MomShots

I have been thinking about a basic concept of photography. The concept is that we are taking photographs of light, not necessarily of objects. This makes sense when you think about basic biology of the eye and how we see; we are not actually seeing an object but the light reflected off of an object. I know, it sounds crazy, huh?

So when I use my camera to capture the light that is bouncing off of my kids, I need to think about HOW it is bouncing off of them. Where is the light source? Is it bright? Is it muted? Where does the light bounce off of their face? Are there any body parts that are hidden in shadows?

If you take a look at any clothing catalog or magazine, you will see a ton of photographs where the subject has no visible shadows. Now if you look at your stash of Momshots, if you’re anything like me, you’ll have a whole bunch that have shadows all over the place. Shadows in the eyes, around the nose, mottled leaf shadows, you name it.

I think that people who have had some artistic training may be more used to looking at the shadows and light areas of what they are photographing. I think learning to look at the light is a trait that most artists use. It is a trait that I must learn how to use if I want to progress.

You can see, on the Momshot above, that there are shadows all over the place. My son’s nose is in the sun, his eyes are in the dark and there are crazy shadows all over his jeans. It is really distracting. My eyes can’t focus on his cute face, they dart all over the photo. That’s part of the problem with harsh shadows.

This Momshot is a lot better. In fact, I really like the bits of sunlight that are on the edge of his arm and in his hair. I think having his face in the large shadow and not in little shadows, helps my eyes to look at his face better.

As I look at this photos, i realize this would have been a great opportunity to practice using my flash to fill in the shadows.

I take a lot of photos in the mid afternoon. Everyone I talk to and everywhere I read says that this is the worst time of day to take pictures. The sun is bright over head and this creates harsh shadows, as you can see on my Momshots here. The problem is that this seems to be the best time of the day to go outside and play. It is after naps and everyone is feeling happy and can usually tolerate mom chasing them around with a camera.

So what are you gonna do? I guess that’s where you have to learn how to really watch the light and shadows. Be ready to snap a Momshot when your child runs into the shade of the house. You can also try using your flash to fill in any shadows caused by harsh sun. I think I am going to try this tomorrow afternoon on my daily “Chase the Kids with the Camera Time.”

You can see in the Momshot below that I took it when my son was sitting in the shade. He does not have any harsh shadows on his face. You can kind of see that there is a light source to the right of the pictures, but it is muted. The light source is just the sun, but it is hidden behind part of the train engine that Mag is sitting on.

I just wanted to share some of my thoughts about using the light better. I have so much to learn in this area. I have just become aware of looking for the light. It is a skill that I really want to develop. It is a huge basic concept that, I believe, can transform anyone’s photography. This is a concept that needs to be understood no matter what kind of camera you use. It translates into all sorts of areas of photography.

I am trying to make it a habit to look for the light so I try to remind myself to look for light and shadows on every object I see. The toaster, the ottoman, my purse, the cat… You name it and there is light bouncing off and shadows playing around. I have to teach myself to see them.

I would like to issue a challenge to you, to start paying more attention to the light on objects and especially on the children as you take your Momshots.