Where Do I Begin?…

So, hi again, Photo Blog. I haven’t been around much lately. I guess it was the whole, “getting married” thing that sort of threw me off. And I don’t have a lot of photos–of my own–to show for it. But can we just pick up where we left off? Like I haven’t been absent? Thanks, I appreciate it.

Well, my little sister-in-law is engaged! And I got to be there to take pictures of it! Mike proposed to Taylor on top of Enchanted Rock in Fredricksburg, TX at 11:20 am. And it was beautiful! Here, look:

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It was a beautiful day celebrating beautiful people!

Yours Truly,

CW

Surfside

There are beaches that are amazing and beautiful and relaxing and look like the ones you see on those posters people hang in their offices that say, “find your happy place,” and then there is is Galveston. Not all beaches were created equal (or maybe they were and the human race just screwed it up…), but that’s the best we Houstonians can get without driving too doggone far.

Yesterday two of my best friends since high school, my lovely fiancé (who has not had very good beach experiences in the past, but keeps an open mind), and I went down to Surfside: a pretty and less crowded part of that disgusting coastline. And you know what? It was actually pleasant! I mean, of course, being with people I love was already wonderful, but add some salty ocean air (we’ll ignore the dead fish scattered along the sand…), the sound of waves crashing, and some happy sunshine, and what’s not to love?

 

Yours Truly,

CZ

Lately.

Lately, wedding preparation has become a high priority item on my list.
Lately, I have been looking day and night for a job.
Lately, my mom and I have been getting to spend a lot of time together since she recently quit her job.
Lately, I have spent most of my time either in Katy or Cypress.
Lately, things have been crazy but not so picturesque.
Lately, I have had little chance to pick up my camera.

But for the rare times I did…

Yours Truly,

CZ

Recording Studios & Rookie Mistakes

First of all, I’m marrying into the most talented family in the continental U.S. and a couple of weeks ago, I got to be in the recording studio as my future brother and sister-in-law tracked their amazing EP (coming soon!)! Stephen and his beautiful wife Heather are not only incredible musicians, they’re also extremely photogenic. Seriously… you should see their engagement/wedding photos.
Well, while at the studio, I thought I’d snap a few shots and if I got some good ones they could use them for… something? But, oh yeah, I’m a total rookie.
First rookie mistake: The lighting in the studio is already terrible and my lens only goes down to 3.5 aperture, but to top that off, I forgot that I had a polarizer on for about half the time. Remember those wild flower shots? Yeah, didn’t take it off.
Second rookie mistake: After taking dark picture after dark picture, I remembered about the ISO and turned that way up, resulting in grainy, but visible, photos. Then, after the polarizer came off and after my sweet friend Levi let me borrow his 1.4 50 mm lens (which was amazing in that light!! I have already started saving for one!), guess what I didn’t remember to do? Turn the ISO back down. So, hello, film grain.
I wish so much that I’d been able to save more pictures, but I had to learn my lesson. I did manage to take a few that weren’t terrible (yay!), and Levi took a few of me and my sweet darlin’

Yours Truly,
CZ

Playing in the Flowers Again

When I was a kid, the great outdoors was my x-box. I had no need for TV or top of the line toys as long as I had a tree to climb and an adventure awaiting. My whole life, I grew up on a lot of land, with woods and a big field and wildlife and so many flowers. All that surrounded me, any living thing, plant or animal or person, was a friend of young Me. I don’t think I’ve ever quite outgrown it, that love for nature, that connection with it. But it’s truly been one of my least favorite things to photograph. I guess it’s because it’s a task to find personality in something that makes no expressions, as people do so well (my favorite thing to photograph!). HOWEVER–this is a pivotal moment, so pay attention–I rather enjoyed the photo trip I took with my parents 2 weekends ago to shoot nothing but wildflowers. Yep. Just voiceless, faceless plants. I figured it would be a good opportunity to get to work with sunlight and spend time with the ol’ parentals, but as I walked through fields, knee-deep in endless flowers of all sorts, our friendship rekindled. I fell in love again with vibrant colors which carry so much personality on their own and with the way that, even in a random field, I could feel right at home.

Yours Truly,
CZ

7:45 PM; March 3, 2012

If you’re friends with me on Facebook, you probably already know this, but I GOT ENGAGED! And I couldn’t be more excited (obv)! No matter how much I want to go into detail about the whole thing, and elaborate on how wonderful it is to know that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend, and how–even though I knew it was coming–it still made my heart stop when he got down on one knee and said “Will you marry me?” for real, and say how special it was to have so many people I love right there to hug and laugh with and make me believe I wasn’t dreaming… I won’t, and I will make this about the photography. (But if you want to hear about it, I have no problem spilling every single detail!)
Okay, the photography. My friend Kasey Morgan was incredible on this very, very important and intimate occasion. Of course, we would want photographs from the actual proposal to look at over and over and over again (and a few times after that) and to frame and such. So Kasey came through amazingly. The lighting was low, with dim candle light, and the setting was small and intimate, which made this a difficult task. Not only did she get wonderful memories captured on her DSLR, she was invisible to us the whole time!
Here are a few of her shots that she passed on to me, that I would like to pass on to you.
And just incase you’re wondering, yes, this was the most wonderful night of my life to date.

Yours Truly,

CZ

The Lion & The Butterfly

Right around October in the Fall of 2010, I made a new friend: A butterfly with a broken wing whom I called Mr. Posa. I found him by our front door one day and I just had to take him in, feed him a little honey, and make a habitat for him that could feel like home. I usually just peeled half of a grape and let him sit on it all day on our book shelf, but Halloween weekend, we were headed out of town for a night and I wanted him to enjoy the outdoors while we were away. So I cut an apple in half and set him on it out on our balcony. When I came back home, the apple was covered in ants and Mr. Posa was gone…. I like to think he found his strength and flew off into the sunset.
Still, I’ve never really gotten over the fella. So for my birthday this year, my sweet friend Sara bought me a Butterfly In A Jar! It’s so cool; it’s a battery powered monarch that flutters when you tap the lid and–the best part–it never dies!
Today, my roommate Kelsey (aka: Lion-Haired Girl) let me take pictures of her with our new roommate-in-a-jar, Melon! *sigh*….. I love butterflies

Yours Truly,

CZ

P.S. In case you didn’t notice, there’s a couple links up there that are COMPLETELY worth clicking on. Also, if you live in this century and have a facebook, go like this page.

“It” Girl

I am constantly looking for new people to photograph since my usual subject is my boyfriend, who is seriously beautiful…I’m not just biased . So I was so thankful when my gorgeous sister, Lisa, agreed to let me do a whole photo shoot with her! You see, Lisa is working on putting a portfolio together for modeling and I am trying to work on my photo taking skills, so it was a win-win for both of us.
In these series, I enjoyed playing with pops of color, all sorts of angles, and all in low-lighting. Oh, and destinations. You might recognize the scene in some of these shots from this post. But, trust me: we went traipsing all over my neighborhood for picturesque places and my sister was completely willing to go wherever I asked her too, all for the sake of the picture. Hello, modeling agencies? I think I found your next “it” girl.
Here are some of my favorites from the shoot, but if you’re interested in seeing all 94, go here.

Yours Truly,

CZ

Light Parade

A couple nights ago, a bunch of my friends and I (usually referred to as “The Sensational Six”. Thanks for the name Mom) were all hanging out in my apartment having a grand ole’ time with shutter speeds and flashlights. We all crowded into a dark room, grabbed a flashlight, and set the shutter speed on my camera to “bulb” so it would stay open as long as we held a finger down on the button. We did this thing that the cool kids call “Light Writing” where you leave the shutter open and write or draw with light. I love doing this! It’s such a fun activity to do with a lot of people. It’s so much fun, in fact, that I could not just stay behind the camera… I had to get in on the fun too! Seriously, you’ve got to try this.

Yours Truly,
CZ

Hometown GLORY

I am a born and raised Houstonian, which many people are ashamed of admitting. Not me. Proud of it, in fact. I’m currently residing in San Marcos, TX for school, but due to my recent graduation (yay!) I’ll be headed home for good in no time.
About a week and a half ago, my boyfriend and I took the long road home (aka. I-10) to see his sister, her boyfriend, and his sister-in-law run in the Houston Marathon. His family is from the area as well, so we stayed at his house for a little r&r and game nights for a long weekend. Then on Sunday morning, we woke up before the sun to drive downtown and watch one of the most exciting experiences I’ve ever witnessed. Seriously, I hate running. I wish I loved it, I want to love it, I try to love it, but I hate it. Watching that marathon, though, I wanted nothing more than to join in the fun. It was like a parade! So I decided something (and, hold me to this, Internet…): I am going to train for a marathon. Or maybe I’ll just start with a 5k.
These photos are from my weekend in Houston; some are from the marathon and some are just from hanging around my house or Justin’s. But just so you know, my favorite shot from the weekend was the skyline with the sunrise behind it (hence the title: GLORY!).

ENJOY!!!

Yours Truly,
CZ