Two Faces, Two Different Lights

Mystery Lady

Photography means “drawing with light”.

Whenever you or I snap a photo with our phone, camera or tablet, we use and record light to create an image.

A photograph can create a certain mood.  It can communicate an idea transcending its subject.

It has been a busy week, so I decided to combine assignments for Days 9 and 10 of the Photo101 WordPress course.  I wanted to share two images of the same person.  One person, but two different faces shown. The combination of the two in one post shows the difference the type and quality of lighting makes.  The mood of each photo is very different.

The black and white “Mystery Lady” image captures a sense of mystery (day 10).

Sunshine Girl

Day nine’s assignment was to make an image that showed warmth.

The second image, “Sunshine Girl” was taken outside in the bright sunlight.  The model held a reflector to bounce light onto her face.  Without the reflector her face would have been in deep shadows. The sun was high overhead and the day was very bright.

Thanks for taking “A Second Look”.  More images available at http://www.stephaniehalstead.com.

Connect

Our second grandson at three months old. Sleeping peacefully on his mother’s arm.

In this fast pace age of social media, we hear the word connect often.  Connect with us on Facebook! Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Given what today’s technologies can do, it feels like the world is getting smaller, and on some level we’re more connected than ever before.

Sometimes those connections are deep.  Sometimes they only go just beneath the surface.

“Connect”  is the theme for Day 6 in the WordPress Photography Course, Photo101.  My interpretation of the word connect would have to include people.  Is is how I am wired.

This image, from my archives, best defines the theme connect for me.  Our youngest grandson is three months old in this image.  Now, he is four years old.  The little guy was very cooperative during this photo session.  He smiled.  He smiled some more.  This grandmother definitely felt connected to him!

He is resting on the arm of of his mother, our daughter.  She has been one of the greatest blessings in my life, ever since she was a small babe herself.  She is in a busy season of life now, grown woman, wife, and mother of two sons.  I was present in the labor and delivery room for the birth of each of our grandsons.  What a privilege!  Those two events will always be on the top ten milestones of my life.  Yes, my daughter and I are connected.

It is a blessing to get together with our daughter on a regular basis.   This is not a privilege I take lightly.  As an adult, I always lived hundreds of miles away from my mother.  She would have loved to share milestones with me, but those were most often done through phone calls, letters, and photos.   As a grown woman and later as a grandmother myself, it still warmed my heart to hear her call me “my baby” when we connected.  She is gone, now.  I miss her.  I miss that connection.

Connect . . . yes, for me that will always mean the people in my life.

Thanks for taking “A Second Look”.  More images available at http://www.stephaniehalstead.com.

Happy Birthday to You and You and You!

It’s someone’s birthday today or tomorrow.  Maybe it is yours!

I have always thought birthdays are special in a way that no holiday is.  There are probably hundreds of thousands in the world that claim that same date on the calendar with you.  When it’s YOUR birthday, somehow it is a day more special than the other 364 days in the year.

So, in light of that here are a variety of the birthday images I have created.  Two of the images include names on them to give you an idea how a personalized one looks.  Thanks for taking “A Second Look”

For:  Anyone 🙂

For:  The man in your life – brother, brother-in-law, uncle, husband, son, cousin, good friend.

For:  Your mom, sister, aunt or best girlfriend?

For:  Anyone who like flowers.

For:  That special little girl in your life.

For:  The beach lover

For:  The organic gardener, fruit lover in your life, or someone whose favorite color is orange or blue.

For:  The one who likes the uncluttered look.

Most of the images on my website can be customized.  Many more images available at http://www.stephaniehalstead.com   Contact me through my website if you are interested in ordering.  I ship anywhere in the continental United States.

Thankful, Even Though It’s Been a Difficult Week

It has been a difficult week.  Maybe yours has been, too.  Or maybe last week was one you had rather not repeat.  Last week, this week, or the hard week coming around the bend, we all experience them.

But today I am thankful . . .

. . .  for God who loves me.

. . . that He, the Master Weaver knows the design He is creating even when all I see are the tangled threads below the canvas.

Some flowers look their best one petal at a time.  Others present their beauty with all the petals linked together.  The Master Creator has a design for each one.  Flowers help me remember that God has plans for good for me, too. That gives me hope.

What gives you hope when you need it?

New Photography Website – The Transition is Complete!

Hello Everyone,

I am excited! I am celebrating!  The transition to my new photography website is complete. See new ways to view images as well as creative options for you to enjoy.

Pick the image you like for the type of product you want. The web address is still www.stephaniehalstead.com.  Additional images will be posted on a regular basis.

Let me know what you think.  Have fun!