No pictures today...just a blog

Well, considering my main focus is film photography right now, and most of my pictures are drying right now, I don't have pictures to share. Just a blog. Of my thoughts. And I don't have many followers, so I feel like I'm just writing to cyberspace. Who knows? This blog could blow up and become the biggest thing since sliced bread. Dream big. Go big or go home, right?

Anyway, well today has been good. Slept in (till 9am... yay!), and enjoyed some breakfast and some USA World Cup action at New York Bagel. Around lunchtime I came up to the school to get some darkroom work done. I forgot my canned air... typical. So none of these prints will be final print material, but they were worth the practice and the experience, and I can have all the notes so I can print tomorrow, and actually get some quality stuff.

Here's some of my notes & thoughts from the three hours I spent in the dark room today.

Print #1- image specs: f/1.8 ss: 1/320 ISO: 400 BW

Photo of Syd up against the wall (hands on knees)

1 test strip @ 3 sec intervals @ f/11

-liked the 12 sec @ f/11... did that for first print (lots of fibers on the neg.--clean tomorrow)

(fairly successful all around... Shannon came in and said it was a little flat.... so up the filter from 2 to 2 1/2 or maybe 3... try tomorrow)

Print #2- image specs: f/1.8 ss: (?) ISO: 400 BW

Photo of Syd against the wall (close-up)

1 test strip @ 3 sec intervals @ f/11

-liked between 12 & 15 sec @ f/11... went w/ 13

(big spot/fibers on Syd's face... Shannon will teach on fixing that on Monday)

Print #3- image specs: f/1.8 ss: 320 ISO: 400 BW

Photo of Syd's shoes offset right

1 test strip @ 3 sec intervals @ f/11

-like 15 sec but a little dark, maybe 14? went w/ 14

-taken around 4pm--Shannon said to over expose a stop? a little flat? hmm... don't understand.

(love this photo... super sharp--maybe a little cliche though... we'll see)

Tom & Shannon came in around 3:30 to fix some of the enlargers so I got booted out... that's ok. This was really good practice. I'm fully enjoying film and darkroom work, it's making me appreciate photography as an art so much more. Hopefully I will get better and better as time goes on. Very much enjoyed this photo shoot I did yesterday with Syd. Just a big gray wall, Syd, and her ballet shoes. She was so gracious to help me out. Gonna miss living with this precious friend!

Well I guess now I'm off and out of the darkroom (those chemicals are getting to me... haha) and back to the apartment. Cook some dinner perhaps? Or maybe I'll grab my 50D (so sorry I've neglected you lately), and go for a drive. We'll see where the day takes me.

Precious children

Well today has been one of the better ones I've had in quite some time. Filled with children's laughter and joy and good food and friends and memories. Started off with an early morning quiet time spent in Isaiah. So good that instead of reading one chapter as I usually do, it ended up being the first seven chapters of Isaiah! So good!! Not super encouraging or uplifting scripture, but very convicting. It kept repeating over and over "the eyes of the arrogant will be lowered, and the Lord will be exalted in that day." Sobering words for a selfish being such as myself. I made it my prayer for today and for this week to constantly look to uplift others and glorify GOD over anyone and anything else, and to humbly serve in all that I do.

(End scene)

Haha, wow, what a cheesy transition, I always struggle with transitions with these blogs. Anyway, well after a morning alone with the Lord I dropped off the painting I made for Brittni at her house and then I was off to the Dream Center to work in the nursery! I look forward to each time I get the opportunity to work with these precious children. Last time I was with the infants, but this week I was with the 2-3 year olds. I'm pretty sure Cindy has me working with them for the remainder of the summer. Even though I was utterly exhausted by the end of it, and reeked of so many different smells I couldn't even keep track of it, I was so uplifted and encouraged by my time with these precious children. They have so much joy and so much spunk and they love life so much, despite the fact that some of them might not get to eat that day, or don't have a pair of shoes to wear to church.

There was this one little boy today. His name was Quincy. 2 years old. The moment he walked in I could tell this kid had some attitude. He walked with a swagger and a strut to rival any 19 year old college kid who thinks he's untouchable. He came in with his sister, Quinmyer, 3 years old. He came in, sat at the table with Presley, grabbed the box of crayons right out from under her, and snatched the coloring book, too. Uh-oh. No good. No good at all.

Quincy had attitude. He hit me. He called me names. He didn't behave. He climbed on the baby gate. He threw toys. He cried. He peed himself. He wouldn't go potty without a buddy. He refused to eat his breakfast. He climbed on shelves. Quincy had attitude. And boy did he stretch my patience. So many times I was like, "what am I going to do with this kid?"

But towards the end of the 3 1/2 hours that I get to spend with these kids each week, they all started settling down. All but Quincy. So I decided to pull out my camera. And boy did he start flashing that million dollar smile. In an instant it was like he turned into this angelic little bundle of joy who smiled and laughed and enjoyed everything about the people around him. This was a perfect reminder that there's more to people, and more to children, than meets the eye. God's creation is so precious. And so beautiful. Treasure it.

Downtown Excursion with Blake & Katy

So, in earth-shattering fashion, I will have 2 blog posts in one day!! As I was sitting in Digital Art and bored out of my mind, I was facebook chatting with Blake who was back at the apartment. I had seen her status that said she wanted to go on an adventure today. And I was like, "Perfect! I need to shoot a roll of film AND I've been itching to get out and shoot!"

So as soon as I got home, I packed up my film and my digital cameras, waited for Katy to get to the apartment, and the three of us embarked on a journey downtown to take pictures. We basically just went down to First Presbyterian Church and walked around downtown taking pictures. We just had some fun sweet times with good friends, then we went for sno-cones after because it was SO HOT OUTSIDE! Here's a few shots, Blake modeled a bit.

Campus

So I finally went out and shot some... took me long enough. I guess I got restless enough and remembered why God put a camera in my hand in the first place.

I had the Glazener girls with me at my apartment for the last couple days and I had the awesome opportunity to show Alyssa around as she is going through the college application process. She came to visit LSU, Tulane, and Loyola (and obviously she liked LSU best, I mean, that's a given, right?) Anyways, they made it into Baton Rouge just in time for the first summer Refuge of 2010 on Sunday night, so it was a joy to get the chance to share with them my community and my family here at LSU. And obviously, after church, I had to take them to Coffee Call to get the best beignets in existence (yes, better than Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans!)

The next day was the first day of summer classes for me, so while I was in class, Alyssa and Cathy took 2 tours of LSU (much needed, due to the vast size of the campus... 2500 total acres, 750 acres of principal buildings and highly traveled areas of campus). They left for NoLa that night and visited Tulane and Loyola the next day. But they came back and stayed with me Tuesday night! As soon as they got back into town we went out to eat at Sammy's, which far and away has the best crawfish in Baton Rouge. And one of my dearest friends, Brittni, was our server! Cathy, Alyssa, and I enjoyed good conversation, lots of laughs, and most importantly, some good food. I was sad to see them leave this morning. :(

But getting a chance to show the girls around really caused me to examine how wonderful and beautiful this campus really is, and how truly blessed I am to have the opportunity to attend LSU. The broad live oaks and beautiful magnolia trees stand up to nearly any college campus in the country. The architecture is stunning, and the livelihood of campus just gets me so excited. Even in the summer when the student capacity is cut in half if not more, there are still people milling around in the quad and in the library, talking and chatting, just enjoying each other's company. I love Southern hospitality. I honestly don't think I'd ever be able to live in the North. Here's a couple images I took this morning when I got out of my Basic Photography class.

I guess I'll post a picture...

Well I haven't shot very much this week since getting back to Baton Rouge, in fact, all I did was shoot the sunrise at Highland Road Park one morning. That's about it. But I figured along with a photo, I'll update whoever reads this on what's on the agenda for me this summer and what's been happening as of late.

I came back to BR May 27th and stayed at Brittni's house for the night. (And then went to see Gloriana, David Nail, Kellie Pickler, Keith Urban, and Taylor Swift at Bayou Country SuperFest in Tiger Stadium with Brittni the next day!! Best concert ever!!) The next day I officially moved into the apartment that I'll be staying at just for the summer. I do have a roommate, her name is Blake. She seems pretty cool, although I don't know too much about her yet. Glad she's clean, she's a good Christian girl with a fun upbeat and outgoing attitude. Nice change of pace from last year.

One thing that's been quite a bummer since moving back is the fact that there aren't many of my friends here in BR for the summer. I've got Brittni, Alyssa, and Katy M. That's about it. (And Blake, but she works a lot.) So this week has been a little lonely, just kinda bumming around the apartment. I've run a few errands, done a lot of reading, and moved several boxes of books and things over to the house that I'll be living in during the Fall. Nothing too earth shattering if you ask me. But when push comes to shove, I don't exactly live a thrilling earth-shattering glamorous type of life. I'm pretty plain and simple. I talk a lot. I read a lot. I take pictures. I love Jesus. Yep. That pretty much sums me up in a nutshell right now.

As I type this I'm actually sitting in the living room watching my LSU Tigers take on UCLA in Los Angeles in the Regionals for baseball. It actually kind of makes me a little nostalgic for Westlake baseball (which in fact, still holds a special place in my heart, perhaps moreso than LSU baseball). I spent so much time at that ballpark, in that dugout with those guys, and on the road with the parents of the class of 2009 and 2010. That was such a special family that I miss dearly. Dang, life was so good in high school. Why did I wish it away so fast? Life lesson: high school is easy. Life is good. College is fun, but don't wish away those precious years in your hometown. Trace Adkins said it best, "you're gonna miss this..." And boy, there are days where I miss it bad.

Guess I should let you know what God has been teaching me as of late. He's been drawing me close as I've been lonely here in BR without my family and most of my friends. I have always struggled with finding my satisfaction and security and affirmation from the people around me, when all the Lord wants is for me to run to HIM in times of crisis. He's teaching me that. Slowly but surely, and it's a painful but oh so beautiful process.

For those of you who are wondering about the Dream Center stuff, turns out I actually don't start working there until next Sunday. (something got off with the schedules, so I'll keep y'all posted on that) The Glazener girls are coming in tomorrow, so I'm very excited to see them and show them around campus! (*crosses fingers* that Alyssa will want to come here!)

Well, I love y'all for reading this, if anybody does, who knows. I'm going to start shooting more, so I'll definitely post/update soon.

Peace,

Eva

Shreveport Kids + Bo = EPIC SUCCESS

For the record, I am head over heels in love with the LSU campus. I have known this for quite some time, but I became much more aware of this yesterday evening during a spur of the moment photo shoot for my friends James, Conner, Daniel, Bo, & Laura. James, as I have come to realize recently, is a phenomenal painter, and he need some pictures for inspiration for a painting that he wants to do for one of his art classes. It was my pleasure to help him out. We started out at his favorite oak tree behind the bell tower in central campus. Posing was quick, although Daniel seemed like he wasn't crazy about having to sit on the ground and show his white socks. And Laura moved around a lot, with a few awkward leg moments, but we did manage to get a good "serious face" picture. I used the Pioneer Woman "Seventies" photoshop action for all three of these pictures that I used in this post.

James needed face shots as well, so we did close ups of everyone (I won't post all those, because they're rather unremarkable, just a color/bw photo of each person, one smiling, one serious). As the sun continued to set we hightailed it over to the Greek Ampitheatre just another 2 minute walk over to East Campus (thank you, Conner, for the great idea). It seemed like most of the pictures would have made awesome CD covers. Laura said they're gonna start a band now just because they have some awesome cover art now. ;) Here's the best one of the series at the Ampitheatre.

Then, of course, we had to goof off a little. Time for some silly pics. Had such a fun time during this brief hour with these amazing people. Can't wait to see James' painting!

Spring Break 2010 "Life in Texicolor"

The first half of my Spring Break has been busy, but relaxing. I've had some great time with good sweet friends and enjoyed some good ole Texas food. I adore this state and I adore my city. I love Austin, so much. The people, the parks, the food, the smells, the sights. All of it.

First big adventure of the week was a trip to the Barton Creek Greenbelt with my good friend Sarah Macias, former Zilker Park manager. We took a nice 5 mile hike through the greenbelt at sunrise, enjoying the sights and the sounds of God's beautiful creation. As Sarah said, "this preaches to me." God has always been so present to me in nature. His perfect and beautiful creation always blows me away.

Next adventure? Trip to the cliffs overlooking Lake Austin and the 360 bridge with my old photo buddy from high school, Barrett Wilson. I had never been there before, so Barrett directed me up the trail to the main clearing, and down the short trail to some better views. It was gorgeous. We spent a good amount of time up there, including watching Barrett climb down the cliffs and jump across gaps in the rocks. He seriously must have been trying to give me a heart attack. Well, he's always been a little crazy, so it didn't surprise me, just that motherly instinct jumped in. Anyways, here's a pretty successful panoramic.

And the next one? Another trip to the cliffs. This time I went up by myself at first, enjoyed some awesome alone time with God and my Bible. It was a perfect evening. 72 degrees and breezy. Brought my iPod, enjoyed some praise & worship music, and some time alone with God. It was perfect. Later on, Katie came and met me and we just talked. We caught up, chatted, talked about life, and enjoyed some great conversations. And naturally, just as the sun was setting, I had Katie "model the outline of her body" as she called it. I got her to pose with her arms outstretched on the cliff overlooking the lake and a gorgeous sunset. I was very pleased with the outcome.

And quite possibly my favorite adventure of the week: Drew & Ellie Holcomb's concert at Stubb's. Ever since Drew & Ellie played at Fronteir Ranch Young Life camp the summer after my junior year of high school, I've absolutely loved their music. They make their own style, their own genre. I love it. They have amazing stage presence, they're fantastic musicians, and they're even better people. What an awesome example of a great Christian marriage, glorifying God through their talents and their relationship. I hope that Ellie and I remain friends for years to come. Here's a favorite from the concert.

All in all... it's been a great week. Now I have to study? That's not fair.

Roommate Bonding Time

So I got a new Sigma lens in the mail today. So basically that meant that Syd and I took the afternoon/evening off and just played around with it. We went and parked by First United Methodist Church in downtown Baton Rouge and just walked around Memorial Park and the surrounding businesses. Got some nice shots. We laughed, we danced, we joked, we took pictures. Such a great afternoon. We found some Japanese Magnolias that we named Lily & Rose.

Later on we met up with our neighbor, Kate, at New York Bagel. Then we came home, sat on the floor, listened to music, and talked. Just talked. About life. Goals. Ambitions. The future. Our fears and what we are excited about. It was one of those moments in our friendship that I know I'll never forget. A couple hours later, we both realized we were hungry again... so we ventured out for some Taco Bell. Yes, we're college students. We eat a lot. And when we arrived at home, of course, I wasn't done taking pictures. So we went around back of Herget and took some crazy creepy pictures on the lawn by the lake.

Now we're both still awake, and planning where to go to take pictures of the sunrise. Syd has been such a blessing this year, I've loved getting to know her and sharing life with her. What a blessing. Love this girl. Thank God for her every single day.

Baseball Opening Night

What a night what a night. Alex Box Stadium welcomes back defending national champions, the LSU Tigers. I had planned on attending this game with my friend Chantal as a spectator, enjoying the opportunity to be an LSU student and cheer on the Tigers as they faced Centenary in the first game of the 2010 season. Clearly, this was going to be a big game.

I planned to arrive at the field around 5pm for a 7pm first pitch. Sounds crazy, right? Think again. Students had been lining up outside Alex Box since around lunchtime that day. Hundreds and hundreds of students were already in line when I arrived. Oh well, I was willing to wait. As the winding line inched forward at a snail's pace, the time neared 6 o'clock. That's when a guy passing us walking back to his car hollered that it was "standing room only" now. Well darn. I had my press pass so I could get in... but I didn't want to force Chantal to stand the whole game. She really wasn't even that into baseball to begin with. So I took her home.

I raced back to my dorm, grabbed my camera bag, and I was back to the Box. I mean, this is baseball we're talking about. I wasn't about to miss out on Opening Night.

I hadn't planned on shooting that game, so my batteries weren't charged. Needless to say, my camera was dead by the third inning. It was cold. Martin and I were hungry. So after watching Louis Coleman throw out the first pitch, and a record-crowd cheer on the Tigers in a sluggish start against Centenary, Martin and I left to go get dinner. I did catch up with the game later on and discovered the Tigers squeaked by in the 9th to win 5-4. It was sloppy. But they got the job done. (They would later roll to a 25-8 win the following evening)

Overall, good day. It's baseball season ladies and gentlemen. Grab your peanuts, your cap, and a six-pack. Sit back, and enjoy America's game.

Historic Moment

Seimone Augustus entered the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Sunday January 24 donned in purple. But no uniform, no gym shoes, no trademark cornrows. The former LSU standout was dressed in professional attire and a bowling cap, and wore a few extra adornments of tattoos on her hands and arms. Augustus became the first female athlete in LSU history to have her jersey retired. #33. When the pendant was unfurled and her jersey was displayed, Augustus could barely contain herself. In a brief but moving ceremony just before tip-off, she thanked her family and her friends and Tiger Nation for all of their love and support during her four years at LSU.

Augustus was one of the most highly-touted recruits to ever come through LSU... in any sport. The PMAC's top 5 attendance dates all fall during her four year career. The Olympic Gold Medalist, WNBA 1st round draft pick overall, and three-time All-American led the Lady Tigers to three straight final four appearances. Her electrifying ball skills and crowd pleasing playmaking abilities dazzled LSU basketball fans from 2002-2006. What a pleasure it was to be in attendance when all of her efforts were recognized in front of a large crowd at the PMAC Jan. 24.

Engagement Shoot

Although it is now January 2nd, I took these shots December 22nd, almost a full two weeks ago. I was fortunate enough to have Mitchell Franz on hand to teach me a thing or two about posing and about off-camera flashes. I learned an immense amount about portraiture in just a few short hours. Had a nice time with Cait and Ryan. It was such a joy to see one of my dear friends so happy. 

Parkview Baptist vs. Redemptorist Football

What a night. I was so thrilled to finally be assigned to an actually GREAT football game. It reminded me of my days under the friday night lights of Texas high school football. I struggled to find parking, but ended up getting a really close spot. I was so lucky. I'll be honest, I was a little uncomfortable. It was in a pretty bad neighborhood, so I was nervous being out there by myself and walking to my car by myself. I was stressed and tired and nervous, because as soon as I came within 3 blocks of the stadium, I realized this was a HUGE game. Redemptorist was hosting the Parkview Baptist Eagles. But after the first quarter, the game was clearly dominated by Parkview. The offense was firing on all cylinders, the only thing I was bummed about was not being able to stay for the 2nd half (I had a 9pm deadline with the Advocate). The energy was exciting, the fans were so pumped and the players were fired up. What a game. The band played LSU's rendition of Oh-wee-oh! It was a blast. I ran into my dad's old friend Barry Spears, and it was such a nice surprise. He was very encouraging of me and my abilities. It was a nice change.

What a night! Here's a couple shots.

The picture above made the front of the sports section in the Advocate today! The photo below is a Redemptorist player watching in disbelief as Redemptorist QB throws yet another interception.

LSU Football vs. Auburn

So today...I was smart. I slept in, tracked down a copy of the Advocate to save the pics that I had from the high school football game the night before that ran in the sports section. So, I was rested, had a bagel, charged my camera batteries, checked that I had all my equipment, then went to meet Martin at the Gumbo office to dump pictures before heading to the game. 

Our LSU Tigers started out strong, leading 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. The offense dwindled down the stretch, but they ended up pulling it out with a 31-10 victory when the clock hit triple zeros. I had a few epic photos from the night, most namely this shot (see top of blog entry) of Rueben Randle making an incredible catch (shot taken from across the field) and getting his foot down in bounds for a long gain. 

All in all, good day. My knees are sore, my lower back hurts, I'm thirsty, but I got some great shots and had a blast hanging out with Martin today. :) Thanks to Martin for the pic of me.

Donaldsonville HS vs. University HS Football

A muddy, soggy field, below 60-degree temperatures, and no jacket to speak of, the DHS vs. UHS football game was fantastic. Sadly, I could only stay for the first half (I had a 9pm deadline for the Advocate). It was fraught with defense, with 4 interceptions and a fumble by DHS QB at the goal line. Yet, somehow, the score was tied 16-16 when I had to rush out to meet my deadline. I would have liked to stay, but, work calls. I have still yet to be entirely impressed by Louisiana high school football. I hail from Austin, Texas, the heart of the CenTex powerhouses of high school football. Friday Night Lights (movie and tv show)? Yeah, that's what my high school was like. The Glen Oaks vs. Tara game last week was similar to my high school's freshman or JV games. The DHS vs. UHS game really improved my viewpoint, but I was still less than impressed. The stands were a little more full, and the bands were slightly better rehearsed, but the overall experience wasn't thrilling. I wasn't mortified that I had to leave early. Anyways, here's a cool sideline shot of 2 Donaldsonville defenders after a big defensive stop.

LSU Swimming vs. Auburn

Well, I've just been absolutely failing at arriving on time to anything at all lately. And I continued this pattern today when I arrived almost a whole hour late to the LSU vs. Auburn Dual Swim Meet at the LSU Natatorium. Our Bengal Tigers looked pretty good, but I've never really understood the whole point system in swimming, and towards the end I overheard one of the volunteers say we were down 10 points with the girls and 19 points with the boys. Past that, I have no idea what happened or who won or who any of the racers were. I know that's bad. I know. I don't need a lecture. Seriously. I'm going to get better. Today was just...crazy. I'm going to make a point to meet some swimmers and try my best to invest in the team. Geaux Tigers! And here's a little sample from the afternoon.

LSU Soccer vs. MSU

This is a little late, as the game was 2 days ago, but I shot the LSU vs. MSU women's soccer game this past Sunday afternoon. A beautiful blue sky, and crisp cool air made for a lovely afternoon as the Tigers trounced the Bulldogs 4-0. I was late, had gone to church with Hannah and lunch after with Hannah, Mollye, and Alyssa at Chili's. For the record, the Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad at Chili's is a prime choice. Loved it. Went back the next day with Syd for dinner, just to have that salad again. I'll try and be more diligent on updating this blog as the semester progresses. I have no idea why I just now thought to do this. A busy weekend capped off with this game made for some great shots. This is just a sample. See my flickr page (www.flickr.com/photos/evacranford) for more.