~Make Your Own Sunshine~

| Allison

Hello, dears!

The other day, I asked my sister if she wanted to do a photoshoot together, but she thought it would be best to wait till it was sunny instead of foggy. I thought, “Oh well, I guess I’ll have to make my own sunshine.” 🙂 So I gathered up my camera and tripod and spent a couple of hours taking “selfies.” HAHA! It was really fun, although extremely difficult sometimes to get a clear picture with the self-timer.

I also discovered that it’s hard to give a real smile when you’re just staring at a camera and not a person. And that I really don’t know what to do with my hands when I’m posing. :[] Despite my un-photogenicness, I hope you enjoy seeing the poses and locations and editing techniques like I do when I browse other people’s photoshoots! 🙂

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I started in front of our old farmhouse, on the boxwood-lined brick path. I managed to keep my left arm mostly straight, which was hard since I have double-jointed elbows that usually bend out the opposite way when I brace myself against something. O.o Annnd that probably ruined the picture for you. XD

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“Psst, lamp post – if I give you a hug, will you take me to Narnia? PLEEEASE?” *sigh* It didn’t work.

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(Sorry for the jumble of editing techniques, but I was having too much fun experimenting! XD) I decided to try the classic senior photo pose, and it sort of worked. I had to try a couple times to get some pictures where I was in focus – “let’s see, where are the elbow prints in the mud from last time?” :’D Yes, I am barefoot because it was in the 60s in February! How could I not?

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You can tell that my clothes (pants in particular) got kinda damp from laying down in the field for the previous picture, heh heh. I kept my arm straight again, but this time it was TOO straight and I look stiff. Ah well, lessons learned: 1) relax a little, and 2) bring a blanket. *nods*

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Ooh, I love this one! The cheery yellow and blue contrasts nicely with the dull, stark landscape to create an interesting mood.

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Eventually I made my way over to this old shed. The history of it is rather mysterious and vague to me, but I think they brought it to our farm a while ago from somewhere nearby where it was being used to house workers (road workers maybe?). As old as it looks, it probably has a lot more history before that too.

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It’s strange how photographers love taking portraits in front of dilapidated buildings and rustic backgrounds, isn’t it? I wonder why. Maybe it’s the history, or maybe it’s the way old, crumbling buildings bring out the vibrancy of life in the subject standing in front of them.

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This is one of my favorites! I really like the pose + how I edited it.

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Do you prefer the warmer tones of this photo, or the cooler black and white of the previous one? I can’t decide. It’s really hard for me to pose with a serious face that doesn’t just look tired or strange. XD In this one I look I’m trying not to smile but having a hard time of it. 😛

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This side of the shed was shaded by some cedar trees, which gave it a peaceful but sort of lonely atmosphere, especially in the fog. It felt like it was remembering and waiting patiently to be a real house again.

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I finally moved on from the shed to this little intersection where the lane turns both to our house and our guest house. I thought the lone pine tree and curving fence would add interest to the picture. 🙂

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I love wooden fences. They’re so authentic-looking and country-ish, and… I don’t know, just nice. 🙂

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Sadly, the people who own the land beside our land had the pine trees harvested, so now it’s all bare and open. At least the trees near the road are still there!

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More fence in fog. 🙂 I’m glad it was already here when we moved because PHEW, that would be a lot to build! (Ahem, I mean the fence, not the fog.)

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We shall end with this random close-up of me holding pine cones from that lone pine tree. The sunny shirt doesn’t really go with the wintry pinecones and foggy background, but I guess that’s the point. The warm day didn’t really go with February either.

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And that, my friends, is all for now. I hope you enjoyed this foggy photoshoot as much as I did!

What was your favorite picture? What’s your opinion on posing in front of old buildings? Would you like to see more about the mysterious shed? And would you go barefoot in February?

Thank you so much for reading, dears, and have a lovely day (and Valentine’s Day)!

***Allison***

96 thoughts on “~Make Your Own Sunshine~”

  5. Wow! Those are absolutely gorgeous! I love your shirt, the brightness against the fog is so pretty! I liked all the pictures, but if I had to choose one, it’d been this on:https://farmgirlslifebackup.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/portrait-1.jpg?w=1100
    I love old building and old things in general. 😛 Yes, I would, it looks really neat!! And yes, I’d go barefoot in February, if it was 60 degrees. Here it’s only 35 and rainy. 🙃😒

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    1. Ahh, thank you ever so much, Hannah! That’s definitely one of my favorite pictures too. 🙂 Ooh, great! HAHA OH DEAR. I think that’s actually about how it is now – it has cooled down considerably. *sigh* Thanks for the great comment, dear!

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  6. Omw so cute!! Great pics. I think my fav is the 5th one. Old building pictures can be cool, but also cliche xD Ooh yes do tell us if you find out any more about the shed. I would absolutely go barefoot (if it were 60 degrees). Happy early Valentines 😀

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  8. AHHH! I love the contrasting color. You make me want to go outside and take pictures, since this morning was really foggy, but the fog’s already lifted. *cries*

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  15. Allison, these are so wonderful! I loved today’s post. You are quite photogenic, needless of what you say! 😉 I think this has given me the courage to try my own self-photography; I’m so used to being behind the camera, not seeing myself in front of it! 😛

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    1. D’aww, you’re so kind! (Heh, well you should have seen some of the photos I deleted. XD XD) That’s a GREAT idea! It’s actually really fun. 🙂 I’m so glad I could inspire you!

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  18. Wow, Allison, it must have taken a lot of work and patience to get all those photos! They look great, by the way; the locations were really calm and aesthetic, and you did a pretty good job of posing, too. I know from experience that it is so hard to pose or try to pose someone else. Anyway, I really like the photos of you sitting in the grass, standing in front of the old shed and the ones of you by the fence and driveway. The fog looks really great! Also, I kinda did like the first photo of you in front of the house, but you could have left out the comment on your double-jointed elbows. XD Also, how do you get auto-focus to work when you’re doing self-timer pictures? This really confuses me, and when I videoed myself a little while back, I basically just focused my camera by leaning over to press the button. How do you do it?
    To answer your other question, I’m sure I would go barefoot now if it was warm enough. But there isn’t really a chance of that, which I’m not really sad about, since it’s still Winter!
    ~Sassafras
    P.S. I sent you an email the other day! I hope you got it. 🙂

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    1. Hooray, I was so excited to get this lovely long comment! Thank you, Sassafras! Ha ha, they did take a lot of patience. XD It IS hard to pose, goodness! Thanks, dear! HAHAHA soooorrry. XD XD I know it freaks some people out, which I can understand. 😛 Heh heh, anyway, that’s a good question! I don’t have a very good system, but usually I put it on self-timer mode, focus on some spot on the ground in the distance, click the button, then race over to the aforementioned spot (the hardest part is finding it XD). It takes some trial and error, that’s for sure. It also helps to set it to take more than one photo at a time, sequentially. Hopefully that helped! Ha ha, very true about going barefoot. XD
      Thanks again for the great comment!
      P. S. YES, I got your email! Thanks so much!

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  28. You really should get a remote! It’s so much better than the self-timer! But AHHHHH I LOVED THESE. Of course, why wouldn’t I? Your hair’s getting longer and poufier. 🙂 And OH NO, THE PINES ARE GOOOONNEEEE.

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    1. Well I have a remote, but I can’t go very far away at ALL. Sadly. But EEEP THANK YOU. Ha ha, is that a good thing or a bad thing? XD XD It was especially poofy because of how humid it was that day. And YESSS I KNOOOW.

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  32. Oh I love all of these! And your bright yellow shirt is so cute and adds so much to the photos! 😀
    Pssh, your arm looks fine!
    Oh I love the lamppost! It really does look like the one in Narnia! ❤ O.O ❤
    I like the one where you are sitting down on the porch of the shed! You look so sophisticated. 😉
    And I really like the one right after it. The setting reminds me of The Safe and Sound music video from the First Hunger Games movie. 🙂
    And…since I live in Alaska and it's currently 34 degrees outside and we have like 4 inches of snow or something…no, I would never go barefoot in February. XD

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    1. Hee hee, thank you! I like that shirt too. (It actually used to be my mom’s ha ha! XD)
      HA WELL GOOD. You should see what it looks like it when I bend it out. 😛
      I know, doesn’t it? Ha ha, awww well thanks.
      Ha, really? I’ve never watched that but it sounds neat. 😛
      OH MY. Yeah, I don’t suggest it. Ha ha!
      Thanks so much for the lovely comment, dear!

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  38. UM WOW!
    You’re soooo pretty and I love the honest modeling you did. It’s wonderful and very aesthetic. Your photography skills are on point!
    Gooooood job!

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  39. IT’S CLARA’S COMMENTING DAY! XD *drowns in bookmarked posts*
    Ahem. This was such a fun, neat post! 🙂 I love how you edited the photos to make your yellow shirt stand out. I think this photo is my favorite:

    The old door makes such a cool backdrop! I love all of your photoshoots – I can’t wait to see the next one. 😀

    -Clara ❤

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    1. AHAHA WOW, that must get overwhelming. O.o Thank you SO much for taking the time to comment on my posts, dear! I really appreciate it. ,3
      Anyway, I’m so glad you enjoyed this post, and I really like that photo too! I hope I can do another photoshoot soon. 🙂

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