Finding Focus: 3-3, Slow Shutter Speed

I've been doing some thinking. I've also been studying, reading, prepping, processing and pondering. You see, sweet Emalie will be starting preschool at the beginning of the next school year. Having been through this whole 'starting school' thing before (although that was nearly a decade ago), I can foresee what is going to happen. After hearing little voices in my head (oh wait, this time they are real...just kidding!) for 12 hours a day, 3 hours of quiet time 4 days a week is going to drive me crazy. I wasn't prepared for this when our oldest child started full-day kindergarten. I thought I would just soak up all this time to myself and love every minute of it. I did-- to a degree-- but it wasn't long before I found myself entering the world of children's portraits to fill my time. I looked forward to those sessions with the kids and their parents. It was a new experience for me and I loved all that I learned. Now, six years later, I think maybe it's time to pick up where I left off (with the exception of those customers now being 1600 miles away). I'm not quite 'there' yet, but this is the direction that I think I am heading. So, when I'm not juggling the kids, the husband, their respective schedules, shopping, laundry, cooking, cleaning and budgeting, I allow myself the luxury of learning more about my cameras, my software and the business practices of successful photographers. (So, no, I generally don't lie awake staring at the ceiling, it's all I can do to get to bed fast enough before I fall asleep!) In that very lengthy segue, I intend to begin (again) posting pictures that I haven taken with the emphasis on photography rather than family. (I think there are only so many 'cute Emalie' and 'karate Nikolas' pictures my extended family and friends can handle on my other blog.) This latest batch was inspired by a photography course I am currently taking. The topic is 'Shutter Speed' and the artful way it can be used to capture moments that do not appear in real life as they appear when stopped at 1/30 of a second (for example). Now, you all may get tired of Emalie pictures now, but focus not on the subject but on the way that shutter speed attempts to capture the movement of a toddler. Some of the photos give a very artistic rendition, but as you can see, Emalie moves way faster than 1/30 of a second (give or take a little). This concept is a little foreign to me, as I like my pictures tack sharp. My goal has always been to zoom in (and I mean WAY in) and have everything be perfectly clear. That's how I was trained. But, this little exercise has given me an appreciation for thinking outside the box and imagining scenes differently. There is merit to having a particular style, but who doesn't want to deviate from that and experiment a little?