Disclaimer: Someday I’ll probably look back at this post and think “Ohmygoodness. I published THAT?!” In typical Hannah Braboy fashion, though, I am plunging in head first and not looking back.

I’ve felt stuck in my journey as a photographer for some time. I have felt like the hurdles of not being able to drive and limited income have held me back from where I’d really like to be. It’s been a hard place to be because I was comparing where I am in my journey as a photographer to where other photographers are.

I really think God has taught me a lot about myself and photography over the summer. He’s brought people, ideas, and opportunity into my life that I would have never come up with on my own. It’s feels incredible and scary at the same time.

I’ve learned a lot. From people. From ideas. From everything. I’ve learned that…

• I need to put my family first and not over work myself. Things go down hill when I don’t do this.
• I need to connect with other photographers of all levels on a regular basis. It helps both people grow, learn, and be encouraged. I come away each time thinking “Why didn’t I make time for this before?”
• I talk a lot about photography. Now I need to show it. (Thank you for the shove, JJ! Love you, girlfriend!)
• Photographers need to start turing the photography pyramid upside down. Normally, we place equipment at the top of the pyramid and think it’s the most important thing, while we place ourselves as photographers at the bottom.
• Some memories can only be captured in your heart. As a savvy photographer, a lot of people expect me to carry my equipment and take photos with my DSLR of everything I do. Doing this really sucks the purpose out of why I am a photographer. I am a photographer because I adore to capture life authentically and raw. When I lug a DSLR + equipment everywhere and take photos of everything, I make zero memories. Plus, I will leave a legacy of “she was the girl who always took pictures and never spent time with the people who mattered most”. I don’t want that. Sometimes I use my iPhone camera or no camera at all. That’s okay.

What have you learned over the summer? Everyone!

Much love.

P.S. If you are a photographer, can we connect? I’d love to befriend you! Shoot me an email!

P.P.S I would have no hair if I couldn’t hand this all over to God, wouldn’t you?

Please welcome Monica from The Chic Boutique! She is my fashion guru friend and will be contributing here every Thursday. She will be posting a different outfit idea for your clients each week. I think you all will love her!

Hey, Monica here from The Chic Boutique! I am going to do a fashion Thursday here on Hannah’s blog for a while! It’s gonna be so much fun! I’m using Forever 21 for these outfits. So I’ve been looking at what’s ‘new’ coming out in the ’fashion world’. It has inspired me a lot.  This fancy outfit has some edge to it. A for sure a head turner…jaw dropper… and all that good stuff I like to add my own little twist to the outfits I get inspired by..so tell me what you think.

Plaid Flannel Top w/ Tie Belt $18.90 (just the shirt)

Fab Classic Bootcut Jeans &14.50 (just the pants)

Grommet Sides Shoulder Bag $26.80

Floral Field Earrings $3.80

Rainbow Hinge Bracelet $9.80 This accessory gives the ‘edge’ to this outfit. It has just enough color on it.

London Button Booties $35.80

This whole outfit costs up to $109.06  Note: Total amount will vary on your local sales tax.

I thank Hannah so very much for letting me post on here today! I am looking forward to posting every Thursday. =D By the way, I did a fashion post like this one on my blog a while ago too. Click here to check it out.

*these are not my real glasses..they are movie theater glasses with the lens popped out* ;D

It’s me, Monica! I blog at The Chic Boutique. I am 15 years old and I am home-schooled. I have a very good taste in fashion and my drawing skills help immensely in designing outfits! When I was little I used to draw little outfits in notebooks and color them in with colored pencils. As I grew older my mom got me a few different Harumika sets. I love them sooooo much to this day! I have also gotten a Project Runway light box design set. I thank God for my talent. All the praise goes to Him.

~Monica

The other day I posted about where I get my inspiration from and how I edit. If you noticed in the comments, Jenn posted the following comment wanting to know more about white balance. I’m sure that she’s not alone.

White balance is super easy! See? I’ll show you. (In crappy iPhone pictures, because I don’t own two snazzy big girl cameras.) This is a Nikon tutorial, by the way. Canon is probably very similar, but I know it can be confusing. I might have one of my Canon friends come in and guest post for y’all on that.

Pretty simple step, no?

As a note, you’ll turn this wheel while holding the white balance button (pictured before).

See that little cloud in the box that the arrow is pointing to? This is the icon that tells you what lighting your camera is set to set the white balance for. (Did that make any sense?) Different white balance settings are represented by different icons. You can see photo examples of that here on the Ree’s blog.

Was that clear as mud or what? Feel free to post any questions you have about white balance or photography in general in the comments below. I’ll be more than happy to chat with you!

Right now, I’m sitting at my kitchen table feeling overwhelmed, flooding my brain with Meredith Andrews and “Breathe, Hannah. Breathe.”s. Just keeping it real. Anyway…

Today’s FAQ will be on where I get my inspiration from and editing the photos. I’ve been asked these two questions multiple times, but I don’t want to keep it all about me and my answers. I want to here where you, as photographers, get your inspiration from and what you use for editing and your editing process too! Tell me how you express your brand through your photos!

I get my inspiration from multiple places. As far as poses go, I look at other photographers’ work on blogs and in magazines. There are some seriously creative people out there- you! For color, pattern, and texture inspiration, I look on fashion blogs, clothing sites, boutiques, Etsy, and the Martha Stewart magazines. There are also little things I run across in day-t0-day life that I think would be neat to incorporate somehow like Jones’ Pure Cane Soda bottles, the dark chocolate color that is our nativity brought back from Africa, and cute pieces of clothing and accessories.

I try to make how I edit part of who I am as a photographer. I like my photos to have lots of natural lighting, nice white balance, perfectly exposed (even though I still can’t nail it perfectly) and sometimes a little over exposed, a nice color pop, accurate display of the emotion, and to have the subject’s personality very accurately displayed. It’s very lifestyle. That’s just part of my style. For that reason, I just adore Adobe Lightroom.

I know photographers have completely different style than that. My friend Natalie takes gorgeous photos. I love her work. However, you can just tell by looking at her photos that her style is a bit different than mine. That’s okay. It’s what helps set us apart as photographers. (<3 you, Natalie!)

What sets you apart as a photographer? How do you display that throughout your business? What inspires you and what do you use for editing?

P.S. Adobe has no clue who I am, nor did they sponsor this post in any way. If I fell of the face of the earth tomorrow, Adobe would have no clue. (But the blogosphere would, because then I wouldn’t be tweeting. Heh.)

Enjoyable is all my favorite photos on Flickr. You all take such gorgeously real and beautiful photos!

Enjoyable is a fabulous {surprise} 30 day beach party at (In)Courage.

Enjoyable is a mama’s blog post when she shares her heart about what she wants to remember.

Enjoyable is an Etsy shop full of hope. (I could get lost in Etsy. You all are so creative! Love that!)

Enjoyable is the everyday.

Enjoyable is dirt.

Enjoyable is a blog post full of the nature of little girls.

Enjoyable is a beautiful letter written by my friend Bianca to her stepchildren.

Enjoyable is an army of  women sharing their hearts, beautiful, yes, but hard, I know.

Enjoyable is people speaking up about things that matter even when it’s painful.

Enjoyable is my fabulous best friend Darcy’s Sweet Shot Tuesday. (Man! Y’all are getting awesome at photography! Wowzers!)

These pictures are proof that the best camera is always the one you have with you. In this case, it was my iPhone. It’s not the greatest quality- kinda fuzzy. It’s the memories that count, though. It’s one of the top reasons I am a photographer. When my future children look back on these pictures, they won’t notice the quality saying “Man! That’s a really cruddy picture!”

So, that being said… These are the pictures from this summer- Braboy Summer 2010. I’m so thankful.

Napping babes. Pink little cheeks. Light summer blankets. Creamy sheets. Cool pillows.

Ice cold cranberry lemonade. Frosted Mason jars.

My sister Alli and I making blueberry pancakes for lunch. The hot sizzle of the griddle. The muscle woman you have to be to lift the heavy thing.

Listening to Meredith Andrews in the dark. The babies eyes that close shut as soon as we cross the Tennessee-Kentucky line. The soft orange glow of the Tundra’s stereo system.

Goofing off in Old Navy.

Flag shirts bought just hours before a party with our friends. (Hi R’s! Hi C’s!) Fireworks. Mudding on ATV’s with our friends. Muddy, sweaty children. The soft smell of hay in the barn. The sound of all the ATV’s starting.

Vegetable chip-eating children.

Tractor pulls with friends that may as well be family. Smoke in the air. Hot dogs. Squirmy little children. [Yes, cotton candy kind of took charge there at the end.]

That’s part 1 because, yes, I just needed to publish the draft already. [Raise your hand if you are the queen/king of drafts!]

Over and out.

(I’m 13 days late and more than one dollar short. I know.)

By ScrewedUpTexan This photo is simply perfection. The composition makes you feel like you are a little girl in a white sundress atop that tree. The colors and contrast are so feminine and dainty. This image makes me feel 5 again, sundress on, long wavy hair floating in the breeze.

By Darcy@m3b See that sunlight bokeh up in the right hand corner? Lovely, no? This picture makes me feel like putting on a twirly white sundress and dancing in the field as the sun sets. Marvelous.

By bunny trails These remind me of the small, dainty flowers that we like to put in wine glasses. Just because.

By DawnMHSH This image reminds me so much of all the women in my life. Almost all of them have had these growing in their yard at some point. When I see them, images of all the women in my life that I love so much come to mind.

By Mishelle Lane There are no words.

By Sereina’s Photography Ah… This reminds me of the rainy, cookie baking days.

You all take such gorgeous photos! Make sure to hop over to the Flickr group, join, add some photos, look around, and comment! I’d love to have  you over there with us! Don’t worry. It’s for all levels of photographers with cameras from point-and-shoots to top of the line. Keep on adding the gorgeousness and I’ll keep featuring it!

I have this idea. I know there are plenty of young photographers all over the place. I want to connect with them. I want all of us, as young photographers with businesses, to be able to connect with one another and help each other out. Maybe via a blog and directory combined? Maybe start out small with a downloadable smaller version?

What say you, photogs? Ideas? Input? It’s open mic from here.

I am no style guru. I don’t try to be trendy. I am a jeans a t-shirt gal. All the way. When I am working, though, I don’t want clients thinking “What in the world is that chick wearing?!” Instead, I want them asking me where I got it and at the very least not wondering if I needed my mother to dress me.

Clothing

Dark wash jeans

Black, white, yellow, brown, and blue fitted t-shirts (with a variety of necklines)

Denim blazer

Black dress

Pencil skirt

Dress skirts

Blouses

See… Being a Kentucky photographer, cotton and I are BFFs. I avoid synthetics like the plague, but sometimes it just can’t be helped.

Hair

High, ballerina bun

Low bun

Low ponytail

High ponytail

Those are my favorites. My basic four. I accessorize them with various flowers, headbands, pretty bobby pins, etc… I prefer my hair up off my neck because I get so hot during shoots, even in winter.

Accessories

Unique earrings

Pretty, unique hair pieces

Ballet flats

Boots (knee high, cowboy, etc…)

Sandals

Flip-flops (Make sure they look good! Get some with the pretty beads or the nice leather ones. Those are fab.)

What style tips do you have?

Never Been Kissed | (In)courage

Your People Will Be My People | The Gypsy Mama

What Will You Teach Your Children? | Mrs. FussyPants

Family Pictures | Other Such Happenings (Don’t procrastinate your family pictures. Book it!)

Five {Random} Things I’m Thinking About Today | Eclectic Whatnot (It spoke to me. The hashtags, Twitter, daddies…)

come on up. | Moments With Love (God speaks when I read her blog.)

The Beginning | Jamie Delaine (Love, love, love this! If you are looking to jump into the photography business, especially if you are young, check it! It’s good stuff!)

OpenSourcePhoto (Check it, photogs!)

What links do you find fabulous?