OH SHOOT! --- I hope I win :)

I f you know me, then you know I love my camera. Happiness for me is capturing a private or unexpected moment and sharing them with the ones I love.
I've been asked to do a few freelance assignments on the side in the past, but I always turn them down. I just don't feel confident in my skills and --- well-- I'm chicken. I'm afraid of screwing something up.
  This past weekend, I decided to just try.  My cousin asked me to take senior pictures of his daughter & I did. I took a lot of pictures with different lenses and on different modes. It was a great experience, but unfortunately some of the pictures were ruined because of the incorrect exposure. I can correct some, but not all. I really wish that I had a mentor to stand behind me and show me how to correct my errors. Unfortunately, I don't. I've tried to read a few books, but quite honestly I think I'm a visual learner :/. I need to take a class.
   I just read that Candice Stringham is offering a class (called OH SHOOT!). I really hope my husband will let me sign up. I really need this class to improve my skills, I think I may just take a hint from one of my boys and beg him for a straight 24 hours.  Candice is one of the main reasons why I fell in love with my camera.  Years ago I attended a CKU convention and took her class-- I came home and was hooked.  She is a FABULOUS teacher. I really think this class would help me tremendously.  Cross your fingers that he says yes or that I can win a spot :) 

Here is a link to her class if you are interested: OH SHOOT!

Quiet Confidence

Sara asked me to take her graduation pics a while ago and I have been nervous about it for months... I didn't want to take a chance at messing up pictures that she would remember forever...but she had confidence in me-- and I agreed.

 I am so glad I did. I had a great time taking pictures of her and her roommate. Towards the end of the day, I caught her looking into the distance when I was changing my lenses. I was struck by the quiet confidence that she had and I believe that's because of her unwavering faith. She truly is a beautiful young woman inside and out and I feel blessed to call her family.

Just a reminder --

Just a reminder-- go out and explore.  After all, life is an experiment :) 

From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere. 
--Dr. Seuss

Like this quote? I have others on my photoblog too :) 

I did it for them

I hate photos of myself. Like any "normal" American woman, I pick myself apart. My eyes-- they bug out.  My complexion-- hate it. My smile icky--- and if the photo includes my body-- watch out. Why do we do this to ourselves? I've never met a woman that is confident in the way she looks. I try to hide from the camera & if I'm caught in a photo-- I hope and pray that my friend will live by the unsaid FB creed and not post without my approval.

I hide from cameras, but I'm here to tell you I'm trying to change my ways--

It all started a few years ago.  We spoke in the restroom of all places-- she with a touch of morning sickness and me having an emotional moment and taking a break. My mom was newly diagnosed with terminal cancer and only just begun her fight. I was suppose to find out the results from a recent scan & was having issues trying to pull my thoughts together to create an album.  I was procrastinating and was taking pictures of everyone else and their projects.

I got enough courage to ask her a question and she helped me frame up my thoughts.  That question led into another discussion about the importance of making sure I was in front of the camera as well as behind it. I told her that I hated photos of myself, I'm my mother's daughter after all-- I realized that I had to make a concerted effort to get into more photos. I wouldn't be doing it for me; I would be doing it for them. My boys needed to see me in the pictures too.

Months later, I forced myself to hand off my camera to someone else to make sure I was in the picture. I made sure to keep some of the photos of myself with my boys and not delete them. I was doing it for them.. and I'm glad I did.

This past February, my mom's battle with cancer came to an end and I found myself with a very difficult task. I wanted to write an eulogy for my mom, but I just couldn't do it. Instead,  I decided that I would pull a photo collage together and let the photos do the talking.

I sat on the floor for hours and dug through piles of photos of my mom, trying to find the best pictures.  Pulling together a photo collage of my mom was one of the hardest things I had to do. Every single picture of my mom was beautiful. Every single picture had a memory and a story and I was able to point to every picture and tell my boys a story: her story. 

It made me sad that there were not many photos of us together except when we were very young. She always hid from the camera.  I wish I could go back in time and change that, but I can't.   Luckily, I understood Ali's point and I took more photos of my mom and I within the last few years.  She eventually came to realize that my camera and I were connected at the heart and it was love that made me want to take pictures of her all the time. Loving someone so much that you would be able to freeze time and keep the moment forever... That's love.

 I made my mom take pictures with me and the family the last 2 years-- and I have a number of pictures because of it. She did frown a number of times, but she got over it :)  I want my little ones to remember so many things about Grandma and now I have pictures to help with that. I didn't take pics for me or my mom-- I have so many memories in my head and in my heart.  I did it for them.

Just thought I'd share.....

Last week I had a wonderful opportunity to preview an ebook, "How to Shoot Your Kids" by Maggie Keegan Gross. I really enjoyed Maggie's book.  It is concise and written in easy to understand language. She discusses important concepts such as lighting and composition and even includes extra tips to keep in mind when shooting your children. 
My favorite part of her book were her photos (of course). I love Maggie's photos! They are beautiful, light and fun-- the way kid photos should be. She definitely knows what she is writing about.
If you are looking for a non-technical book on how to photograph your children, I would highly recommend it.  You can purchase it here : http://maggiekeegangross.com/shop
 I look forward to her next publication :)