Learning Photography
June 17, 2009
Learning photography is about more than taking pictures. It is learning how to take good pictures and what to do with them once you have them. In this day and age, just about everyone has access to a digital camera, but far fewer people know how to use them. One of the secrets is discovering when you can treat a digital camera like its film predecessor and when you can’t.
Being a life time user of film, I needed a course on digital photography to help me make the switch. It not only taught me what I needed to know, it showed me what I was missing. I had started my digital switch by buying a camera and taking pictures on auto mode. If I only took the occasional still life photo I probably would have been satisfied with that. But I’m a mom of a very active ten month old so I quickly realized that I was failing to capture quick movements and elusive smiles.
With my film camera I wouldn’t dream of photographing a moving child indoors with anything less than a 400 speed film. I started poking through the menu in the camera in an attempt to alter the shutter speed when I found two things that helped me immensely. The digital camera had a list of ISO speed options that carried over from film to denote the light sensitivity of the digital setting. I was back in familiar territory and it felt good.
The second feature I discovered was that my camera could be set to fire in bursts of three. The likelihood of missing something dropped dramatically. Catching a memory perfectly has always been very important to me. The lessons I’ve been learning in my photography course have shown me that a slightly imperfect picture is not the end of the world. In fact, it can be perfect or better with a few minutes manipulation in a Photoshop program.
Whether you are trying to find a camera, operate a camera, or work with the pictures you have already taken there is a photo course for you. Learning photography at any stage is essential to catching and preserving memories of those you love. Don’t miss one more shot of that lightening quick little one. Find the course that matches your needs today.
Amateur Child Photographer
Christy
Expressions
June 16, 2009
With the heat climbing as we dive headlong into summer, my husband and I decided to take our son, Aiden, swimming. Aiden’s favorite time every day is when the bath water starts running, so we thought that his first time in a pool would be even more exciting for him. We were very wrong.
After Aiden and I got suited up I handed him off to my husband so I could operate my video camera with my right hand and my still camera with my left. Anticipating happy splashes and excited squeals, I was poised and ready as they walked down into the water. So, I quickly had several shots, and video footage of apprehension that quickly funneled into tears.
I ditched the cameras and went into the water to console my little boy, but it didn’t help much. We got out, got back in, and switched between parents, but Aiden wanted nothing to do with the pool that we had just bought a summer membership to. Whether the pool was daunting in size or just too cool for Aiden’s taste, it wasn’t long before we decided to try again another day. After ten minutes or so, we were on our way back home.
I sighed and flipped through the pictures on the camera, expecting disappointment. Again, I was wrong. I got the most adorable photo of my son. His lip was pouted out and there was a tear creeping out the corner of his eye. It was so expressive and precious that I printed and framed it the next day. It is nestled snuggly amongst many others, the many faces of my little boy.
Like most people I tend to display the happy smiles that I capture. I hadn’t realized that I was missing out on the rest of the emotional spectrum. It’s hard to remember to grab your camera when you are trying to avert a tantrum or soothe a startled little one. Of course, those are the priorities, but if you happen to get some shots off that capture some of your children’s other emotions, consider them for display. A smile isn’t the only thing that makes a good picture, capturing the truth of the moment is also a photo worthy accomplishment.
Christy
The Real Fun
June 15, 2009
I absolutely love to bake. I have a collection of fun shaped cake pans that just thrill me when I can put them to use. My son is little too young to help me but my niece and nephew are just the right age to have a blast at it.
On their last visit Dylan and Madie joined me in baking a strawberry castle cake and subsequently destroying my kitchen. We all had grand fun. Every pot, pan, measuring cup and box of cereal I owned was on my kitchen floor. The three of us were covered in flour and sugar and it was picture perfect.
Granted the baking process goes a lot quicker when one isn’t trying to photograph it, but a little extra time is well worth it for the memories that are captured. The two looked like Keebler elves, standing on stools in shortened aprons and stirring like it was the only thing in the world.
When there was nothing else needed to finish the cake they started to play hide and seek in the cabinets. They pressed their noses against the oven window every minute or so to check if the cake was done. Then they pretended to bake some more with play doh and whatever kitchen utensils that hadn’t yet made it to the sink.
I ended up with dozens of fantastic pictures of my little chefs. I even had one printed on an apron for them to give their father for his birthday. A little mess can be a lot of fun. They are coming to visit again next week and Dylan has already called me three times with his plans to bake cakes. He wants another castle, a snake and a worm. Being a good big brother he also asked if Madie could make a strawberry shortcake flower.
Sometimes the photos are the lasting impressions, and sometimes it’s the actual memory. If a three year old can have enough fun that he remembers it six months later I am just happy to be a part of it.
Christy
Let The Games Begin
June 12, 2009
This weekend my husband had his friends over for a gaming sleepover. They are all just shy of thirty years old, but at least four times a year they get together and act as if they are barely teenagers. Our home happens to be in the middle of everyone else’s and my husband has the majority of the video games so they always come here. The junk food comes out, the games start up, and they stay up into the wee hours of the night without a care in the world.
I slipped in and took pictures every couple of hours, catching childish expressions of glee as one would win a game or score on another. My nine month old son even got in on the excitement, clapping and squealing wildly, especially when his father was happily winning. I took even more pictures of those precious father-son moments. My son has many of his father’s features so it was like he had his own mini self on his lap.
The whole weekend was filled with good times that deserve to be remembered long after these men can no longer find the time to get together. When the child inside takes over is when the best pictures are there for the taking. Childhood is only carefree for so long. Every moment of that time should be captured in memory, because that is what builds who you are when those times are gone.
If you can recapture that happiness for a day or two, squeeze every memory you can out of it. Whether you are catching happy childhood moments of a child or an adult, they are both to be seized and treasured. Make some time to recapture your youth, if only for a few moments. Your happiness matters, it affects everything around you and it is reenergizing, like a child on a summer day.
Christy H.
Family Nest
June 11, 2009
Yesterday while I had my son, Aiden, outside to watch my husband mow the lawn, we found a bird’s nest in the garden. I excitedly pointed it out to my little one. The eggs in it were huge by wild bird standards, at least as big as the chicken eggs in my fridge. We looked around for the mother bird, but she was out to lunch. In fact, I still don’t know what kind of bird they belong to, but Aiden and I peek out the kitchen window every hour or so trying and catch an identifying glimpse.
My memory fired into high gear as I remembered a bird’s nest my mother found for my brother and I when we were little more than knee high. She would never let us touch it, of course, but first we got to see the eggs, then the baby birds grow each day. By the time the birds had flown the nest, my brother and I had names for each of them and my mother had incorporated them into our bedtime stories. Being the wonderful mother that she is she made us each a photo album of the birds growing up, a few with us in the corner of the frame peeking into the nest.
I took the opportunity to start the same thing for Aiden. He is only nine months old, but he still gets very excited as we peer over the rock wall at the eggs. It may not mean much more than a momentary entertainment now, but in a year or two he will be able to look at the birds growing up and know that was a part of his life. In fact, when I visit my parents again I’m going to get my old album from under my bed so that he can see that his mom had her own nest to watch when she was little too.
Do you have any family rituals or photos that need a new generation? Not only is it a fun way to keep up with traditions, it provides memories for those following in our footsteps. Retake some photos, even if it is decades later, and put them side by side. The important things in life carry through to those who follow.
Christy, Aspiring Child Photographer
