Misty Dawn Photography

Ok….if any of you have seen my myspace, you know it’s chock full of self portraits. It may seem like I’m conceited or something, but I SWEAR I’m not! In actuality, I’m one of the most self conscious people ever!! The REAL reason that I have so many self portraits of myself is usually because I want to play around with some new technique or lighting setup and I don’t have many guinea pigs at my disposal! So I become my own model. LOL Not to mention it’s easier for me to “model” for myself than it is to model for an actual person behind the camera (ya know…self conscious and all)!! LOL

So here’s the scoop for all you techies out there… I read here about how you could make your own “beauty dish” and I decided with such a little investment, how could I NOT try it?! (For those of you not-in-the-know, a Beauty dish is a way cool light modifier that produces really awesome light, of which the quality of light makes people look “beautiful” and so hence the name.) So once I had assembled it, I did manage to get Marc to sit in front of it for a whole 10 seconds, which wasn’t long enough for me to really play….so I changed my clothes, threw some makeup on and decided I hadn’t taken any new self portraits in a while, so why not…check em out and let me know what you think in the comments!

So, now I’m out to find more DIY Photography projects to embark on, since it’s so easy and fun! I’ve seen a few variations of the DIY Beauty Dish, so I might try another one. I want to either make a new one or paint this one flat white on the inside to make it even more awesome. I’ll let you guys know how I make out on each adventure and I’ll be sure to post the results.

My cousin, Jonathan was married last saturday. I wasn’t “the” photographer this time, which was nice for a change. Sometimes you just like to sit back and enjoy family and friend weddings, and not have to worry about the pressure of being the photographer. But, of course, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t pack a camera everywhere I go! haha So I thought I would post some pics that I took…

A little out of the ordinary for wedding images that I normally would post, but I thought I would post some family pics, since its my family.

Me and my Mommy

The first dance…I love how he looks at her with such adoration.

Here’s a pic of Gary, a long time friend of Amber’s family, who was the main photographer at the wedding. He and I got to chatting at the end of the reception…super nice guy. I’m sure we’ll be shooting together in the future!

John & Amber, I hope you guys had a BLAST in Disney World!

Each time the calendar rolls over to a new year, its common for most of us to reflect on the year that just passed. In following a tradition I started last year, I like to create a slideshow of my best photography from the previous year. It’s a way of looking back and seeing how far I’ve come, but it also serves as a reminder to myself of what I’ve accomplished. It also helps to push me to be even better. I hope every year that I can top the previous year and that my photography never becomes stagnant, so I constantly strive to learn more and to push the envelope.

I decided to do this year a bit different from last year. Last year I created one slideshow to showcase all of my various types of photographs that I took in 2006. This year, I shot predominantly weddings and portraits, so I’d like to show you one slideshow of weddings and a second slideshow of portrait images. Let me know which you thought worked better so I can keep that in mind for next year!

I had the distinct privilege of shooting with 7 different photographers this year, in addition to my own weddings and portrait sessions. You’ll see some work in here that I’ve shot for The Photo Design Group, Heather Fowler, Joy Moody, Sofia Negron (also her associate Photographer, Aaron), Elizabeth Crook and Joe Pulcinella. It was an amazing journey to be able to work with so many talented photographers in one year! I learned alot, while still teaching a bit as well, and had a fantastic time throughout! I regretfully didn’t get a chance to blog every wedding and session last year, so a lot of these images will be new to you. (I’m gonna try a lot harder this year, I promise!!)

So without further adieu……I give you my Best of 2007 slideshows…. (click on each picture to see the slideshow)

I hope you all enjoyed this journey down memory lane with me! I think I’ve come a long way in one year and I hope I learn just as much, if not more this year! I’m very excited for 2008, there are some really awesome couples getting married this year that I can’t wait to photograph and I can’t wait to share with all of you!

I wish everyone Peace, Love and Happiness in this New Year! Have a GR8 ‘08!

PS – Stay tuned for Part Deux of The Best of 2007, featuring some Fine Art stuff I’ve done, along with some other favorite images.

Last wedding of the 2007 Season! I shot this wedding as part of the Photo Design Group. Here are a few of my favs…

So I arrived at Andrew’s mom’s house to photograph the guys “getting ready”, only to find that they were already READY and playing Guitar Hero!! I had to laugh because I know, first hand that GH3 is all the craze right now, because Marc just got it for Christmas and he is completely obsessed!

The ceremony was at Christ Church, and for anyone who’s been there, you know how strict their policies are on photography. Let’s just say I had be VERY discreet to get this shot of the kiss…

These two are sooo cute together! It was a winter wedding, obviously, so it was just a tad cold out, which made for lots of snugglin’! Allison slid her arms under Andrew’s tux jacket (with him still in it!) to keep warm…very sweet moment.

They indulged me long enough to climb down these stairs for me to get this shot. I don’t know about you, but I think it was worth it to brave the cold for this shot!

There was this BEAUTIFUL Christmas tree up in the ballroom at the Wilmington Country Club, where they had the reception, and it was a terrific backdrop for moments like these!

Of course, a few details for you!! You know how I LOVE detail shots!

Allison’s bouquet was so simple and elegant….love it!!

Exquisite lace detail on the bodice of her gown…

There’s that tree again in my background! Again, simple elegance here in the cake. This girl has class!

Last but not least….the rings. I nestled them safely in the branches of that gorgeous snowy Christmas tree. I like the way the lights reflect off of them.

Congratulations, Allison & Andrew!! It was such an elegant winter wedding.

Stay tuned, everyone, for my Best of 2007 slideshows, that I’ll be posting up very soon! (Think…this weekend!) 2007 was an amazing year for Misty Dawn Photography and I can’t wait for ‘08!!

Wow, I don’t know where the year went…It just flew by! 2007 was an amazing/crazy/busy/kick-ass/FAST/fun year for me and 2008 I hope will only be better! So many things happened in ‘07….lets see….here’s some highs and lows…..

HIGHS:

• I finished the Professional Photography Program at Cecil College in the spring. I wanted to go back to school so bad for many years and I finally did! It was an amazing experience and one that will be with me for many years to come. Each and every instructor there influenced me but I have to give special shout-outs to Kristi Eisenberg, the VCP director there, who still checks up on me from time to time, Kay Muldoon, who’s PJ class still holds dear to my heart and to Floyd Dean, who made me work 3 semesters to finally get my A, sent me out on a freelance assignment and who still sends me emails about wedding photography contests to continue to push me forward.
• Two baby boys were born into our circle of friends this year. One to my best friend, April, in January and one to our friends, Craig & Mel, in September.




• I surprised Marc with an HDTV, as an early birthday present on Labor Day weekend (just in time for football!). His brothers and a couple of our friends helped me tear down the old setup and put up the new entertainment center, all before Marc got home from work! He was so surprised!
• In September, my Grandparents (who have an amazing Martial Arts Studio!) came and visited us from Texas.



• Marc, myself and our friend, Christy went apple picking in October – something I haven’t done since I was a child!



• MDP’s website had a face lift in October! So did the blog!
• I had my hair highlighted (two-tone highlights) in October….the first time I’ve had color in my hair in several years!



• Our friends, Jason & Christine, were engaged on Christmas Eve!! Congrats, guys! We are very much looking forward to their wedding in 2008.



• I’ve had the opportunity and ultimate pleasure of shooting with 7 (!) different photographers this year! I’ve learned so much and I was even able to teach some of them some things as well. So, THANKS go to Jo, Heather, Joy, Sofia, Beth, Joe and Aaron for enriching my photography career and for becoming good friends.

LOWS:

• We lost one of our furry babies, our ferret, Eli, back in May. It was terribly sad for us as he was such a sweet animal and we loved him dearly. This was the first time Marc or I have ever experienced the death of a pet. Our other ferret, Tiki, took it very hard as well.
• I was in a car accident in October, that sent me to Physical Therapy for my back.

I’m not one for “resolutions” per-say, but I do believe in setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals for myself. There are so many things I want to do in life, but rather than list them ALL, here’s a short list of things I want to accomplish – both personal and business/photography related – in 2008.

In no particular order….

• Launch my FineArt Website
• Lose 50 lbs (I know, I know – how cliche!)
• Shoot for FUN, for ME at least once per month (but hopefully more!) which includes…
  • Buy a Nikon film camera and shoot more 35mm B&W film (Old School! lol)
  • Get more use out of my Holga plastic toy camera
  • Lego Pinhole Camera – here I come!
• Create a list of 101 things I want to do in the next 1001 days
• Get back to doing Yoga on a regular basis, like I used to
• Attend at least one Photography Seminar
• Blog More!
  • Blog every single session and wedding this year (I missed a bunch in ‘07)
  • Blog more fun stuff that’s goin on

Ok….that’s all I can come up with for now. But stay-tuned for my Best of 2007 Slideshow, (coming soon!) featuring my fav pics from this year. For now, you can check out my Best of 2006 Slideshow…..later you can tell me how far you think I’ve come in one year.