"A few"

Summer of 2013.

I had been poring over website after website, image after image. Yearning for a full frame sensored camera and telephoto lens. I wanted the magic of the image compression with the telephoto along with the beautiful quality of a full frame sensor. Months and months. Fantasy budgeting. Research. More research. More yearning.

And then it dawned on me.

I already had a full frame camera and a telephoto lens. I had honestly never even used it before. Enter my little trooper - the Pentax K1000. It's metal. It's simple. It's classic. Coupled along with the 70-210mm slide zoom lens that came with it when my mom bought it from the pawn store for my Christmas present, I had everything in my eager hands. And Lola's branding was coming up.

Lola is my dad's cousin, which makes her my second cousin. She's 95 and going strong and is one of the most endearing people you would ever be so lucky to meet. She and her late husband Harvey homesteaded on some land south of here called Three Creek (and Cherry Creek, Devil's Creek). When you ask her how many cows she has to this day, she just chuckles and says, "Oh, a few." She and her brother Marvin both have their own respective homesteads and herds of cattle and I made it a point to be there for the branding this year.

These are just "a few" of my photos. I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with them. There's no substitute for true black and white film. I can't wait to get these in the dark room.

Kodak D-76 Developer Tutorial

We're going old school with this one. I realized I have about 5 rolls of undeveloped black and white film with who knows what on them. I couldn't find a tutorial explaining how to mix Kodak D-76 Developer so, after reading the very, very minimal instructions on the package and scouring my old Darkroom notes and racking my memory, I got it done and now I'm showing you. You're welcome.

Things you need:

~D-76 Developer
~Glass Thermometer
~Container to Mix Chemicals (not to be used for food afterwards)
~Mixing Utensil (not to be used for food afterwards)
~Funnel (not to be used for food afterwards)
~Water
~Stove or Microwave... or a good Water Heater

Oh, the excitement!

STEP 1.

D-76 must be mixed in water that is a temperature of 122-131 degrees Fahrenheit. Most water heaters will reach that temperature and you can simply use the thermometer under the running water to gauge it. However, the different chemical makeup of your water may affect the developer so to be safe, I used distilled water. If you go my route, you'll need to heat about half a gallon of water on the stove and pour the rest of the water in a different container so your one-gallon jug is empty. The water can be heated with a regular food kettle. I used a food thermometer since it hadn't been contaminated with film chemicals yet. You know, cross contamination and all that.

Perfect.

STEP 2.

Carefully pour the hot water into your mixing container. I use old margarine containers. They're free and no one misses them. You'll add the D-76 powder to this so be careful that it's not too full. After it's added, you'll stir it. And stir it. And you'll stir it some more. It takes a long time to dissolve but you'll get there. I promise.

Watermelon optional.

STEP 3.

Clearly mark your one-gallon container. Carefully funnel this mixture into your one-gallon container. Top it off with the water you poured into the separate container (or relatively warm water from the sink). Cap it and you're good. Store it out of sunlight. Keep it away from children because they'll drink it and you won't have any more developer.

OTHER NOTES:

In addition to D76, I use Kodak Fixer and Kodak Hypo Clearing Agent for my film processing. I don't know what's out there, I don't know what's better or worse, but that's what I was taught to use and I get along just fine for the type of film I use. Always mix the chemicals in the order they're used - developer, fixer, hypo clearing agent. You'll use the same steps for the fixer and hypo clearing agent as above but the temperatures will vary. At the back of my mind it seemed like you're supposed to let the chemicals sit for an amount of time before you use them. I have no idea if I was making it up nor for how long they'd theoretically sit for, but it seemed like a good idea to me so I have let them sit for at least 48 hours now. 

(Almost) No-Sew Princess Tulle Skirt Tutorial

As promised, here's the tutorial on the tulle skirt I made for Brittany's orchard shoot. I spent about $20.

I found the tulle online. The waistband I used was from a local fabric store, and is actually two crocheted headbands (like you'd use for babies) cut and hand-stitched together to form one long strip.

The tulle I cut about 7-8 feet long (it depends on how long you want it, really. But you'll fold it in half so keep in mind the actual length will be half of what you cut) and roughly 6 inches wide. I recommend cutting it about 6 inches longer than you think you're going to need. Tulle clings to itself and if you're going to be outside or walking around with it, it will shorten itself a bit.

I attached the tulle strips to the waistband by folding the tulle strip in half (the long way), looping the halfway mark through the waistband, and pulling the ends through the loop, and pulling tight. But not too tight... it's just a skirt, after all. ;)

I attached the tulle in random places, somewhat evenly spaced out, and finished the very top with random shorter bits of tulle.

The top strips ranged from 10 inches to two feet and hid the waistband really well.

  You could add a ribbon "belt" around the top if you wanted, but I didn't. Lastly, finish the skirt by sewing hooks on one side so the skirt is adjustable for whoever wears it.

In all, It took me about 4 hours to do. And I used about 30 yards of tulle. I wanted it big and poofy (and since it's ivory colored I wanted to be able to hide the legs underneath) but you can add more or less as you like. I hope this helps!

The skirt in action:

Dreaming on the fly.

I know myself to dream on the fly. Last year around the first of May I imagined a beautiful orchard shoot with a big dress and one of my gorgeous friends as a model. To my dismay, when I called the orchard owner to ask if I could take pictures there, he replied I could... but I missed the blossoms by about two weeks.

48 weeks went by and I called him again. He again agreed and this time the peach and apple trees were in full bloom. It was like imagination ecstasy. I quickly recruited a friend, ordered a beautiful golden corset, and put together a huge tulle skirt.

But.

Unbeknownst to me, the corset was coming from China. To my knowledge it's still not stateside. I wasn't going to let it deter me. This shoot was not going to not happen this year. So I spent an entire day visiting every lingerie and thrift store in my area and I found a whole pile of nothing. My only option was my friend's corset that she forgot she even had. It wasn't the golden satiny goodness of the Chinese corset. It was better. It was soft pink and lacey. Oh, how I love lace. I plan on posting a tutorial of how I made the skirt.

Brittany was such a trooper. It was 40 degrees and 15-20 mph winds. Here are the fruits of our labor.

  

Grow where you're planted.

I'm a huge believer in fate/destiny/no coincidences/signs. So when I got this little gem in my inbox:

I found it very fitting that the very next day I got to see this page:

Notice the big, beautiful "PAID"? Best thing birthday money ever bought. 

I used to be a REALTOR, once upon a time ago. Needless to say I never went very far with it. I sold two houses, both to people I already knew. I put as much, if not more, money into it than I got out of it. I met a lot of successful people (and many people who were struggling... like me). But really, I attribute most of my shortcomings to the fact that I don't play golf. 

But not all was lost. I learned very valuable lessons from talking to people on the phone, how to wiz through contracts, lots of legal terms, great investment ideas, the beauty of tax write-offs, the value of being nice to people, how to put up with people you despise, and most important of all: that I was in the wrong damn profession. My first clue should've been that I spent more time and effort into designing my beautiful business cards than I ever did learning about sales.

I could go on and on about every soul-crushing moment I endured while putting on my slacks, fake smile, and dancing around all the other people who live to put on slacks, a fake smile, and do the dance. But maybe I'll save the soul-crushingness for when I write about being a waitress. In truth, I hadn't been an actively licensed agent for over a year and had mostly forgot all about it until I received the aforementioned email. The very next day I ordered Sue Bryce's 28 Day Workshop and I felt a subtle, yet profound, turning page in my life. Life has led me here and now I will "blossom where I am planted," as my REALTOR buddy Greg would say.

3 useful photography tips

Having vigorously absorbed all information regarding photography in the last year or so, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and lens focal length have thoroughly been shoved down my throat. So when creativeLIVE was hosting John Greengo's class on Fundamentals of Photography, I figured it would be nothing more than a five day workshop on nothing but aperture, shutter speed, etc... For some reason I played the beginning of the first day as background noise while roaming for something else and I was quickly sucked in to the wealth of information that John was throwing at me. The slides themselves were worth watching! Anyway, I watched the full five days and learned a ton. I've tried to push my way through the jungle of technical speak on the internet and as soon as anyone starts debating the difference between camera sensors my girl brain shuts off (and to think, the only subjects I thought did that were guns and cars). It was so refreshing for John to sit there, figuratively look me in the eye, and figuratively say, "This is everything you have struggled to learn and attempted to learn for a year. And I'm doing it in laymen's terms." So here are three things I learned, that I never learned before, and can't guarantee I would've ever learned if someone wouldn't have sat me down and showed me:

1. Telephoto lenses compress images to bring the back and foreground visually closer together.
2. If you do not have a full frame sensor camera the focal length of your lens will be different than the actual number. Here's a hint: If you didn't spend at least four paychecks on your camera, you probably don't have a full frame camera. For the rest of us here's an example: a 50mm lens will become the equivalent to roughly 35mm with a 1.5x crop sensor. (Focal length divided by sensor size = ~adjusted focal length) 50/1.5=~35.
3. If you have a Vibration Reduction lens, turn the VR off when you put it on a tripod. Otherwise, your camera will spend so much effort to correct for something that doesn't exist.

You're welcome.

For Russ

There's a radio show called Echoes hosted by John Diliberto. It's my favorite two hours of radio every day; I strongly recommend listening. If you're in my area it's 91.7 fm at 8-10pm every weekday. But it's more than just a good radio show with relaxing music, an unobnoxious host, and refreshingly few interruptions. For me, at least.

Echoes transports me back to my second semester of college... to my Wednesday night darkroom 101 classes, specifically. They were taught by a man named Russ Hepworth and though Russ may never know it, he was the best teacher I have ever had. Russ had the gift of not only being an amazing photographer but he was always able to make you look at your mistakes in a different light and turn them into happy accidents or to push yourself as an artist and therefore as a person. Anyone reading this who's ever spent more than 5 minutes with him will know exactly what I'm talking about. Words will never be able to express the gratitude I have for him. Upon learning of his retirement a year and a half after that, I was devastated that I always took him for granted. The very last time I saw him all I could do was shake his hand. I had had weeks and weeks worth of words to tell him about how much I appreciated him but all I could say was "Thank you". And I barely got that out.

While driving home tonight Echoes came on the radio. There's an uncanny resemblance between John Diliberto's voice and Russ's... so much so that the first time I heard Echoes after meeting Russ I looked up a picture of John. I still think of the connection every time John's voice is just right and I imagine Russ giving me a new awesome way to look at some aspect of life. But tonight the memories came back stronger than usual. I remembered being in the large light-safe darkroom at CSI and the smells of all the chemicals while watching my images appear on the silver-laced paper. I could remember the excitement and peace I felt in all those classes with Russ; like I was exactly where I was meant to be - in the perfect creative environment. During that first semester of Wednesday night classes I would listen to Echoes on the drive home, usually while the nighttime spring rain would fall softly on my windshield and distort all the city lights into something a little more magical. Those were the moments I had to myself. For myself. Of myself. And I am eternally grateful for all of it.

I am a photographer.

Hi, my name is Shealyn.

This whole crazy journey that I'm on now started almost a year ago. Late one night I was roaming the internet like I always do and I stumbled upon Aperture Academy's website. As I started clicking around, my heart rate quickened. I'm sure my eyes dilated. I may not have remembered to breathe. After the initial shock was over I could feel an overwhelming rush of excitement, hope, and uncertainty. Was I daring to dream that I could actually do what I truly wanted to do but had always denied it in my heart because of everyone's voices telling me "photography doesn't make money" or "it's too competitive"? Could it be possible that my two greatest passions in the entire world (travel and photography) were attainable?

Of course it was. It was staring at me in the form of a black website, white words, and gorgeous pictures.

It had finally sparked something in me. I was no longer floating. I beamed at the idea of not being an underappreciated waitress for the rest of my life. I had a goal. I had something I finally, truly wanted. In fact, recalling that evening right now, still makes me feel giddy inside. Ever since that fateful night in April 2012 I have transformed into a sponge. I have absorbed every bit of knowledge I could get my eyes on. I've gravitated towards the "Photography" section of every bookstore I've entered. I've bought some of the most compelling books. I've YouTubed the hell out of photography tutorials. I've discovered my idols: Sue Bryce, Marcus Bell, Bambi Cantrell, among many others. My default smartphone activity became browsing new photographers and techniques. I've shadowed photographers in my area. I've watched, perhaps a little too intently, other professional photographers at weddings and other outings. I've bought into workshops and courses. I've driven two hours, exhausted after a long night of work, to be part of free workshops the next morning. I've researched new pieces of camera equipment like it was a life and death decision. I've recruited friends and family to be my guinea pi-- I mean models. I've seen thousands upon thousands of photographs. I've numbed my brain and my hand with marketing ideas. And now I'm finally sticking my neck out of there and yelling to the world:

I am a photographer.  I believe in the beauty and healing power of capturing precious slices of time into something tangible; something real. This is my passion. This is where my entire life has led me to be. I am no longer listening to the "no" inside my head.