Paul Leavitt Photography

As promised, here's one of the updates that I'd like to update y'all on: I have a website! It has an extremely creative and original title, so clever that no one else on the internet had ever thought of it (so the domain was available)! It's paulleavittphotography.com

Ok, so I suppose it's not super creative, but it does the job, and it's name recognition. Anyway, I'm going to try to be updating it at least once a month with some new photos, and I'm kicking around the idea of starting a blog section of the website to include projects that I've worked on, and possibly tips and tricks. Thoughts?

And just for good measure, here's a a slightly HDR'd photo of the Yaquina Bay Bridge that I took yesterday while on vacation in Newport.

Focal Point

As I was going through my Aperture Library, I noticed that I have quite a few photos where the focal point isn't quite where you would expect it. So here's a few of those.

Oh, and I'm trying to figure out a way to have the EXIF data from each photo show up in the tooltip, but I'm having a hard time finding anyway to do that automatically, and manually inputting all of that data would take a while.

Can you guess what this is?

The Wet World Beneath Us

Here's some underwater photos I took last February down in Mexico.

And With That, Another Year Passes + Graduation Photos

I am, as it would be said in biblical phraseology, The Son of Nineteen Years. (I just learned about that type of phraseology last week.)

Yep, I turned Nineteen last Sunday. I still can't believe that a whole 365 days have passed since July 8 last year. So much has happened in that short time, and so many things have changed, from my theology, to simply how I schedule my day. I got an internship here in Michigan which started in September, went to my first conference (at least, in the last 8 years or so), went to The Achademy, (yes, that's spelled correctly, I'll talk more about that at a later date), deepened my relationship with the Lord and with my family members, made a couple new friends, and discovered that I know almost nothing about theology. ;)

Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.

Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. Psalm 39:4-5

I'm somewhat of a nostalgist (I know that's not a word, but saying "given to nostalgia" just didn't sound as good), so I enjoy looking at the past and seeing how things have changed from time to time, and birthdays are good mile markers to look back on. In the last year I have:

• Gotten my first outside-the-home, non-construction (biomedical engineering) job
• Taken (only counting the one's I didn't delete) nearly 8K of Photos
• Read more in the Bible than I think I did in the previous 18 years put together
• Learned how to machine plastic and metal using various large (and expensive) machines
• Learned what Hermeneutics means ;)
• Talked with Doug Phillips
• Paid my own taxes
• Bought and sold my first car (snazzy 1993 Honda Civic)
• Switched over to Aperture for photo editing
• Flown across the country 5 times
• Learned what Eschatology means
• Had my last Piano Recital (for now)

And I could just go on an on. I've heard some folks say that young people think that times moves slowly, and that 25 is like eons away. Well, they must not be talking about me. Since I've been here in MI, time has been flying! I remember when 5 months seemed like an eternity away, but now it seems like just a blink!

With that, here are a couple of graduation pictures that my beautiful mother took of me after my piano recital.

My awesome family (well, most of them Son's 1 and 2 are missing)

Yeah, This is what I usually do when I get dressed up!

 I look forward to what the Lord has for me in the coming year! So much has changed in the last one, I can only imagine what will change in the next!
~Paul

The Young Folk

Call me weird, but I just love little kids! One thing I really enjoy is when they will carry on a long conversation, and tell you everything about the world as they see it, from two feet off the ground. And sometimes they have real nuggets of wisdom, or just tell it like it is, without the worry of offending anyone!

Caleb

Caleb again, He's very Photogenic.

Elijah and Caleb

Josh and Faith.

And of course Gabe Cornelius, styling his daddy's studly sunglasses.

Moments in Time

Knotty Knotty!

Backlit

Point of Focus

Patterns

Look Ma! No Hands!!

My Lovely Sister!

My Beautiful Mom, and Handsome Dad!

Cracks in the Road

Photo Saturday

So I've finally decided to do it! Every Saturday I will try to post at least five pictures that I've taken. Eventually I'll probably add categories, and the like, but for now, I'll just post some that I like.
Don't be shy to give me what for, and tell me what you think, which ones you like, which ones you don't, what you do and don't like about each one, etc. Be brutal!
For now, these will be just from whenever. Eventually I'll have worked through all of my past good ones, and the photos will all become more recent.

Akumal Bay in Mexico

Mmmmm (I think find the focus interesting in this photo, where it's on the bowl, instead of the baby)

Iguana In Mexico

Tulips at the Oregon Tulip Festival

My studly older brother riding in Central Oregon He did an IronMan by the way! (I took this photo from a moving car.)

(Oh, And I need to come up with a more clever name. Ideas?)

Photography Thoughts

(warning, I'm thinking out loud here)
I've been an avid photo taker for about the last 5 years, but most of the time, after I import them onto my computer and delete the bad ones, they just sit there. Partially because I usually don't have anything to do with them. So I was thinking the other day, what if I were to post 5-10 photos on one day each week here on my blog, for you all to see/critique? It would help keep me motivated to be editing photos, and taking new ones, but I also wonder if it wouldn't be fitting of this blog to post them here, in which case, I could start another blog just for photography. Though as I'm thinking about it, photography is part of my life, so does the title "youth of chivalry" only apply when I'm talking about high and lofty theological thoughts?
A couple of blogs I follow (such as Lisa's) have both a main blog (which also gets pictures) and then another blog specifically for pictures.
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
~Paul