m.b. imaging

Aqua Walks

2011-09-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

This final image concludes my portfolio. I wanted to do an advertisement that included graphic design. These are a pair of aqua shoes that are indeed floating in the water. My friend, Katie Smith did the graphic design for this image. She did a great job and I was very pleased. :)

Golden Bonnie

2011-09-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is my dog Bonnie who is a Golden Retriever. The top image was the one I used for my portfolio. I actually took her to the studio at school. She was a little nervous to say the least but she did a great job modeling. :)

Human Spider

2011-09-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

This was actually probably one of my favorite images from my portfolio. This is my friend Chelsea and as you can see she is half human and half spider in this image. The web we built behind her is actually made out of shrink wrap. It's funny the simple things you may find around the house can be made into something else you would have never thought could be. One thing I love about photography is really the sky is the limit of what you can shoot and make possible.

Raleigh Road Trip

2011-09-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

I took a road trip to Raleigh with my family. There are a lot of really cool historical landmarks there; a great opportunity to shoot! This house is actually right by the Governor's Mansion. I really liked the colors and architecture of this house and decided to shoot it from this perspective.

Dismiss the Suit

2011-09-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is my friend, Trent. He was wearing a suit halfway in the water at my lake house. This was shot at nighttime and the water sprinkling around him is actually from a hose. The people outside their house beside us thought we were crazy but this was a lot of fun to shoot.

Promising Pasta

2011-08-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

This pasta is an original recipe that my mom made. The rewarding thing about photographing food is that you get to eat it afterwards and boy was it delicious!

Dance Among Yourself

2011-08-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Lindley and she has taken dance ever since she was a little girl. I had her pose in her ballerina outfit in front of a mirror and composed 3 different images into one. The photos below the final portfolio image are some extras I shot of her that I really liked.

Soap 'n' Suds

2011-08-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

This is a Dial soap advertisement I shot at the beach.

Standing Abandon

2011-08-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

This is my friend GiGi. The house that she is standing in is about a minute away from my house and it was built in 1867. I just love old houses. Something about how old and unnoticed it may be but yet how beautiful you can make it stand out in a photograph and bring life to it again.

Hands of Time

2011-08-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

In this image, I was trying to portray the essence of time and how even in a moment when everything is rushing right past you, you still can feel a sense of stillness.

Long Boarding

2011-08-09T13:52:00.001-07:00

This is my friend Isaac and he long boards. I also have recently gotten into long boarding. It really is a lot of fun but you have to have determination and when you fall, just get right back up and keep on going, along with anything you do. In this photo, he was doing a slide. When you are long boarding and going down a hill, you have to slide to be able to stop yourself.

Twisted House

2011-07-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I haven't done a post a couple months. I've been busy this summer working on my portfolio for school and am happy and gratified to say I am graduated from Randolph Community College! Those 2 years there went by so fast but they were also very fulfilling and I learned so much. For our final semester, we had to create a portfolio of 15 images. I included some old ones like my birthday cake photo, mountain dew ad, and my air assignment. Those images can be found in my blog from previous posts. The next few posts I am going to do will be the ones that were part of my portfolio. This photo below was also included and it is an old, broken house that I light-painted with a flashlight at night and put an HDR effect on it.

"I really wanna go outside to see you day"

2011-05-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

I went outside and saw some cool things to photograph.

The Pond

2011-05-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

There is a pond near where I live and I got some shots of it.

Oheyo Ohio!

2011-04-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

I recently went with Mike Carroll to Ohio on my internship to shoot another lawyer. It was a really cool place to be, literally it was about 20 degrees there but it was also a blast! (You can click on the panorama below to see it bigger)

Washington D.C.

2011-04-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

I am now on my second internship of this year and will be soon graduating! It's so hard to believe how fast time has gone. I am interning with Mike Carroll; he is great to work with and I have already learned so much from him. Here is his website, http://www.mikecarrollphotography.com/. A couple of weeks ago, we went to Washington D.C. to shoot a lawyer. It was such a great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Of course I just had to capture some shots while in D.C. You truly feel like a part of history when you are there.

Louis Vuitton Commercial

2011-03-03T16:33:00.000-08:00

If you saw earlier in my blog, I explained how we were assigned a joint project with another photographer and a graphic designer to sell a product. I posted the photos from the shoot and now here is the commercial for it.

Louis Vuitton Commercial from Mary Beth Graafsma on Vimeo.

Tisdale Wine

2011-03-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

I shot my brother's wine.

The Asheboro Zoo

2011-02-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

For my multimedia class, we had to go to a place of community and interview people there. I chose to do the Asheboro Zoo, tell me what you think!

The Outdoors

2011-02-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

For one of our classes, we had to find 5 random objects and then shoot them right outside the school and try to manipulate the sunlight by using scrims or reflectors. These are the objects I found in the prop room at school and the compositions I chose.

A Day in the Life of a Farm

2011-02-17T14:13:00.001-08:00

In my multimedia class, we had to create a video of someone working in a day of their life. Sharon Neely is who I interviewed and she owns Joyfield Farm.

Farm Frenzy

2011-02-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

These are a couple shots I got while I was at my neighbor's farm.

The Dancing Bear

2011-02-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

Another stop-motion video I made, enjoy!

The Dancing Bear from Mary Beth Graafsma on Vimeo.

"If you surrender to the air, you can ride it."

2011-02-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

For this assignment, we had to illustrate air, add an environmental twist to it, and try to match it to the quote above. Since plans with my model fell through, I actually used myself for this shoot. Tell me what you think!

Feelin' Free and Fierce!

2011-02-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

These images are apart of a joint project we are working on in our photography class. We are partnered with another photographer and a graphic designer and have to advertise a product. These were the photos that I took and I would like to thank my friend, Shana for modeling for me and workin' it!

Outside My Window..

2011-02-03T16:17:00.000-08:00

This is at my neighbor's farm and I thought it was an interesting perspective.

Computer Pals

2011-01-26T20:54:00.001-08:00

This was just a short stop-motion video that I made and I hope you enjoy it!

Crape Myrtle

2011-01-26T18:46:00.000-08:00

This crape myrtle tree is right outside my window and when I saw how it looked after it rained and the sun came out, I just had to get a shot of it.

Dessert

2011-01-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

For our first assignment being back at school in the second semester, we had to shoot a dessert. I chose to do a birthday cake theme. :D

Snow!

2011-01-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

We have gotten quite a bit of snow in North Carolina lately which I have really enjoyed. We even got a white christmas which was very special. Pictures of the snow can really be magical and here are some I took that I want to share with you.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2010-12-23T19:45:00.001-08:00

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year because of the cheer that is spread and the meaning of giving is truly shown. It is also such a fun time of the year; all the lights, ornaments, pretty colors, the cheesy music, and so much more. Here are some photos I want to share with you. Enjoy and of course Merry Christmas! :)

And this is my dog, Bonnie. :)

Poetry

2010-12-18T17:35:00.001-08:00

I've written poetry for years now and I was really inspired by my Grandmother who wrote a book called "Opening up Closets and Dumping out Drawers." In her book, she has written many poems all about the things she has gone through and how she feels. I think poetry is a beautiful way to express how you truly feel. I created this short video showing some of my poetry, how I feel, and how sometimes letting out so much emotion can overwhelm you. Enjoy!

Poetry from Mary Beth Graafsma on Vimeo.

Chateau Morrisette Wine Bottles

2010-12-08T11:28:00.000-08:00

Steve Cash and I were shooting some wine bottles for Chateau Morrisette. The two images on the top are what we shot before I retouched them, and the images below them are the ones after my retouching. Tell me what ya think!

Lake Higgins

2010-12-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

I was driving by Lake Higgins near where I live and the sight was breathtaking of the fall trees over the water, so I parked my car nearby and took a panorama of it. Click on the image for a bigger view.

Internship!

2010-11-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

For the past 8 weeks, I have been on internship working with Steve Cash. He's an amazing photographer and I have learned so much from him. Here is his website, http://stevecash.com/. I was there at the studio one day and had my camera so I shot some various things I had with me and in the studio. Tell me what ya think!

Hannah and Lindley

2010-11-16T17:38:00.000-08:00

These two lovely ladies are friends of mine and they really wanted to do some friend portraits. The places we went were around my house. They were a lot of fun to photograph. :D

Fall ♥

2010-11-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite season. I love seeing all the leaves change different colors and I also love playing in the leaves which I will never be too old to do. Fall also creates some gorgeous pictures and here are some that I took and would like to share with you. :)

Self Promo #6

2010-11-02T16:32:00.001-07:00

This image is promoting an eye shadow. It is one of my favorite eye shadows because it is such a bright color and really makes your eyes pop which is what I'm trying to illustrate in this ad.

Walk of Nature

2010-10-26T13:40:00.001-07:00

I think nature provides the most beautiful pictures and here are some I took the other day near my house that I want to share with you.

Self Promo #5

2010-10-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

For this self promo, I went to a car show and my favorite car there was a Dodge Polara so I took various close-up pictures of it and made a layout.

Another Pano

2010-10-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

Here is another panorama I shot in down town greensboro. I have really enjoyed taking panoramas and will post some more soon! :)
You can click on the image to make it bigger.

Self Promo #4

2010-10-18T13:26:00.001-07:00

Since I play guitar, I really wanted to do a guitar shoot for my self-promo. I decided to shoot it outside to make the atmosphere of the guitar feel more relaxed and real.

"Do the Dew"

2010-10-15T22:30:00.001-07:00

This is from last semester. We had to do a can soda assignment and I chose mountain dew!

Self Promo #3

2010-10-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

This self promo is a sunglasses ad. Whatya think??

To the Fair We Go!

2010-10-11T22:15:00.001-07:00

Every year since I was born, it's a tradition in our family to go to the Dixie Classic Fair in Winston Salem, NC. It is something I truly look forward to every year. Two of my favorite rides at the fair are the ferris wheel and the carousel swings.

I also made a stop-motion video giving a little tour of the fair.

Dixie Classic Fair from Mary Beth Graafsma on Vimeo.

Montage

2010-10-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

For my digital imaging class, we had to draw five random words from a hat and make a composite image with those words. We had a theme, person, and three objects. My words were ethereal, walking stereotype, hairdo, suitcase, and door. This image is made from five different images that I shot, combined into one using photoshop. Tell me what you think!

Self Promo #2

2010-10-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

For my second self promo, I wanted to do an inspirational reading library poster that encourages reading to others and how it can really help you think.

Eggs

2010-10-08T13:02:00.001-07:00

For an assignment we had to show a dozen eggs in a creative way and you had to be able to see all 12 eggs in the picture. This is what I came up with.

LG Chocolate 3 Phone

2010-10-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone in our class had to shoot an ad using our cell phones. Since my phone is the LG Chocolate 3, I thought it would be cool to incorporate actual chocolate in the photo to sell it in a more "tasteful" way.

Makin' Music

2010-09-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

One of our assignments was given to us by Mark Wagoner and we had to illustrate an event or something that changed our life. Something that has really influenced and changed me was when I started playing guitar and writing lyrics. It changed my perspective on life and I truly felt I could express myself through my music. So I created this stop-motion video illustrating it. Enjoy! :)

Untitled from Mary Beth Graafsma on Vimeo.

A Day in the Town

2010-09-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

How to Take Care of Your Teeth

2010-09-27T06:13:00.001-07:00

For one of our classes, we had to get in a group and do a how to project and our group decided to how to take care of your teeth. These are the images we presented.

UNC Game

2010-09-21T16:18:00.000-07:00

I posted a panoramic of the UNC game and now I want to share a few more pictures of the game with you.

Panoramic

2010-09-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

For our digital imaging class, we had a panoramic project and it just so happened that I was going to a UNC football game so I thought that'd be a perfect opportunity to shoot my panoramic. It looks a little small here on my blog, but if you click on this picture, it will appear bigger.

ABC, Easy as 123

2010-09-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

For one of our assignments, we had to go downtown Greensboro and find the whole alphabet in nature. I really enjoyed this project because it opened my eyes to notice how letters can be found in almost anything. I cut out the letters out of each of the photos and put them all together on a blue background.

Computer Lifestyle

2010-09-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

For this project, we had to capture a computer lifestyle shoot with interaction between people and the computer or any source of technology. I wanted to use the ipad to show a different side of computers and technology that is evolving.

Knockin' on a Door

2010-09-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

I saw this door on S Elm Street in Downtown Greensboro. I fell in love with it because of its old rustic look. I also loved the different textures around the door and the reflections in the window. It's really amazing what can you find just in your own hometown.

Self Promo #1

2010-09-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

For our photography class, we have to create 6 self promos that promote ourselves and our style of photography. This image is the first one and it is a lipstick ad.

Us and Them

2010-08-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

For this project we had to shoot a book cover for "Us and Them; The History of Intolerance of America." So I decided to compose an image showing how a lot of people feel about being different and sometimes hurt for who they are in today's society and how they can be made fun of or feel unwanted by everyone around them.

Busy Bee

2010-08-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

I have really felt like a busy bee lately shooting these projects and getting everything turned in; though I'm not complaining because I am really enjoying being in the second year part of commercial photography. I saw this bee on this flower on my patio and just had to get a shot of it.

Self Portrait

2010-08-24T19:07:00.001-07:00

For our digital imaging class, we had to do a self promo self portrait and I chose to do this look because I love to play guitar.

Breakfast Anyone?

2010-08-24T18:54:00.001-07:00

For our first client assignment in our commercial photography class, we had to shoot a breakfast scene and I chose belgian waffles since they are my favorite. :)

Beautiful Beach

2010-08-18T14:05:00.001-07:00

I went to the beach over the summer with my family and here are some of the pictures I brought back with me. :)

Classy with Style

2010-08-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

This collection of pictures was a part of my portfolio for my photography class featuring my good friend, Chelsea. We had lots of fun dressing her up making these shots have a vintage look to them.

Swing Batta Batta

2010-07-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

For our photojournalism class, we had to take a series of baseball shots. Here are some of my favorites that were captured during the scheme of the project.

I was at a Grasshoppers baseball game and suddenly I saw a grasshopper hop up on the fence, I thought it was kinda cool and ironic. :)

Classic Cars

2010-06-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

I went to this RidgeFest event at a park near I live and at this event, they had a lot of classic cars which I really love so I decided to photograph some of them. It made me want to go back in time. :)

I thought it was pretty neat, this guy had a bunch of 8 tracks in the backseat of his Camaro SS 350.

A Day at the Zoo

2010-05-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

I went with my friends to the zoo over break. I haven't been to the zoo since I was about 7 years old, so it was neat being able to see all the animals again. :)

Fun in the Field

2010-05-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of taking pictures with my friend, Katie at her barn with her lovely horses. These pictures are a part of my portfolio that I'm working on for school.

More Color :)

2010-04-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of some color projects we had to do in one of my photography classes.

Work it!

2010-04-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that I took of my lovely friend, Shauna.

Downtown Greensboro

2010-03-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the cool buildings in downtown greensboro.

Monochrome Assignment

2010-03-23T17:54:00.001-07:00

In one of my photography classes, we had to take three pictures of three different colors.

These are the three images and colors I chose.

Allow me to introduce myself.....

2010-03-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

Hello there, I'm Mary Beth Graafsma and I'm currently enrolled at Randolph Community College. I'm majoring in photography and I absoloutely love it. I'm a Christian and I love the Lord. My inspiration comes from everywhere and I think some of the unnoticed things in the world are the most fascinating.

I created this blog to share with you my passion of photography. What I love most about taking pictures is being able to express myself and tell a story. I have found that a picture truly is worth a thousand words. Well, thank you for checking out my blog and I hope you enjoy! :)