This book is dedicated to…

... my father who has encouraged and inspired my creativity since the day I was born. My passion for photography mirrors his own.

... my step-mom Kay whose compliments of my work never cease. Her hopes and dreams keep me shooting for the stars.

… my sweet husband Travis who woke up early on a Saturday morning, drove out to the boonies, trudged through mud, and stood outside in the pouring rain while holding a tiny leopard print umbrella over my head so

my camera would stay dry and I could get ‘just a few more shots’.

…my soul sister and dear friend Katie Bailey who never failed to be there when I needed her most with bells on. Her roles as model, entertainer, anxiety soother, glitter blower, puddle jumper, sun racer, and cre-

ative director, to name a few, will go down in history as the greatest of our time. Girl just gets me.

So much love to you and everyone else who continues to encourage and believe in me even when

I struggle to believe in myself.

table of contents

hdr ................................... 2fLashback .................... 3yellow ........................... 4aperture ........................ 5-6Fast shutter ............... 7fLora ............................... 8fun in the sun ............. 9-10portraits ..................... 11-12bannack ......................... 13-15macro ............................. 16slow shutter ............. 17perspective .................. 18fLexible edits .............. 19template ........................ 20

hdr highdynamicrange

0ev

+2ev

-2ev

Ever since I can remember I’ve been taking pictures. Growing up I had a film camera that I took with me practically everywhere I went. I would quickly fill each film roll so that I could take it to the store to get it developed. I eventually graduated to a digital point and shoot camera follwed by my current Canon Rebel T3 DSLR.

To say that photography is a passion of mine is an understatement. Capturing that special moment on film or showing someone a perspective they never thought to look for is what life’s all about. It is those tiny details all around us that make life beautiful.

These are the things that inspire and motivate my photography style. My love of all things antique and vintage is also illustrated through the subjects I choose to photograph as well as the decisions I make during the editing process for each individual image.

bora bora

flfLashback

byu-idaho

october

december 2013

apple orchard

2013

yellowsunshine joy happiness intellect energy warm cheerful

g

raFitti tra

in sm

all a

perture

fast

shutter

speed

f Lora

I took this photograph in the midst of a couple of weeks of fairly consistent thunderstorms. Natural light is my best friend and previous to this series of flora photographs it was something that I relied heavily on. It was during this week that I began to learn more about the benefits of adjusting my shutter speed and ISO.

My focal length on this photo was 110mm so that I could step back to produce optimal bokeh. I then set my aperture to f/4.5 and my shutter speed to 1/32 sec. I boosted my ISO to 800, but didn’t want to go any higher for fear that I would create too much grain in my final image.

I used Photoshop to sharpen parts of the final image and boost the red berries with the help of the levels tool.

fun inthe sun

flportraits

Portraits have only recently become a passion of mine. In the past my syle always leaned towards more abstract or eclectic subjects. Portrait photography seemed so mainstream and limited, but now I know that that could not be further from the truth. I believe that portraits can capture beautiful parts of ourselves that generally go unnoticed. Whether that be a detail in our face or a flare of personality portraits can produce magic.

The possibilities are endless from various poses to perfect candid moments. My motto when it comes to portraits is to never stop shooting because you never know when you will catch that perfect laugh, look, or interaction. Some of my best photographs were snapped in the moment when the subject was just being themselves, like the photograph on the far left.

I really enjoy using fun portrait aids like reflectors and speedlights. On the top right of this page you can see how I used a gold reflector to add warmth to the image and capture the fading light of the sunset that evening. Just below that image on the bottom right is an example of one of the many ways I like to use a speedlight. That image was taken in a basement stairwell with unflattering overhead lights. I underexposed my shot in order to darken the background and highlight her face.

r e f l ector

sp e edl i ght

ba n n ac k

ghost

town

montana

Bannack Ghost Town was the experience of a lifetime! My growth as a photographer was exponential. I began to love shooting in manual mode as my camera setting choices became instinctual. Being around so many creative, like-minded people produced a contagious energy and excitement that got my own creative juices flowing.

Surrounded by hundreds of other photography students and faculty I began my exploration of this beautifully rustic town. The sunlight that day provided some great lighting opportunities both with the use of reflectors and through the many windows on each adandoned building. I learned greater versatility as I constantly adapted to the array of different lighting conditions from direct sunlight to shade to the soft light coming through a window.

I had to manage my time wisely in order to complete the extensive assignment we’d been given that day. This caused me to take advantage of every opportunity I saw and really focus on getting that great shot quickly. My confidence grew as I boldly gave direction to our amazing models through the crowds of other eager photographers.

macro

abstract

s lowshuttersp e ed

You can’t have a ghost town without ghosts. I was able to capture this eerie ghost image using a slow shutter speed of 5 seconds and a speedlight to illuminate the ‘ghost’ in the image standing in a dark corner of the cabin where we were shooting. Her movement out of the shot created a perfect fading effect that makes the image even creepier.

When I first saw this shot I wasn’t sure if it was my best, but in post I edited the image by adding a cool split tone filter to add to the already chilling feel. I also brightened the ghost image using the adjustment brush in Lightroom to make her stand out from the textured walls.

I would say that the result is a success!

i t ’ s al l aboutperspec

tiv

e

f L ex i b l e ed

it

s

Editing is essential to every photographers process. My ultimate goal is always to get the best shot possible straight out of my camera so that any editing I do only enhances an already beautiful product instead of covering up mistakes.

Photoshop is a great tool and I like to use it for my more complicated edits like the fine art template I created on the next page. One of my favorite things to do is to adjust the curves and color balance to create a faded vintage look to my photos.

As far as I’m concerned non-destructive editing is the only way to go to properly preserve my images. That is why I love using Lightroom for the majority of my edits.

f i n e art t emplate

JMMphotography

l i v e i n t h e d e t a i l s

johnna mcgarrahphotography, editing, layout and design by:

210.793.1302

jmmphotography@gmail.com

johnnamcclellan.wordpress.com