Feature Friday with the Fabulous Mickie DeVries of Fresh Modern Photography!!

Let's get to know this week's Feature Friday, the fantabulous Mickie DeVries of Fresh Modern Photography!!

1. Please tell us about yourself...

I'm a stay at home mother  with a passion for photography!  My children don't necessarily share this passion, but I'm sure they will be happy someday that I have captured the stories of their youth!  I live in West Olive, Michigan near the Lake Michigan shoreline with my husband and two children.  I'm content as a hobbyist, and have no intentions of pursuing this as a business.

2. Can you describe your style in 3 words? Why those words?

Emotional, Storytelling, Childhood.  In 2012 I took a class Finding my Style at Clickin Mom's.  In this class we were asked to think of three words we wanted our images to say.  These were the words I chose, and these are all elements that I try to incorporate into my work.  I want to capture childhood through storytelling, with all the emotions that come with it, from a mother's perspective, and from my children's perspective.

3. What sparked your passion for photography?

Definitely my children.  From the moment my son was born I felt this intense need to document as much as I could.  Life seems to speed up 100 miles an hour after having children , and I want to preserve all these memories!  It wasn't until the birth of my daughter in 2008, that I decided to get my first dslr.  From that time forth I have tried to educated myself on photography as much as possible.

4. What's in your camera bag right now?

I shoot with a D700 and mostly prime lenses.  I have the Nikkor 24-70, Nikkor 105, Nikkor 85 f/1.4 g, Sigma 35 f/1.4, Nikkor 50 f/1.4d, and the lensbaby composer with the sweet 35 and edge 80. Primarily I shoot with the 35 or 85.

5. What is your dream shoot or project?

Right now I think I would like to explore long exposures more.  I did a few ghostly photos in the fall using long exposures, and creatively it was very exciting to me.  I'm not exactly sure what the project  looks like yet, but it's definitely something I been mulling over recently.

6. What are some of the misconceptions you had about photography and photographers at the beginning of your photography journey? Have they changed, and how?

I think the biggest misconception I had before picking up my camera, and even in my first few years with my dslr, is that it would be easier.  There is so much to learn in the world of photography.  The technical knowledge is so important to have, and I tried to sidestep some of these skills because I just wanted to edit creatively.  Knowing the technical aspects of photography helps enormously to get the creative photos that I envision ahead of time.  Photography is not easy, but it is worth the investment! 

7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?

I have been recently exploring this very topic with my upcoming breakout session for Clickin Mom's on March 25th.  In the breakout I go in-depth on my photography journey, and what I have learned along the way, but in general I think the best advice is to start at the beginning.  I mentioned it in the previous answer, but again I tried to skip steps.  This really set me back in progressing.  I see amazing photographers that produce stunning work only a year after first picking up their dslr.  This was not my experience.  I thought I knew much more than I did, and wasted a lot of time being frustrated with my work because I was missing key knowledge.  When I started concentrating on the basics first, I finally started producing the types of images I had envisioned.

To see more of Mickie's stunning work, please head on over to her Facebook page and website!! 

Maven Flyer Vol. 1 Week of 2/24/14

Welcome to 

 The Maven Flyer

Vol. 1

For the week of February 24, 2014

Here we will offer suggestions for places for you to submit your images

for sharing and competition.

If you have or know of a sharing community or theme, please let us know

by emailing the name, link, and specifics to 

snapmaven.info @gmail.com

At this time you will need to visit each page to learn the specifics of the pages 

rules and deadlines for sharing images.

Happy Sharing Everyone!

Snap Maven ~ Adventure, Weekly Favorite, Experiments

AMPed Photoshop Actions ~ Squared

Distorted Beauty~Slick

In Beauty & Chaos~Weekly Favorite

Evoking You~negative space

The Dark Room~Movement

The Gratitude Collaborative~Peace

Fantastically Flawed~Seeing Double

Spark~Wind

Giggles&Goldfish~Everyday Favorites

Picture Me Project~Include yourself in the image somehow!

We Were There Too~ Get in the photo with your kids!

Lemonade and Lenses~Weekly Favorite

Mozi Magazine~Weekly Favorite

Seniorologie~ Weekly Favorite(senior)

Love Photographs Beautifully~Budoir

Measure In Love~ Hearts

Photographer's Connection~Weekly Favorite

Jessica Yahn Photography~ Home

Privizzini's Passion Photography~Connection

Photo Artistry~Weekly Favorite

Angie Marie Photography~Sunshine

THINK TANK PHOTO~ Hydrophobia

Light Inspired~ Light Inspired

Snap Junkies~ Monthly Favorite

M4HP~color blind

Everything For Photography~Vintage

Simple Sally~Backlit

30 Minutes in the Life~Mystery

Life Defined Project~Pets

HAPPY Picture Contest~My favorite animal

Reflections~Portrait

Sweet Little Muse~golden

Little Bellows~cabin fever

Photo Corner~ weekly favorite

In Your Own Light~New

Seek Emotion~creative composition
That Other Photography Page~ Out and About
By The Light~ Open themed natural light images
Life's Experience p52~ Animals
 Fleeting Lights ~ Enchanted
The Monochromatic Lens~Weekly Favorite
 My Beautifully Chaotic Lifestyle~ Beautifully Chaotic
Jujujems Art and Photo Studio~ Primary Colors- Red, Yellow, and Blue

That concludes the links for this week!

If there is a link you'd like to see here, please let us know at

snapmaven.info@gmail.com

Please allow 2-3 weeks for addition to The Maven Flyer

Same goes for errors, though we hope to get those fixed right away.
Future issues of The Maven Flyer will be posted on Tuesday evenings.

You can't get featured if you don't submit!!

Go for it!

Alone

I would like to thank all of you who participated this week.

Your *ALONE* photos are inspiring and thought provoking in such affecting ways. 

Here are your top ten in no particular order…

Anne Woodward Photographer

This image is so interesting. 

There are so many stories colliding here and I am interested in each one. 
Loved BOTH of your photos Ann

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Arrow Creek Photography

A true essence of being alone in this great big world, but I love that you can see the hint of buildings and the noise of the world in the background. 

There is almost a quiet relief in that background noise.

<<<>>>

Annie Otzen Photography

When one feels alone… her eyes are down. That sweet little face in an almost-pout. Adorable and a bit sad. 

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Lisa Bruins Photography

I love the contrast here. I get a deep sense of quiet and need for solitude in this photo. 

Beautiful.

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Jennifer Liston Potter

A lone leaf. The colors, the holding on… gorgeous. 

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Poetic Expressions Photography

The movement in the shadow… the sky… It is as if she is alone in her dreams.

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Jessica Downey Photo

The texture is gorgeous in this image. It has a bit of mystery. I love that you can see where her head had been previously… just a little above where she is now

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Pinball Photography

THAT FACE! 

And the little hands on the rails… not to mention that staircase! The shadows and light give this such depth in aloneness for me.

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Joni Burtt Photography

I keep coming back to this photo… I love the texture, the blur of his reflection, the touch. It is sweet and tender and kind.

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Amanda O'Donoughue Photography

This photo makes me teary.  The soft light and the way his head is settled onto his chest… it makes me long to hug him with my heart. 

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...and the winner is...

Fresh Modern Photography

This photo is like walking into a different time. The framing is gorgeous and eerie as is the fact that we only have her back at us.  Love it! 

<<<>>>

WOW!! 

What a gorgeous collection of images you all have created… 

I have so loved looking through all of your work. 

I have laughed and cried and smiled and have been filled with so much while indulging in the photos that you all chose to share. 

It was a pleasure and an honor.

Thank you. Thank you. 

Thank you.

Katy Tuttle

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK 

"Alone" Mavenista Style

This week we present to you our interpretations of the theme

"alone"


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Phyllis Meredith Photography

It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts. -K.T. Jong

I really love being alone. It does seem to be a topic of discussion right now, 
even my favorite magazine Flow International has an article on how to be alone in it's current issue. 
I find such inspiration and find the ability to get centered and recharged in alone time. 
For me the challenge is carving out this alone time. But I feel like this word is so interesting 
and so charged. It can be a good thing to so many, and seen as a difficult or hard thing for others. Even the images being submitted are so interesting to me, everyone has a different image, 
or take, on this subject! And there are so many great poems and songs and quotes, 
I had to pass up Picasso and even Justin Timberlake quotes, 
and a favorite childhood poem (Hide and Seek by A. B. Shiffrin) 
for this quote by K. T. Jong, as it feels closest to my feelings on the word Alone...~Phyllis


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Jujujems Art and Photo Studio

"All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you'll be quite a lot." 
Dr. Suess 

Being alone is a treat for me. For this social little butterfly, it is not. 
So it is I begin my day of sharing with this "alone" image. ~Julie



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A/Z Photography

I have never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.” 
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden


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Alethia Rains Photography

"I'm fascinated with myself and love hearing the sound of my own voice. I'd like to hear what I have to say. A lot of people don't like being alone because they truly don't like themselves, but I love me."

~Gene Simmons

We should all love ourselves. If you're also introverted you know we tend to live inside our own heads more and therefore, we tend to know ourselves better. 

Many actors are actually introverted. Being artistic is a trait many introverts share. 

<<<>>>

Lili Love Photography

when my children were small we used to read a book called "me. all alone, at the end of the world" 

we loved this book and read it over and over.. this image reminded me of that book and the happy, peacefulness that being alone can bring.

<<<>>>

Jana O'Flaherty

"I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude."
Henry David Thoreau

I am one of those people who craves alone time, not just because I have children; I have always loved to escape in a book, or just feel quietness. I love those moments my kids are alone in their thoughts and I especially enjoy capturing their solo adventures. 

I don't want them to be lonely, but I do want them to be comfortable alone. - Jana

<<<>>>

Jennifer Nobriga Photography

Meet This Week's Judge: Katy Tuttle!

This week we welcome as our guest judge, the fabulously talented Katy Tuttle of Katy Tuttle 

Photography. Take a moment to to learn a little about how her wonderously evocative images come 

to be!

1. Tell us about yourself...

I am a stay at home mother with not nearly enough time on my hands to do all that my soul longs to do.  Always longing to create in a way that gives life to my inner-poetry. I am an artist,  an addict for deep resonances in my bones, in my blood. And I ache to be shaken to the core… by imagery … to create work like this

IS my life's work.

2. What ignited your passion for photography, and what fuels it now?

The ignition has been a slow actualization. 

The constant friction gave smoke and spark and now flame…I hope to rage this fire and to feed it everyday.

The deep and dark in my life have given me motivation and lifetimes of inspiration, but the beauty and light are what keep me going. 

So… life, its inconsistency, its unknown beauty and affectations have fed my desire to create.  Time, too brought me to photography.

This is the photo that began it all…

A photo shoot with my most beautiful late sister… she was posing as Ophelia. This photo was shot years and years, a lifetime ago. The focus is missed, the film is old and scarred and she is gone. What lives on is my love for it all. 

Her, film… and missed focus, too.

3. What's in your camera bag right now, what do use the most? the least?

I carry a 5d mark iii with a 35 1.4 attached all days. It is all I crave to shoot with right now, but my first love was a 50 1.8. I use the 85 and 135 the least, but like them both for many reasons. 

4. What's your dream project or shoot?

These dream shoots change for me on the daily… and to be honest, i don't think about what a dream shoot would be much. I am not a planner… 

BUT… I love to have clients who want unique creative vision brought to a shoot… Today, as it rains outside of my window, I dream of shooting a very pregnant woman and her partner holding each other in the mud… (am I weird?)

5. What is the biggest challenge you face as a photographer?

Not having enough time!!!!! And balancing real life with my creative desires & needs.

6. If you had $500 to spend on photography...

How should you spend it?

Honestly? Bills.

How do you wish you could spend it?

On attending a film workshop.

How would you really spend it?

Client gifts <3 

7. Is there any one thing you wish someone had told you at the very beginning of your photography journey?

I have a hard time listening to people who tell me what to do. 

BUT, I wish someone would have told me that my goal was not to be great at everything photography related…. or to produce the most clear, perfect pictures according to each and every person who looks on. 

Feature Friday with Amanda O'Donoughue of Amanda O' Donoughue Photography!!!

Without further ado, please meet the winner of the "warmth" theme, the incredibly talented Amanda O'Donoughue, of Amanda O'Donoughue Photography!!!

1. Please tell us about yourself...

I am a native Floridian living in Gainesville, Florida with my husband and 2.5 year old son. I have a degree in Anthropology. My most passionate memories of my youth are of the years I spent as a zookeeper working with Great Apes.  I long to homestead with minimal square footage and raise a family with no divisions between indoors and out. I specialize in mother and child portraiture, birth, and maternity. 

2. Can you describe your style in three words? Why those three words?

I am kind of a rebel, in the sense that I don’t like to label my style in a few words. My style has evolved so much in such a short time already, but I’ll attempt it for you

Cinematic, sentimental and…and … moody. I guess I pick these currently because I am highly influenced by the moving pictures, love to make people cry, and love images that include darkness and rim light. 

3. What sparked your passion for photography?

My passion for photography developed early on. As a child I watched way too many nature programs narrated by David Attenborough. I always wanted to be a National Geographic photographer, and still kind of do. 

4. What's in your camera bag right now?

I am horrible with my gear and rarely use a bag. But when it is all together where is should be, I have a Canon 6D with a 50mm 2.5 macro on it 90% of the time. The other 10% I use a 50mm 1.4. My husband’s Nikon F2, a few rolls of Portra something or other, and some Ilford HP5. A dog whistle, harmonica, knife, and lip gloss. 

5. What's your dream shoot or project?

I dream often of taking portraits of Dr. Jane Goodall in the bush with her chimpanzees, and nailing it.

6. What are some of the misconceptions you had about photography and photographers at the beginning of your photography journey? Have they changed, and how?

I guess in the beginning I thought that content was the most important and didn’t focus too much on ability and technique.  But now I feel that content, ability, and a little luck go a long way

7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?

I consider myself a new photographer still, as I have only worked hard at this for a little less than two years now.  Luckily, I was given wonderful advice in the beginning by amazing peers, although not soon enough to bypass the awful over editing stage which still makes me cringe when I go back into my hard drives. Advice from me would be to get into nature, slow down, hug your children and take frequent breaks from social media.  Damn I sound like a hippie.  Thank you Snap Maven for the feature, I really appreciate you taking interest. 

To see more of Amanda's stunning work, please check out her Facebook page or her website.