all Mich-ed up!

Happy new year! This year I really prepared for my fireworks shots and picked up a few tricks from watching YouTube videos. I really psyched myself up to take better pictures than last year. 

I think I could do better, but I guess they’re ok too. Considering the conditions are better this year (it was raining last year), the skill needed to take the shots weren’t that different.

I learned a new trick but the photos are still a bit raw. More on that on another post maybe?

On a happier note, we have a new family picture!

Hoping for a good year to come!

Been tweeting about getting a red fighting fish and naming him “Chili”. Here he is!

This post is to remember that I got him on December 22, 2012!

So in further attempts to up my editing ante (because I find it harder to set up for a shoot) I decided to revamp older pictures.

These were taken circa 2011. I really love seeing the before and after photos when I edit because it shows me how much progress I made. Check out the comparison of the picture above!

Run out of space to take pictures? Have unnecessary stuff cluttering the photo? Edit them out instead! Haha.

I really had fun doing that photo so I did another one. I just color-corrected and took out the clutter, not a lot of photopainting here. I just like the overall feel :3 I really like peach-colored light.

And here’s the before and after! Technically, the shadows are not supposed to be there but I kind of like the shapes they formed so I left it as is. Makes the photo a little interesting, methinks.

I did these last night and slept a little late, but I think it’s worth it. When you don’t have a lot of gear, make up for it in editing. Haha!

Same feel, just tweaked here and there. I only know enough basic html to save my life. Lol.

Looking at the facebook page of Edifice Studios and it makes me want to do better even though I might not even be able to achieve the same spectacular quality. But I figured I can still go up a tiny level. 

I always do color correcting on my photos, but I feel like I need to have more practice at it. My toning is a bit half-baked, methinks. 

So here’s the before and after. (Thank goodness for that nifty Lightroom feature.)

The before looks funny doesn’t it? Haha I think it was the light green paint of the room that did me in. Or something.

I feel like I wanted to blur out the louder prints in the shot so I blurred most of it out and left my “relaxed” face. I don’t know if it’s a good idea though. I would have blurred less, but the Lens Blur in my Photoshop CS5 version was wacky.  Update: I was able to control the blur a little so a new pic is up there now.

I also don’t know if I crunched the blacks too much. 

Pretty satisfied with the way the lighter colors turned out though. I really think I’m more inclined to colors with reddish to peach hues. Mm.

I think I chose this photo because I seem to be missing my inner peace. Can’t seem to totally feel it unless I stay up late at night. I get rattled easily. I feel overwhelmed about how the future is just this big question mark. Is there any way I can peek into the future so I can at be a little less worried? :(

Some shots that I thought should be published anyway. I really miss having long locks. :s

Striped Dress (worn as top) H&M, Red Pants Kamiseta, Black Pumps So!Fab

I miss taking photos so much, but I dunno there aren’t that many photo-worthy opportunities anymore haha. So yes, this post only has me. Again.

But there might be progress in the future! (lol) I have this weird thing about showing my raw pictures to other people so I tend to get angry when people peek over my shoulder when I edit. But when I was editing these photos I finally let my achi (older sister) look and I found out that I get to have constructive criticism of my shots and it actually helps. She also mentioned that maybe she’d be willing to have her shots taken next time. YAY!

In other news, these are the last photos I have with my long hair. I had a trim later that day and while the haircut was great I immediately regretted having done so. I loved having long, “lustrous” hair! Unfortunately, I was having hairfall problems and they said the best way to solve it was to have it cut.

On an ending note, yay I finally found the perfect red pair of pants with just the right hue <3

White Lace Jacket from a shop in Robinsons Galleria, Mint Lace Dress from Cotton On, Jeffrey Campbell Lita inspired heels, Silver Feather Necklace from Forever21.

Took these photos 2 weeks ago and only able to post it now. I fell in love with the mint dress the moment I laid eyes on it when I visited Cotton On while we were in Malaysia. So many affordable dresses, so little time (and ringgit)! It’s a bit low-cut though so I wore a spaghetti strap underneath. I saw the same design in a different color when I was browsing through their website and saw an HK local wearing it last week when I was there. It is pretty sweet. <3

I also missed taking photos like this. I really would prefer having a model so I can just direct and work behind the scenes and stuff. Doing everything yourself is pretty tough, I dunno how Tricia Gosingtian does it. I wish I also had my own time on my hands.

My hair is also not cooperating that well hence the weird ends pointing to every direction. I just had a trim earlier that day and I’m still quite angry with the one who cut my hair, I’m not happy with my bangs and the ends are kind of weird. Or maybe that’s the hair color drying out my hair. The roots are coming out too, thankfully it didn’t show in the photos. 

Things have been going a little more smoothly in terms of my view of life recently, though still not exactly the way I like it. I’m still in the process of balancing different aspects of my life and I hope I can do it sooner than later. Here’s to wishing for a happier tomorrow!

After 10,000 years of so much waiting, I’ve finally found THE letterman that is perfect. For a few months I’ve been dabbling on the idea of getting those made-to-order ones where you get to pick the letters that go on the jacket, and they sew patches in it for you. Well, patches aren’t for me so embroidered is the way to go. But if you didn’t know, embroidered words are pretty expensive and getting custom made ones aren’t worth it if you’re going to make only one piece.

Imagine my utter delight when my friend told me that she was getting this lovely jacket. They were buying the 5-piece promo thing and one of them is kind of getting forced to buy just to complete the group so I gladly took his place. I’m really happy I bought it. The material of the jacket is just what I wanted. :>

The Taft Shop hit it big with this one. Last I heard, they were trying to serve 800 jacket orders. 1,900 pesos for one piece and 1,650 bucks if you get 5 pieces. I’m doing the math and whew.

The embroidery at the back is my favorite.

Too bad summer’s coming. I’ll still try to wear it around so I can revel in the majesty that is my alma mater jacket. I really miss college life and this makes me feel like I’m still there, or at the very least brings back great memories.

I also asked my baby sis to take pictures with the jacket. She is purrty.

Animo La Salle!