Saturday, July 31, 2010

Who calls the shots?

Almost every time I work with a family there is one particular person in the group who ‘calls the shots’. This is the person who essentially sets the pace, the flow, the energy and the length of a shoot. Oftentimes it is the youngest one in the group (work fast and bride with ice cream); sometimes the shyest one (watch out for those ‘fake’ smiles); it could be the dad or the teenager (they’d much rather be somewhere else and it shows). Or the dog (heavens help me when the dog comes along!)…In this week’s shoot it was the liveliest one of the group, a sweet little three year old boy named Jonathan.

Never have I met two siblings more opposite than Jonathan and his sister Gracie. Jonathan is a live wire…really! This little guy has energy bubbling through his every cell. Life is too interesting for him to linger in one spot.  And Gracie is, exactly like her name says, graceful. This little girl seems serene and content wherever she finds herself, no need to move around too much, lingering’s good.

Opposites they are ..to mom’s relieve!

For our shoot we immersed ourselves in a flowery garden in Eagle. Where Jonathan went, we all went…all over the garden. Where Jonathan stopped we all stopped… (but that did not happen much). Luckily we encountered no snakes – although Jonathan may have liked it. It was colorful, fast and fun!   

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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

My Wonderful Victims

I should probably not tell you this but I call my clients “my victims”. It’s true: I get to practice my ‘shooting’ skills on these poor, unsuspecting people. And they pay me…?!

I LOVE photography and I have ever since I was a little girl. But instead of studying it at college, I did the ‘sensible’ thing and got myself some awfully boring science degree (which I have not used since). Having never really been one to read the manuals either, my knowledge of photography is basically self taught. I took the long, bumpy road: I did it the learn-as-you-go way.

There are a few photographers whose work I adore and whom I’ve learned so much from. My own mistakes taught me a lot too. But  most definitely I gained  most through the tens of thousands of “victim”-pictures I’ve taken over the years. Practice makes perfect -- I’ve been practicing okay!

At this point I  think it is time to quit the “victim”-thing though. From now on I will appreciate my clients as..well.. “my clients”.  But I’ll keep practicing, that part will never change; still got much to learn!

This weeks victims…err Clients… were Ally’s family. They showed up with a picnic basket of treats for the kids and some wine for the adults. Now how could that turn out any other way than fun?  Thank you guys! LOVED meeting you this year! (Ally, I will see you in the store…soon).

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A very big “THANKS!” to THE SHABBY HOUSE store on State Street for letting me use their grounds for this shoot. LOVE the little nooks and crannies there, the little surprises at every turn.  Be sure to visit!