Photographer Behind the Lens ~ Judy Hurley {Barely Blushed LLC}
This week we are featuring the amazing Judy Hurley from Barely Blushed LLC as our Photographer Behind the Lens!
Share a little about you...
I am a recently retired nurse, wife to my loving husband and best friend of 35 years, a mom to two incredible sons and am an insatiable animal lover. I own horses (as well as other pets) and have spent much of my young and adult life in and out of barns and among farm animals. I have spent the last two years immersed in photography and I currently offer styled sessions for children and adults in natural light settings.
How did your photography career begin?
I was bitten by the photography bug in 2014 after joining a Facebook Photo-a-Day photography group and participating daily for over a year. My New Year's Resolution in January of 2015 was to improve upon my very weak photography skills and to teach myself how to edit. My dream was to build a small portrait photography business. I spent hours several days a week scouring books, tapping into FB photography groups, attending workshops and recruiting friends to pose for me. For the better part of a year I offered sessions for free. My dream became a reality this year (2016) when Barely Blushed, LLC was born.
What do you love most about photography?
I enjoy everything about photography from planning and executing styled sessions to meeting new people and making new friends to spending hours on end editing and creating what I consider to be fine art images. Inspiration for sessions comes from everywhere and ideas are limitless.
How would you describe your style?
My goal is to create images that evoke emotion, They typically include children and animals and vary from light and whimsical to solemn and dark. I recently incorporated hand painting into my editing process so images tend to have a slight painterly feel to them. Friends tell me that they know which images are mine before seeing my logo which hopefully is a sign that my style is becoming cohesive and consistent. Of course it will forever be a work in progress.
Share with us your all-time favourite image, and why?
It is difficult to choose an all time favorite image because every time I complete a session I have a new favorite. Here is a favorite from this week.
Share a sneak peek inside your camera bag! What is your favourite lens and why?
I am a Nikon user and my current body is the D750. I will be adding the D5 to my inventory soon. My favorite lens is the 70-200 F/2.8. I am experimenting with my new 85mm f/1.4 and am looking at the 135mm. Occasionally I use the Sigma Art 35mm. I carry reflectors with me on location to filter harsh sun or add light to my subjects.
What’s inside your editing toolbox? What post processing tools do you love the most?
For editing I begin in LR and finish in Photoshop. I have a few other plug-ins that I use occasionally such as Exposure 7 and Portraiture. I mainly do hand edits and have created and purchased a few actions that I use regularly to help speed up my workflow. I create and buy textures and use my own photos as overlays as much as possible. I try to attend at least one workshop a month (in person or on line) for skill building.
For a bit of fun…. share an image from your first paid session and from your most recent session!
This is from my first paid session 1 1/2 years ago ~
This is from a recent session ~
What would be your #1 tip that you would give to new photographers?
The best advice I can give new photographers is to shoot what you love and the rest will follow. I recently stopped offering family sessions as my heart was not in it. This freed me up to focus on individual and styled session. Know your equipment and try to learn something new every day. Experiment and develop a style that is unique to you. I spend 1/4 of my free time shooting, 1/4 editing, 1/4 learning and 1/4 working on my brand. I will launch a new website in 2017 so stay tuned!
Thank you for looking! Happy shooting!
To see more of Judy's amazing work, visit:
Website: www.barelyblushed.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/jleigh.hurley/?ref=bookmarks;
Sending out a BIG thank you to Judy for featuring on our Blog!
With love ~ Wood & Lace xx
