Negril, Jamaica

All of these were shot from a moving bus...driving on the opposite side of the road...at insane speeds...with goats running in the streets...needless to say, composition and focus were difficult.

Shawn Miller - Comedian

Fellow Strobist apprentices, Dave Kile and Erik Couse, joined me in shooting friend and comedian Shawn Miller.  Shawn needed some professional promotional material for his upcoming website and gigs in the District, so I was really excited to take an afternoon shooting a friend...with friends!  Here are couple and don't forget to follow Shawn on Twitter (@shawncomedy) for some comic relief throughout the day:

Hustlin Composites

A deliverable for one of my photoshop classes, was creating a composite.  This consisted of taking a photograph of an "environment", shooting something in the studio using the same lighting as the environment, and then putting them together so you have minimal post-production work to do.

"Environment" shot - one night, I decided to walk down Baltimore Street where the strip clubs are

Studio shot - attempting to replicate the light from the environment shot

Final Composite - the hardest part was the mask, but after that just threw on a curves layer and made a soft shadow

Street Feet

My Highly Dynamic Backyard

As a 4 year resident of Federal Hill in Baltimore, Maryland, Inner Harbor has lost its luster since I now consider myself more of a local.  In fact, I usually avoid Inner Harbor at all costs, unless something really cool is going on (Anime Convention people watching, anyone? :-P).  With the help of HDR, though, Inner Harbor looks like a place I'd reconsider frequenting.

This photo (which is better seen on my Flickr Page) is a panorama of four different HDR shots.  Each of the four were processed for HDR in Photoshop, then each were rendered and edited in Photomatix Pro, and then the four Photomatix Pro files were merged together.

Fireplace = ZzZzZz

One thing I love about coming home to Northeast Pennsylvania for the holidays is catching up on the rest that I don't get while I'm working, living, studying, shooting, and playing in Maryland.  The everyday hustle and bustle can definitely wear one down, and after so much of it, I think my body forgets how to truly relax. Coming home though, reminds me really quickly on how to do that because I can just let all of that stress go, wear sweatpants for days, turn off my cell phone, eat until I can't move and have no other choice but to sleep it off, and have fireplace induced magic naps on the couch whenever its lit.  Our fireplace is like a homemade sleeping pill, because whenever it's lit and I am in the same room, I immediately pass out...every time.  I snapped the last photo right before I threw on another log and curled back up on the couch to go back to sleep.

No deadlines, no schedule, no email or cell, no school, no alarms, plenty of naps, plenty of food, and a cozy fire while the snow falls is just what the doctor ordered to prepare me for my 2011 photography endeavors.  2010 really hit it home as I seriously starting creating a photo career from scratch, so stay tuned for Lisa Dierolf Photography's business plans and goals for 2011!

Apples to App...err, Skulls?

 My Product and Still Life class is finally coming to a close.  Here are some photos:

Black plexi table top, white plexi background with a 10 degree grid behind, softbox front right, spot grid far right

Softbox, top right

 (I forgot props and it was all I could find in the storage closet, ok?)
Black plexi, ambient from the candles, and a 5 degree grid from above the skull