landscapephotography

My not-so-favorite photos I've taken.

Not every photo is the best or a winner, but I think it’s important to appreciate and remember the photos that aren’t your favorite. These photos might not even be bad, but in my opinion, they just don’t speak to me, or I don’t feel like I executed my vision properly. Let’s explore some of my “meh” photos - again in my opinion.

These three photos above were taken in August of 2018. At the time, Andrew and I were living 10 minutes outside of Ames in a farmhouse. There were a lot of interesting things to take photos of, but not all of my ideas worked out. Personally, I think these photos lack interest. They’re interesting in their own way maybe, but they don’t have that “thing.”

Three little birds…all taken in March of 2018. They’re not terrible, but they’re not incredibly sharp photos and not the best as far as composition goes. It doesn’t help that I was shooting behind thick glass! I feel like these shots were just lazy. I didn’t put much thought behind them, which is why they’ve made it here on this list.

On a Saturday morning, in April of 2019, I decided to subject myself to torture by waking up at 5:00am in order to get some shots of the sunrise. These obviously aren’t sunrise photos. I took these later in the morning after my sunrise photos failed. I’m not a fan of these because I feel like they were a last-ditch effort to get a good shot that day. That being said, I’m glad I pushed myself to go out and shoot regardless of what I captured!

This is my failed sunrise shot. The colors are kind of pretty, and it was a gorgeous morning, but there is no interest in the sky and there isn’t a foreground. It’s mostly just silhouette, which is okay, but I don’t think works great in this photo. I think some clouds would have made this more interesting, but I obviously had no control over that. I am proud of myself for getting out there in the brisk spring air before the sun came up, though!

Okay, I’m sorry. I know it’s August, but these make the list. These snowy shots were taken in early 2018. I was working at the farm at the time, but for some reason, I had a day off, so I thought I would try to capture the freshly fallen snow. It was beautiful, but the photos just really didn’t do it justice. They ended up coming out quite “blah” which is why they made the list of my not-favorites.

I often explore my yard to find little details to shoot. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes…I just take pictures of random bits of junk! It’s fun though, because it takes pressure off of me. I always feel the need to take a good picture. Every photo I produce has to be great, but the truth is…that is unrealistic and impossible.

Well there you have it. Those are some of my not-so-favorite photos. I’ve kept them, obviously, which is a way for me to document my progress. At one time, I thought these photos were alright, but as I grow and learn, I hold higher standards for myself. Like I said above, it’s unrealistic to expect perfection. Always do your best, but don’t put so much pressure on yourself that you end up procrastinating (I’m guilty). A short-term goal I have for myself is to just do more, and shoot more even if I don’t like what I shoot. Just get out there and do what you love, and good things will follow!

Δ Abbi

2019 Review - My Intentions for 2020.

I kicked off my 2019 by moving back home to Minnesota. I had just opened my online shop and I was ready for a new year. I started a new job after being laid off, and I although it wasn’t an ideal situation, I found that it was exactly what I needed.

In February, my dad and I went on an awesome 3-day trip to Arizona to catch a Leafs hockey game. We were able to make a day trip to Sedona and see all kinds of amazing landscapes that I will never forget. I wrote a blog about our weekend, you can see photos and read the story HERE.

March was a bit of a dry month as far as photography goes. It was cold, there was a lot of snow, and PJ and I pretty much just hibernated. We made trips to see Andrew as much as we could but snow was not our friend.

April was a major improvement. I was able to get out early one Saturday morning to shoot some sunrise photos! I also purchased an awesome photograph from fellow photographer Doug Cummelin that month. His success inspires me to keep pushing myself to achieve my goals.

In May, I had the pleasure of shadowing/assisting amazing newborn photographer, Erin Young, located in Rochester, MN. I don’t have a ton of experience taking newborn photos, but her tips were incredibly helpful! It’s awesome seeing other artists in action.

In June, but also the entire summer, I took advantage of the local farmer’s market. I got to meet a lot of nice people, including some of the other vendors! I sold some prints and greeting cards, and I had a great time just spending time outside in the beautiful Minnesota weather! I also started gaining a little more traction in my photography business which was really exciting!

Then July came along. My brother and I went to a local Fireman’s Dance, where I shot some photos of the band! Later in the month, I took a trip to Vancouver, BC, Canada, with my now-fiancé. We spent a couple days driving all the way out to Vancouver, seeing awesome sights (and some really boring sights), along the way. We spent some time in the city but we also ventured outside the city to experience some Provincial parks and other fun places! But it was time to come home, so we took the Amtrak all the way back this time, instead of driving (trying to sleep on a fast-moving train is quite an experience).

August is the best month for many reasons. First off, I got engaged at the beginning of the month! I was so excited (and I still am). Second, I turned 25 this year on August 26th! I also had the amazing honor of shooting my sister’s wedding!

September (my second favorite month) was fun too! I got to shoot a lot of senior photos! Senior photos are probably my favorite type of portraiture because you can get really creative with them!

October was a turning point for me! I shot for a couple more seniors, I was able to spend Halloween with my little brother and sisters, and I finally was able to move back down to Iowa with my fiancé! Things finally came together for me and I was so excited!

I started my new job in November and so far, I am absolutely LOVING it.

December was mostly uneventful. I traveled back home for a couple days but it was ultimately a relaxed month.

So what are my plans for the future of this business of mine?

The honest answer is, I don’t know.

I thought I had a clear path and set of goals, but after this year, I have learned a lot about myself. I know that I absolutely love the artistic side of my craft. I think my goals for 2020 will be more geared towards Quality instead of Quantity. I want to create truly amazing photos, I want to create things nobody has ever seen or imagined before. I am working on a project (it has no deadline at this point), the subject is Surrealism. Back in high school, I took an art class where we were required to create a surrealistic piece, and that class, especially that specific project, made an impression on me. I’d like to continue to explore that realm of art. I’m not sure where the project will lead me, if anywhere, but wherever it does, I will happily follow.

I want to thank everyone who supported me in 2019, and every year! It means so much to me! I hope everyone finds something in their life that makes them as happy as my photography makes me!

Happy New Year!

All my love,

Δ Abbi

Why I woke up at 4:30am on my day off.

I love sleeping in. It’s one of the things that makes me most happy (behind my family, my dog and photography of course).

So on Thursday while I was at work, I thought to myself, what a great idea to wake up early and get photos of the sunrise. I’m usually a morning person anyway. I’m that over-enthusiastic coworker who annoys everyone else who is still half asleep. I embrace the role proudly. But I like to enjoy sleeping in an extra hour or two on weekends, so I thought I’d challenge myself and get moving at 4:30am.

I went to bed around 11pm Thursday night. So I was questioning whether or not I should actually get up early but I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t keep my word to myself. My alarm went off Friday morning and I forced myself out of bed. I stopped by the local Casey’s for some coffee, a breakfast sandwich and an apple. I made the 25 minute trek to Hickory Grove Park outside of Colo, Iowa.

Apparently, they are renovating the entire park, so I had to work my way around some construction, but I made it work. I parked, grabbed my photo bag and tripod and then I walked down to the water. It was a little chilly but I stuck it out. The geese were honking, the ducks were quacking, and the bass were jumping. It was a lively morning and I’m glad I got up early to see it.

I adjusted the settings on my camera and attached my remote shutter and looked for some compositions. Let me just say…sunrise photography is completely new to me!

I really didn’t know what to shoot. I think location had a lot to do with it, but I wasn’t completely impressed with my sunrise photos. They were just okay. But I didn’t want to stop there.

So after the sun came up, I drove around for a bit. Exploring the country in the early morning is awesome because I saw a Barred Owl, a doe (a deer, a female deer), and a male pheasant. You usually don’t see those animals in town. I love watching wild animals in their element. Animal Behavior was one of my favorite classes in college! Anyway, I digress.

Then I decided to drive up to Ada Hayden Park just North of Ames. The sun had already come up, but I thought I’d explore anyway because it’s something I’ve always been good at.

I shot quite a lot of photos. I saw a guy on a bike make several laps around the “lake,” and I greeted a few people taking early-morning walks. I spent a good hour at Ada Hayden and then I was ready to go home and edit (and take a nap).

So why did I get up so early on my day off? Well you might be thinking, to get photos, duh! Okay, yeah, I got up to get photos, but the bigger reason why I did it was for discipline. It’s easy to say, meh I’ll do it another time.

If you do what you say you’re going to do, you’ll be so much more ahead of yourself than if you were to just put it off. I got up early because I made a promise to myself and because I have never actually gotten up early just to take photos of the sunrise. Plus, I got to see wildlife I wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise.

I got a few keeper photos, but more importantly, I earned experience. So if you want something, don’t let the temptation of procrastination take you over!

Δ Abbi