A Muir Woods Wedding

Carra O'Neal January 4, 2017

What a unique and wonderful wedding this was! Beautifully executed in just two weeks, this wedding took place in Muir Woods at dusk on the Winter Solstice with just a few guests as witnesses. The fading light proved to be a bit of a photographic challenge for me but resulted in truly unique and beautiful images! Thank you to the newlyweds for including me!

Almost got swept away! Picture on Muir Beach. Incredible sunset that evening.

I love Chiana's expression and her beautiful blue eyes in this one!

Same as the first photo but in black and white. I think I find this so compelling in black and white because the pattern of the light on the water almost matches the lace pattern on her dress.

The Evolution of a Sunset

Carra O'Neal October 13, 2016

So here's the evolution of a sunset on Hagerman Lake a few weeks ago. It was absolutely stunning! I hope you get that sense from the photos.

Like someone took a paintbrush to the sky

While the changing light can be the bane of my existence while filming video, it sure is a blessing when I'm photographing.

Below is my "experimental" shot. I lowered the shutter speed and decided to see how it would look when the boat was moving. I like that the water is blurry and there is some detail in the sky but in hindsight I think I should have lowered the shutter speed even more. That way I may have gotten a more painterly/sense of motion image. But who knows! What do you think?

Autumn on Hagerman Lake

Carra O'Neal October 6, 2016

While we headed to Hagerman Lake for a not so happy occasion this past weekend, we were extremely grateful to get to spend time with family in Michigan for the second time this year! Not to mention getting to see the lake in Fall, my favorite time of year!

While the leaves were a spectacular sight, the clouds just started breaking up as the sun went down making the ever changing sunset a truly beautiful experience.

My (mostly) patient husband getting the boat ready to take me out on the lake to photograph the sunset.

Don't forget to turn around when photographing sunsets! Sometimes the sights behind you are even more stunning. Thanks to my husband for reminding me! And thanks to the rainstorm that created this stunning rainbow.

This is just a first glimpse. Stay tuned for the next blog post where I'll compare the changing light over the course of the sunset and debut an experimental shot. You guys can tell me whether or not the experiment was successful!