A Weekend in Savannah

A couple of weeks ago, I went with a friend to Savannah, GA for a girls weekend and it was a blast! If you have never been to Savannah, I highly recommend going. It's a beautiful city on a river, lined with oak trees wrapped in Spanish moss, brushed with a serene park on every block, packed with delicious restaurants and swanky bars, and filled with some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Canopy of beautiful oak branches.

My friend, Ashley, very excited about drinks to go! 

Savannah does not have an open container law, so whenever you're ready to leave the restaurant/bar that you're at, they'll kindly give you a cup to take your drink with you. One of my favorite things about Savannah!

Forsyth Park- where Forrest Gump was filmed.

Beautiful Spanish Moss draping the oak trees.

Wishing we had parks this beautiful in Atlanta! Would be a great spot for a photo shoot :)

Fountain in Forsyth Park.

Bridge outside of our hotel. The streets get a little funky when you get close to the river. There's a cobblestone drive that leads to the river with hotels, shops, and restaurants all along it.

Day 12: Sunset

I love taking pictures of sunsets. All of the colors make for such beautiful photographs. Here are a couple of sunset photos I took last week:

Day 11: Something Blue

Blue Jeans! Along with most women, I have lots of pairs of blue jeans. I have my go-to pair that look good with all tops and shoes that I usually end up throwing on after trying on 15 different outfits; my super comfortable, wear around the house and run errands in pair; my "I'm going to paint something today" pair; and then the others that I don't wear much but I can't get rid of them because you never know they may become a favorite in the future.

Day 10: Childhood Memory

The childhood memory I chose to take a picture of today is Mardi Gras beads. Growing up in Mobile, AL, Mardi Gras was a huge part of my childhood. My family went to many parades each year and on Mardi Gras Day, we would spend the entire day at my grandfather's pawn shop located directly on the parade route. All of my cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends would be there along with my mom, dad, siblings, and grandparents. It was definitely something to look forward to every year!

Day 9: Someone You Love

I'm back to the photography challenge! I apologize for taking a few days off. I had one of my best friends come in town for a few days and we spent the whole time talking, laughing, eating, drinking, spending time with friends and family, and thrifting. We are both photographers; however, did not manage to take any pictures while she was here- we were really enjoying living in the moment!

For this day's challenge "Someone you love" I chose to take a picture of my boyfriend, Chris, whom I love very much. We live together with our 3 dogs and 1 cat- which makes for a crazy but fun home filled with love, laughter and dog kisses. Chris has been my rock for 3 years- we have gone through a lot and grown closer because of it all. He is strong minded and strong willed, but still one of the most caring and compassionate people I have ever met. His family means the world to him which, along with everything else, made me fall in love with him.

I took this picture this morning as he was rushing out the door to work- he was a really good sport about it; however, I wish I had more time to get the lighting and background right.

Manual mode. ISO 400. f3.4, shutter speed 250. Auto white balance. Natural light only.

Same settings as above except for shutter speed which was around 100- causing over-exposure. Noir filter.

Day 8: Routine

Good Morning! I'm sure many of you also have this same routine: Enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning. Which of these two pictures do you like better??

Manual mode, ISO 1600. Aperture 3.5. Shutter speed 40. Natural and indoor/overhead lighting. Tripod used. No filter.

Manual mode. ISO 1600. Aperture 3.5. Shutter speed 20. Used a tripod. Only natural light, not indoor/artificial. Used the fade filter.

I was going to take a picture of my dogs eating this morning. However, Waylon is very scared of my camera, so he stopped eating and turned towards me lol, and there were some other objects (the speakers) that I didn't like too much. But, just for fun, here is the picture:

Day 7: Changes to Come

First of all, I am sorry I missed this one yesterday. I had a long day of volunteering in the wildlife department at a nature center here in Georgia, and I meant to bring my camera along with me but left it at home. So, I had to push this challenge to today. "Changes to Come" I was kind of stumped on this one so I decided to take a drive. I discovered a field of cows grazing and decided to stop and take pictures. I decided this is going to be something I do more. My changes to come are new adventures, exploration, and taking a drive every once in a while! Here are my pictures of the day:

Day 6: Clouds

Clouds! I was finally able to get some cloud pictures today :) Clouds are so amazing and with a little editing and playing around with color you can create very cool photos. Here are a few I took and edited today.

Manual mode. Aperture 10, shutter speed around 200. ISO at 100.  Noir filter.

Same settings as above. Fade filter.

Same settings again. No filter.

Day 5: Obsession

My obsession is this area in my house. I'm obsessed with this window that overlooks my backyard and this English pub table and chairs. Opening these blinds is one of this first things I do in the morning. I just love the way the light comes in and hits the pub table.

Picture taken in manual mode. ISO 1600, aperture 3.5, shutter speed 60. Natural and indoor lighting.

Day 4: After Dark

I'm posting a day late on this one since the challenge was "After Dark" and it ended up being pretty late by the time I took the photo. Also, I am still skipping ahead as the sky was grey and overcast yesterday and is again today. I think it will clear tomorrow and I will be able to get that cloud picture!

Here are my Day 4 photos from last night:

This is the gate in my front yard. I took this picture around 10 pm last night. Shutter mode: shutter speed at 20 seconds. Used tripod for all photos. ISO 3200 on all photos.

Same location as first picture. Shutter mode: shutter speed at 10 seconds. It was misting out which caused this really cool glare affect on this picture.

Same location again, just different angle. Shutter mode: shutter speed at 10 seconds. There weren't too many cars out on our road last night, but there were enough to get some light trails. 

I'll have another post today with Day 5!

Day 3: Something Green

Day 3 is supposed to be a picture of clouds. Unfortunately, it is a dreary day and the sky is one big cloud but that wouldn't make for a great picture. So, I decided to go forward a day to Something Green and here are the pictures I took:

My entryway table that I purchased at Woodstock Market. Camera settings: Increased ISO to 3200. Shutter speed 80 and aperture at 1.4. There was some natural light coming in and I also had the foyer chandelier on. Shot in manual mode.

Green flowers that are part of a bouquet I bought the other day. ISO 2000,  aperture 3.5, don't remember shutter speed. Natural light and overhead light. Shot in manual mode.

Not sure what this is called lol. I've had it for years and randomly hang it outside everywhere I live. ISO 800, aperture 2.8, shutter speed between 100-200. All natural light. Shot in manual mode.

Hopefully I'll be able to take the clouds picture soon. It is supposed to rain for the next few days, so I will keep skipping until I can take it. Stay tuned!

Day 2: What I Wore

Today, I wore my AE jeans that I've had for 6-7 years that I love! They're my go-to pants that every top matches. The sweater is comfortable and warm which I needed on this very chilly day. And, the boots, my new favorite shoes, are a Christmas present. I had so much fun photographing my clothes, I ended up with 3 photos of the day.

Day 1: Self Portrait

Day 1 of the Photography Challenge is a self portrait. I got out my tripod and remote and set it up on my front porch. The lighting outside was gorgeous. I took this picture around 3 o'clock today. It was sunny and cold! I took about 15 pictures and this is the one I chose:

I opened on my mac and used the auto enhance tool, no further editing done.

Stay tuned for Day 2 of the challenge tomorrow!

Photography Challenge

Has anyone tried doing a photography challenge? I have been wanting to do one for so long but just haven't for whatever reason. But, I am doing it this year!

I found this challenge on Pinterest (http://promobonuscodes.com/30_DAY_PHOTOGRAPHY_CHALLENGE/) 

I am really excited to start sharing these pictures with you! If you're interested, please join the challenge with me!