5-23, Deckers, CO

Photography's been first and foremost in my thoughts lately.  How can I become a better photographer?  How can I capture the scenes before me more creatively?  What technical settings and functions will bring more depth to my work?  I've been listening to a lot of podcasts, reading a lot of informative articles and keeping my eyes open to the play of light and shadow as I traverse my day.  On a recent trip with my family to Deckers, CO, I focused on  photographing differently than I normally do.  I tried different camera angles, particularly lower to the ground.  I slowed my shutter speed down, WAY down, to yield the flow of the swift waters of the South Platte River.  I didn't take any award-winning photographs during the adventure, but I did force myself to 'think outside the box' which I hope will enhance my skills to the point that I will be making those award-winning photos someday.  My favorite images, worthy of mentioning, are the contrasting ones of my son fishing.  In the first image, the waters are smoothly flowing around him thanks to a slow shutter speed (1/2 second).  In the second image, I increased the shutter speed to 1/320 second and the water appears brisk and choppy due to the faster shutter speed.  My take away from this for you?  Experiment-- try different things.  Learn your camera-- explore its many functions  Even when the day is dull and dreary, as this day began, utilize the soft, even light that the clouds provide.  Every day can be a photography day!

Shutter Speed:  1/2 second

Shutter Speed:  1/320 second

Ok, I have to admit-- the entire day wasn't dreary.  The sun broke through the clouds in the afternoon and it was a completely different landscape.  In effect, I had two photographic adventures and not just one thanks to the changing skies.

What a place for a pay phone, right?!

5-24, Bingham Lake

My most recent photo expedition was a walk around our nearby neighborhood lake at dawn.  My early morning walks used to be about minutes, miles and calories.  Lately, they've been about shutter speed, aperture and ISO.  I'm not sure my body receives the workout it normally does when I bring my camera along.  However, I like to think that the trade-off of speed to squats somehow evens it all out.  I'm surprised how much earlier the sun is shining these days and what a difference 15 minutes can make with the play of light at that time of day.  I may have missed the sun rising above the tree tops this time around, but I saw a beautiful layer of fog over the lake that I don't normally see.  It's all about making the most of what lies in front of you whether it's a beautiful scene or the exercise of the expedition!

5-21, Photo Walk

I've been feeling a little disengaged lately.  Not that I haven't been completely consumed by photography as a whole, but from the actual act of placing the camera in my hand and capturing images.  With the clock ticking down to the end of the school year, I realized that my quiet moments will soon be diminishing.  I spent a few hours alone this morning, just me and my camera (and my new Tamrac sling bag-- yes!!).  Now that I've completed my Intensive Portrait course from NYIP, I want to switch gears a little and focus on the wonders that the natural world offers.  My objective:  again see the world as a child and find intrigue in the little things.  I wasn't on a grand hike through the mountains, I was on a simple walk through our neighborhood.  I saw things that we don't normally see here in this area:  dew drops and mud puddles.  It's been especially wet and humid for the past few weeks.  It feels downright strange.  I'd expect this in other places, but it is definitely not normal for the high desert.  The usual intense, afternoon thunderstorms have been replaced by consistent cloudy skies and misty rains.  (Now how did Mother Nature know I've been missing Washington so?!).  My little excursion has spurred my appetite for more... bring on the mountains.... rain or shine!

4-29, Sandy Puc Workshop

Have you ever felt like you were in the presence of greatness?  I have-- all day yesterday.  Sandy Puc is amazing.  She's even more incredible to watch and learn from in person.  If you do not know who she is, you can access her website here:  http://www.sandypuc.com.  Somehow I came across the tail-end of her nationwide tour, ending here in Denver (the hometown for us both).  Somehow, the stars and moon aligned (with the graciousness of good friends and a wonderful husband) and I was able to attend.  My day was so amazing, that the 10 hours passed in the blink of an eye and at night I could not fall asleep with all the photography buzz in my head.  Amazing.  My day was simply amazing.  It felt so good to be in the company of fellow photographers on our various paths at varying levels of skill and experience.  As I whispered to my newfound photographer friend seated next to me, "This is like DISNEYLAND!!"  Yes, indeed, a photographer's paradise.  The hands-on workshop covered things like camera function,  white balancing, lighting, posing and working with your subjects.  The evening seminar was business-oriented discussing sales and products.  Thank you to those of you who rearranged their day so I could experience this phenomenal event.  The biggest thanks goes to Sandy Puc for her selfless sharing of her many years of experience in this industry.  Here are some glimpses of my day:

A newborn session with this beautiful baby girl!  Sleep, little baby, go to sleep, Sandy's touch will bring you a dream!

Here baby girl is with her mama........

This little sweet pea is 6 months younger than our Emalie.  (I almost sprinted back home to give my baby a hug after this session, but I endured on!)  Boy, was she cute!

Sandy's assistant is a very good sport.  She was put in the spotlight (literally!) many times throughout the day, and she handled it all in stride.  This 4-part series was a lesson in lighting.  In each successive image, one more light is added.  Can you tell which lights and where they are coming from?  What a wonderful, hands-on learning experience with some impressive equipment. (I hear B&H calling my name just begging for me to come buy something....somethingS......)

So, in a very small nutshell, that was my day.  I didn't edit a single one of these images (except a minor crop on 2 or 3).  Not too shabby for shooting alongside and around 15 other photographers!  I'm eagerly awaiting Sandy's next group/class/seminar.  You wouldn't be able to hold me back!  

4-16, Maternity Session

Photographing a pregnant woman is a delicate balance of capturing the beauty of this wonderful state while emphasizing details that may make her self-conscious.   Add this delicate balance to a first time maternity session, and I'll have to admit I was nervous.  But the beauty of being a newcomer to this type of shoot?  Free reign to experiment!   Thank you, Jessica, for asking me to capture this moment for you.  I hope these images make you feel beautiful inside and out.  The special love you have for this child you are carrying is transparent and wonderful to witness.    May these next few weeks pass easily and that moment you welcome this little one into the world be amazing.  Thank you for 'baring your belly' so I could create these beautiful images!

4-13, Natural Light Portrait

I have a beautiful friend who is an online professor at a northeastern university.  She was gracious enough to allow me into her office for my next photo project assignment:  an indoor, natural light image.  The best light to work with indoors is a north-facing window.  The second best options are a western facing window in the morning or an eastern facing window in the afternoon.  I'd say I was pretty fortunate that Joanna's office window faces west and we had scheduled a morning session!  The light in the room was a little darker than I had anticipated, but with the assistance of two reflectors I was able to bounce the light coming through the window back onto Joanna's face.  It yielded a very soft warm light that filled in the shadows-- especially in the poses where she faced the computer and had her back to the window.  Natural light photography has never been my thing.  I know many photographers who focus on natural light and shy away from artificial lights.  I don't fit into this category, so being restricted by the parameters of the assignment forced me to shoot in a new way (have speed light, will travel!).  Thank you, Joanna, for the time you granted me this morning to work on this portion of my project.  If only all Monday mornings could be so pleasant!   

4-11, Night Portraits

There are four units in my New York Institute of Photography Intensive Portraiture course.  I'm at the tail-end of Unit 3 having already completed the unit's quizzes and final test.  Now, I'm working on the lengthy photo projects that accompany this unit.  One required photo submission is for a night portrait.  I'm thinking the neighbors were probably wondering what we were doing on our back porch last night if they saw the continuous flashes of my softbox.  How does a child who has had a day of play (here, there and everywhere) repay his parent for all the chauffeuring required to make it all happen?  You got it:  help mom with her homework!  And to my benefit, I think he was too tired to fight me on it.  LOL.....  I had it all set up for his return:  my camera with attached 24-70mm lens, a Nikon SB900 Speedlight with an Impact 24"x24" Quikbox (softbox) to the right of the camera, and a reflector to the right of my son opposite the softbox.  For those of you into the further technicalities, my ISO was at 800 with an aperture of f/5.0 and shutter speed of 1/100 sec.  Good to go, right?  Wrong!  Do you know what a camera needs to be able to autofocus?  You got it, light. What did I not have out there in the dark?  Light!  So, using my husband's flashlight app on his phone, he was able to give me enough light to autofocus my camera.  Once he turned the flashlight off, I then pressed the shutter release button to take the picture (I use the back-button focus on my camera, so the focus is not linked to the shutter release button).  Funny thing here, I guess my SB900 speed light  does have a modeling light.  Who knew?!  I will need to research this function on my speed light more and give it a try for the next time I happen to be taking pictures in the dark.  I always find it rewarding when I learn something new about my equipment!  Anyway, here is the resulting image from last night's mini-night session.  From the shirt on his back to the look in his eyes, I think this image may be the most authentic one I've ever taken of him.  I'm grateful for this assignment, for without it I wouldn't have this photo.