Assignment 4

Moodiness, moments, light, joy, sweetness, simplicity, love, place, quirkiness, humor, irony, childhood, beauty, faces, nature, storytelling, focus, clarity, centeredness, peace, feeling, emotion, perspective, unique vision, art, creativity, myself reflected in others/in the scene, others reflected back to me.

Enjoying the journey!


Blogged for the class: Finding Your Eye .

Assignment 3b

Oh my what a difference a few hours makes!  I'd lost the nice lighting and my new subject had some ground rules which involved staying put on the couch playing on the computer, so I had fewer angles from which to shoot.  And, then, I zoomed in with my lens in her face and we burst out laughing.  The laughing continued for most of the 57 photos.  It was that kind of stop-tickling-me-I-can't-breathe laughter that had us both moving all about, so it became hard to focus.  While we had a rip-roaringly fun time, I wasn't certain I'd have any photos to use.  Much to my surprise I captured some great moments.  I had a harder time narrowing these down to two or three.  I love this first and most untraditional of the set:

To my eye, I captured the vibrancy, energy and feeling of the moment here.  

Thirteen is awesome!  Cutie, freckle-face!  Her "deep-down-from-the-tips-of-her-toes" smile is so pretty caught on camera.

We finally settled down and were still for a brief second.  Here I'm shooting from on top of a nearby stool.  Somehow the quirkiness still comes through.  I noticed in this one, the colors in her t-shirt provide a balance that makes her face pop more.

And, of course, it's personality that pops here!  Ah, Emma, my love!
(I had to do a bit of convincing to be allowed to post this one here.)

Much of my reflection on Annie's photo shoot applies here.  Plus, with Emma's what I got was not at all what I expected.  Once I gave up my preconceived notions and just laughed along with Emma it was really a lot of fun.  Of these photos, I like most the ones with movement and energy.  They have a sweet beauty and authenticity to them.  I would love another chance to photograph her in a quieter mood and in the nice lighting of the earlier day, but I really am very pleased with this set!

Boy she is really trying hard not to crack up in this one - and she's d.o.n.e!

These photos - and the memories of the shoot itself - will be treasured.

Again, thanks, Kat! 



Blogged for the class: Finding Your Eye .

Assignment 3a

As it turned out, my youngest was home today with a tummy ache.  I had work to do from here and she helped out by highlighting a big stack of papers for me.  For which I paid her.  And, during which, she was the proverbial sitting duck.  I got in a good 39 photos before this one:

Even though she agreed to the photo shoot, she can only tolerate so much.  Love it!

I approached Annie from all different angles, including from below and from above.  I also worked with the lighting, as she was seated at the dining room table and the diffused, cloudy sunlight was streaming in.  Of the 40 photos taken, I do so love that first one with her hand up, but these are the three that rose as the creme of the crop for this assignment:

I noticed changing the angle from where I shoot makes a big difference.  Here I'm standing on a chair over her.  Sweetness!

Here you see the impact of the lighting.  I've seen (and coveted) other photos I have come across with this feature, and here, I did it myself!  It adds beauty, warmth, and softness in addition to the gorgeous highlights.

And, then, there's this.  This could be one of the best photos I've taken to date.  She fills the frame, her head is angled slightly, her smile and expression are natural and relaxed, the coloring - between the eyes, the freckles, and her skin tone - are softly rich and beautiful.  The hot pink and lime green of her jammies and hair wrap just make her face pop even more.  I'm just so, so pleased with this!

I was interested and excited while shooting (could have done it all day long) and couldn't wait until after lunch to see what I had captured!  I lost track of time while both photographing and editing.  The end result makes my heart swell with joy, pride, and gratitude.  My favorite photos remained the same throughout capture, review, and edit.  It was easier to cull the best than I thought it might be.  I was only frustrated later when the subject interrupted me and rushed me a bit during the editing and basking in the glow phase (tummy acted up again and it was time for snuggling).  Oh, and the darned dog is driving me nuts while I'm writing this reflection.  (Hmmm, "artist Aimee" is pretty self-centered and not very nurturing!  LOL!)

I loved the feeling of having time and Annie's permission to get in close and keep shooting.  I liked being able to work from different angles.  I enjoyed the surprise of the sunlight as it entered my shot.  I didn't worry about missing a moment or have a feeling of chasing after a shot.  There was no pressure from a changing dynamic, it was a fairly static situation with Annie sitting there working and me moving around her.  

I do hope to have a similar photo shoot with my other daughter this afternoon.  We'll see if she tolerates it!  I may have to sweeten the deal for her too ;-)

Thanks, Kat -- I didn't know I had these shots in me!




Blogged for the class: Finding Your Eye .

Assignment 3

So, I've created and reviewed my inspiration file to find what familiar thing/person/place I am drawn to capturing with my camera.  It is clear that I love to take close ups of my children.  I just explained to the girls that for my next photo class assignment I have to take 50 photos of them.  My youngest turned from her task and I wish you could have heard her tone as she said, "What?  50 photos of us?"  They do tire of me constantly snapping photos of them.  This should be an interesting assignment!  Here's my oldest being camera fed up shy from this past weekend.

Blogged for the class: Finding Your Eye .