Monthly Archives: July 2014

This past weekend I was second shooting a wedding with Andi Grant from Andi and Zoe and while we were shooting together we started talking about the technical side to photography.  A pretty obvious conversation for someone to have with another photographer, right?!

This conversation was completely different though.  Andi’s middle daughter was married last year and her eldest daughter is about to be married this summer, so we were speaking about our own personal experiences!  Long story short (because it was a beautiful and long conversation) we started talking about how it’s not really always about the technical side!  It’s really all about the moment we capture.  Something that I believe to my core~

She spoke about this one special picture she has from her daughter’s wedding.  It was at the end of the night and everyone was squeezed in together!  On the technical side of things it’s not amazingly perfect (what shot ever is?!) but on the emotional and personal side, it’s more than she could have ever wanted!  It’s her favorite image of the entire day!

I find myself sometimes wanting to be completely perfect technically!  I want all my images to be tack sharp with beautiful light!  I want the image to be creamy and well exposed and have some contrast!  I want it to be visually appealing and I want the framing to be just spot on!

I also know that life does not happen that way!  What we might dream up in our minds as the perfect image, the perfect scene, the perfect styled session, or even the perfect event can turn out to be something wonderfully unexpected!  Life might happen and change things around a bit, as it often does, and lead you in a completely different direction;  a better direction!

It easy to get lost in the technical sometimes but every now and then we need to just take a step back and remember it’s the moments that count.  It’s the way those moments create connections with others and capture connections with others that make an image worth something.

Perfection, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder!

Here are some of my most favorite images that aren’t technically perfect.  They might be too grainy because my ISO was too high at the time.  The shutter speed might not have been fast enough to capture all the action, or they just might not be very sharp.  They are still my most favorite images and are printed and framed in my house despite those simple, tiny details above.

I love them because they are truly who we are as a family and that one moment was too beautiful to miss!  I remember this whenever I find that I’m a little to hard on myself after a session.  I remember why I love my own images of my family and how I don’t see the technical so much in those images.  I see all that we have been and all that we will be and all the love we share!

Linc seeing his first snow (that he could actually play in and talk about!)

Bath time moments where it can be so insanely crazy or extremely quiet and focused!

Peek a boo ears in his little Thanksgiving outfit!

So tiny and so snuggly!

My two best boys!

Next time you find yourself shooting, take a second to relax and realize it’s all about the moments and not all about perfection!

 

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Sometimes all is takes to keep in your bag of tricks is to have a little bit of  a ” let’s just do it!” kind of attitude!  A not worry about tears/tantrums kind of attitude!  A not worry about what might get wet or messy or dirty kind of mind set!  A care free ,have fun in the rain kind of burst of energy!

H came over to play for a brief little moment yesterday and of course as soon as she and Angie arrived, the storms and rain pounded down on us no sooner than they stepped foot in the doorway!  It was really scary actually but the little ones handled it really well!  (If you read my post just before this one, you now know that I was the most scared of all)!

In a brief lull of the thunder and lighting, we looked outside and realized that our street had flooded and Angie had a brilliant idea! It was completely spur of the moment and those always turn out to be the best moments.

Angie is creating an alphabet book for H and she has been waiting for the right time to get her U is for Umbrella!  The umbrella happened to be in the car (coincidence, I think not!)I think it was totally meant to be!  Angie ran out, grabbed her umbrella and without hesitation we all darted outside in the rain and the storm to jump in some puddles.  H had never played in a giant puddle like this before so Angie really didn’t know what her reaction would be, but throwing caution to the wind she let her fun playful side win out over worrying about wet clothes and tears and H had a BLAST!  She only cried when we had to take her inside!

After and the best part was when we put H in some of Linc’s clothes for her drive home to Williamsburg!  It was so funny seeing this beautiful little girl in Linc’s super boy clothes but her pink boy totally made it all up!  You could put H in a paper bag and she would still look adorable!

Here are few snap shots for U is for Umbrella:

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I was the Fire Chief’s daughter… so there are certain things about me you should probably know!  Reasons why this blog post will be so short and why you won’t see me brave the weather some days!

  • I am terrified of fire works!  When I was little, I would sit at the boardwalk with my family with my hands over my ears screaming.  Back then it was probably because of the noise, let’s go with that.  Today… I sit in my bed with the covers over me because I’m terrified one of the neighbors will accidentally light my house on fire!
  • I am also slightly afraid of sparklers!  Don’t ask me to hold one!  I can take pictures of sparklers, I can stand near them, maybe even pass them out… just don’t ask me to hold one during your exit!
  • I usually know where every single exit is in a building!  Every Single Exit… and I know how to reach them in a calm and polite manner.  Just ask me about my first day in the dorms in college!!! Just ask…
  • Camp Fires:  My seat is just a hair farther back than any of yours
  • lightning storms:  Every appliance in my house is unplugged from the toaster to the washer and dryer if I can manage it.  I don’t like them.  I sometimes scream and yelp!  I might need someone to cuddle with even.  And heaven forbid I have to drive in it!

So because of this (because it’s storming here in VB as I sit and try to blog this) I’m signing out and resigning to the fact that sometimes your blog posts have to be about the real life stuff.  So this is me… scared of thunder and lightning!  This is me, unplugging my computer!  This is me saying it’s OK to have a losing blog day if it means our house doesn’t get struck!

Oh and by the way… if my son is sticky, his hair is a crazy mess of bed head and he smells like a boy tomorrow it’s because we also don’t run the bath or the shower during lightning!  That’s crazy talk and you could totally get struck!

I know I’m crazy… but hey, at least I’m a safe and lovable crazy!

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