Monday, January 30, 2012

Pictures of People Taking Pictures

Taking pictures is fun.  Taking pictures of others taking pictures can be even more fun.  

Not much is better than enjoying your favorite pastime with someone you care about.  Luckily for me, I have a wonderful husband who is very supportive of my photo-habit.  So much so, that when we upgraded my camera…he picked up the old one (which happened to be my very first digital SLR – the one he bought me) and started to plan trips where we could take pictures together. 
In case your wondering, this man right here is who I'm talking about. 

Minty
 
The first and only trip so far has been to Longwood Gardens.  But I do see more trips in our future. 
Anyway, even with all those beautiful flowers everywhere,  my favorite subject ended up being him.  Ah well…guess it can’t be helped, he is my beloved after all.  

In Focus
 

Lesson 1: If you let people get engrossed in what they are doing, they are much less likely to notice the camera, and more likely to show their natural selves.
Lesson 2: Careful not to frame the picture in such a way that wrists and ankles are cropped off…it looks weird.
Lesson 3: The subject you plan on taking pictures of (in this case the flowers), may not be the only subject out there…keep an eye out for other potential subjects and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - A Shoe?

While on a walk, noticed something missing...




Click here to find more Wordless Wednesday links

and



Little Bitty Baby Hats

My crazy wonderful sister (author of A New Adventure Blog) one day decided she was going to crochet a hat for her daughter.  Two reasons: 1) she had quit smoking and needed something to keep her mind off cigarettes, 2) she wanted a crochet hat for her daughter and when she went to buy one she was surprised by how much boxed stores charged.  

Well, people seeing the hat loved it enough that they started asking her for them.  Soon enough she opened up her own shop on Etsy.com (a website where you can sell homemade goods).  Enter photo crazy sister. 

With the help of my adorable niece, we set up a mini hat photo-shoot designed to give my sister pics of the hats she could post online.  Here are a few of my favs:






Lesson 1: Babies look adorable in hats.

Lesson 2: You don’t always need to go for a smile; sometimes the “angry face” is cute too.

Lesson 3: Babies can get fussy and take a while to change outfits…more patience = less crying.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Little Feet Big Smiles

An afternoon with my sister and her little one always equals photos.  Here are today's favorites:

Stinky Feet II


Stinky Feet I

 
Lesson 1: Taking pictures as you prepare and finished posed pics, can get you some neat candids.

Lesson 2: Continue taking pics after the key shot can help tell the story.

Lesson 3: "Stinky Feet" is a game enjoyed by baby and Mommy.

    Tuesday, January 10, 2012

    Grandma's Christmas Cookies

    A few months before Christmas I realized that I had never once baked cookies with my now 88 year old grandmother (who we call MomMom).  After one quick phone call and brief visit with MomMom, it was decided that the week before Christmas we were going change that fact by baking sugar cookies and peanut butter tandy cakes. 

    Being the photo-centric person I am I couldn’t help but think of all the great photos I was going to capture of the two of us baking together.
    Well, bless my family.  As soon as people heard that MomMom and I were baking cookies everyone decided that it was the perfect time to stop by and visit (and who can blame them - seriously – who doesn’t love hot out the oven cookies).  

    MomMom ended up taking more of a supervisory role in the cooking making process so that she could  greet and spend time with each family member who stopped by.  This of course, meant that I got to do most of the mixing, scooping, and pouring.  Since I love to bake, this isn’t really a problem…however; it did mean those great photos I envisioned had to change a bit. 

    I never did get the granddaughter and grandmother baking side by side.  Rather, the picture I have is one where my grandmother is sitting back and enjoying the company. I can't help but prefer this picture - it's so MomMom.  What do you think?



    Summary





    Lesson 1: It won’t always go as you think.  That’s OK.
    Lesson 2: Just go with it.  It'll make things easier. 
    Lesson 3: An honest smile is worth a plan gone kaput. 

    Tuesday, January 3, 2012

    Midnight & Shadow

    After arriving at Midnight and Shadow’s home I quickly realized that I missed my opportunity for the best daylight.  Luckily Midnight and Shadow’s mom is very laid back and was cool with me rearranging her furniture (she even helped me move her couch away from the window) to create a space that still caught some daylight. 

    Once the daylight area was established the next step was coaxing the two adorable cats out from under their mom’s bed and into the daylight.  If you know cats, you know they like two things that I took away from them, 1) consistency – I had reorganized their living room, and 2) a hiding space – when we moved the couch we took away their ability to hide behind the couch.  Fortunately both cats are under one and with cats that young all you need is a few well-made toys and some strategically placed treats to boost their confidence enough to come into the light. 
    After many attempts, here are a few of the best shots.  Since I’m looking to improve feel free to post constructive suggestions about how doing something different (lighting, angle, lens, technique) would help to improve the shot.
    Fav Pussy Cat Pics

    Puzzle

    Temperament
      
     After the pictures of Shadow and Midnight were taken, their mom wanted to get in the photo action.  
    Fav Pussy Cat Mom Pic
     
    Allegro  
     
     
    Summary: 
    Lesson 1: December daylight disappears early
    Lesson 2: Do not be afraid to re-arrange furniture

    Lesson 3: The back of couches do not make good backgrounds