Life in iPod Photos

My life has changed dramatically over the last five months. I graduated from UCLA, moved to Sacramento, and started working at the California Department of Education. I cook my own dinners, buy work clothes…I have my own health insurance now!

Adjusting to this new life has taken some time and I’ve not picked up my camera as much as I would have liked. I’m hoping that will start changing soon. Hoping I’ll be taking more photos in the up coming weeks and I will have something to blog about. Also in the next few months I planning to make some changes to blog. But for now here are some life updates from my iPod…

Becca Barrett Photography

Here is my badge from work! I have a “real” job…yikes!

Becca Barrett Photography

This is the inside of the capitol dome. I live a few blocks away from the capitol building!

17 Senior Photos Tips

I’ve thought a lot recently about what makes a “good senior portrait.” I’m thinking about this as both a photographer and a soon-to-be graduate of UCLA.  Naturally I decided to make a list of what makes a good senior portrait! Even if you don’t choose me for your photographer, I hope this list helps you out when you take your senior photos!

Graduation Shoot 2011: Mac Tan, Becca Barrett Photography

1.  Research and talk with your photographer before the shoot. Have a good relationship with your photographer. Be friends!!!
2.  Make sure the photographers style of editing is something you like.
3. Wear comfortable clothes!
4. Wear clothes that make you feel pretty/cool.
5. Pick several outfit changes!
6. Bring your graduation robes 🙂
7. Don’t get a new hair cut or fake tan right before the shoot. (You want to be comfortable with how you look …and really who wants to look like an oomp-loompa?)
8. Pick a place to shoot that means something to you. Think about your school, favorite local hang out spot, etc.
9. Do your make-up and make yourself feel pretty 🙂 You will be so much more relaxed at the shoot!
10. Bring a friend…bring a whole cheer squad. Just make sure the people you bring are supportive and help you relax.
11. Listen to pump-up music in the car ride over to the shoot location (think Rocky theme song…duna da, duna da)
12. Practice smiling in the mirror before the shoot.
13. Bring props! Bring a football, a flute, your ipod…heck bring your pet bunny if you want! Bring items that show who you are and make you comfortable.
14. Remember it’s okay to be silly
15. Please don’t wear all white or all black…
16. on that note…wearing lots of color tends to look really good!
17. Work with your photographer to not only get prints of your photos but also get digital copies. They will make awesome facebook profile pictures!

Graduation Shoot: Mac Tan

Mac was my Resident Assistant last year and he really helped me adjust to life at UCLA. Over that year he became a really good friend of mine. Mac is really one of the happiest, smartest and most helpful people I know. I was thrilled when he asked me to take graduation photos for him!

Mac will be graduating from UCLA with a degree in Political Science.

Graduation Shoot 2011: Mac Tan, Becca Barrett Photography

Graduation Shoot 2011: Mac Tan, Becca Barrett Photography

Graduation Shoot 2011: Mac Tan, Becca Barrett Photography

Graduation Shoot 2011: Mac Tan, Becca Barrett Photography

Graduation Shoot 2011: Mac Tan, Becca Barrett Photography

Hike Up To The Hollywood Sign: Check

Last Friday Chloe and I completed goal number 6 on our L.A. bucket list, we climbed to the Hollywood sign. It was a epic climb. The first 1/3 of it was really steep and over whelming.  But it was really nice to see this cute little welcoming sign that said that the worst of the hike was over and we had made it.

Becca Barrett Photography

The views along the trail was amazing! You could see so much of L.A. and lots of beautiful fields of flowers.

Becca Barrett Photography

There where so many flowers!!! It was really pretty (once you got over the intense walk). From the 2/3 point of the trail Chloe and I stepped off the path and ended up in a restricted part of trail. From this point we got a great view of the front of the sign. You see, from the real trail you go to the back of the sign and we wanted to see the front. We succeeded!

Becca Barrett Photography

Running Back Into the Rabbit Hole

I haven’t been blogging lately.  Even worse, I haven’t been shooting. I don’t know why this happens but sometimes I just get into a funk. I like to think of it as “running back into the rabbit hole.” You see, with blogging and photography I feel like I have to put myself out there a lot. It’s kinda like creeping out of my hiding place….Which makes me feel super uncomfortable. In return for feeling mass amounts of uncomfortableness, (is that even a word?!?) I hope to become a better photographer. And I do see that happening. I can go back to old posts and see a evloution in my photography.

But then I get scared. I realize how bad of a photographer I was and that I might have gotten two steps better. That realization freaks me out. What if I still actually suck? What if, to get way better I have to totally commit to photography and leave other interests behind? What if I always suck?

Those question swirl around in my head for a long time and it makes it difficult for me to pick up my camera or blog. I’m going to try and push myself out of it though. I’m hoping to post more about photo classes I’ve recently taken, shoots that I’ve been on, books that I’ve read, future post-college life plans and again lots more photos! We will see how this goes.

My Life in ipod Photos

I don’t carry my digital SLR around with my everywhere…I’m worried I’ll break it. But I do carry around my ipod and that has a camera in it. I was looking at the photos and I thought they told a interesting story about my life in the last 3 months. It shows things that are important to me, really random moments that I had to take a photo of and cute/inspirational moments that needed photos too.

I would be really curious to see other peoples photos off their ipod. I think it really tells us something about our lives. What is important to us, what we think is funny etc.

The photo below is me and my little sister. She is VERY important to me. She is my confidant, friend, and rock. She is younger than me but so much smarter. She is probably also funnier… which is why she is trying to eat my head in this photo.

This is my puppy (my old puppy). Her name is Val, which is short for Valentine. She is actually scared of cameras. She is scared of cameras because of a incident with me…I took a photo of her and the flash went off. Now anytime a camera pops out she RUNS away. However, she doesn’t know my ipod is a camera…WAHAHAHAHA

This is just a random photo from UCLA. Someone put bubble bath mix in the school fountain…I thought it was funny.

I LOVE coffee!!! And it’s finials week…so lots of coffee will be consumed this week and the next.

This was a really inspirational message left outside my gym. I had to take a picture.

This is a photo of my hair struggle. I have really curly hair. It can be wild and a mess. I try shampoos, creams and a heavy duty hair straightener to get it under control…it kinda works.

Follow 1,000 Little Light Bulbs To Success

I spend a lot of my day on photography blogs. Like I almost stalk (in as none creepy a way possible) some of the really great lifestyle photographers out there. I follow them on facebook and twitter and RELIGIOUSLY (and I mean that) read their blogs.

It seems someone got all my favorite photographers together and filmed them talking about what they think success is. It is a really great video. I hope that I am half as successful as them in my chosen career. WATCH this video. It is SOOOO inspiring!!!

Can Photos Change The World

Below is another TED video. Its title is “Photos that changed the world.” Changing the world through photography is an interesting notion to me. I have always known that I want to do something to make my community a better place. I chose to do that through politics. It seemed like the most direct route to take.

I find it interesting that other people, with the same goal, chose to take a different route. The route of using photography to impact change did not seem clear to me at first. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Photos can tell people about a situation. Photos can motivate the average person in action. Photos can cause people to experience deep emotions. Maybe more so than political speeches or pandering. It is an interesting idea.

So here is the TED video. Do you all think photos can change the world???

Perspective

We all hear stories. Gossip, really. So and so is dating whom? They did what? etc. It is hard to not get caught up in it. It is also hard to not form opinions of a person from a story. I believe that is called “judgments.” I am guilty of this, as I am sure a lot of people are.

The only thing I can do to stop myself from making judgements after hearing stories is to take a step back. It is important to remember the perspective. Who is telling the story and why are they telling it.  I’m not always good at taking a step back and thinking about these things. But I try too. Perspectives can me manipulated. Not always due to cruel intentions but distortion of perspective can occur. You think you know the whole story. See the entire image, when you do not. Someone is only showing you part it.

In a totally randomly and cheesy way I’m going to tie this to photography… see perspective is a little easier to get in photography. You can see the changes in angles etc. Changing the perspective when taking a photo can make the image more interesting. It also allows the photographer to see more of what is really going on. By changing the perspective a photographer can find more of the truth. Anyone can take a of what is in front of them, a photographer moves around. A photographer knows to change perspective.

I’m trying to push myself to find new perspectives when taking photographs.

Becca Barrett Photography

Same flower, different perspective.

Becca Barrett Photography

I think the trick is to keep shooting. To keep practicing.  I took many photos of this flower. Each time I tried to change the perspective. Sadly, I really only liked two of the photos.

Harvest

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

Robert Louis Stevenson