Maine Photography Show

Last night I attended the opening reception for the Maine Photography Show. It's a wonderful exhibit, filled with so many beautiful photographs! I was thrilled to find out that one of my photos received a First Place prize. The win was especially sweet because the image was one of my Lensbaby flower photos. Having one of the images that makes my heart sing recognized made for a very special evening!

Happy Shooting,
Kathleen

Photographing Newborns

My first granddaughter was born a little over a week ago, we are thrilled to welcome Haylie to our family, where girls are a rarity! I am having a ball photographing her, but it is a challenge, so I thought I'd share some newborn baby photography tips with you along with my favorites from our first photo session.

The best time to photograph infants is during the first few weeks of life. They are quite sleepy and pliable then, and you can pose them in the cutest positions! The newborn stage passes quickly, babies change rapidly in the first few weeks.

Be sure the room you will be shooting in is very warm, little ones get chilled easily! Babies with full bellies are relaxed babies, so shooting shortly after a feeding will makes things easier. A warm baby with a full tummy is a happy baby!

Find a location with plenty of natural light.  It's soft and even, and perfect for photographing tiny babies. If you need to add light, use a soft gold reflector. Don't use flash, it is too harsh and firing the flash will disturb that sleeping baby.

I like to place the baby on a large pillow, or on a beanbag. I have a prop collection of blankets in soft neutral colors with great textures, and some fun hats to add a splash of color. I have found some wonderful handmade hats on Etsy.com, as well as other props such as angel wings and even a tutu! I'm waiting for Haylie to get a bit bigger before I add the tutu!

I like to use my 50mm f/1.4 lens for photographing tiny babies. I shoot pretty wide in regards to aperture, focusing on the eyes and letting the rest of the image fade to soft blur. I also use my Lensbaby lenses, especially with the soft focus optic.

Keep your compositions simple. Be sure to watch your backgrounds, if there are distractions, change your point of view to eliminate them, or substitute a different background. I used my diffuser as a background here.

Shoot lots and be patient! Compose your photo, and then wait for changes in expression and those wonderful sleepy smiles.  My granddaughter wasn't very sleepy when I did her first session last week, but it was wonderful to catch some shots of her with her eyes open! She also had a mind of her own about some of the poses, so I went with what she was comfortable with.

Take your time, be flexible. You may need to stop shooting while baby has a little snack or a diaper change.

If Mom and dad are willing to pose, get some shots of them with the baby, they will treasure those images in the years to come!

Try converting some of your images to black and white for a classic look. I use Nik's Silver Efex Pro for my conversions, so simple to use and I love the results (you can save 15% at Nik with my student discount code, kclemons).

I cannot wait for Haylie's next session! :)

Happy shooting,

Kathleen

Seasons of Change

As I write this, Spring has sprung on the coast of Maine. The last of the snow is melting, small sprouts of green are pushing through the wet soil in my gardens, and the songs of the returning birds fill the air. I don't do as much shooting in the winter, so the anticipation of getting back to my daily shooting routine makes me very happy!

I am looking forward to new subjects, new locations, and also some that I shoot every year. The challenge becomes photographing those things and places in new ways, and it is a challenge I welcome.

If you have a favorite shooting location, try shooting it at every season, the changes are wonderful!  I have a road near my house that I shoot often. I love seeing the seasonal changes, as well as the changes that occur at different times of day, and in differing weather conditions.

So, get out there and shoot, that's where I'm heading!

Happy Spring!
Kathleen

A New Lensbaby Optic!

I started beta testing a new Lensbaby Optic a few days after Christmas, and from the moment I started using it, I was hooked! It's been so hard to keep it a secret! The Sweet 35 optic is the first optic Lensbaby has created with an internal, adjustable aperture system and it's amazing!  All you need to do is rotate the dial on the front of the optic to change the aperture from f/2.5 through f/22.  You can easily see the size of your sweet spot of focus change right through the lens, no more changing magnetic aperture disks!  This is wonderful for fine tuning the sweet spot of focus, and getting just the right amount of blur in your photos. I like to work my subjects, so being able to shoot with different apertures so effortlessly is definitely an improvement in my workflow.

Though this optic isn't compatible with the Macro Kit (my favorite Lensbaby accessory), I found that I could get quite close to my subjects, about 7 inches away with my Composer lens and as little as 3-4 inches away with my Muse.  The 35mm focal length is also a change, and I found the wider view quite versatile for lots of different subjects. The optic is also compatible with the Lensbaby Scout and Control Freak models.

Here are some of the test images I made with the Muse:

Just when I think I couldn't love my Lensbabies more, they come out with something even better. I can definitely recommend adding this optic to your Lensbaby gear!


Happy Shooting,
Kathleen

Previsualization

There are times I can previsualize a final image long before I click the shutter. I see the image in my mind, and just need to find the right moment to make the image. Such was the case with the photo above.  This is a window in Harpswell's Old Meeting House (1757),  a building I pass by every time I go into town. Just before Christmas each year and for several weeks afterwards, electric candles shine in the building's windows, and since the building is unheated, there is often frost decorating the windows as well. For the last three winters I have been trying to make this photo, and it just didn't happen. Either there was no frost, the candles weren't on, or I didn't have my camera with me when I went by. But, last week my friend Zoe and I were on our way home from a shoot when we passed by the building. The candles were on, there was frost lace on the windows, snow on the sills, and the sun was going down. We stopped in and started shooting, and about 10 minutes later the caretaker came by to shovel the entrance so that he could go in and turn the candles off for the season! Talk about timing! He was kind enough to bring us inside and gave us a history lesson about the building too. Here is a shot of the inside, as well as some variations of the window shot- I always work my subjects!

The moral of this story? When you see an image in your head, shoot it! Don't wait for "the next time", seize the moment and make your photos. I am glad I did! :)

Happy Shooting!
Kathleen

Favorites

Happy New Year!

I have been looking through my photographs from 2010 and trying to choose my favorite ten images. An interesting process, as I love many of the images for different reasons. Some I love because they make my heart sing, some because they are signs of new directions in my work, some because they were challenging to shoot, and others because they have personal value to me....  So, I am not necessarily choosing what others may see as my "best" work, but here are 10 images from last year that qualify as favorites for me, in no particular order...

 I am going to try and post more in 2011, now it's in print so I'll need to keep my promise. :)

Happy Shooting!
Kathleen

Textures!

I have recently been experimenting with adding texture layers to photos, and I am finding the different looks I can create quite interesting. This can be done with images of texture that you have photographed yourself, or you can purchase them thru many online sites, and even download freebies from Flikr.

The textures I prefer to use are "Dirty Pictures" from Totally Rad (http://www.gettotallyrad.com).  The interface is incredibly easy, just a few clicks and I have an assortment of 21 texture choices added to my image, viewable in a thumbnail collection. I can scroll thru the samples and choose the one that best suits my vision. I can then customize the image to my liking, tweaking opacity, blending mode, etc. I downloaded the software, tried it on one image, and was hooked--- I sent Totally Rad a fan letter right away! The texture is added as a separate layer, so I can set up layer masks to control or remove the effect in certain areas if I choose to.

 I am working on a collection of  my own texture photos, (rust, peeling paint, moss, tree bark...) which I can add to the software. How cool is that? The software can also be personalized with my choices in defaults, favorites, previews... If you are looking for a simple way to add texture layers to your photos, you really need to try this. The wonderful people at Totally Rad have given me a 15% discount code to share with you, just use ppsop when ordering.

I love the way textures can add interest to photos, giving them a different mood and feel. Here are some before and after images:

Happy Shooting!

Kathleen