Graduation Photography

So the season has approached for graduation pictures. Even though I don’t officially have a business doing graduation pictures, I’ve been approached by friends to take theirs. Pictured is Janaye Simpson, a Psychology major, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Now I just have to get someone to take mine 🙂

I shot her graduation pictures with a Canon 70-200mm lens, and a 60D Canon camera. We went to a few different locations on campus like the fountain, Barnwell College, the South Carolina Statehouse steps, and in front of the “University of South Carolina” sign.

Miami, FL

For spring break I went to Miami, FL. Particularly South Beach Miami. I had a lot of fun and while I was there I made sure to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Some of my favorite shots were of the Wynwood Walls, and the aerial shots from the plane. These shots were taken from my iPhone 6. I would’ve loved to have a Canon camera with me but I didn’t rent one out. I definitely think Miami is a great spot for a photographer. The atmosphere is great and the people are friendly.

Drone Photography

Drone photography has been gaining a lot of popularity in the last few years. It has opened up a door for easier and cheaper aerial shots. In the past you had to rely on possibly shooting from a helicopter or plane to get some amazing shots. Now you just need your drone and camera. I’ve linked the Nat Geo website that shows some interesting and beautiful pictures that were taken using a drone. You can also use the drone to shoot videos. This is the future of photography and something I think everyone should try out at least once. I plan on looking more into it.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/150708-drones-photography-dronestagram-aerial-competition/

Bingo Night

This week I shot bingo night, that was being held by Carolina Productions. It was a fun but also chill atmosphere, that included refreshments, jokes, and food prizes for the winners. Carolina Productions Special Events Coordinator, Pete McMahon, led the event and called out the instructions.

Carolina Productions has Bingo night for students complete with refreshments and prizes for the winners. Shot by Keya Talley in the Russell House ballroom at USC.

Carolina Productions has Bingo night for students complete with refreshments and prizes for the winners. Shot by Keya Talley in the Russell House ballroom at USC.

Carolina Productions has Bingo night for students complete with refreshments and prizes for the winners. Kaycie Little enjoys some of the refreshments. Shot by Keya Talley in the Russell House ballroom at USC.

Carolina Productions has Bingo night for students complete with refreshments and prizes for the winners. Shot by Keya Talley in the Russell House ballroom at USC.

Special events coordinator, Pete McMahon, leads bingo night and tells a few jokes as well. Shot by Keya Talley in the Russell House ballroom at USC.

Carolina Productions has Bingo night for students complete with refreshments and prizes for the winners. Shot by Keya Talley in the Russell House ballroom at USC.

Carolina Productions has Bingo night for students complete with refreshments and prizes for the winners. Shot by Keya Talley in the Russell House ballroom at USC.

Pete McMahon checks Alex Borelli’s bingo card to see if he won. Shot by Keya Talley in the Russell House ballroom at USC.

My Favorite Restaurants in Columbia, SC

So right now, I am starving and thought what’s better to blog about than food. So I’m going to give you my top 5 favorite restaurants in Columbia, SC and what I love to order from them.

5. Fatz 

I love getting there Calabash combo! It’s a fun atmosphere and somewhere nice to take your family.

4. Sandy’s

They have the best hotdogs in my opinion! I love getting the slaw dog and chips on the side. It’s also located right on USC’s campus, so it’s not a far walk for students. Decently priced.

3. Nick’s Gyros & Subs

They have really good crab legs, and wings. They also offer a lot of other foods, like cheesecake, mozzarella sticks, and fried mushrooms just to name a few. Pretty decent prices as well!

2. Pearlz Oyster Bar 

This restaurant is located downtown in the Vista. It’s more of a fancy atmosphere and a little higher priced than the others but it’s well worth it! I love getting a dozen oysters on the half shell, raw and putting hot sauce on them. Another thing I love getting from here is there shrimp and grits! Definitely recommend this restaurant for date night.

 

1. Wild Wing Cafe 

This is my absolute favorite restaurant! I love getting wings, loaded potato spuds, and spinach & artichoke dip. They also have a great selection of drinks and full bar. The restaurant has a laid back vibe with TVs at every corner playing sports on them and they sometimes have live music.

How to Take Good Portraits

This week for my blog post I wanted to focus on portraits and how to take good ones! Some things that I learned can make or break a good portrait are as follows,

• Always frame your subject well
• Play with your aperture (shallow depth-of-field is great for portraits)
• Have your subject do different expressions
• Play with backgrounds
• Play with lighting
• Change your perspective

These tips have helped me along the way with my photography so I thought I’d share. Also here are a few photos I found on the web that demonstrate the tips I just shared.

 

Good sportsmanship…

So this week in class we learned about sports photography and how to capture the best picture. We learned that it’s best to get two of the players (aka the opposing teams) in frame and to capture the emotions of the players. Overall I think sports photography is a really cool photography genre. Here are some really interesting pictures that capture the sport, players, and emotions of the crowd.

Pisgah National Forest

This is a picture I took on my iPhone 6 a couple weeks ago and it’s of one of the many lakes in Pisgah National Forest in Asheville, NC. The genre of this photo is nature/lifestyle. The technique used to achieve this picture was nothing super special. I just turned my camera sideways to get a wide angle and I thought the reflection of the trees on the water looked really cool. I feel like the most compelling part of this photo is the content and the composition.

About Moi

Hi,

I’m Keya Talley, a 22 year old Visual Communications major at the University of South Carolina, set to graduate this May 2017. I’m currently interning at the SC Bar as their marketing intern. I’ve enjoyed art since a young age and love to design and paint in my spare time. I’m also an avid Netflix watcher and dog lover. I enjoy traveling as well. I’ve learned a lot since I took the Photovisual Communications I class.

I shoot with a Canon 60D. I’m proficient in Adobe programs such as Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Bridge and much more. I’m also enrolled in a video class this semester so I’ll be learning how to shoot with a Sony HD cam and the Canon DSLR.

Hope you enjoy!

Graduation Pics

This weekend I had the pleasure of taking my friend Shankia’s graduation pictures. She’s graduating this December and she asked if I could take them for her, and of course I said yes because I wanted to test out some of the stuff I learned in class. I also thought I could deliver some great photos. She’s a nursing major here at USC, so I incorporated some of her nursing life into her graduation photos.

Some things I played with while shooting was fixing the aperture settings, and also playing with lighting and motion. I  used a Canon 60D to shoot and a 70-200mm lens (which I never used before this shoot). Overall, I had a lot of fun capturing her graduation pictures and I’m excited that she’ll always look back at them to relive this moment in college.