Go Vertical!

Are you still with me?  My life has gotten a bit chaotic in the last couple of weeks... okay, month.  Between trekking my preschooler to and from school every day and a teething toddler, it's been tough to even find time to pick up my house!  With Gretchen being on vacation, I haven't had any more "lessons" (not that I really had the time anyway).  But, rest assured, we are both back in action!   

So!  On with my apprenticeship and my tips to you as I learn the ins and outs of composing a great photograph! 

A little about me:  I am a person of routine.  I like predictability.  I like to know what I should expect and when I should expect it.  I don’t like surprises and I am generally not spontaneous.  I like to have a plan so that I know what sort of results I will get.  

But, life is not predictable.  Life is spontaneous.  Wild.  Uncertain.  And often times, I am forced out of the norm.  I must “think outside the box.”  This is good.  This is healthy.  I will admit that even if I am hesitant about making a change, it feels good to let go and be different.

Rule #4… Go vertical. Make a conscious effort to turn your camera to the vertical (or portrait) orientation occasionally. 

I LOVE horizontal photos, especially if it’s a close-up of a sweet child’s face, but, your photographs will be more interesting to look at when the orientation is switched up a bit.  And besides, there is no way that you can get your one-year old on his birthday holding his balloons without turning your camera on its side!

~sarah

 Madeleine and Alex playing while at the Como Park Conservatory.

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Walker Family

I have been photographing this family for over 5 years and they are near and dear to my heart. I admire their strong family connection and I love to capture it in their photographs. I use them as my guinea pigs for photo ideas and they are great sports about it all. We got together earlier this week to take some one year photos of Madeleine at Mill City Museum and had a fantastic time playing, chatting, and shooting. Thanks to Sarah and Alex for being wonderful friends and stellar parents!
Gretchen

    

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Happy Valentine's Day!

We love photographing babies, kids.... and all the people responsible for creating those little beauties, taking care of them (i.e. devoting every waking moment to their every need), and delivering them to us to photograph. As parents, none of us get enough recognition for all we do, nor do we get enough (if any) time to celebrate our own relationships with each other. I hope you are able to take a few moments with or without the kiddos today to enjoy each other's company.

Happy Valentine's to all the hardworking parents out there!
~Gretchen and Sarah

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Ahhhh....Vacation!

For my family, January is the perfect time for a vacation. Business slows down for my husband, the holiday season is winding down, and we're all in much-need of some sunny weather and the fresh air of the outdoors. This year, we found ourselves in Florida (the Fort Myers area to be exact). Honestly, we had no clue what we were going to do there. We had done little reading or research on the area before boarding the plane, but it turned out to be a wonderful trip. We went to nature centers, zoos, beaches, islands, museums, and cheesy tourist attractions, but the best part of the trip was just being away from the distractions of home and being able to focus on my family.

Vacation allows us to reconnect and play with our families, to remember all the things that we love about each other and let go of the little things that annoy us about each other. It allows (almost forces) us to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak. And, if we're lucky, we're able to carry that vacation feeling home with us and hold onto it for awhile.

Everyone needs a vacation. It does a family good.

Gretchen

 

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Keep It Simple

It’s so easy to get distracted these days.  Cell phones, smart phones, iPads… at any point during the day (or night) we are in arms reach of endless information.  Yet, how many of us actually use the spare time we have to do something meaningful or important on these electronics?  I, like so many others, sit and peruse… blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest…  viewing a lot, but not actually taking in any significant or substantial information.  Half the time I forget what it was I needed when I sat down at my computer, usually the recipe for dinner.

Rule #3… Simplify.  Distracting backgrounds and other busy elements can take attention away from your primary subject of your photograph.

Consider what is behind or on either side of your subject before you hit the shutter.  Wait for the runner in neon yellow to get out of your frame.  Move your mom to the left a little to avoid a photograph that looks like a tree is growing out of her head.  Rotate your family 180 degrees and photograph in front of a brick wall rather than the tangle of waterslides at that awesome hotel.

Taking the time to be thoughtful about your surroundings will help keep the focus on your subject.  

~sarah

 Madeleine enjoying a warm January afternoon

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Amongst the Chaos

I feel like a lot of my daily focus is split between busy work...  laundry, dishes, cleaning, working, feeding children, etc.  I am in a constant state of motion, until I hear a little giggle.  It’s then, when I look up and see my daughter making faces at herself in the mirror, that my mom-mode stops and I relish and beam with happiness at her silliness.  It makes me stop and ask myself, “What is really important at this exact moment?  Getting the entire house clean or spending a few moments laughing with my daughter as she contorts her facial muscles into hilarious expressions?”

Rule #2… Focus.  Don’t try to capture everything at once. Choose one main subject, person, or event for your photograph. 

Take a moment to think about what it is that you want to achieve with your photograph.  What is important to capture from that camping trip, that birthday party, that trip to the State Fair?  Do you want to see all the Midway games?  Or would you like to see the expression of your child’s face after getting off of the carousel?

By focusing on one subject and filling the frame, you will be able to really see the detail of the day and feel the emotion it evoked. 

~sarah

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Fill 'er Up!

Although I have a natural eye for photography, I have been gradually learning how to take photographs with the Christmas gift I gave myself, a new SLR Nikon camera, beyond the “Auto” mode setting.  Gretchen has been helping me learn the mechanics of a well exposed and well composed photograph.  

As I learn and perfect these “rules,” I would like to share this knowledge and my progress with all of you.

So, rule #1.  Fill the frame.  

Don’t be shy… move in close to your subject and get personal.  

Of course, someday you will want to look back and reminisce about Grandpa’s old rocker or the color of Mom’s walls before she remodeled the kitchen.  These wide, all-encompassing, setting photographs are nice to set the scene, but the photographs you will treasure the most, are the ones that capture emotion.  

It’s the moment when my child’s eyes sparkle with joy when her daddy makes her laugh, or the sweet, coy expression she flashes when a camera is turned in her direction, that I want to remember.

~sarah

 Grace at Como Park 

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