...Graduation?

I've been asked several times recently if I'm excited that I'm graduating.

WHAT. I'm graduating?

I.... I guess I am.

It's funny how it actually never dawned on me that finishing this semester meant I'm "graduating".

I've mostly just been thinking of it as closing one chapter of life and starting a new one with YWAM.

But, hey, I'm graduating! Weird.

 Hello Associates in Arts with emphasis on Photography.

I feel like I put in enough work in these last three years for that degree title to be a little more impressive, but I couldn't be more pleased with the education I've been given. Jonathon is an absolute genius, and I feel so lucky to have learned from him all six semesters. Nobody realizes how lucky we are at our little community college, but our program is amazing because of him. The man lived and studied with Ansel Adams for a period of his life, c'mon!

That being said. These are my finals for the digital image processing II class. 

The only guidelines we had were to come up with 10 color images of completely different subjects, and have them mounted (the way we've been taught over the years) in a pristine manor.  

I've always been a fan of natural light, and capturing it on film (preferred) or a digital sensor.

This semester Jonathon really pushed us to "See The Light". It opened my eyes as to how light at different times of the day can completely change your image.

Some are definitely stronger than others, but overall, I'm happy with the final ten for this semester. All images were sharpened at various stages, and boosted with a mid-tone contrast as well as the occasional bit of dodging and burning. No further editing was done to many of them, as we're not supposed to for his classes.

Okay. Enough talk. Here they are.

 

 

 

This last one is not a photograph, although that would be awesome. It's from our Scanogram project. Two photographs put together, scanned and made into one image. Pretty cool, eh? I like it.

Not a single portrait this time around. Ah well..

That's something I plan to focus on in the future. I want to capture life moments and all things good.

You deserve a gold star if you actually read this whole thing. Phew!

-Kelsey

fat cat. sad cat.

Life has been so busy, now that the semester is ending. I've been a big sappy pants about the entire thing.

Sad to leave Jonathon (genius photo prof extraordinaire), sad to leave friends, sad to leave the facilities. BUT, so happy to be moving on to an exciting new chapter!

My final 10 images are mounted, perfected and ready to be critiqued for next week. Sighh...

Maybe I'll post them at a later date.

Until then, I leave you with this.

Biggest cat I've ever seen graced the Critter Cottage last week.

I'm in love.

-Kelsey

Letters.

Today was all about this:

I've finally finished writing my support letters! Hallelujah.

These beautiful peppers contributed to my breakfast this morning. Mmm mmm.

Beautiful day to get things done. That's for sure.

-Kelsey

Sunshine.

The sun is out! Oh, it's so lovely.

It's been awhile since it last showed itself, seems like it anyways.

I've been in bed with flu like symptoms since 6pm yesterday, but nothing was going to stop me from getting outside and doing a bit of shooting on a day like today.

I love the shadows that are cast whenever the sun is shining. So, today, it's all about the shadows

Marty found time to sneak a kiss from the little dutch girl. Sly dog.

Back to bed. Too bad I've already finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!

I'm so ready to read HP book number four.

I'm a little behind the bandwagon, but they are completely addicting.

- Kelsey

Upper Peninsula.

No new shots today. Just a little nostalgia.

There is a tiny little cabin owned by the Webber family located deep in the Upper Peninsula that I'm quite fond of. 

My favorite part of this cabin is the beautiful lake it sits on. Every season brings out the unique characteristics of the water and the land that surrounds it. Summer is the best time to visit because we're able to canoe around the lake and watch for wildlife.

 How can you see such beauty, and say there isn't a Creator?

I mean, look at it.

Today, I printed each of these out some 13x19" luster paper.  

Superb. 

Also, for sale if you're interested. ; )

- Kelsey 

Rainy Lazy Sunday.

Hey, Michigan, I thought you were done with this cold weather?

Guess not.

Nothing too inspiring today, but I was really itching to get a feel for my new battery grip. It's oh so lovely.

Say hello to my little love, Franklin!

He goes on walks with me, just like a dog would.

Isn't he the best cat ever? I think so.

-Kelsey