DIY Tabletop Pallet

I had a few ideas, that would need a "floor," and my boyfriend agreed to make said need for me!
We went to Lowe's and picked out the type of wood I wanted, nails, and stain. This all varies on what you're wanting. I wanted a dark-toned, smooth surface. So we got the darkest stain I could find, and pine, which turned out to be so smooth that it needed minimal sanding. Which is always a plus, if you're on a time-crunch (which I was)!
My platform ended up being 4'x4'. For this, I had 4 pieces of 8' long wood cut in half (they don't come out even, so be sure you get them to trim the pieces to 4' each if you don't have a way to trim them later). So, that turns it into 8 pieces of 4' long, and 6" thick wood. Mine was 2 inches deep.

Line them all up to be even on one side. James trimmed the other side with a saw later on.

We got two extra 4' long pieces to screw along the bottom. Remember to screw into each piece of wood if you're securing it from the bottom.

Then he sanded it. Make sure you sand it completely down! The stain will clump and look funny if there are raised rough spots.

Especially sand the edges. This is meant to be portable, and getting splinters every time you pick it up is no fun.

I wanted a little more character, so I had James nail nails in the top, as if it looked like that was where the bottom part was fastened. He set the nails in, as well. That's all preference though, of course. They looked just as good raised. But I was going to being shooting food on it, and I didn't want it to be distracting or snag on the food.

And the finished product!! This is after sanding, staining and setting the nails in.
I am beyond pleased with it, and James is such a handyman!

One problem I had was that I completely didn't think about the spaces between the pieces of wood when I stained it. So it took overnight to dry, since the drips and clumps between the wood were hard to dry without messing up the rest of the stain job.

But there you go! For about $45, you can get your own set. And you can always make it bigger, for not that much more money. I definitely will be investing in making more of these, especially since I have the help from James.

Ballet Still Life

Although I thoroughly enjoy it, I do not see myself as a still life photographer. Whenever I get the chance to do it, and finish with something that I'm proud of, it's a pretty good moment for me.

Below is a photo that I'll be turning in as a final for my still life class.

I dance on and off for 5 years total. I loved it, and was eventually on pointe. I miss dancing (I had to give it up for school) every day, but I'm so glad for the time I had dancing, and all that I learned. I was even able to go on a mission trip to Europe, dancing through the streets of Rome and Porto. 

Ballet will always hold a special place in my heart.

For the lighting setup,
I used one light with a softbox,
and a white reflector opposite the box.

Yankee Dining Wins SILVER at The Creative Circus Student Show!

Good news, guys! My school has a student show, where the students submit any work of their choice into a show, and agencies vote! Whoa, I know.
I did a collaboration last quarter for a brand extensions class, working with Andi Mints and Julie Becker. We extended Yankee Candle into Yankee Dining. It was my absolute favorite collab- since I've been in this school. It was an absolutely delight. I would do it again, a million times over. And the work paid off.

Here was the outcome :) I, obviously, did the photography.

For this, we won Silver in its category! So exciting, right?

Environmental Portrait

An environmental portrait for my portrait class, of Alfred Dingler. He's a financial advisor, among other things, and owner of Prime Financial.

Alfred Dingler in his office.

Senior '14 - Kayla

So I've been busy and working a good bit.
I had the opportunity to shoot Kayla's, a good friend, Senior pictures. She's a beautiful and mature woman, and I couldn't be prouder of her and her accomplishments!

Because of my busy schedule, I've only been able to edit about 2 of the photos (as seen below) of the whole shoot, but there are many many more amazing shots.

Here's a peek :)

Greenville Park
Newnan, Georgia

Newnan Theatre
Newnan, Georgia

Historic Courthouse
Newnan, Georgia

My Inspiration

A busy couple of weeks! Sorry for falling off the face of the earth. Haha

I've been working on a piece that's very personal. The meaning, I'm not really allowed to elaborate on. However, this is rooted in the fact that, whenever I do dream, I only have nightmares. Strange, I know. But this is basically a snapshot of one of my dreams.
When I presented it to my classmates, they immediately said "It reminds me of something about domestic violence." Definitely not at all what I was trying to do. Nonetheless, I'm happy with what has come of it.

Also, another big thing that has been encouraged at my school, is to read. Blogs, Facebook pages, magazines, anything that will bring inspiration to our photography. So, I've started doing so. Mainly on Pinterest, if I'm going to be honest. You can see my Photography board here if you'd like to take a peek into what inspires me.
I'd like to highlight a couple of my absolute favorite photographers. If I ever got to meet them, work with them, it would be a momentous  day for me. Even if my work was ever comparable to theirs to them, it would be a huge compliment.
Lara Jade Photography
Three Nails Photography (Hunter Leone)
Annie Leibovitz
I would highly suggest you guys take a look at their work! Especially if you're like me, and are interested in going into portraiture / beauty side of photography.


Cheers.

60's Glam Housewife

As promised, I'm uploading some more from the 60's portraits. I was titling this shoot "60's Glam Housewife." I felt Allie did a great job showing this, and had the attitude perfect to portray it.

Gloating

I know, I know... I fell off the face of the planet for a couple weeks.
Meanwhile, I was CREATING. I am so insanely proud of how this came out. Not exactly what I was envisioning, but I discovered many, many new things as it went along and I experimented. I will upload more later, I promise. For now, I spent 4 hours editing, and I am marveling at my handiwork.

Sorry to gloat.

MUAH: Chrystelle
Model: Allie Gerhardt

~

I took this photo of my boyfriend's sister during my 4th quarter Fashion & Beauty class (nearly 6 months ago). It's been one of my favorites ever since.

Aqua Net - Final Ads

So remember when I posted that photo of the curly-haired beauty? I finally got my hands on the final ads, and I couldn't be more in love! I'm posting them below.

Thanks so much to Stephanie Del Rosal for great art direction, and the beautiful copywriting by Caitlin Brett.

Model: Amberlynn Pope

Model: Andi Mints

Model: Nikki Hall

Winter Quarter 2014

   At this point in the day, I have completed 3 out of 4 "first classes." It's gone well so far, and I am completely STOKED about every single class this quarter... That's rare.

Photoshop and retouching, still life, portraiture, and business/marketing. There literally is nothing better. So excited about what this quarter holds.

A few things, I need y'all's help...
  I've been thinking about what my brand is, and who I want to be when I get out of school. I'm attaching my logo below. What do you guys think? Keep? Trash? I want some feedback of what YOU think about it. Everyone that I've asked has been close to me, and therefore pretty biased. I need you to tell me what you think.

You can comment below, or shoot me a message on the contact tab of my website (http://www.laughbox.co/#!contact/con8) 

Thanks so much for everyone's support. And feedback is very appreciated.

New Year, New... Photos!

I'm so excited about this year and all the amazing things it holds.
To start it off, I was able to photograph my aunt and uncle, who came to visit all the way from California. They wanted some updated pictures, since I was "more professional now," in my aunt's words. At any rate, I had a blast, and was very proud of some of the outcomes.

We started, firstly, at a mill here in Fayette county - Starr's Mill. A charming old mill, that is barn-door RED. We had a good time there, then just as the sun was setting, we made our way down the street a ways, to Downtown Senoia! I was pretty bummed that we didn't get to spend more time there. We had a lot of great ideas, but the sun was obviously ready to call it a night (literally). So we made what we could of it, and I made what I could of the photos. This one was taken when it was almost black outside. Besides what light I had coming from street lights/car headlights, they were not even visible. Thank the Lord for high ISOs and Lightroom!

Of course, the highlight: My favorite from the session!

From our second stop in downtown Senoia!

The full session can be viewed, here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ttorisilvaa/sets/72157639382642494/

NEW Year!

Happy New Year! 

For probably the 238947765th time you've read and heard it today.

I'm excited about 2014. It's definitely going to be a year of growth, and progress. Many changes coming!

   Definitely one of the most exciting things happening this year... I graduate from The Creative Circus in September! Graduating is such a weird concept to me. I will only be a fresh 20 year-old. At school, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm so young comparatively. I still can't get over the thought of how close it is that I'll be graduating from my college. And that's where the "growth" part of 2014 comes in. So much growing up to do, and lots of figuring out to figure out.

I want to thank all of my fans, supporters, family, and friends for a fantastic year. Not only for my photography, but as a person.

Here's a couple highlights from my year:

• Completed my first year at The Creative Circus
• Celebrated two years with my boyfriend
• Faced moving to Sacramento, but SIKE - we didn't
• Shot many of my "firsts" (engagement, fashion, tabletop, etc.)
• Joined a new church.
• Grew. I grew so much. And learned so much.

So thank you. For any part you played, or didn't play. Reading this is taking part. Happy New Year.