My First Watermark

Kind of a happy moment. :)

When Darkness Falls

This was my first stint at taking low light pictures. I'm pretty pleased for a first go. Okay, so it took standing so still I couldn't breathe and about 40 shots in, I got it! ;) Okay. So not forty, but enough to make a girl frustrated.

I love it because each person is slightly different, a hat, different hair. These are my friends and it's great to look back and see each one's outline and know who that is.


Location: The Heights, Houston, TX

(Photos by: Pretty.Smart.Photography. 2009.)

I'm not a People Person

Admittedly, this is a hard one for me to do. But I've been challenging myself lately and will be definitely working on my "People Skills".

I'm still used to wanting to hide and not let them see me. The best moments are those that aren't posed, and caught while they go unnoticed and remain candid.

Location: Menil Park, Houston Zoo & YH - Houston, TX and New Orleans, LA

(Photos by: Pretty.Smart.Photography. 2009.)

Ollie Ollie Oxen Free

He was my first true photo "subject". He's a chihuahua but only technically. He "sits", and I mean like as in a lump of clay. He'll turn and he'll let me pose him and is quite possibly the most tolerant dog when it comes to letting me photograph him.

When he's grown ultimately tired of me taking pictures of him, he turns his head away from the camera as if to say, "That's it. I'm done with my close up."

This session was when I was playing with a low FStop and trying to take portrait shots. Fun stuff.

Location: Bear Creek Park, Houston, TX

(Photos by: Pretty.Smart.Photography. 2009.)

Life's a Beach

I particularly love this set of shots for their cohesive color palette. It's rather easy achieving this at the beach though. what I don't show you here is the 200 other pictures of trying to catch "that bird". Photographing animals, minus my beloved Oliver who is a lump of fur who I'll post on soon, is hard work! They move! You can't tell them "say Cheese!" or "Turn your head". I've learned rather quickly that waving arms or jumping up and down only makes you look sillier. Being that I don't want to draw attraction or even go as far to say that I don't want to take a photo that was "forced" by me.

It was rather stormy that day and the light continued to change as clouds rolled in. Was my sort of day to shoot, the outside presented me with new looks and shadows and adventures (Minus getting my camera wet...bad idea!)

I wouldn't have minded a better beach though...so if anyone is actually reading...a beach far far away might be nice. :)

Location: Galveston, TX

(Photos by: Pretty.Smart.Photography. 2008.)

I love taking pictures of textures. Fuzzy. Sharp. Slick. Rough. I like all the shapes a cool stack of sticks makes happen. Or the twisted barbs on wire. At first I thought it was merely to make cool desktop wallpaper. More often than not now I find ways to work them into my collection, sometimes the excellence is in the detail.

I love taking flowers, but not in the sense "stand next to this and look pretty", I like pulling out a macro, getting up close and personal with the veins running through petals, or a fantastically curved stem. I'm still working on how I want to disect and do a study on just one plant, and many different images, watch for that in the future.

Location: Discovery Green Park, Houston, TX

(Photos by: Pretty.Smart.Photography. 2009.)

The Big......Say Cheesy

I'm one of those folks that sometimes can't see the forest for the trees. But on vacation, I see the trees, not the forest. I love the little things about a place.

Louisiana has alot of charm in its details. A Carillion in the middle of a state park. A good cup of coffee at Cafe Du Monde. I love the color there, the mish mash of old against new. I loved walking about the French Quarter in the open air market and seeing what little treasures I could stumble upon. I could sit all day and listen to the street musicians and sip coffee and watch life go by.

I love taking pictures there because it seems like everyone is doing it. I'm not one to like to be the center of attention, I'd rather fade with my camera in hand, quietly into the background. It's a much better place for me.

Location: Morgan City & New Orleans, LA

(Pictures by Pretty.Smart.Photography. 2008.)

It's a Jungle out There

If I could own a farm of exotic animals, I would. I know PETA would probably have a field day with me, but I am 30 years old and still love a good day at the zoo.

Whatever, I don't have kids, I'm on my own most of the time, it's okay, I'm shooting pictures.

I love going and watching just 2 or 3 animals for the day. Just to see the changes in them - morning, afternoon, evening until the zoo starts to close. They change as they go through the day. Like us they have morning animals and night time animals, and sometimes it's almost as if they're smiling or posing for me. Sometimes as humans, I think the jokes on us...they could be observing us for entertainment instead.

Location: Houston Zoo.

(Photography by Pretty.Smart.Photography. 2008)

Take Me Home....Country Roads....

Feeling 12 Again

I took a road trip across the US with my parents.

I took so many photos using so little talent that I cannot even begin to urge someone who's new to photography to just "shut up and shoot".

The lack of talent was mainly brought on to my being captive in the back of van (sometimes down by a river....ha.) and moving at full speed ahead.

These shots are from about an hour south of Pittsburgh in a tiny town called, Carmichaels.

Enjoy. I did. It's fantastic to shoot where you're forced to be creative.

(Photos by Pretty.Smart.Photography. 2008.)