MomShots

Seriously, what is my problem?!?

I’ve got all these ideas for posts but I can’t seem to get my act together and actually write them! I want to discuss learning to shoot in Manual Mode, Distracting Backgrounds, and a nifty little tip I just learned about how to make your portraits have a blurred background when you shoot with a point and shoot camera.

Good stuff, huh?

So why can’t I get it together?!?

Well in the mean time, I want to leave you with some Senior portrait shots I took of my niece. The thing I really enjoyed was that she just started posing and having a fun time. I didn’t have to do a lot of directing and telling her what to do. She had some great ideas and we just wandered all over my grandma’s property, in North Idaho, taking shots. It was really fun.

As I was editing them I really noticed that I wasn’t entirely aware of the shadows that would fall on her face. There were a handful of shots where she had dark shadows under her eyes. I think it ruined a few shots that could have been pretty good.

MomShot Tip: Watch where the sun is putting shadows on your subject.

Besides the granular “noise” in this shot, I think the shadows really ruined a nice smiling picture.

These I think are better. We changed direction and just had fun.

I like the crop on this one and think it looks good in Black and White. It is kind of a “Here I Come World” pose. It makes me happy.

I really like the off-kilter angle of this shot. It adds a fun element to her portrait. I wish I had done more at an angle. It’s funny, I used to shoot a ton of angled shots but have kind of gotten out of the habit of that. I need to do that more often!

This one has some shadows but I don’t mind them. I guess if I were more of a perfectionist/professional there is no way this would have made the cut, but I’m not and I like it!

How could you not love this one? You can almost hear her laughing. I love the shy, downward glance. I also like it in Black and White. It just adds something nice.

I think I’m really into these shots where her face is on the side of the frame. I think it’s a phase I’m going through. The shadows aren’t too dark here either and I like that it gives her a sun kissed kind of look.

This one is one of my favorites. It’s not a typical portrait because you can’t really see her face but I love it. She’s sitting in this beautiful green hammock and looking back over her shoulder. It kind of captures the weekend at my grandma’s house. Maybe that’s why I love it.

Well, there were many more but these few are some of my top favorites. I didn’t do a whole lot of intense editing to them so they might have that unfinished look that professional photographers usually have. I’m not sure, but I’m kind of against a lot of editing right now. I think it is part of my quest to be a better photographer. I am not saying No to all editing, I just wanted a more real look.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these. I sure had fun taking them and wish I could have had more time to take a bunch more. Hopefully this week I can get it together and put together one of these posts I have been mulling around in my brain.

Thanks for the great photos for the messed up background post. I’m really excited to write that one!