Less About Gear, More About The Moment

Sealed With A Kiss, a photo by C.Duncan's Photography on Flickr.

Someone made a comment a while back that made me cringe. If you take photography seriously, you've probably heard it at some point as well, and it's made you even second guess your skills at times. The comment went like this, "Oh, you should see Christine's photography, it's wonderful. Of course, that's because she has such a nice camera.....!"

Comments like this make it to blogs as a topic of debate all the time, because there's nothing further from the truth and yet, the public seems to think that if we spend enough money, or buy big enough gear, we'll take better photographs than most. I'm not going to rehash this old myth in regards to how camera choice is or isn't a huge factor but I will say I don't have the latest, biggest gear... all I have is continual practice with the gear I have, and the ability to anticipate a worthwhile moment like in the photo above. I have worked tirelessly to hone the ability to compose in an instant and expose for the scene while watching for the sweetest moment possible to press the shutter... all at the same time. And I started out doing it with a point and shoot. It's so over-said by now, but we never say of an artist who creates a great body of work... "wow, he obviously uses the best brushes on the market because nobody paints like that!" Or after being at a restaurant... "hey, anybody would be able to cook like that if we all had a stove that fancy...!" Cause, no matter how nice a stove you give me, I'll never be able to make dinner like Gordon Ramsay... it's the person, not the gear.

For the image above, all I had was my trusty, out-dated but perfectly usable Nikon D80 with it's sturdy little telephoto... and 6 years worth of mistakes and victories, trial and error, till I found my groove, and the perfect moment to press the shutter. And I'm still learning. I'll never stop.

I hope that this is what is more evident to those who look carefully at my body of work. For anyone who works hard at what they love, in fact!

Thanks for the ramble, and have a great week. And tell your local artists this week how much you love how hard they work! They'll truly appreciate it, more than you know.

No More "Stealth" Candids! ~Wide Angle Wednesday

"Waiting Game"

Another image of my crazy and beautiful dog Rally. And they really can be few and far between because she avoids the camera like the plague. Actually slinks away if she thinks I'm going to aim it at her. She's really tested my skill at "stealth" candids. You know, when you have to pretend you're innocently taking pictures of something like your laundry instead, from the other side of the room, whilst and at the same time, humming the Mission Impossible theme song, then suddenly swinging the camera over at her and shouting "got you!!!" Meanwhile all you get is a blur of one ear and a tail while she runs from the room. And a very detailed study of your wrinkled laundry.

I'm not fond of "stealth" candids. You might get good light. You might not. You might get a great expression. But you might not. You might have a decent composition.... well, you get the picture. So it's time to photograph smarter. The one thing Rally cannot be distracted from is activity outside the house. She will sit at a window and watch for her despised enemy the squirrel, for ages without blinking. Or birds. Or ants. Or microscopic dust particles on the wind. Tiny atoms floating by. Just look at that concentration, people!

The approach became so easy. Sit with my camera by the window, wait for her to take up her post (which wasn't long because the border collie in her wants to go where you go) and then take my time composing the shot. The window light (what am I always saying about getting window light?) was perfect, no flash needed, it gave some slight rim light around her profile, made her eyes pop and wham! One portrait of her beautiful face while she sat absolutely still. And the whole composition tells you a story of sorts. She's watching for something, she's longing to go outside, she thinking deep thoughts about those floating molecules mentioned earlier... well, again, you get the picture.

So, having trouble photographing your best furry friend? Find the one thing they do well, or stay put for. Find a way to do it near some great light as well. Use your most flexible lens in that situation. And you'll be able to avoid those "stealth" candids once and for all.

Thanks for the ramble, have an awesome day friends!

Beyond The Formal ~ Mono Monday

"Working With A Pro"



Today I thought I'd discuss something I hear frequently from other photographers. And I would be in the same boat as them when they say, "My family just HATES having their photos taken!" It's that whole "set up the seamless, point the big intimidating lights" feeling, or even just the deer in the headlights look everyone gets after dad yells "hey everyone, look over here and say cheese!"

I had to work hard around this the other day for a personal project I'm beginning, and wanted to ensure that my family wouldn't run screaming from the camera or look stiff and uncomfortable once they stepped into a shot. So here's some tips on what I did to get the moment above of father and son looking relaxed and having fun without it looking staged.

The Most Comfortable Place

When is your spouse, child, or subject most in their element? The place or spot that they're the most involved in, most proud of, most comfortable in. For my husband (and it's a tie between the him and the dog for who hates the camera most) that's his workshop. All his tools familiar to him where there, on-going projects he's excited about are there, and he proudly renovated it himself. It is the quintessential comfortable space for him. So the first thing we did was hang out in the workshop.

Find That Light

I don't mean that "inner" light either... that's later. I mean now that we were out in the workshop to photograph the father and son moment I wanted, I took a real hard look at this familiar space and had to decide where the good light was. Workshops are notoriously dusty, or have industrial type lighting everywhere. We tried opening up the big door, with all the lights on but in the end the only good light, very soft and full, was coming in a window from the south west. The windows are covered in an opaque white film for privacy and were the perfect foil for the late afternoon sun. So I backed up into the corner and had them stay in front of the window to work on their project together. If you look closely you can see the back of my husbands head still has definition in the shadows... that's from the big door we kept open for added light. That's using the ol' noodle eh???

Use The Best Gear

I could have fooled around with my flash, my reflector or additional lights, and my different lenses. However, all of those things are time consuming, and start to make your subject feel more self conscious as time goes on. And you can loose momentum. So after looking at the small area they'd start working in, I decided the best lens would be my wide angle for such a small tight space, and I'd use my tripod in case the exposure wouldn't work out for handholding the camera. I spot metered my subjects, okay with the corners or background having some shadow and that was that. After a minute they forgot I was there.

Don't Just Stand There... Do Something.

Because they were in a comfortable place, doing something they're familiar with, the last thing I wanted to do was then say "now both of you look at me!" and press the shutter. If they love the camera, not a problem. But in this instance I needed them to just interact the way they always do. So they started DOING something. They were measuring to make a cut for some trim, a simple action but enough that their focus didn't drift to me right away and I got some shots off before they realized. The fact that they got chuckling about something my hubby was trying to teach my son says that they were still comfortable and had forgotten about me for a second. And I love the expressions. I got a great "guys" moment that really represents them.

These are just my own tips, but they seem crucial to every "stolen moment" photo I take, no matter what the variables are. I'm sure you could add to the list. And I hope this helps someone longing for better family photos that go beyond the family portrait of pasted fake smiles, dress clothes you only wear at Easter or weddings, and odd poses.

Thanks for the ramble! Have a great Monday and let's get some fabulous family photos!

The Faces of Honor ~ Exploration Thursday!

Every so often the opportunity arises to capture a community event with the camera. For me, it's a chance to try documentary style, or photo journalism type photography. Forget setting up a shot, this is go with the flow-by the seat of your pants photography. Nov.11th provided some practice at this down at the Cenotaph Ceremony in Hamilton. And so this visual tribute to the men and women who have bravely represented freedom and honor, is posted on the blog today.

All these moments become reminders on two levels. One: that great photography doesn't have to have bold effects or massive vistas but can simply share a story with you, and two: that one day we may not have enough "faces of honour" left. I hope a week ago, you took time to honor someone who has fought for your freedom.

I hope we do it every week.

Let Yourself Be Inspired ~ Mono Monday!

"A Melody In Her Smile"

(1/200 sec.@ F2.5, 50mm prime, ISO 125, late day shade, handheld)

Sometimes I have to break away from my routine and find an example of something inspiring to try out for myself. I usually end up learning something in the process too, which is a delightfully fulfilling bonus. Like the time I was inspired to take up soccer back in the late eighties and discovered not only is it an effective form of exercise if you stay upright, but that I have a natural propensity for falling in molehills when doing drills running backwards. That cast on my arm and I were inseparable for about eight weeks. Ah, good times.

But back to 2011. This weekend I went looking through other blogs that I find inspiring, just to see if I could find something to motivate me to break out of my routine. I thoroughly enjoy a blog called The Pioneer Woman (and no, she doesn't know I'm making mention of her site here but if you haven't heard of her, you have a lot of enjoyable catching up to do) and she tackles the subject of photography along with other various life skills... and I have always loved her laid back approach to photographing people, especially her kids. Needless to say, I've been trying to be a little more laid back myself lately, and also trying to widen my love for portraiture. Let's face it, architecture and nature will be my first loves (er, first and second loves... or tied for first loves...) but there's something to be said for being able to know how to take engaging photos of your family and have fun at the same time, and I'll be honest, portraits (candid or otherwise) usually stressed me out in the past. I noticed how spontaneous and lovely the pics were on the PW blog and decided I needed to practice that more.

So, without having to find a fantastical location or set up any lighting, heck, without having to put shoes on for that matter, I asked my daughter if she had a few minutes to stand around and do nothing outside. And being that she's a teenager and they seem to naturally love to stand about doing nothing, she said sure. So I proceeded to take her out back and shoot her! Hahahaaa... small photographer's joke there folks, relax.

A shot like this is just this simple... I stood on the deck above (interesting vantage point, photography 101) and she stood below with the massive clematis climbing the fence behind her. And I told her that I was just testing some aperture choices with my handy dandy portrait lens so just to bear with me. And as I tweaked my exposure she'd make silly faces (of which she has banned me from showing to the blogging world) and I'd be aghast which in turn would make her laugh... and voila. I ended up with fifty or so very natural candids, fresh looking and still of a professional quality with a shallow depth of field that emphasized her eyes and softened the rest. And many of them make really nice B&W's. A delightful bonus to be sure.

Are you inspired by others in your field? Do you have blogs that not only teach you but change your mind or attitude towards other aspects of whatever you pursue? Break away from the norm, you might just find a love for something new!

Thanks for the Monday ramble folks! Have a good one!