Getting Together with a Bunch of Atlanta Photographers

Thursday night was the full moon rising. 

That means there were lots of photographers out!

The Atlanta Urban Photo Walkers (AUPW) were no exception. 

I slathered myself with Trader Joe's lemongrass and coconut oil body lotion before heading out the door. It's said that bugs hate lemongrass. I think that's true. I hate putting chemicals on myself, so I use this instead. It doesn't work perfectly but it does work pretty well. If you're looking for a non-chemical alternative, give it a try. 

I'm a mosquito magnet! But when I got home, I didn't have any bites.

Lauren had a great turnout for her group - she's the founder and manager of AUPW.

About 60 or more Atlanta photographers met at a cemetery that has a nice view of the city in the trees. It was hot and humid. But, as many people said, "It could be worse!"

Yes.

It could.

Atlanta is a hot and humid place in the summertime, and it also rains quite a bit. It could have been hotter and more humid or even raining. 

We'll take what we can get!

As far as sunsets go, this one was lackluster. The sky was hazy, so hazy we missed the moon when it first made its appearance. We were all checking our apps on our phones to see where it would come up. There it was but we couldn't see it!

Someone finally shouted out that they saw it. After lots of squinting and pointing and explaining, we all finally saw it. 

It's so much fun being out with a bunch of other photographers like that. It helps pass the time between getting your tripod and camera set up and waiting for the sunset and Golden Hour.

It was nice seeing some faces I haven't seen in awhile because I've missed a meetup or they've missed a meetup. I love the camaraderie. The other photographers are helpful if you have a question or concern.

It's funny looking out over the group and seeing tripods and cameras all over the place. 

I used the Sony a6000 for this shoot because it has a better zoom than any of my Nikon lenses. The closest I can get with my Nikon lens is 85mm zoom. The Sony lens I have is 55-210mm which would be the equivalent on my full-frame Nikon to something like 85-300mm (I think!). I struggle with technicalities. 

It was a fun evening catching up and shooting the breeze with other Atlanta photographers, even if it was the three h's - hot, humid, and hazy!

Not the best photographic weather. But I did my best and got a few good shots. Here's what the RAW file looked like before I edited:

I love putting my spin on a RAW file. That's when I get to stamp it with my style. The hazy sunset made everything so flat. I added a texture over the top of this photo to give it a little more depth and interest. 

What do you think?

Love it? It's on the website! Go take a look. 

Did you get to see the full moon on Thursday? I hope so!

And I hope you're having a wonderful summer and not sweltering too much. I'm hoping for a little rain this afternoon so I won't have to water my flowers early tomorrow.

See you between the raindrops!

xoxo,
Susan