarkable images taken with camera phones.
i want my photography to be about my subjects and my skills, not about my equipment. that being said, i do think there is a lot of value in a good lens. i have a 50mm 1.4 that i use for portraits and the high quality glass makes an almost palpable difference in image quality. i love the gorgeous bokeh and clear, well defined subjects. but again, you need to know how to get the most out of your equipment. i have a couple of other lenses that i use on a semi-regular basis but my “nifty fifty” is by far my favorite!”
“people always ask me if there was a particular book or a website that helped me to learn photography. but I must say that the single most dramatic influence on learning the art of photography has come from daily practice.
from august 2009 to august 2010, i practiced photography daily by taking at least one photo every single day. the challenge really helped me to learn how to use my camera and taught me so much about lighting and composition. i believe in the power of daily practice so much that i promptly began another {year of daily pictures} and invited all my blog readers to join me! we currently have 118 participants… all supporting each other and encouraging us along on our journeys.
if there was one book i could recommend, it would be your camera’s owners manual. sorry… but it really is as simple as learning your camera and how to make it do want you want to get the kind of images that your looking to create.”
“i have found so much love, joy, and understanding in the art of photography that happily encourage and support anyone who wishes to develop their own photographic skills. it’s a beautiful thing to be able to recognize beauty in everyday life and share that vision with the world.
twiggs, thank you so much for having me here today, for spreading the word about art and artists, and for sharing your own wonderful work with the world! xo”
{maegan beishline is a wife, a mother to three, and a photographer. she shares her journey on her blog, {life set to words}. you can find her prints for sale in her {etsy shop} and you can find out more about her portrait business on her {website}.
and these are some of my favourite from maegan…
and these are some of my favourite from maegan…
i wish to thank maegan for being the lovely guest for today’s sneak-peek on photography!
i hope you are all having a great monday!!
i will be back with more news from the {flickr group}… today it will be a very strong theme!
twiggs
Jamie says
Maegan is such an inspiration! Talent, kindness and generosity – she has it all.
Yvonne Stehle says
These photos are so precious. I love her colour sense. really an inspiration!
Yvonne
{twiggs} says
thank you both of you, ladies!!! :) i also find her photography really precious & charming!!! may you have a great day! hugs, twiggs