I got the day wrong for a playdate, so it was off to CEC to save the day!
Day 2!
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While I didn’t finish my first 365, I did actually take more than I ended up listing here. Blogs are just not something that comes easily to me. But I want to recommit myself to the effort, and my FB page isn’t always the best place for that kind of project. So here we go; enjoy!
Emma in the Fog
Hungry Belly Baby
Here’s a picture from the other day that got a lot of attention. Its not quite a “details” shot, such as a close up on eyelashes or baby toes, but it obviously isn’t a traditional portrait either. I’ll be honest and say my intent was to get a shot of my son’s feet under our table at lunch. I’ve seen several photographers get one perfectly and I wanted one for myself. The lighting in our kitchen had different plans for me that day and his little tummy was hard to miss! I’m really happy with the result and plan to frame it. Beside the subject, I think it works because of how nicely the light filters across the image. That wasn’t an enhancement and I didn’t crop the shot. I think its very sweet and very “little boy.” Hopefully you do, too!
The frequently used, yet rarely captured, expression of Emma
One of my favorite things about doing this 365 is discovering what I’ll photograph that day. I know that sounds entirely un-thought out of me, and it is! There has to be context and meaning…and not just meaning in general but meaning for that day…not to mention the right light and willing models. Its what I really hope to take from this challenge. I want more “perfectly imperfect” moments. I’ve seen photographers capture their little ones kicking rocks down the walk, trying to button their own coats, rolling their eyes and rubbing their noses. There is a way to do that where the image looks like it could be hung in a gallery. There is a way I do it that makes me hit the delete button on my camera. Some of its luck, sure. The whole point is to convey an authentic moment. The best way to get one is by letting life unfold and just having the camera ready when it does. But ten people could take a picture of the same thing and you’ll get ten truly unique images. Its hard to understand fully, which is why so many people will tell good photographers that their camera takes good pictures (the equivalent of telling an author their pen writes good stories). By watching what some of these photographers do- how they use light, angles, their cropping and use of color among several other “je ne se quoi” elements, I feel I’m starting to get more keepers in the authentic moments category.
The 9th was difficult because I wasn’t feeling well and, resisting the temptation to just take a shot of me reaching for a tissue, I was determined to get a nice shot of Emma. The day didn’t go as planned at all and in a moment of desperation genious, I threw all her pettiskirts on her and told her to play in her room. The living organza child flopped around, laughed at her crazy mom, then finally settled to play with some holiday toys. My intention was to take a picture of her feet that were peeking out from the skirt. But the lighting was bad and the story wasn’t being told right. Tired of playing, she plopped on the floor and I had to back up into her closet just to get her face in the frame. She had her face buried in the rug and I begged her to just look at me really quickly and we’ll be done. She looked up at me with this very “oh sure, I’ll believe that” face and *click* we were done! The light, the moment, the face. I’m not at all trying to suggest that this moment is worthy of a gallery opening, but it is exactly what was going on in our lives, portrayed exactly as I didn’t realize I had wanted all along.
Emma’s Fairy
I’ve started to expand my photography education with a new class this year. I want to use it to improve my photo sessions but also to step outside my comfort zone. My secret wish is to have enough quality non family images to begin offering fine art prints and canvases. When I went outside yesterday to complete a class assignment, it wasn’t with the intent to do a still life, but then I saw the little droplets perched on our little moss patch. Even with a 50mm (not a macro or close up lens), I knew I had to try and capture it. What followed was a lot of rapid-fire shots where I would slowly zoom in and hope to catch the best clarity with such a shallow depth of field. I don’t have a ring to outfit my 50 for a poor man’s macro, so I was literally holding up my backwards lens to the camera body and hoping I would neither break the camera nor my face! As the wet ground finally soaked through my coat and onto my sweater, I decided I either had the shot or I didn’t and got up to go inside. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a pink fleck and remember hoping that it wouldn’t be distracting in the shot as we have to post SOOC (straight out of camera) images to the class forum.
I instantly forgot about the spot when I uploaded this sharp shot. I loved the brightness, the swirly bokeh (blur), and the clarity of the little droplets. It doesn’t hurt that my favorite color is green. Emma came over, plopped in my lap in front of the computer and immediately said, “oh there’s a fairy in the picture!” Nothing that comes out of her mouth surprises me, so I asked her where it was. And I’ll be darned if that little pink something looks something exactly like a fairy! At 100% zoom, you can even see some yellow veining in the “wings!” Its so unreal. Even her placement is perfect; tucked into a dark cove like its the entrance to a little Hobbit-y world. I’ll have to add this shot to my unending list of images to frame. I think it will make a beautiful metallic print and I suppose I’ll have to let Emma’s Fairy stay in her room.
Day 5 of my 365 photography project
I’m doing my first ever 365 project. For those unfamiliar, its where you take a picture a day. You can follow a theme or your heart. The goal is to find something that speaks to you, get you out of your comfort zone, is a creative challenge and most importantly IMO, get you to really keep your camera close. Its easy to take for granted the mundane and so my personal 365 goal is to capture real life with my kids. Don’t get me wrong, a few gorgeous posed shots will show up in my photography. But I want to catch just as many moments of eating breakfast, shoes on the wrong feet, spilt milk and giggles. Which also means I won’t share each picture daily. I think I’ll make an album when I’m done and share that, and maybe a few weekly clusters here and there but mostly just a stray portrait along the way.
If you aren’t a parent, its hard to relate to the shocking speed at which time really passes. Having child rocketing out of infancy and already nearing school age will make you feel grey and wondering what happened. When did she stop growling at meals? When did he stop lining up his toys? There are so many in-between phases to catch before they’re gone forever. Its something I’m going to try and capture in my 365 and what I pay attention to during my professional sessions.
I’ll admit this picture didn’t come out as intended. Emma had been in the bath for a while when I peeked in our bedroom and was amazed by the golden light pouring through our windows. I had a vision of her giggling in her blanket after I sang her our post bath song (You Are My Sunshine, for no particular reason). I wanted a faded but warm edit on a portrait close up. But she was having so much fun in the tub that I let her play longer than the light stayed. I converted this shot to b+w to minimize the noise. I’ve been told to embrace it in low light, but I’m not there yet. I added some dimension to her face lost by the low light via highlights and small burning (these are editing functions) and while it isn’t what I started out to create, I’m very happy with the portrait I ended up with. And that’s the fun thing about a 365; tomorrow is another day!
A little break during a product shoot!
Oh how I love product photography! I am a lifestyle or “people” photographer, but that’s what I enjoy about products. I think I offer an unique perspective and love to showcase people interacting with products instead of simply static images. I think it tells a little story. This picture actually started out for TG Bears, who makes amazing hand-made bears in America with several specially for charity and awareness. I was taking test shots with my mom in the kitchen to prep for the real shoot tomorrow. But once the kids came downstairs, they instantly crowded my shot and ran off with the bears to the window seat. They played so beautifully that I was able to quickly change their clothes (I mean, I don’t actually have them dressed like little English children in the 19th century all the time!) and capture a few darling portraits. This one doesn’t highlight the product, but the emotion is so beautiful that I couldn’t keep it to myself. I’ll post another keeper soon, but I wanted to enjoy the moment with this picture before sharing the other.
My husband told me the kids will hate me when they’re older. And I’ll give him that there are a lot of kissy pictures, but they do it on their own! I told them to have the bears kiss and Emma took creative liberties. My only concern now is how a large a canvas to print this on…
Happy New Year! Maybe this should be the start of a 365…
My first attempt at designing a phone cover 🙂 This is for a Samsung Galaxy sIII
emmaandnate 