Fly Apart- week 3 with ajbc photography (artistic port huron, michigan photographer)

Fly Apart.
It's a phrase you'll find in the Thesaurus for Explode.
I find it much more elegant and appropriate. 
The whole point of this project for me, for us, for ajbc photography as a whole is to get outside the box, be different, yet still be beautiful. Tell a story, BE the art, make people think. I'm super happy this week because I feel like we unknowingly achieved ALL of that, even though our initial idea got thrown out the window.  

Below is actually where the whole idea started. With the driveway, some white sheets, black acrylic paint, and a butterfly. We grew from there. Although the final image I chose wasn't what we planned on, it's always interesting to see what stems from what. And sometimes, even if it's "wrong" that's the best part about it. 

I obviously have to give HUGE credit to Taylor for being SO willing to help me with ideas, go outside in the freezing cold, "strip" down, and cover her hands in harsh black paint, all for the sake of art, all for the sake of exploring, all for the sake of letting our creativity explode. 
Fly Apart. 

A girl and her horse- a country session by ajbc photography (port huron, michigan photographer)

"Just me and my horse." That's what Danielle said she wanted when she booked with me. No fake frills, no crazy poses, just her out in a field by her house, loving on her baby- Secretly Branded. 
I just LOVE how this session turned out. We had to shoot in the rain and it was totally worth it. The colors, the mood, the feel... it's all breathtaking. I love how the trees in the filed almost make us look like we are someplace with mountains too. *sigh* Perfection. Both of them. All of it.
I've always wanted to photograph a girl and her horse and this was totally worth the wait. 

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Every senior and their experience is unique; click on Senior Gallery to see more!

If you haven't seen enough whimsy with horses check out another Session we did- a Senior and her horse! It's stunning!

For another gorgeous senior with her horse check out Madison's Session!

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Submerge and Emerge- week 2 with ajbc photography (artistic port huron photographer)

"Submerge and Emerge"

submerge |səbˈmərj|
verb [ with obj. ] (usu. be submerged)
• [ no obj. ] descend below the surface

emerge |iˈmərj|
verb [ no obj. ]
move out of or away from something and come into view

I think you subconsciously do things, sometimes. While forming the idea for this shot in my head, I wasn't all that sure where it came from. But after hours of editing, things started to emerge.
This image says a lot of things to me, and may say a lot of different things to you. Or maybe it says nothing and it's just a nice picture. That's ok too. But to me I see getting lost, I see submersion in to a new world, and I see freedom. Freedom was the last thing I saw in this image but it stands to be the most potent to me now.
I love books. I love reading, I love learning, and I love the feeling of escaping in to a new world for a short amount of time. A good book should make you anxious for that next time when you can sit down with it.
Last weekend we watched The Hunger Games for the first time. We immediately watched the second movie, and then the next day we went and saw Mocking Jay in theaters.
Right after that we went and bought all the books.
I LOVED the concept of the movie. This "big brother" watching over you, "protecting" you, all the while controlling you. Rising up and fighting against that, and that hope they talk about, that's so powerful. I suppose I enjoy the feeling of maybe being a bit of that rebel they talk about, somewhere mentally deep inside me.
Back to this image though. I'm thankful we have the freedom to makes movies that speak to their audiences in a powerful way. I'm thankful for the freedom to be able to read whatever I want, even if it puts the craziest of ideas in my head. And I'm thankful to be able to create art, no matter what the underlying meaning. I'm free to Submerge and I'm still free even after things Emerge from that submersion. I urge you to use that freedom. Submerge yourself in to a new world (even if that's just in book form), come back, and allow things to emerge, see things in a new light.

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Aside from all that deep stuff you might be wondering how we created this image and how I put it together. The images below are all in the 1 image above. I figured it took me about 20 different layers to create the final image, and about 3 hours of edit time.... for 1 image. And that's why I started this project, bc when would I have EVER made time to do that before for myself?

Coconut Oil Uses For Women

1. Face & body lotion

Getting ready for a shoot? Use coconut oil as a natural moisturizer. It softens and gives the skin a nice glow.

2. Leave in hair conditioner

 Coconut oil will add a quick shine, which will look great in photographs!

3. Shaving cream

Coconut oil gives a gentle and smooth glide for the razor, leaving you with extra soft skin and saving you from nicks and scars.

4. Deodorant

Instead of leaving a white stain on your outfit, use coconut oil as a natural replacement!

5. Eye make-up remover

 After the shoot...Instead of using chemicals to remove your make-up all you need is a cotton swab with a dab of coconut oil.

These are just 5 quick uses for before and after a shoot, but coconut oil almost seems endless with uses! You can use it as sunscreen / sunburn remedy, chap stick, massage oil, insect repellent, wound salve, anti-aging skin care plus it is awesome for your digestive system!