Happy Independence Day!

I apologize for the delay in posting this; I often forget to post on my blog since I post on Facebook and Twitter fairly regularly. 

I wanted to do something special for this photo shoot, so I scoped out this location and hung the dangling stars. (I had some help with the tall limbs.) The mother-to-be wore a dress that fit the theme perfectly. She did her hair and make-up that just speaks "American" to me.

I love this angle: it makes the mother-to-be look great and allows you to see the shining star!

Isn't she a pretty momma?!

Since it's for 4th of July, I thought I should make this one bright & sunny like summer days in the south!

Up close belly photos are a must. Yes, they call their little one "peanut": how cute!

Can you tell she's having a girl?

You knew I had to have a B&W one.

 

I loved the sunny look so much, I wanted to do it again.

I will be taking photos of this wonderful mother as her child continues to develop in and out of her womb. Keep checking back for new sessions with this amazing woman and her child. I will include some sessions with her husband as well. (I have several earlier sessions with him in them.)


I do offer a month by month session plan. That's right: you can get photographs of your progress every month. At the end, I will take one newborn session. Then, I will provide you with my and your top pics from each session. Contact me for pricing and to set up an appointment.

Shine Bright,
Monica
Fire Fly Photography

365 Photo Challenge

What is a 365 Photo Challenge?

Basically, you take one photograph based on a pre-determined theme every day of the year. Some people do this for themselves, while others do it as a group.

What am I doing?

I started a "closed" Facebook group, which means that all of the posts are private. I also determined the rules and the themes. I create the themes one month at a time. January's themes:

I have a few friends and family members added to this group who participate when they can.

What are the rules?

Simplified? No cell phone pictures, period. Also, you can choose to abide by the above themes as listed or you can make a list of the themes for the week and take the photos and mark them off as you go. Also, there can only be kind and constructive criticism.

What challenges have I faced?

I started off really good, taking photos just like in the rules. However, this was during the holidays when I was not working. Since I work an 8 AM - 5 PM job, I found that by the time I get home, the sun is fading or has completely disappeared for the night. Instead of forcing myself into the darkness and the city streets or trying to make plain, house hold items in poor lighting look great, I have simply waited until the weekend to capture my images.

Also, at the end of February or beginning of March, I began to have an intense pain in my right wrist. It worsened. I went to the doctor, who told me that I had tendonitis that should clear up in 6 weeks or less. He knew that I could not wear a brace at work but insisted that I did when I wasn't at work. (I am on the computer the entire time I am at work unless I am taking photographs.) Through stretches, this neat work brace, the off-work brace, and help from my chiropractors office, I am finally starting to feel some relief. However, I have not been able to take many photographs for nearly two months! D-:

Originally, I wanted to take one photo a day, edit it, and post it to Facebook. I am trying to find ways around this. I tried taking my camera to work, but never found an opportunity (lunch) where it was appropriate to bring or use my camera. I have taken my camera when I have gone shopping on several occasions, but the same thing occurs.

So what will I do?

Have an idea of what I photograph I want to take for that theme, take one to three images, edit them, and post them soon after. Taking a great deal of a similar image increases the chances that I will edit those photos, making it harder to choose the right one, move on to the other photos, and apparently potentially injuring my dainty, little wrists.

Also, I must be more strict with myself; I will not take "no" for an answer! 

What about the themes? Were there any that were particularly difficult?

To be honest, the entire month of January was tough; this is why I made the other months easier/ more fun. "Time" was one that I didn't know what I would do. I knew that I didn't want to take a picture of a clock or a watch or gears. This is what I chose. It shows birds in motion, which is the passing of time.

What are you three favorite photos from the 365 photo challenge so far?

Keep in mind that there are many photos that I have been unable to take (over one month's worth) due to my wrist.

It's so hard to decide!

Keep scrolling to see the photos.

1. "Close-up" for Feb. 4th

2. "Creation" / "New Beginning" for Jan. 3rd

3. "Spice" for Jan. 6^th

Favorite Photographs from 365 Photo Challenge as of 4/17/2014

Close-up by Fire Fly Photography Creations / New Beginning by Fire Fly Photography Spice by Fire Fly Photography  Now that my wrist is starting to feel better and I have a plan, I should have more blog posts like this coming to you. I would like to write one every month to summarize that month's themes and photos. Of course, the next one will encompass all of the ones that I am behind on as well.  Until next time, smile and shine! Monica Bedsole Fire Fly Photography

   

Starting Behind the Line: Tips, Tricks, & General Observations

It's always interesting to me to look at the photographic works of others. As a photographer, I obviously enjoy a well-balanced and properly lit picture that has just the right amount of post-production work done to it. I think that it is good to look at my fellow photographers not as competitors but as teachers and students. In fact, many of them have blogs just like this for the sole purpose of helping other photographers. Some of them actually spend a great deal of time and effort making savvy videos and tutorials. (By the way, THANK YOU!!! All of you! I mean it: without your guidance, I might not be where I am today.)

It's important that you know how I feel about other photographers and photographs because I want to discuss what I have observed by watching other photographers on site and in videos; by reading articles, blogs, forums, social networking sites, and e-books; and by my own personal experience.

Primarily, I want to dissect a few aspects of the photography process itself. Before I begin, I want all of you to know that this is not a step-by-step instruction manual. This is not even a recommended way of doing things for every person out there. Instead, this post and the posts following this one are simple observations that I have made along the way.

I am mostly going to talk about wedding photography as there are more aspects involved. However, you can apply many of the observations/suggestions to most types of photography.

If you just shoot pictures of your pets or children or if you are a professional (or aspiring professional) photographer, you may be interested in these posts. It is also good to know what to expect or look-out for at a photo shoot as a photographer and a the person being photographed. If nothing else, you may want to read that post!

To help you, I have made a list of what I will be discussing:
1. Photographic Equipment
2. Meeting the Client(s)
3. Preparing for a Shoot
4. The Day of the Shoot
5. Post Production
6. Sharing with Others

Since I feel like my first blog post may have been a little too long, I will break this one up into sections. In fact, this posts already seems a little long, so I am going to cut it off here and start with the list in the next post.


~XOXO Love Ya!
Monica Bedsole with Fire Fly Photography
 

My First Post

I am very excited to be writing my first blog post for Fire Fly Photography!

I suppose I must start with the basics: who am I and why do I think any of you care enough to read my blogs?

Who am I? 
Well, my name is Monica Bedsole. 

What is my occupation? 
Photographer, Marketer, Writer, Designer, and Creator.

What am I known for? 
Being a loving daughter, sister, and girlfriend (3+ years), being a caring friend, and being a darn good photographer. ;)

What kind of Photography do I specialize in?
Wedding and maternity, as well as nature and abstract.

Can and will I take photographs of other subjects?
Of course. To see the full range of my photographic abilities, please visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/Photo.FireFly. Here, you will be able to browse through my photographs. If you like what you see, please feel free to "like" my page and "like" or "comment" on your favorite photos!

How did I get the experience I have? 
To be honest, I have had a camera since I was little (8 years old or so). I began photographing anything and everything. Back then, I went through a myriad of inexpensive and moderately priced 35mm film cameras. Before I traveled to China with the People to People Student Ambassador program in 2006, I was able to purchase a Canon Power Shot. This is really where I started getting creative with my photographs. I began to determine what subjects I was better at photographing and which subjects I enjoyed photographing the most. In the Summer of 2009, I was able to photograph my friend LeeAnn's and her husband Chad's wedding. I was a bridesmaid, so there were many things that I was not able to capture. When I graduated from Robertsdale High School in 2008, my wonderful Grampsas (RIP) gave me a Minolta SRT 102, which I had fixed up and cleaned. I later bought extra lenses for this camera. I love taking photos with this old film camera. In fact, I still take it out and use it whenever I can. There was a short time period (about a year) in which I owned and operated a Nikon CoolPix. I did not like its features and functionality, so I gifted it to one of my sister-in-laws (love you Jackie). During the fall of  2010, I bought my first DSLR: a Canon Rebel T2i! I still use this camera now, but I have since gotten different lenses and lens attachments. 

With this camera, I have done several portraits sessions, including one maternity session; one group portrait session, which included several individual portraits; two baby sessions; one engagement session; and several individual, adult sessions. I have also had the opportunity to photograph my brother Johnny's (and his wife Cassandra's) wedding and my friend David's wedding. I was actually a bridesmaid for both of those weddings. Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph the ceremony and some of the group pictures because of that. (My wonderful boyfriend took them instead.) I was also able to co-photograph an entire wedding (minus the formals) on Cinco de Mayo! The photographs turned out GORGEOUS! The aforementioned engagement session was of the Cinco de Mayo wedding couple. I am scheduled to co-photograph another wedding on July 27, 2013. My co-photographer is a sweet lady, who has a darling baby girl and another one on the way. It will be a pleasure working with her. The young couple that I will be photographing are both ambitious and lively people, who are sure to make this day even more enjoyable and special than it is planned to be. I am looking forward to working with them on their wedding day!

What classes and certification do I have?

The nice thing about photography is that anyone can become a professional with the right eye and the right mindset at any point in their life. I strive to learn anything and everything I can about photography, lighting equipment, and my camera. This means that I have participated in and/or watched a myriad of online classes, tutorials, and webinars throughout my many years of aspiring to be a professional photographer. I have also participated in a few in-person classes. During the Summer of 2002, I took a basic photography course for kids at (now) Pensacola State College. Within the last three years, I've have taken both the Creative Composition and the Low Lighting classes offered through Pensacola Photography School. I have also read numerous hardback books and e-books about photography, lighting, and the Canon T2i.

In addition to my photography related classes, please know that I have a Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations and Marketing that I earned from Ashford University after taking two years worth of classes in the International Studies department at the University of West Florida.

Do you offer FREE sessions?
At this time, only FAMILY members receive free sessions. Free sessions will be available at a later date through contests. However, portraits and engagement sessions will be the ONLY sessions included. 

What about discounts?
Currently, friends and all of those on my Facebook fanpage will receive 10% off the full price of my prices (email for inquiries). If a couple books both an engagement and a wedding session with me, I will give them a 15+% total discount. 

Tell me more about this blog...

Now that I have all of the introductions out of the way, I think that it is very important for everyone who may be interested in this blog to have a full understanding of what I will be discussing on here.

I will, of course, post my photographs and my experiences with each session. I will offer advice and tips on upcoming photo-shoots to clients, prospective clients, and others wanting photographs. I will also post information that I find helpful to anyone with a business, especially a photography business.

In addition to all of the wonderful topics listed above, I will talk about what is going on in my life, whether it is photography/business related or not. Many of these posts will include cell phone pictures (don't judge) and a short blurb about what I am doing,which will most likely be written from my phone.

I want this blog to be fun and personal, so feel free to comment and make suggestions.

Please be courteous to others. No "hating" or "trolling" on my blog!

Please refrain from using foul language on this blog. Any comments that are deemed "spam" or that contain foul language will be removed (there are exceptions, of course).

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy weekend!

~Monica Bedsole
Fire Fly Photography
Pensacola, FL