Tuesday, July 10, 2012

That perfect moment...

I am often asked by moms if I know how to get their child to look at the camera and smile.  I'm sorry, I don't have that super power!  If I did I would surely use it instead on getting my child to sit still in church or to stop pulling down all the shoes in Stride Rite!  Or, the mother of all wishes, on getting her to behave in the grocery store without the help of food bribes!


I have a toddler myself, and I know that children often have a mind of their own and won't do what you want no matter how much begging!  


So I, as a mom (and teaching helped too!), have developed a different kind of super power: PATIENCE!  I sit and stalk my child, camera in hand, while she is playing like a tiger stalks its prey.  


I take shot after unsuccessful shot; 




some where she is turning her head away, 




in some her eyes are half closed, 




and some shots don't even have her in them as she falls at the last second!


❊ ❊ ❊

And then, when my patience finally pays off and I get the beautiful photograph I had been waiting for, I rejoice and reward myself by hanging it on my wall so smile at forever!






I may not be able to get the perfect posed shot very time, but when I pull out my camera to capture my toddler, I know I will always get the real her.  And that, after all, is what I am after!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

The woman behind the lens...

Random Facts about Yours Truly  ( In case you were curious )
  • I grew up in NJ and now live in MA because my hubby is stationed here with the Coast Guard.
  • I drink WAAAYYY too much coffee on a daily basis...sipping a cup right now :)
  • I love to laugh, and to make others laugh.
  • As a kid I was hooked on Babysitter's Club and New Kids on the Block [even though I try to forget...]
  • I have a 14 month old daughter named Grace who I adore!
  • I was a teacher for 10 years in NJ.
  • I am terrified of all creatures with 6 or 8 legs and once got a student to kill a spider because I was afraid!
  • I am taking my baby girl to Disney World for the first time in November and I am SO EXCITED!
  • I have been married for nearly 5 years, but I never remember the actual date!
  • I am a bit of a perfectionist...kinda drives my husband crazy.
  • I have been taking pictures in some way or another since 1986.  Remember 110 film?!?!
  • I have never left the East Coast but I want to live in CA some day.
  • I am in complete denial that my daughter will EVER be a teenager.
  • I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to talk.  And I love to meet new people.
  • I love to stretch my creativity and try new things.
  • I hope that I can get better and better at photography and use my talent to make people happy :)


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Why Photography?

Although there is a science behind taking good photographs, I am driven by heart to do what I do.  Even before I knew the proper terminology, (exposure, aperture, f-stops, shutter speed, ISO...) I knew what it felt like to have a photo just blow me away.  From the time I was old enough to hold a camera I have wanted to record moments in time so that I could put them in my pocket and revisit them again and again.  Back in the days of film I would take my rolls into Rite Aid, fill out the white and blue envelope with the funny gummy glue at the top, check the little box for doubles so I could share them with a friend, and eagerly anticipate the moment when they were done being developed.  Then, as soon as I'd pay, before even walking out the automatic doors, I was shuffling through my photos laughing and remembering.  Of course at that time I didn't know anything about photography except how it made me feel to hold a moment in my hand.


If that was the way my journey into photography began, it's only natural that having a child would lead me even more into a desire to record memories.  But with the birth of my daughter, my photography has developed into an art.  There is no more beautiful canvas to me than my daughter's sweet face.  And when I take a photo that I deem AMAZING, like the one above, it is usually because it records something special about her personality.  And to be amazing, a photo has to draw me in to the point where I don't want to look away.


❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉    

So if I know how photography makes me feel, and I have the knowledge and the equipment required to take memorable photos, it makes me want to give this feeling to others.  After a recent photo shoot on the beach, a Lightning Session which lasted only 20 minutes, a mom of an adorable little boy contacted me and thanked me for giving her such a gift.  I hadn't thought of it that way until she put it into those words.  But THAT is why I am doing this.  I am not taking photos to make money, to become famous, to compete in the professional photography world....  I am taking photos so that I can help people freeze their own moments in time, hold them in their pockets, and keep them always.  And in the process I am allowed a glimpse into their hearts as well.