MomShots

My very talented friend, Luann Hawker of Whole Grain Photography did a maternity shoot of me last week. It was really fun and kind of super strange to be on the opposite side of the camera.

I am really glad that I took the chance to do it. Since this is supposed to be my last pregnancy, I now have some great documentation of the experience. Plus, I got to ask any strobist questions that I could think of and see how Luann set up her off camera flashes - something I have zero experience in. It was a really fun day and I now have some great shots to remember this time in my life by.

Thanks so much, Lu!!! I love them!

Here are a few of my favorites:

I think the moral of the story is that if you are pregnant, it is very nice to document this seemingly endless, yet in reality, very short period of your life. It goes fast. Plus, it is so important to have photos of yourself included in your family collection. My family photograph collection is severely lacking in photos of our “momtographer”. Here’s a little effort to remedy that.

During the creation of her U.S. 89 book, I recall Ann Torrance telling a group of us at a PhotoWalking Utah mini-clinic that we should dedicate ourselves to a project. She explained that as photographers we should assign ourselves a project to work on. Submerge and devote yourself to a single project? What could I possibly photograph that would be considered a project? Somehow I knew that taking on a project would help me be a better photographer, but the creativity and ideas were absent. I struggled with ideas for a self-assigned project for more than 8 months.

My photography has never been centered on a specific subject or style. I like photographing landscapes, wildlife, and well, everything! At PhotoCamp Utah 2010, a local photographer named A.J. Rich presented some of his photos and that’s when the inspiring light bulb clicked on over my head. A.J. Rich has a series of photographs titled Imagination. Each of the children in his photos reminds me of my youngest son, Connor.

Our world is full of video games and cartoons that occupy the attention of our kids. The imagination of children isn’t what it was like when I grew up. Connor is different than most kids his age. He loves to dress up and pretend. On the playground at school, all the first graders seek out Connor at recess. He assigns each classmate as a Star Wars character and gives a brief description of their daily adventure. At home, he dresses as Indiana Jones, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Batman. His imagination and energy are endless!

This is where my photography project begins. My self-assigned project is to capture Connor as he plays, pretends and creates stories dressed as his favorite characters. My goal is to capture unique, fun and memorable images of him. The resulting images will tell a story about Connor. These photos will be a reminder of the simple joy of imagination, pretending, and escaping to act in our own adventure.

The first image is titled “Sometimes You Wear Stretchy Pants in Your Room. It’s for Fun.” Nacho Libre is one of Connor’s favorite characters. When he told my wife, “Mom, I need new blue Nacho tights,” we laughed. How many 6-year old boys do you know who make blue tights a serious request?

"Sometimes You Wear Stretchy Pants in Your Room. It's for Fun."

If you have a photo project you’re working on, make sure to leave a comment on MomShots.com. I’d like to see what everyone else is doing. And if you would like to follow the progress of my project this year, check out the Connor’s Adventures gallery at ShaunNelsonPhotography.com.

Do you get the Photojojo email newsletter? I’ve talked about it in the past. Some days I skim over it and delete, other days my imagination is captured. Today was one of those imagination capturing days. Not in an “I’ve got to make that” kind of way like it usually is, but in an “I like looking at pictures of people” kind of way.

The photographer Simon Høgsberg was featured in today’s newsletter. He made a GIANT photo using pictures he took over a period of 20 days. You can see it here. I think it is pretty fun and interesting.

Now I want to grab my camera and take random pictures of strangers.

Or create a project I can be obsessed with and excited about for more than a few days.

Does that sound creepy?

I haven’t written up my thoughts about Photo Camp Utah yet. This morning a talented photographer and blogger, named Gail Vehar wrote up some thoughts that I wanted to share with you. Even if you aren’t interested in Photo Camp Utah, you should read her post. She has wonderful info that applies to everyone who holds a camera.

That’s you!

Shooting Seniors is really hot right now. Check out the great post at I Heart Faces to read their tips. I learned a thing or two!

Obligatory MomShot taken in March of 2009: