Trends and Fads

Due to our homework assignment, I've been thinking a lot about photography trends and fads this week.  Whether or not a particular pose, prop, location, or action is called trendy or faddish seems to be really subjective among professional photographers and their clients.  With that said, I think that what I hope to capture in my photos are moments of true interaction between people.  (ie: It can be super-fun to shoot a family making cookies together but it is only a true interaction if that is something they actually do together at least once in awhile.) 

in·spi·ra·tion/ˌinspəˈrāSHən/Noun
1. The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

My family is my 

greatest inspiration.

 FACTS:

• We have SEVEN grown up kids - SIX are married with kids of their own.
• 5 of our kids live in Utah, 1 in Arizona, 1 is on a mission for our church in Calgary, Canada.
• Due to my husband's job, we live on a big cattle ranch in central Florida.
• We live a long, long way from our families!!   So....

...that is why, when my friend, who also lives on the ranch, told me that her cousin was starting some online photography classes, I jumped at the chance to learn how to use my DSLR. My intention was to learn how to take FABULOUS professional quality photos of my family so that, even though we aren't together, at least I can hang up-to-date photos of them in my home.  As my skills improve it may lead to more than this - or it may not. 

The photos I'm posting were taken last year before I knew how to use my camera in anything but auto mode, however, even before I knew I should, I had a shot list planned in my head and even before I knew about how to find the light - somehow these didn't turn out too badly (well, ahem...it WAS auto mode and at that point the camera knew way more about the exposure triangle than I did). 

This is Josh with his accomplished wife and cute kids. He sings in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

This is Jeremy with his artist wife and two little boys. 

He sang with Brooke in a musical group at college - but we didn't make the connection until I told him I was taking a photography class. He emailed, " You mentioned Brooke Snow. Is she one of your classmates?" to which I replied, "Brooke isn't my classmate, she's my instructor!" lol!

This is Rachel with her great husband and five kids. And yes, she sings too!

I didn't get shots of the other families last year but I will this summer when I go to visit them and I fully expect that with my "new and improved" knowledge and skills that the shots I take will be much closer to being the fabulous visions in my head.

The following three shots are inspired by some of my real-life "adventures in Florida"  and are all taken right in or from our yard. (Perhaps I should become a Florida wildlife photographer since we get so many animal visitors in addition to cows and horses - armadillos, wild hogs, raccoons, squirrels, sand hill cranes, gopher and box turtles, wild turkeys, hawks, little lizards and tiny frogs, eagles, egrets, pink spoonbills, wood storks, turkey buzzards, snakes, butterflies and insects, and there are alligators of course- but they aren't in or near our yard.)

Photography has enhanced my powers of observation,
which has deepened my appreciation for the beauty of nature and for the details in my life.
Click on the photo below...don't you love how the cow in the corner of the picture is the only one looking right at the camera?

Turkey Buzzards are not pretty birds, except in flight - they are graceful and skillful gliders. But I think one of the funny things about them is how they line up on the fence posts patiently waiting their turn in the "restaurant queue".

Stephen Covey once said that "leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves."  If a teacher can do that, it sets in motion the process of SEEING, DOING, and BECOMING. Brooke, words cannot adequately express how grateful I am to you for encouraging me and so many others to keep that process going.

Child's Play

 This past week I got to tend a family of 5 girls (ages 11, 9, 6, 5, & 1 1/2)  and 1 boy ( age 3) for a day while their mom went to North Carolina to help her sister with a new baby.  Before she left, I interviewed the mom via email just to confirm what I already knew about them and she told them I was going to do a photo shoot with them so they were VERY excited when I arrived.  I went prepared with a bag of musical instruments and some old newspapers so we could make origami hats, and I took of my favorite books to read with them. They had the ideas of dressing up in various Halloween costumes, of dancing, and of playing on the big trees in their back yard. Later in the afternoon we went to my house so they could play with our new puppies. I got a few of the shots from my shot list completed, but really had more of an "Inspired by Life" shoot.  I shot with my 35mm f1.8 prime lens and figured out how to do a little bit of editing in Lightroom 3. We had so much fun that I couldn't choose just 3...

As the girls were dancing, Bethy grabbed two magnifying glasses and held them up to her eyes just as I turned around with the camera.  So funny!  I feel like I still have many hours of practice ahead of me, but I also feel like I'm making progress and learning from my mistakes. :)

Remember the Details...

Week 2: Principle: Posing

I have to admit that I was nervous going into the family photo shoot I planned for this week.  However, I tried to, as my friend Teri says, "FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT," and therefore pretended to be totally confident, kept the kids moving, and repeatedly told them what a great job they were doing!  I made up a shot list and this time added some black and white pictures to show the family just what I wanted them to do.  

The father of the family is the manager of the citrus groves, so we decided to do the shoot in the Doxey Orange Grove, half-way between our houses, where there are not only rows of beautiful orange trees, but a bright red storage barn to use during the shoot. They are a cute family - and little Adam, who is 19 months old, acted as I expected a vivacious not-yet-two year old to act, so was unfazed when he wouldn't look at the camera and just wanted to run around and explore.  I took 170 shots during our session and all of them (except the "bonus shots" that I edited a little in iPhoto) are SOOC...until I make time this week to learn Adobe Lightroom :)  Aside from some editing tweaks that could improve the shots, I didn't notice a couple of composition errors until I got them downloaded on the computer,  but I'm sure that as I gain more experience and learn to slow down just a little bit, I'll be able to remember to double check all of the details before I take a shot.

"BONUS SHOTS": I had to throw in these shots just because they were so fun.

 

Loving Learning

Homework: Week 1 Assignment: Preparation

I learned so many things from this week's assignment!  Lesson #1 - Have a willing model

Do you know any 17 year old boys? You know, the ones who are somewhere between boyhood and manhood and are absorbed in their own lives. This is a normal state for many teenagers, I know.  (Love this boy - my oldest grandson - he and his 15 year old brother live with us) But he DID reluctantly agree to be my model...and I reminded him that we really need to get those senior photos done...so I made a written plan, chose a great location, got some props and changes of clothing ready and we took off.  He was distracted; he was embarrassed when he saw that some people we didn't know were at the place we went for the shoot; he thought we were taking too long; he thought some of my ideas were "lame"; I got flustered; he got frustrated. We used only a few ideas from my shot list. We went home.  I downloaded the pictures. It was not the great experience I had anticipated.

 THE PLAN

Lesson #2 - Spend some time learning how to use editing software

I think it was Brooke who told me that all the shots we see from pros are edited. I just got Photoshop Elements 9 but haven't learned how to use it yet so am editing in iPhoto only.  Shots SOOC can be good but mine are usually not the beautiful and compelling photos I envision in my head.  From this shoot: I am embarrassed to admit that because I got flustered,  I THOUGHT I had changed the ISO setting but hadn't completed the action...some editing could help these shots I'm sure but next time I'll make sure the ISO is set where I intend it to be!

I like the sunburst, but the picture is way too grainy.

This is the oh-so-typical shot...lol

• Just to be fair I have to say that he has agreed to another shoot for his senior pictures. Yay!

Lesson #3 - "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

I decided to try a different approach at the Campbell's annual Easter Egg Hunt. The shoot would be planned, but not rigid; it would be casual, catching real-life moments; it would be focused on the youngest children.  I wanted to capture some cute little faces and some family interactions.

Love these big, blue eyes.

This Dad absolutely adores his two little girls.

Brooke, I think these shots are ok, what can I do to make them awesome?

Lesson #4 - Fear vs. Faith

When I look at the absolutely stunning photos on some people's blogs I tend to get paralyzed with fear that I'll never, ever be that good. It's like a wave that crashes over me shattering my confidence to near nothingness.  It's then that I have to pull back, take a breath, and realize that I must have faith in myself; I must have patience in the learning process and I have to put in the work to practice, practice, practice.  Sometimes I get inspiration through music. During a fearful moment this week a Rogers and Hammerstein song from The Sound of Music began running through my head.

"I've always longed for adventure
To do the things I've never dared
Now here I'm facing adventure
Then why am I so scared?...

I must stop all these doubts
All these worries
If I don't I just know I'll turn back
I must dream of the things I am seeking
I am seeking the courage I lack...

With each step I am more certain
Everything will turn out fine
I have confidence the world can all be mine
They'll have to agree I have confidence in me...

All I trust I give my heart to
All I trust becomes my own
I have confidence in confidence alone
Besides which you see I have confidence
In me!!

Lesson # 5 - Enjoy the Journey

Even though I am so far behind so many other people in my photographic understanding and skills, I am ahead of many other people and I am excited to encourage them to start their own journey. My time line is my own and I am learning here a little and there a little. With each new discovery or insight I gain more skill and understanding. It's an exciting adventure!