Best Friends | Mini Session | Parsberg, Germany

Hello all!

I've been a little absent here on the blog, but I've been keeping up with the Facebook page. If you've been there then you know what is coming for this post. :) A sneak peak of my latest session with four sassy and beautiful girls. I loved their attitude and their cooperation, and I get to work with a couple of them again in the near future!

 

See... sassy girls!

These lovely ladies all work at the Thrift Shop on post and two of them are getting ready to head back to the states after being here for three years with their husbands. They are a couple of really awesome ladies and I had an absolute blast photographing them.



These four beauties work together at the local Thrift Store on post



Kayla, Makinna, Christina, Silvia



I loved their ideas for posing!



Christina and Makinna
Makinna was getting ready to go back to the states and they requested this session before she left



They spent a lot of time laughing at me balancing to get my shots



"Resting B**** Faces"
bwahahaha! Their idea



Friends make being stationed overseas much easier



Racing the sunset

We went to dinner after this shoot and had a blast just being silly. I look forward to working with these girls again in the future!

MAJ Gray Promotion | Military Event | May '14

So I know that it has been a little while since I have posted, but a lot has gone lately with work. Today I am excited to present you guys with some new pictures. I was asked to take them for work and had to get the okay before I posted them online.

MAJ Gray received his promotion to MAJ last month and asked me to take pictures for him. I think this promotion was much deserved and I am grateful to be able to use these pictures in my portfolio!

I was testing the settings on my camera (they still need some work) and saw a perfect opportunity to take the above picture. This represents part of what my unit does. We're either pilots, air traffic controllers (me), or maintainers.



 This is the newly promoted MAJ and the team commander

These are the two people in charge of our unit at this time. Sadly, they are both getting ready to leave us.

 

Reaffirming his oath as an officer of the United States Army

 

One of the traditions in my unit is when officers get promoted, they share beer from a keg. MAJ Gray (the guy in dress uniform) was trying to tap the keg so they could drink from it but it wasn't working right and he got the beer EVERYWHERE!

 

 

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Truth from the photographer

Hello all and happy Wednesday!

I hope this post finds you well! I am working on photography homework and lurking in a FB group that I monitor at the same time (thank god I can multitask). I was sharing some images from Easter this weekend and I realized that they were a lot more grainy then I originally realized and I am rather upset. It turned out my ISO was too high and my F-stop was also too high, but it sparked an interesting conversation with another photographer friend of mine.

She told me that I was too anxious to learn!

She's more then likely right!

Anyone who has known me for longer then a week, knows that when I am interested in something, I focus really hard on learning everything I can about the subject and doing so as quick as I can. Especially since I am now in Germany and away from all my friends and family (although it would be super nice to have someone to practice on!)

I bought a bunch of ebooks to read, and I follow several blogs like The Law Tog, MCP Actions, The Modern Tog, and I am all over Pinterest like it's nobodies business. I am in several photography groups on FB, and I am also taking college classes. I just feel that, I dunno, that I am not really learning a lot or enough or fast enough... I don't know. Does that make sense. I focus little bits of time on certain things, and I don't always remember it. 

That's why I have like 3 working notebooks full of photography notes (not counting school notes)

I know that I will always be changing and learning and growing... and I can be rather impatient.

I want to learn photo editing, but I haven't even tried to touch that yet. I have no idea how to really work Photoshop or Lightroom (I can make contact sheets in LR, but that is about it right now) but I want so badly to learn. I see all these amazing pictures that people share on their photography pages and I want to have amazing photos too. I guess I am envious of them... and I know that I shouldn't be.

Photos like this one prove that I can take good photos, but I think I am really hard on myself when it comes to my work...

It doesn't help that I am so far away from my family and friends. People here aren't used to me, aren't used to me having a camera, and a lot of people (military and civilian) seem to find it weird that photography is my hobby.... which doesn't make sense.

I need new subjects to photograph. I need to build my portfolio!

I need to slow down and take a breath I guess.

Good news- my new business cards came in today as did the computer that I ordered specifically for my business!

please excuse the crappy phone picture. 

These are just one side of the cards, the other side has my contact information 

I can't wait to hand out cards and start using my computer. I felt that I needed one specifically for business (and my regular one doesn't seem to always like to work right). Needed to separate my every day life from my business. Keep everything super organized and everything. 

Maybe I am trying too hard. Trying too hard to learn too quickly. 

Happy Easter Sunday!

Happy Easter dear friends

I can't be home with my family today,

so I am spending it with some close friends stationed here in Germany with me

Friends can be family too!

:)

I miss my family, but this is definitely a close second to seeing them

Hope you all have a wonderful day!
Pictures from the Easter Egg hunt will be posted this week!

Host Nation Orientation Trip | Travel | Nürnberg, Germany

Last week I mentioned on the Facebook page that I was going on a trip with my Host Nation Orientation group. We went to a lovely town called Nürnberg, Germany. It was originally built by the Romans in the 1200's. During World War II, Hitler took over the city to use it for his own purposes. Many of the buildings were destroyed during the wall and have since been rebuilt, and made to look like the original buildings.

I just wanted to share some of the pictures with you. The entire gallery can be found on the Facebook page.

 Interesting story behind this gate (and the other one like it). Couples would come and put locks on the gate to show their love for each other and how it was everlasting.

 The group I went with. The instructor took the picture...

 St. Klara's Church. A cool little treasure. On the outside, it has the old look from when it was first built, but the inside is completely modern. It threw me for a loop!

One of the guys in my group asked the instructor how to say the name of a snack he wanted to buy. He seemed pretty confused but she was awesome enough to work with him until he got it right

He had no idea I was taking this photo until after I snapped it. He was talking to someone near me and I was working on the settings for my camera. He was a great sport about it though.

Beautiful architecture throughout the entire city. It is just breath taking!

 St. Lawrence's Church. I had to go wayy back to get this image and still almost fell backwards because I wasn't back far enough. This church was pretty amazing. The inside had the high vaulted ceilings and everything and it was just beautiful.

To see these pictures and the rest that I took, make sure to check out the Facebook page!

Thanks for stopping by!

Making this a reality

Photography has ALWAYS been a dream of mine!

For as long as I can remember.

It didn't help that one of my friends in high school made this dream her reality and opened her own Photography business.

She's amazing.

She's inspiring

She made my think that I could do it too!

I know that we all gotta start somewhere

I'm starting with my camera, a Facebook page, and this here blog.

I am working towards my Photography degree.

This is my beginning.

I've joined the groups on Facebook

I've talked to some photographers from back at Bragg

I've got that friend I mentioned above.

I've bought books on photography AND running a business.

I've got an amazing support system

A fantastic boyfriend that literally just reminded me to follow my dreams

and never give up.

My parents who have always supported me,

no matter what decisions I have made

Friends and siblings that always stand behind me.

This is one dream that I refuse to give up on.

One I will make into a reality

I know that it will take time and effort 

money and LOTS of patience.

Things don't just happen overnight.

I bet this will be a part time job as well as a full time one

once I leave the military

until I can support myself on it.

That is perfectly okay with me.

I am willing to wait and work for it

Will you join me on this journey?

Minion Party | Children | March 2014

Hello all! So my best friend Sarah (an business partner in The Quirky Craftsters) is a photographer herself and its probably why we click so well together. Anywho, her son's 6th birthday party was Minion themed from Despicable Me and she asked if I could take pictures of the party so she didn't have to. It was a small family affair with her, her son, her boyfriend and his three kids, and my boyfriend and I. Here is just a glimpse into the party.

For privacy reasons most of the names are left out.

 The birthday boy R! He was super cute in his minion shirt and he was so excited that we were there!

 The tall guy is my boyfriend, who stands at like 6'3". R is standing on a step stool to be taller then Z's waist. I snapped this picture cuz the shirt Z is wearing was too small and he was about to change. R really looks up to Z and invited him personally to his birthday party (I wasn't really invited so much as told where to be and when XD)

 Buddy, R, and A. Buddy is Sarah's boyfriend and a firefighter. R adores Buddy! A is one of Buddy's twin daughters. She wasn't feeling very good but she was still there and having fun

 R is so cute!

He is such a ham. He loves having his picture taken, which works out well for his photographer momma! I think this is one of my favorite pictures of him with his token silly smile!

Last but not least is Buddy trying to teach R to play the small guitar he and his family got R for his birthday. It was super cute and R was trying so hard!

For more images please go like the Facebook Page and the rest of this gallery can be found here. Please feel free to share any comments that you might have, they would all be much appreciated!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to the blog for J.L. McClure Photography! I am just getting this business running an off the ground!

♥ My name is Jenn

♥ I am 22

♥ Lifestyle Photographer

♥ Super Crafty

♥ A nerdy geek

♥ US Soldier in the Army

I've wanted to be a photographer since I was little. I am currently attending college for my degree in Photography as well as teaching myself everything that I possibly can about the art. I've met several wonderful ladies who are inspirations to me and I hope to be as successful as them one day.

I am currently stationed in Germany with the US Army and using this wonderful country to practice my skills in. I can't wait to come back to the States and focus on my Photography business!