Life's Journey: Photography by Rebecca

Heather and Tatum

2011-12-02T12:32:00.000-08:00

Heather and her baby girl, Tatum, were so fun to photograph. This little darlin had just turned one year old recently. Children grow up so fast. It was a pleasure capturing Tatum at this time in her life and the special bond she shares with her mom.

Fall in the South

2011-11-08T17:20:00.000-08:00

Fall is my favorite time of year in the South. The colors are breathtaking. The pumpkins, trees, fields ready for the harvest are favorites for me. But the best part is at any given time during the fall, if you close your eyes and deeply inhale ...you will smell warm pumpkin and pecan pies cooling in the breeze.

What do your shoes say about you?

2011-11-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite couples: my best friend, Devon and her husband, Ben. Their hearts' roots run deep in Mt. Ulla, NC.

Details are important

2011-11-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

Harper is the newest edition to the Lucke Family. Anna and Patrick I enjoyed meeting your little girl! What a great team you guys are! I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this happy girl.

"Aw Shucks!"

2011-04-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

I photographed a local Corn Shuckin in Mt. Ulla, NC this past fall. The host/farmer of this event and his family are very dear to my heart. I had so much fun. There was such a great sense of community. Not to mention the folks of this little hidden town pulled together and fed the 100 plus people in attendance. Then once night fell, everyone headed into one of the larger barns where two steppin' and cloggin followed. My one regret is that I have the photo posted below and can't remember whom these adorable twins belong so I could share the photo with the family. I haven't given up.

Introducing Audrey

2011-01-31T19:32:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the best Christmas presents come a little early. Audrey was born December 11. She is the sweetest "little" thing! She was over 9 pounds and was 21" long! She is already taking after her daddy in height! She has won the hearts of everyone she has met, including the family dog, "Bear." Congratulations Faggart Family!

Samantha Lammonds

2011-01-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Wedding: Samantha and Lance

With everyone already in such a celebratory mood Samantha and Lance's Christmas Wedding only added more excitement to the season. The day was rainy but the bride was radiant and thoroughly enjoyed her day. Thank you Sam and Lance for letting me be apart of your special day!

A Child's Laughter is the Best Sound in the World.

2011-01-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

Children are so expressive. Each emotion and thought is displayed right across their face. Their excitement and love of life is so contagious. I enjoyed taking these photos so much. She made my day.

Stephanie: July Bride

2011-01-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

Stephanie was one of the most laid back brides I have ever encountered. She enjoyed her day with the grace and poise of a woman truly in love.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

2010-08-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

While working in Bozeman, I have been given the opportunity to visit different towns. I've enjoyed each one for different reasons but really enjoy the little town I've come to call, "my home away from home." I biked around one afternoon and was drawn back to a location my boss and I had recently done a portrait session. This little red barn reminded me a little of home with a Montana twist.

I LOVE Montana...do I have to go home?

2010-08-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to go to Montana since I was a sophomore in High school. Ten years later, I have been blessed with the opportunity to work in Montana for too short of a period of time. I have fallen in love with this place. While I have been here I had the opportunity to see Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons . Here are just a couple of images that still can't hold a candle to the rugged beauty the West holds.

Merri Gray Jones

2010-08-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

It is the year for weddings! Merri Gray is a beautiful bride. She is as sweet as she is beautiful. I wish her and her wonderful husband, Chris, the best of everything! Thank you both so much for letting us be a part of your special day!

Two of My Friends

2010-08-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

My Family

2010-07-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

As a photographer, photographing your own family can be a nightmare. However, knowing the challenge at hand I stubbornly insisted my family allow me to photograph us all together. This summer the South has remained around 95 degrees. After setting everything up, dragging my family out of the house, and posing them, I would view and then get in position. My friend, Spencer was my "button pusher." He did fabulously dealing with all the sighing and sweating. Thanks for your help Spencer!

Vintage!

2010-06-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

This session was so much fun! My friends Laura and Andrew were great! The couple decided to do something "out of the box." Laura chose her fabulous ensemble. Andrew, laid back as always, informed us he would wear whatever we asked. I did push for suspenders! They turned out great! (Men you should wear these more often they look good!) My friend and lab partner, Spencer, also did some shooting. Many thanks to my sister, Deidra, who did Laura's hair and makeup. It was a day full of laughter, fun, and great photos! "Andrew and Laura, you guys were naturals! Thank you so much for one of my favorite shoots." Web gallery for online orders is coming SOON!

Ashley and Brad

2010-06-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Ashley and Brad will be getting married September 25, 2010. I thoroughly enjoyed their engagement session! Bailey, the King Charles Spaniel, has been a part of their lives for a few years. When they asked me about including him I of course agreed. He did so well! Congratulations Ashley and Brad. Best Wishes for a long and happy marriage!

Jessi and Jay's Engagement Portraits

2010-05-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

Jessi and Jay are getting married this summer. We agreed to shoot on her grandparents farm. Not only was it beautiful but had significance to her family. I am sure Jessi and Jay will have a lifetime of happiness. Best Wishes.

Julia the Miracle Baby

2010-05-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago this little girl would imprint herself right in my heart. Julia is a little baby that is fighting the odds. Julia survived a tough delivery and no oxygen for 15 minutes during the process. Doctors ran numerous tests and told the family to be prepared for anything. This faith filled family began to fill heaven with prayers over their beautiful new addition. Miraculously, Julia's tests started coming back much more hopeful and the family watched and continued to pray. I had the privilege of meeting Julia while she was still in Charlotte's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Her and her family were an inspiration. Julia is at home now but, still has to visit the doctors on a regular basis for more tests and observation. This little one radiates peace and hope. I felt like God was giving me this opportunity to use my love of photography to bless others, but I feel that I was the one who was blessed after meeting this family. Please continue to pray for Julia and her family.

Julia Hartis is now Julia Chrismon

2010-05-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

Julia is a beautiful bride that married the man of her dreams! Julia is so easy to photograph and so much fun to work with. Her bubbly personality and love for life is infectious. "Julia and Glenn I wish you a long happy life filled with love and much laughter!"

Devon is Engaged!

2010-05-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Devon and Ben are engaged to be married July 17, 2010. Devon happens to be one of my best friends. Ben and I were lab partners in our undergraduate years. When Ben asked me about Devon I was overjoyed and gave him her phone number. A couple years later the three of us are together again; shooting their engagement portraits. This session was so much fun! In a few short months wedding bells will ring and this happy bridesmaid will watch two people that I love very much tie the knot!

"Who I am"

2010-02-22T19:02:00.000-08:00

For my multimedia class we were given a quick turn around assignment that would show the viewer who we are as a photographer. I believe who we are is where we come from, how we spend free time, and who we surround ourselves with. All this influences my work. I have always said, "You are what you shoot and you shoot what you want to be." The music by Nicklecreek: "When You Come Back Down." It is significant to me because of all I had to say good bye to, to go to photography school. As the song progresses I feel like I am the one "below" capturing people's moments. I am there as others soar. I am waiting for them to "come back down." Here is what I ended up with for the short time we were given. Hope you enjoy.

Untitled from Rebecca Helms on Vimeo.

Look Closer

2010-02-10T20:18:00.000-08:00

I've spent some time in the studio this week focusing on my macro images. Here are a few of the ones I liked that were shot on a Nikon D300 with a 60mm macro lens. Lighting set ups varied.

Candy Ribbons

2010-01-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

Candy ribbons are one of the nostalgic candies that are only sold during the Christmas season. They made excellent subjects for macro photography because of their color, texture, and shape. This was one of the many shots taken. It is a 1:2 ratio. Shot with a Nikon D300s @ f 8.

Mindy Leigh

2010-01-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

Mindy is my long time childhood friend. I needed to do an indoor portrait and asked Mindy to model. I shot this in color. She has beautiful red hair and green eyes, but I loved the image in black and white. This photo was taken with my Rebel XTI: f5.6 @1/5. I lit the scene with an alien bee and my Vivitar 285.
"Thanks Min-DAY!"

Soon to be Married...

2010-01-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

Jana and Steven are a couple back home that I had the pleasure of shooting their engagement portraits. Working with them has been so much fun! A great friendship has grown. This Saturday will be our next photoshoot as they are joined together in marriage. Come back and visit for the wedding photos...
This session was photographed with my Canon Rebel XTI utilizing ambient lighting and Vivitar flash.

I am LOVING macro!

2010-01-20T06:16:00.000-08:00

On a recent hiking trip with a couple friends in Uwharrie I had the wonderful opportunity to experiment with some macro photography. I used a Nikon D300 with a 55mm lens with an 27.5 extension tube. Manual settings f2.8 @ 1/50. ISO was 1600 due to low lighting in the woods.

This little burst of color was growing on some lichens on a rock. This is a 1:1 ratio.

Forever Changed

2010-01-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 2007 I had the life changing experience of going on a mission trip to Honduras. Below is a image that will forever stay imprinted in my mind and heart. Fortunately, I had a point and shoot camera at that moment. In August of 2008 I began photography school. My snapshot may not be my best work but it is one of my own personal favorites for sentimental reasons. This semester I have begun macrophotography! I was able to bring home some Honduran money but have never displayed it. The first macro assignment subject was our choice. Below is a photograph of a couple things besides a changed heart that I brought back from the mission trip.
The currency was shot at f32 for maximum depth of field with a 20 second exposure. The camera used was a Canon 5D (full frame) with a ring flash. This image is a 1:1 ratio.

Ashley

2009-12-25T23:03:00.000-08:00

My friend, Ashley agreed to model for me one cold, Sunday afternoon in November. She did wonderfully. She has so much personality and a wonderful attitude. She was so fun to work with. "Thanks so much Ashley!"

A Few Portraits from Portfolio

2009-12-16T23:33:00.000-08:00

"Word Salad"

2009-12-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

My final assignment in my digital imaging class was a montage. Each student received: a type of person, theme, and 2-3 items. Since your words are luck of the draw you can imagine the excitement and apprehension this project created. My type of person was "bourgeois" (meaning middle to upper class), My items I had to include were: "tree, retro hairstyle, and ascot." Lastly my theme was "expectations."
The image you see is almost exactly what came to my mind the problem was finding models who would fit the part. I couldn't wait to shoot! One Sunday, I looked over at some friends in church and "saw my picture." I had to trouble shoot numerous times. My lens kept fogging up. I was shooting through the back doorway of my parents home in the cold while the fire heated the front end of the lens from across the room. Motion blur was an issue; Also, having enough fill without changing my white balance from the warm amber look was difficult.
I had a couple images I really liked, but this one struck me. I did some blurring in photoshop to the background and added some ornaments to my Christmas tree. Some would call it neurotic; I call it attention to detail. I have learned it's the little things that matter most in life, as well as photography. Merry Christmas!!!

Object Lighting

2009-12-16T07:36:00.000-08:00

My object lighting class for the last 8 weeks focused on learning how to light any object despite its shape and texture. We were asked to put together a small portfolio consisting of work we did throughout the mini-mester or that we shot specifically for portfolio. I did choose some of the images like my pepper but here are a couple additions.

Holli "Hepburn"

2009-12-14T22:42:00.000-08:00

After the busiest semester I needed to get in the studio and shoot for me. I asked, Holli, a first year photography student to model for me. I can see Audrey Hepburn in Holli because of her facial resemblance, grace, and sweet smile. Holli has the sweetest spirit about her. She did wonderfully. She has been asked to model a lot lately. She is beautiful on the outside, but it is her humble and sincere spirit that spoke to me. That was what I wanted to focus on in this shoot. We are not defined by what we wear, our tatoos or piercings, hair or skin color. I chose black and white so our focus is drawn to what's important, the person. I photographed Holli with my Canon Rebel XTI and Nikon D300.

"My Hero of the Day"

2009-12-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

Between church services I had the opportunity to photograph a beautiful 1955 Ford Truck. My scheduled model cancelled at the last minute. I immediately tried to think of any other male model I could call at the last minute, that would fit my scene. Brayden came to play with me. He did wonderfully. All he required was to sit in my lap and take pictures himself as a break every now and then. This darling baby sits behind me in church...needless to say he had peanut butter M&Ms waiting for him Sunday night. I set up the scene with two alien bee lights and used my Canon Rebel XTI with the 24-105mm.

"She Walks In Beauty..."

2009-12-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

My sister and I have always loved the old classic movies. When my teacher gave me the opportunity to photograph someone utilizing Hurrell's style of old Hollywood images I immediately started researching. I asked my sister to come to the studio. She soon discovered modeling is not easy work but, she did a great job. (I only fussed at her a little bit. lol) Isn't she beautiful?!
Studio hot lots were used with a 24-105mm portrait lens on my Canon Rebel XTI. ISO 200.

My favorite thing: FRUIT!

2009-11-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

I was told vegetables with seeds are technically fruits. For the fruit assignment I chose strawberries (my favorite) then headed to the grocery store check out but the peppers caught my eye. They were so vibrant ! So, I tossed one in the basket. Once I began shooting in the studio the afterthought purchase ended up becoming my "star." The color was so bold. Food is usually shot backlit. This assignment encompassed food photography, but added something new called "light painting." This image was one of my "light painting" images. All lights were turned off and the shutter opened for 3.2 seconds on my Canon Rebel XTI. During that time, I used the light gun to "paint" my set. My camera position was high and slightly tilted above the table top. My square yellow plate from home was turned so the lines would be diagonal for a more interesting effect. I may not call it a fruit but it is beautiful and edible in its own right.

Chocolate Assignment

2009-11-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

This table top image was created in studio with a farrell light and a digital scanning back for a medium format Hasselblad camera. This was my first experience with the scanning backs. I loved it. I wanted to take a popular chocolate, but connect it back to nature. I took it a step farther and added "dirt"(cocoa powder) in the background. Despite popular belief; chocolate is healthy in moderation and is frankly a lot of fun to shoot.

HDR

2009-11-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoon, before the sun went down, I ventured out to shoot some HDR while a few of the fall colors are around. My sister and I used to play with this old tractor chassis down in our pasture. The texture caught my eye.

I used a Canon 40D f4@1/5 of a second with only ambient lighting.

Cell Phone

2009-11-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

The technoid assignment required a cell phone against a reflective background. The freedom was the overall set up. I chose to use the backs of CDs as my reflective background and used a circuit board as a base to build around. I chose to use the studio hot lights with a yellow gel. It was lit from the underneath the light table and had a second light shining across the phone, reflecting in the CDs. The image was captured by propping the circuit board up with a small block and using sticky tape to lift the phone.

I shot at f4 at 1/8 of a second with a Rebel XTI using the studio hot lights.

Water Assignment

2009-11-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

My object lighting class was given an assignment that required us to shoot an image that portrays "water." The difficult aspect of the project was to shoot an original image that brings only the word water to mind. I photographed a vase of water containing blue food coloring; while a classmate used a coffee stirring straw to drop water into the vase. f5.6 @1/125 accompanied by a Vivitar 285. I used 2:750 hot lights to illuminate the white partition walls that was placed on three sides of the vase. The reflections of the lights on the glass produced the above image. I used photoshop to clean off a few imperfections on the vase in the image and increased saturation in select areas.

Central Park, New York City

2009-11-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

I recently got the opportunity to go to New York City to the annual Photo Expo. What would any school trip be without a few assignments? I shot my panoramic assignment in Central Park, at the Ice Skating Rink. It was captured with my Canon Rebel XTI. The aperture remained at f4 and I bracketed the shutter speed to ensure proper exposures. "Serendipity" may have been my favorite part New York, but Central Park was a close second.

Photo Safari in Downtown Asheboro

2009-11-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday my Object Lighting class shot on location in downtown Asheboro. Our teacher asked us to shoot anything that caught our eye and disregard the "rules of photography." The point of the project was to encourage us to be more aware of the things we walk by each day, that have the potential of being a nice photograph. My images were not as abstract as my classmates, but I thoroughly enjoyed the "fun shooting" in the middle of a very stressful semester.

I produced the image above by combining these 2 images and doing some fun tricks in Photoshop. This became one of my favorites!

This image challenged me. However, I can say I learned a lot through trial and error in Photoshop. I got close to what I envisioned as the final image.

All of the above images were captured with my Canon Rebel XTI. I used a fill card to help illuminate some shadowed areas in addition to the ambient light.

Pharmaceutical Project

2009-10-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

In my object lighting class we were given a pharmaceutical assignment. Instead of how people respond emotionally to a specific drug, I wanted to focus on the cost of prescription drugs due to today's economical concerns. I shot in studio with my Canon Rebel XTI: f 13 at 1/15 with ISO 400. I plan to take this idea further before turning it in as my final project.

Lumin Project

2009-10-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

This is a "Lumin Project" that was done for my Photo Finishing class. This particular image was made by combining the leaf of my choice and placing it on light sensitive paper in the sunlight. A piece of glass was placed on top to ensure contact between the leaf and the paper. The heat and the sun combined produced the image after 15 minutes of exposure. I then scanned the image and was able to make enhancements in Photoshop. I highly recommend trying this photographic activity.

Engagement Portrait

2009-10-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

This is one of the engagement portraits I shot for my friends Jenna and Clark. It was shot with an aperture f9 at 1 /60 (ISO 400) utilizing natural light.

Sunflower Fields Back Home

2009-10-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

Captured with Canon Rebel XTI: f8 @ 1/250 with ISO 200: ambient light.