Charlene McCoy Photography

The Good Wife

2012-02-21T13:57:00.000-05:00

"In Motion" Series
copyright Charlene McCoy Photography 2012

Food Photography

2012-02-17T14:54:00.000-05:00

copyrright 2012 Charlene McCoy Photography
stock photography

Photography

2012-02-16T19:09:00.001-05:00

Lost

2012-02-15T19:42:00.000-05:00

"In Motion" Series

Shelter Cat

2012-02-09T13:23:00.003-05:00

Just Us Two

2012-02-08T08:12:00.000-05:00

This Place

2012-02-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

Gunned Down

2012-02-06T19:20:00.001-05:00

"In Motion" Series
copyright Charlene McCoy Photography 2012

Bang!

2012-02-05T16:32:00.000-05:00

Graphic Design & Photography

2012-02-04T11:59:00.000-05:00

A Life without Love...

2012-02-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

Sway With Me

2012-02-02T12:42:00.000-05:00

Graphic Design & Photography

2012-02-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

Baby Portrait

2012-01-31T19:25:00.000-05:00

Charlene McCoy Photography

Design up for voting at Threadless -

2012-01-12T19:49:00.000-05:00

Threadless posted an open challenge for Richard Harris' morbid curiosity exhibition in Chicago. (It's open until January 19th if you want to participate.) Above is what I came up with...butterflies formed in the shape of a skull. If you like it please feel free to head over and vote. I appreciate any of the help I can get.

I'll still love you just the same if you don't though...hahaha... ;)

Method Press Issue 3

2011-12-28T14:26:00.000-05:00

"Let Slip, Let Fall"

I was so happy to open my mail today to find my issue of the latest issue of Method Press waiting for me. The photo above was chosen for publication under their moving target theme. You can order a copy for yourself here... http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/295066

or if you want to participate and maybe have your own photo included visit their Flickr Group here... http://www.flickr.com/groups/mpvault/

2011-12-25T17:49:00.002-05:00

Movement

2011-11-17T18:50:00.000-05:00

Movement

A Precious Little Man -

2011-11-16T15:26:00.001-05:00

Turner Weston McCoy

I'm so glad to be back from my hiatus. After giving birth to the adorable little man above I've had plenty of time to regroup and prepare for the upcoming New Year. I've accomplished both goals for this year... participating in gallery shows and having my work published. Since it's already mid November I'm sure I'll soon be contemplating once again what goals I'll want to be placing emphasizes on. I'm sure I'm not the only one already thinking about this....?? :)

Linking up with naptimemomtog.com

The Last Sunflower of Summer -

2011-09-22T17:25:00.002-04:00

33 Week Maternity Shots -

2011-08-30T15:04:00.001-04:00

Too early for Halloween?

2011-08-17T16:24:00.000-04:00

I'm really starting to feel like I don't have enough time during the day. I can't believe how long it has been since I've actually wrote anything here! I'm surprised many of you haven't just abandoned ship. (thank you for not doing that by the way!) :)

Being a little over 30 weeks pregnant I'm starting to believe my body is rebelling against my current schedule. Over these last few months I've been really trying to stack my photo/print stock for the holidays so I'd be a step ahead when the little guy comes in October. Even though I'm starting to question how realistic it is to squeeze an art show in this year...probably not very. *All of you with children please feel free to laugh and shake your head at the computer* Oh well, at least I have a good start on next year...? Hahahaha

Below are two Halloween prints (may be too early?) that I placed in my Etsy shop recently. As you can see I've really enjoyed being able to recline in bed with my graphics table. It sort of feels like cheating because I'm not sitting in an uncomfortable office chair.

I wish I had something more exciting to share with you but for now my life consists of preparing for baby. I will post pictures of our nursery when it's done though!

Thanks for sticking around with me...;)

- Charlene

2011-08-16T19:07:00.000-04:00

Click Happy...Yes I Am. :)

2011-08-08T16:51:00.000-04:00

Poor Poodle...

2011-08-03T11:51:00.000-04:00

This little guy (girl?) was going to go in our nursery but since we're having a boy I don't know what will become of him! I'm going to guess he will find his way to a craft show early next year. ;)

Monday Flower for You!

2011-08-01T13:57:00.000-04:00

Ii really wish these flowers would last longer than a few days. Maybe it's the heat...?

Flying like a free bird...

2011-07-29T19:12:00.000-04:00

Some photos for Thursday...

2011-07-28T20:26:00.000-04:00

New photos for the shop...

2011-07-26T19:24:00.000-04:00

A Napkin Backdrop...

2011-06-10T15:35:00.000-04:00

Did you know napkins and twisty ties could create such an absolutely awe-inspiring backdrop?

It was super easy to create the dreamy backdrop in these photos and I'd be happy to share how I did it with you. ;)

For the puff balls you will need:
- napkins (all white)
- twisty ties...I used the ones that came with our trash bags
- clear fishing line
- a dowel rod, stick, shower rod, or anything of that nature

1.) Unfold four or five napkins and stack them in a pile

2.) Accordion fold the napkins together, set aside and create one more set

2.) Place both sets together to shape a "x" and secure them using a twisty tie

3.) Begin unfolding and fluffing the layers of napkins until a puff forms

4.) Using your fishing line hang them at varying heights on your dowel rod...see easy :)

For the backdrop:

I decided white on white would look best with these images so I pulled out a large white satin material. This material was draped over a portable stand similar to this...

If you don't have a stand you could just as easily drape the fabric over two chairs using large plastic clamps.

Once you have your fabric in place you will want to use additional clamps to safely secure your dowel rod and puff balls.

For the lighting:

The dreamy effect was achieved by placing a box light on the floor behind the backdrop and subject. If you don't have any professional lights a hot light (the lights you use when painting walls) would likely work but keep in mind how hot to the touch they get. It probably wouldn't be best in cases of small children. For fill light two umbrella lights were placed in front of the subject. I really prefer a large amount of natural light (because it's pretty and free!) but sometimes circumstances prevent you from obtaining this, which is what happened with these images. So in summary the setup looked similar to this (please excuse my crude image, I'm seriously not an illustrator) ...

See, super easy...right!? :)

PS: This adorable little girl has the best temperament ever. Why?

Well, because --------->

At least we know the dog will be fine around the baby. :)

A Boy!...YAY!!

2011-06-07T15:09:00.002-04:00

**Update - I am still unable to comment on some blogs. Blogger can hurry up and fix this annnny day now. Sorry if I missed you I'll be sure to come back when things are working properly.

Sorry for the abstinence lately but I've been busy being pregnant with this little guy...

{18 weeks 4 days}

I am now a little past the twenty week mark and am so enjoying every minute of it. I started feeling little movements a few weeks ago and it just feels so unreal to be at this point. We are both so grateful to God for allowing this to finally happen. :)

Since taking a little time off I also got a chance to work outside with our plants. These photographs would have probably been a little more dramatic if I would have remembered to take a "before" shot. Ah well... seems I can never remember to do that...next time, right?!

{A not too happy dog who wants inside because of the heat}

{Two not too happy cats who want outside because it's too cold inside...no ones ever happy!}

While I was busy moving around plants hubby was busy building this...

He is utterly awesome and handy...as you can see. :) We were afraid that if we didn't get the deck up this year it wasn't going to happen once baby arrives so off he went. I would like to say I was a major help with this but my skills stop at drilling or hammering. lol I love it and now all I have to do is find a comfy outdoor couch and small coffee table! ( It's about time for Pier1 to have a huge sale right?:) It's just too bad that we have to wait until next year to stain it, I'm really not a fan of the natural wood look.

I'm through with several large responsibilities that I had riding on my back so I'm looking forward to getting back into a more creative mood! (especially decorating a nursery!!)

Wednesday -

2011-05-25T18:19:00.000-04:00

{remix}

Happy - Cold Tuesday!

2011-05-17T17:13:00.000-04:00

{Scattered Light}

This is how gloomy and nasty it looks outside right now....and it's only 50 degrees! I'm so tired of Ohio weather. I swear we're set on moving to North Carolina one of these days. ;)

ACoLab Spring Submission

2011-05-11T13:04:00.000-04:00

{Peaceful}

I've been so sidetracked with finals I forgot to put this up! *shame, shame* ;) If you haven't visited the ACoLab hosted by Anika yet you should stop over and see the other great Spring submissions. I was pleasantly surprised with this one as I don't typically like photographs with inverted colors. Aside from a few textures I played around quite a bit with the burn tool as well.

A little rose love -

2011-05-04T14:53:00.000-04:00

What I've been doing instead of studying...

Yes, I have mastered the art of procrastination....thank you very much. ;)

A Toady Tuesday

2011-05-03T15:57:00.000-04:00

Hopefully the sign of this little guy means spring (sun and all please!) is here to stay!

Macro (Close-up) Monday

2011-05-02T16:04:00.000-04:00

Joining Lisa's Chaos for Monday's link up!

I'd like to also introduce the reason for my disappearance and what (who?) has been causing me so many issues these past few months (which I will gladly accept with a smile)...

It has taken awhile but we are so thrilled. Thank you to those of you who emailed asking about me. I really appreciate knowing you guys care so much. Getting past the twelve week mark is a milestone for us and now that we're here I can breathe a sigh of relief (and get back to my life)! :)

Saturday Flowers

2011-04-09T11:10:00.002-04:00

Day of Doing Nothing...

2011-04-04T14:33:00.000-04:00

I have been feeling so thinly stretched lately. Between classes, appointments, and work I've had to actually say no to a shoot recently. Sunday I didn't have anything scheduled...not a single thing (and it was heavenly)...;) Below is the first four hours from my lovely day of doing nothing.

{dust/hair is gross...sorry}

After looking over these I have decided my cat may be taking up more of my time than I originally thought. :)

Friday Image -

2011-04-01T17:09:00.000-04:00

{The Gardens at Middleton Place, South Carolina}

Wednesday -

2011-03-30T13:29:00.000-04:00

{Harmonica Image}

Polaroid Texture

2011-03-28T15:09:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to purchase an old Polaroid camera for my collection a few weeks ago and surprisingly there was still a full roll of film in it. I knew the likelihood of it actually producing an image was slim but it did make for nice texture usage...

{Download}

Linking up to Lisa Gordon Photography today.

Finally fixed...

2011-03-27T20:14:00.000-04:00

Submitted to ACoLab

Well, our router was finally fixed tonight! Almost two weeks have gone by since my last post but hopefully everything is fixed for good now and I can get back to my schedule tomorrow. :) Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Random Wednesday

2011-03-16T20:14:00.000-04:00

Macro Monday

2011-03-14T14:16:00.000-04:00

Friday is almost here!

2011-03-10T16:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry for being completely MIA this week. I promise to get around to my blog reading when I’m feeling better…I’m actually laying in bed now as I type this….it sucks. Anyway, I know I’ve shared the photos above before but I’d thought it would be appropriate to share them again since they will be hanging in the local gallery starting tomorrow. (I may have also posted them because they were already on my laptop and I didn’t want to have to get out of bed…brahahahaha) I have a hard time picking my favorite photos but out of this bunch I really lean towards the second image. It was almost completely SOOC and involved a balancing act and flashlight. :) Do you have a favorite out of these three?

I have an event to photograph tomorrow immediately prior to the gallery opening as well so I will probably be going back to resting now…talk with you all later.

-Charlene

ACoLab Submission - Fill in The Blanks

2011-03-07T15:18:00.000-05:00

Doggie Dreamland

The latest inspiration for ACoLab was fill in the blanks for -
"When I think about how ____________ is in the ___________ I just have to ____________."

Remember this post when I said my dogs snoring was basically good for nothing? Yes, I think I may have lied because that is what inspired the digital image above. All his snoring and sleep howling actually makes me wonder what it is the poor guy is dreaming about. Bones? Squirrels? His Cats? ..it makes me smile either way. :)

Be sure to stop by ACoLab if you'd like to view all the submissions for this latest round...

Photo of the Week Submission #19

2011-03-04T13:28:00.001-05:00

{Old Beauty}

Jessica Rogers hosts a weekly photo link up that anyone is invited to join. Head on over to learn more...

More Flowers Please :)

2011-03-03T14:39:00.000-05:00

Created with Flowers from my Husband

Linking up with Lisa Gordon for the Creative Exchange.

Random Wednesday Roses

2011-03-02T13:32:00.000-05:00

Macro Monday 2/28/2011

2011-02-28T08:47:00.000-05:00

Linking up to Lisa's Chaos -

For The Love of Color -

2011-02-27T06:23:00.001-05:00

Some Day Soon...

2011-02-26T09:21:00.000-05:00

...spring will be here. :)

Still

2011-02-25T08:05:00.000-05:00

ACoLab Submission - Inside the Heart

2011-02-22T12:56:00.002-05:00

Heart Summary

When I consider the elements I hold most dear to my heart I soon realize they are all intertwined. One cannot exist without the other. If you erase one an unpleasant hole will reside. Remove them all and there would be no life force to keep me going. I would have no purpose.

Above is my first submission for the ACoLab run by Anika over at Pasando. The latest theme was "Inside the Heart". I had originally intended to use photographs for this theme but ran out of time. The sketch above was a pen doodle that I completed in my doctor's office waiting room (hurray for multitasking!). After photographing the image I colored it in using a tablet and completed it with several textures. Head on over to ACoLab to browse more entries or to learn how to participate.

Most Adorable Couple…

2011-02-18T20:13:00.000-05:00

...EVER

{My Grandparents}

Dog Snoring Does Not Aid in Concentration -

2011-02-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

This loveseat is directly outside my office door. What I'm listening to right now sounds a lot more like a freight train and a lot less like dog.

Brutis the Great ~~Dane~~ Freight Train

Random Wednesday

2011-02-16T15:12:00.000-05:00

Lock with No Key -

2011-02-15T12:55:00.000-05:00

This week has started off buuusssyyyy.....terribly and wonderfully busy! There is a good chance that I may not respond to comments quickly this week but I promise I will get back to everyone. Hope your Valentine's day was a good one!

PS - I'm in the middle of redesigning my selling platform on my personal website. Since it's been the source of basically 95% of my online sales this past year (I have not apparently mastered the whole Etsy & Artfire thing...suggestions?) I've decided I need to make the checkout process much easier. I'm aware navigation has been a bit of a headache so I'm fixing this as well. While this tedious process is going on all 8X10's will remain "buy one get one free".

And might I add randomly - that I have sixty followers! There are so many of you that are crazy talented and I'm so happy to "know" each of you!

-Charlene

Photo of the Week Submission #18

2011-02-13T20:17:00.000-05:00

I'm a little behind on posting this for the weekend but if you want to head over to Jessica Rogers Photography for more Photos of the Week just click the button below...

Texture for Thursday -

2011-02-10T12:30:00.000-05:00

DOWNLOAD

Here is an example with the layer set to soft light with 50% opacity...

Enjoy!

A Classic -

2011-02-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

Vintage Diecast Car

Macro Monday 2/7/2011

2011-02-07T13:21:00.000-05:00

Hosted by: Lisa's Chaos

Photo Featured on PhotoGrunt -

2011-02-06T20:24:00.000-05:00

There are several other wonderful photographers being featured over at PhotoGrunt for tagline roulette.

Be sure to stop over and check them out…

Photo of the Week Submission #18

2011-02-04T17:48:00.000-05:00

Photo of the Week is now open for anyone to participate! Be sure to stop over...

Simplicity Photo Challenge - Vintage

2011-02-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

Linking up today to the Simplicity Photo Challenge: Vintage. These are two of my favorite Whiting & Davis bags. For those of you who don't know my ~~closet~~ bedroom is brimming with vintage clothing and accessories so I had to be sure to participate in this one. ;)

Random Wednesday

2011-02-02T14:05:00.002-05:00

In completely unrelated news (as is keeping with the whole random Wednesday thing) -

this...

...

...

...

...

this right here....

...ummm yeah. This is what happens when you drag your much younger sibling along with you as an "assistant" during an event shoot. If you ever try this I assure you there will be a point when everything is going good and then you turn around and you see this. I am not kidding.

shortest. attention span. ever.

:) LOL

- Charlene

A Little Tuesday Inspiration -

2011-02-01T15:17:00.000-05:00

I had a little extra (snow influenced) down time this morning and used it to play around with this image. I found the TtV texture via a google search. You can take a look at all the available ones here.

I'm linking this up to Lisa Gordon's lovely Creative Exchange. Be sure to stop over and browse the other participants for more inspiration.

Macro Monday 1/31/11

2011-01-31T12:16:00.000-05:00

For more macros head on over to Lisa's link up...

Photo of the Week Submission #17

2011-01-29T11:25:00.000-05:00

Photo of the week is now open to anyone.

For more information head on over to Jessica Rogers blog...

Random Wednesday

2011-01-26T12:45:00.000-05:00

Nursery Room Painting...

2011-01-25T13:09:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine bravely...;)...allowed me to paint a tree on her nursery room wall recently. While it wasn't the most technically difficult thing to paint it was a lot of fun.

Macro Monday 1/24/11

2011-01-24T08:43:00.000-05:00

I really wish I could say this was snow but it's dust...at least it's pretty?

If you'd like to contribute to Macro Monday stop over and visit Lisa's Chaos...

My Day...

2011-01-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

...no particular reason. It's just one of those giddy, wacky days.

Random Wednesday

2011-01-19T13:58:00.000-05:00

Some images from the past week...

Simple Macro...

2011-01-18T13:16:00.000-05:00

{ macro of a beaded jar - using natural light}

Thanks for all the birthday wishes! Things around here are finally getting back to normal and it's about time...I have photos backed up all over my desktop. ;)

Photo of the Week Submission #16

2011-01-16T15:26:00.000-05:00

Photo of the week is now open to anyone so be sure to stop over and check out Jessica’s blog for more info.

This weekend is a big birthday weekend for our family…which is why I haven’t been logged on much this week. Hopefully things will calm down after my birthday (which is also my grandmothers birthday) tomorrow. Hope everyone is staying warm… :)

The Smoky Mountains

2011-01-13T15:21:00.000-05:00

The Creative Exchange over at Lisa Gordon's Photography is once again up and the theme is “A camera in one hand, and your heart in the other.” This shot definitely fits into that category. I took this before I knew much about the technical side of photography. My husband and I were on a much needed trip to Tennessee and I had to photograph as much of the mountains as I possibly could. To hop over to the Creative Exchange click here.

Understated...

2011-01-11T17:02:00.000-05:00

Plant Inspired Images

2011-01-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

I don't really have much to say about these photos. Some of them have been taken recently and others are from the summer but I have just now processed them.

Today I'm off to finish painting a tree on a nursery room wall...I'll be sure to share pictures soon. :)

Dreaming of Cyanotype

2011-01-08T13:28:00.000-05:00

...obviously not the real thing but the colors I love.

Photo of the Week Submission #15

2011-01-08T05:00:00.002-05:00

To see more images from photo of the week head over to Jessica Rogers Photography...

A Simple Image

2011-01-07T12:12:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post for today. I'll be sure to catch up on comments later tonight. I love the simplicity of this photo and linked it up to the Live Every Moment photo challenge. Be sure to stop over and browse all the other participants. Have a great Friday!

Random Wednesday Photos

2011-01-05T08:59:00.002-05:00

Images from the weekend...

* Word to the wise – if you want to be my friend, do not ask me to play Monopoly.
Six hours of dice rolling misery is so not my version of fun...unless of course I happen to be in a casino. :)

Touch Up Tuesday & Texture

2011-01-04T09:41:00.002-05:00

Today is Touchup Tuesday at Paper {Heart} Camera. Be sure to click on the button below to participate or browse other photos.

My steps...

1) Sharpen

2) Adjust levels

3) Applied the texture below

4) Saved for the web

DOWNLOAD

Macro Monday 1/3/2011

2011-01-03T10:07:00.001-05:00

Here is my SOOC macro shot for this morning...

The shot is actually a pile of Christmas cards from the season.

They will be joining a large group of cards that will be sent to the recycled card program at St. Jude's Ranch for children. To participate or to browse more macros visit Lisa's Chaos here...

Photo of the Week Submission #14

2010-12-31T14:13:00.000-05:00

For more photos from the POE Team visit Jessica Rogers Photography Blog.

Have a great weekend and a Happy New Year!

Easy SOOC Fixes

2010-12-30T14:07:00.002-05:00

This poor guy has been with me since my first Christmas living on my own. He has been shoved in numerous boxes, thrown down stairs (unintentionally mind you), and gnawed on by a certain fatty McFat-cat that shall remain nameless. He comes out only during the winter and is usually shunned by the husband. He has claimed a polar bear is not legitimate winter decor...I strongly disagree. Anyhow, since I was given such a hard time last year for letting Mr. Polar Bear (yes, he should probably have a proper name by now...suggestions?) guard our kitchen until the end of March, he has been boxed up with the Christmas ornaments. FYI...it was still snowing outside during March so his continued residence was totally acceptable. ;)

I was going to share his loveliness with you before now but I procrastinated...such is life.

My steps:
- Sharpen

- Adjust levels to my liking

- Applied B & W tint at 50% opacity

- Flattened

- Saved for web

Done!
Be sure to stop over to Pixel Perfects blog for more before and after posts!

Random Wednesday Photos

2010-12-29T13:19:00.000-05:00

Some images from the weekend -

Tree in Silhouette

2010-12-28T16:39:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late posting today but what I was doing was totally worth the postponement. I now have a box of Polaroid film coming (ahh...YAY!). I've finished a large portion of the painting I'm now thinking of titling, The Giant Pain In My Rear That Is Taking Up Too Much Space In My Studio...I'll probably keep pondering on that one. I also boiled several photos (ahh...double YAY!). Lest you think I'm crazy, I assure you I'm not planning on eating them. :) I also had time some free time to come up with this...

Macro Monday 12/27/10

2010-12-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

Christmas around here is not complete without a gift of jewelry from the husband. ♥

For more beautiful macros from all over the world visit Lisa's Chaos here...

A Merry Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T16:39:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time with family and friends!

Photo of the Week Submission #13

2010-12-23T19:28:00.000-05:00

For more photos head on over to Jessica Rogers Photography...

Random Wednesday Photos

2010-12-22T16:07:00.000-05:00

Are you sick of Christmas bokeh yet? If not...

I'm off to wrap the remaining presents scattered around the house. Here's hoping you all are more prepared for Christmas than I am!

Texture

2010-12-20T16:17:00.002-05:00

DOWNLOAD

A combination of an overexposed pinecone image and Christmas tree bokeh.

No, I don't know why...I just sort of liked it. ;)

This week is going to be very hectic (as I'm sure is the case for most people) so it may take me awhile to respond back with comments....but I will...promise!

Sunday Scavenger Hunt 12/19/10

2010-12-19T08:52:00.002-05:00

1.) Winter...
is most definitely here for awhile.

2.) Black & White with Selective coloring

3.) The Wind...

(I cheated, this is from vaca...sorry!)

4.) Framed

5.) Remember when (flashback of me)...
amusement was as simple as a bucket and lake water? :)

Head over to Ramblings and Photos for more great finds...

Saturday Poinsettias

2010-12-18T12:01:00.000-05:00

for more beautiful flower images stop over to...

Friday Texture

2010-12-17T12:35:00.001-05:00

DOWNLOAD

Here it is used on an image set on overlay mode at 80%...

Feel free to leave links if you use this texture for anything.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Easy SOOC Fixes

2010-12-16T09:37:00.000-05:00

For this image I wanted to create a winter haze or cold tone. You can see in the SOOC image that this was originally a very bleak and unappealing snapshot (perfect for an editing post). There was not much else I really wanted to do with it anyhow.

The steps:
- Cropped the image

-Adjust the layers a small amount to whiten the sky

- Used a bokeh texture found at Shadowhouse Creations

-Set the mode of the texture to lighten at 40% opacity

- Sharpen
Done!

I’m linking this up to Pixel Perfect’s Before/After. It’s extremely simple to participate so head over to add your own image or to browse other great photos.

Treasury Features

2010-12-15T20:02:00.000-05:00

A big thank you to those who put the following treasuries together...

Snapdragons print featured by MatildaRosePhotos:

Bohemian prints featured by estheraguirre:

Botanical catalogue 1 featured by haleyabigail:

Evening (black ) print is featured by CampfireChic:

Botanical Catalogue 2 print is featured by Easy123: