MacKenzie (Take 2)

Met a friend again this fall to take pictures of her daughter, MacKenzie. It's amazing how much MacKenzie has grown since I took her pictures in the spring time, but she was still just as sweet as before. She was a natural in front of the camera and even came up with several poses herself. Here are just a few from the shoot.

Favorite Lens?

I received a compliment recently about my photography and was asked what lens I couldn't do without. I guess the answer to that question would depend on what I'm photographing at the time since certain lenses are more effective for certain types of photography, but my impulse was to say my Canon 50mm lens. Though I go through phases about which my favorite lens is like the Canon 100mm macro or the Canon 70-200 zoom, today it would probably be the Canon EF 50mm 1.4 USM prime lens. I love this lens!

The 1.4 aperture makes this a very fast lens that allows me to take pictures in low light or at night, without a flash or tripod, and with the narrow depth-of-field that I love so much. The bokeh created by the narrow depth-of-field is outstanding as are the shadow details that this lens picks up. And because it's a prime lens what I do want in focus is very sharp. This lens works great for portraits and all around general photography. Here are a few images that I've taken with this lens.

MacKenzie

A friend contacted me to see if I would be interested in making some portraits of her daughter this spring. Though I enjoy creating portraits in natural light and settings I don't do it often, so I was definitely up for it.

We met at a local park a couple hours before sunset for the nice late afternoon light and I began shooting away. MacKenzie is a sweet little girl who, like most kids, was a little shy at first to have her picture taken, but she was pretty relaxed by the end of the shoot. Here are just a few of the many images I made of her.

365 Days of Black & White Square Photography

For some time I have wanted to work on black & white photography and after visiting the Ansel Adams exhibit in Columbia I decided to jump in and give it a try. Beginning January 1st and for the next 365 days the plan is to post one black & white image a day that I have processed for this project. My goal is to obtain a better understanding of the process of creating a black & white image from start to finish. We'll see how I do. Here's the first one. Only 364 to go….

You can follow my progress at my web site: http://www.shawnjenningsphotography.com/.

Does it get any better....

...than sunrise on the top of a mountain? That's what I often ask myself when I'm photographing a beautiful sunrise from the top of the world. I'm reminded, too, of how amazing God created this world and everything in it. As a new day begins, so begins new opportunities to give thanks to the Creator of all things.

Roan Mountain, North Carolina

Looking Glass Falls

Looking Glass Falls in the Pisgah Forest is a popular destination for tourist and photographers alike. Ask any photographer in the region and I'm sure they have a picture of this waterfall among their collection.

During this visit to Looking Glass I had my camera setup downstream taking pictures. There are often visitors that make their way into the composition, so I just wait until they leave to begin making pictures again. On this occasion the visitor decided to enjoy the water firsthand by getting in the water and letting the water cascade on him. I was going to wait until he left to begin making pictures again, but I liked the sense of scale he gave to the waterfall be being in it, so I snapped some shots that I thought turned out pretty decent. After a few minutes he got out of the water and went on his way.

(You may have to click on the image to see a larger size to see the man in the water.)

Washington DC

Went to one of my favorite places to visit - Washington DC. I caught up with a couple photography friends and toured and photographed all the touristy sites that I never get tired of. Using a super wide angle lens I captured this image by laying down on the ground and holding the camera under the tulips pointing upward to include the Capitol in the frame. This was one of my favorite shots of the trip.