A picture is worth a thousand words.
So here, have both!

The technical aspect of taking photographs is an endlessly fascinating realm. No matter how much you delve into it and expand your knowledge, there is always more to learn and discover. That's what makes photography so captivating and thrilling—it offers a never-ending journey of growth and exploration. Each new technique, concept, or piece of equipment opens up a world of possibilities, inspiring me to push my boundaries and constantly improve my craft. You've really got to be a jack-of-all-trades!

(All of these images are my RAW files vs. my final edits.)

Patience, Planning and Practice
It's a consistent stream of mastering and learning

I am truly passionate about photo editing and fully dedicated to bringing out the top quality in every photo. Editing plays a vital role in unlocking the true potential of each image, and I pour my heart and soul into the process. With meticulous attention to detail, I enhance colours, tones, and compositions to create stunning and impacting visuals. My ultimate goal is to deliver images that surpass your expectations and capture the essence of the moment. Absolutely nothing beats the feeling of a good finished piece of art! (Especially when you give it everything you've got!)

It's not just point and shoot, it's TLC.

( Tender love and care ♥ )

CAPTURE

Photographs take work. It's easy to point and shoot, it's another thing to understand the fundamentals of your camera and execute what you've learned for the shot! That's why I've put countless hours into learning, so you can rest easy.

CREATE

After learning the basics, it's all easy from here right? Nope! You get to learn even more, just this time its not about taking the images, its about processing them! Lightroom, Photoshop, or what ever program you use, it's as lot to take in.

&CULTIVATE

After you've harnessed all of those skills, now its time to put them all to use! From start to finish, it takes many hours to shoot, cull, compose, edit, retouch and deliver! Who am I kidding though, it's an absolute dream for me to do this. I love it.

Well, what makes it different than phone pictures?


There are a lot, and I mean a LOT of things that I absolutely pour my heart into when it comes to differentiating myself from other photographers/phone users and the like. It doesn't mean that they're bad, because let's be real here. . . I STARTED with a phone. It's how I fell in love with this craft in the first place. What makes things so much different now though is:

~ KNOWLEDGE ~

Trust me when I say that it's not the gear that makes the photographer

Obviously I use professional gear now and it's not cheap, but the difference between a good photographer and an average photographer is NOT how expensive the gear is. You'd be surprised at how little difference there is when the same photographer takes images on a, lets say, $4,500 camera vs a $1,500 camera.

I could talk, and talk, and talk some more about cameras but what I really want you to focus on is QUALITY.
It's why I've invested SO MUCH of my time learning my craft. I want you to know that I've taken the time to understand things and I have a good foundation to stand on and keep growing with you and your needs.


but if you're curious, here's a list of things that I use :)
(& maybe an unnecessarily long explanation of 'why')

♥

Sony A7III

The decision to choose my Sony A7III over Canon, Nikon or Fuji, etc, is a personal one; driven by several factors. The A7III is known for its exceptional image quality, impressive low-light performance, and dynamic range, which can be particularly advantageous in various photography situations. Which is awesome because I love to learn and experiment with new ideas. Since its a full-frame sensor, it allows for greater detail and clarity; while the advanced auto-focus system ensures accurate and fast focusing, even in challenging conditions. This is not to say that cropped sensor cameras are bad, because they're not. The A7III isn't the newest camera on the market, but after all of the research I've done, it's an absolute banger of a camera and I am VERY MUCH in love with it ♥

*Plus, between you and me, Sony is the first camera brand that I got my little paws on.*
That being said, Sony will always have a special place in my heart. If I had to do it again, I would still choose Sony, every time

85mm 1.8 // 35mm 1.8 // 28-70mm 3.5-5.6

I understand that all these letters and numbers associated with camera lenses can be overwhelming at first. Let's break it down and make it easier to understand!

Take, for example, the 85mm, 1.8 lens. The 'mm' stands for millimetres and refers to the lens's focal length. It tells you how much of the scene your camera will capture. Essentially, it determines the field of view when you look through the camera's viewfinder. You can achieve some pretty stellar effects with focal length alone! Also, did you know that 85mm is considered the crème de la crème of portrait lenses?

Now, let's talk about the number 1.8 (also written as f/1.8). This refers to the lens's maximum aperture size. The aperture is the opening in the lens that controls the amount of light entering the camera. It is measured in f-stops. In this case, f/1.8 means that the lens has a wide maximum aperture, allowing more light to enter the camera.

It's important to note that f/1.8 is a relatively wide aperture, but it's not the widest/smallest available. Some lenses can go even lower in terms of aperture size, providing even more light-gathering capability! Oh technology, you're so amazing ♥

If you're ever at all curious about these things, please ask! I'd love to nerd-out and answer any questions you may have! 

X-Pro S Trigger // V860III-S Speed Light

The X-Pro S Trigger and V860III-S Speed Light are photography tools that I use to enhance my lighting capabilities. The X-Pro S Trigger allows me to have wireless control of my off-camera flashes/speed-lights, giving me creative freedom in lighting setups. Paired with the X-Pro S Trigger, the V860III-S Speed Light provides powerful on or off camera flash for well-lit photos. . Even though it's a flash, it doesn't mean that it creates that old super flashy photo look. Flashes can accentuate an image and take it from alright to holy-heckling-boo-yeah! These tools are offer features like TTL metering and high-speed sync for precise lighting control (So no "yikes the flash made my head look like a lighthouse beacon" kind of photos). Anyways, together, they provide me with a versatile and reliable lighting solution that lets me light the scene just right! Woohoo!

Lightroom Classic

Adobe Lightroom is a remarkable software for editing and managing photos. It's where all of the magic begins. It offers a wide range of editing tools, allowing me to make adjustments to exposure, colour, contrast, clarity, and more. Additionally, I use Lightroom to evaluate and sort through the images from each session, making it easier to select the best shots. Not gonna lie though, sometimes this program is FUSSY. You could call it a skill-issue but I call it "back in my day things were less confusing." No, no I'm kidding. About the 'back in my day' anyways. It's all about growth and learning right? I wouldn't be where I am today without it.

**The software also integrates seamlessly with other Adobe products like Photoshop.**
 Its compatibility with RAW files and integration with other Adobe products make it an essential part of my editing process. 

Photoshop

I choose to use Photoshop because it is an incredibly powerful and versatile software for image editing and manipulation. One of the key reasons I choose Photoshop is its advanced retouching capabilities as well. It offers powerful healing brushes, content-aware tools, and advanced layering techniques, enabling me to remove imperfections, enhance details, and seamlessly combine multiple elements in my images. So I can totally fix stray hair, blinking eyes and it also gives me the ability to swap out your sneezing face for your wonderful smiling face! :)

I'll put an example below of a head swap! Trust me, it's not as scary as it sounds.

 

 

It's totally okay if you're not looking at me 100% of the time.

That's what Photoshop is for! 

& then there's me.
you know, I am part of the process after all :)