the right place at the right time

There's this elusive moment as a photographer when you click the shutter and  you just know you got a really great capture. The formula goes a little something like this: great light + real emotion + interesting composition = stellar photo. Obviously, there's a bit more that goes into it like nailing focus and exposure that I don't mean to gloss over, but assuming you have the technical stuff down, the above equation is what you're hoping for every single time you pick up the camera. And as someone who's still relatively new to photography, it doesn't happen nearly as often as I'd like. BUT, thanks to a lot of studying, practice, and the amazing workshops I've taken through Clickin Moms, it's happening more frequently these days. One such moment happened a few weeks ago when Emma and I were hanging out at my mom's house. I was trying to get some backlit shots for a workshop assignment while my mom and Emma were reading together when I noticed this amazing reflection in my mom's coffee table. I clicked the shutter and I just knew...

The other recent favorite shot happened this weekend when we were walking back to the car after dinner at Alexander's. (Side note - the BEST fried chicken I've ever had anywhere. If you live in the DC area, it's worth the drive.) Sometimes you're just standing there and you see the photograph come together first with your eyes and then you pray you have your camera within arm's reach. Luckily, I did.

While I wish those pesky cars weren't there (I know, how dare there be cars in a parking lot?!?), I love everything else about this... the sun flare, the rim lighting, the way they're walking in step together, the juxtaposition of their size difference. Moments like this are why I started taking my camera with me pretty much every time I leave the house, because you just never know...

On a side note, are you guys at all curious to see before and afters of some of these photos I've been posting? I'm happy to share my editing process with you. Just let me know! :)

Letters to My Daughter: March

My sweet girl, you are going to be a big sister! You have been very excited about the baby, and I know you’re going to be an amazing sister. You’ll be almost 2 and a half by the time your brother or sister arrives, so it’s doubtful you’ll ever remember what life was like without him or her. And while I know that life will only get better for us with the addition of this new little person, I want you to know how much I’ve cherished our time together as just us. I know the majority of my excitement about this baby is because you’ve shown me how wonderful being a mama truly is…

From the first moments I held you in my arms, I was filled with a love I never new possible. Your dad may have taught be how to be loved, but you my girl taught me how to give love… how to love someone so much you think your heart might explode every time you lay your eyes on her… the heartbreak you feel when she’s hurting and you can’t make it better… the joy you feel when she rolls over, takes her first steps, when her signs turn into words.

As you’ve grown, the bond we share has only grown stronger. I feel like we’ve been on this great journey together… from pregnancy, to navigating those first chaotic newborn months, to all the milestones of your first year, and now seeing you develop into (it’s hard for me to even say it) a little girl. It’s been tough at times, figuring out this whole parenting thing, but mostly it’s been a pure joy… and truly the greatest honor of my life.

And now I’m on a new journey… a journey that takes me from being the mom of one to being the mom of two. But I promise my journey with you doesn’t stop because of that. I will love you both the same, but uniquely. You will still be my little boo boo. You will still be the one who taught me what it really means to be a mother, and what an absolute gift it is.

I am joined in this “Letters to our Children” blog circle by an amazing group of photographers and moms. Together, we’ll be writing these letters every month in honor of our love for our sons and daughters. I encourage you to head over to Carrie’s blog to read her letter, and then continue on around the circle!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Emma and Elmo have a tea party

I'm currently taking yet another amazing Clickin Mom's class called "Lifestyle Photography with Kids" and thought I'd share one of my first assignments. I've been wanting to take this class ever since I first joined CM, and I'm pinching myself that not only did I get into this sold out session, but I'm taking it with a bunch of my photographer friends from my very first intro class. The idea behind lifestyle photography is to tell the story of people as they are, as opposed to posing them in a contrived setting. It's similar to documentary photography, but you have the freedom to control your environment a bit by moving things into good light and removing distractions. This style of photography works particularly well for small children as it's nearly impossible to get them to do anything except whatever it is they want to be doing at that moment, anyway. :) For my first story telling assignment, I decided to throw a little tea party for Emma and her BFF, Elmo. Notice how my idea of this tea party was a kettle, two cups, and a sugar bowl. Emma quickly had other ideas...

Within about 2 minutes all the cups, a pan, utensils, a yogurt container, and a balance ball pump had joined in on the fun. We only bring out the balance ball pump for our fanciest tea parties. ;)

"Drink your damn tea, Elmo!" :)

Uh oh, I think she poisoned Elmo.

I have sooo much shooting to do this weekend for the next assignment, but I'm really looking forward to it... so many fun new techniques to try out! Also, if you haven't gotten on the CM bandwagon, I can't recommend their classes more highly. This is my 3rd workshop in 7 months, and I have another one starting at the end of April. I might be addicted. :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!!

comfort

Letters to My Daughter: February

Oh my little love. You and I sure have been through the ringer the past few days... it's probably the toughest we've had it since you were a newborn, and I think it's safe to say that we both seriously hate potty training. But you, my girl, are doing it and I'm so very proud of you. You got it right away, and now you're struggling a bit with actually wanting to do it. This is totally new and scary and it must feel like all we've talked about for the past 4 days is going on the potty. You want your diaper back. I get it.

I'm sorry that I'm not as patient with all this as I hoped I'd be. I'm sorry that I can't just hold you and make this all better. I'm sorry that Elmo has been exactly zero help. You're working so hard and all I want is to make this easier for you. But in typical Emma fashion, you will insist on doing this your own way and in your own time. It's something that I both admire about you and that really drives me bananas. But I know we'll get through this, you and me. Maybe not tomorrow (though I'd totally be okay with that), maybe not this week (yep, still totally okay with that too), but eventually. I promise.

I am joined in this “Letters to our Children” blog circle by an amazing group of photographers and moms. Together, we’ll be writing these letters every month in honor of our love for our sons and daughters. I encourage you to head over to Allyson's blog to read her letter, and then continue on around the circle!

P52: Week 6

This week's theme was texture, and I found myself very struck by the topography of this plaque when we were in Memorial Hall at the Naval Acadamy last weekend. I desperately wanted to run my fingers across it, but I thought that might be just a smidge disrespectful (something about being at the USNA made me feel like I needed to be on my best behavior) so I'll settle for having this photo.

P52: Week 5

This week's theme was Low Light... for this shot I used the Softbox Pro app for my iPad as my only light source. I held the iPad in one hand and the camera in the other and played around with the angles until I got something I liked. Oh, and sorry about the lack of makeup. ;)

P52: Weeks 1-4

I mentioned that one of my goals for this year is to participate in a Project 52 photography project, and I'm pleased to report that I'm officially one month in. I'm participating in this with over 400 other Clickin Moms members, and we have suggested themes to follow for each week. Let me tell you, the work these girls have submitted so far has been incredible and so inspiring. It's amazing to see everyone's vastly different takes on the same theme. Here are my photos, so far: Week 1 | New Year

Week 2 | Silhouette

Yyyyyeah, so I'm really proud of this one, but it's also super personal and I don't feel comfortable sharing it with the masses. I promise I will try my best to make sure this is the only one I can't share with you. Sorry!

Week 3 | Shallow Depth of Field

Week 4 | Weather

I'm planning to post these on a weekly basis from now on (probably on Mondays) so stay tuned, and thanks for looking! :)

a girl and her nana

January's 12x12

As I mentioned on Friday, I set out this weekend to do another 12x12 challenge (12 photos in 12 hours to capture our day.) These were all taken on what was a pretty typical Sunday for us... eating, playing, swimming, football, bed. (I'm very much looking forward to replacing the 4th thing in a couple of weeks!) ;)

Letters to My Daughter: January

Hello, sweet girl. I haven't written to you since you were a few weeks old, when I was still so overwhelmed with the joy of your arrival (and with figuring out this whole parenting thing!) I held you in my arms and couldn't imagine life getting any better. But it has... in the past year and a half I've watched you grow into this amazingly smart, silly, and ever-curious little girl, and I find myself in a state of perpetual awe.

You bring so much joy and laughter to my life every single day... and since we don't get to spend that much time together during the week, I pretty much live for the weekends. I love our morning cuddles, having breakfast together in our PJs, going to the park, throwing the ball for Rocco... your excitement to play and learn and find new adventures is so infectious. I love watching you "read" your books aloud, in words I can't quite make out, wondering what story you're making up in your head to go along with the pictures. And I love how determined and focused you get during your independent play... it amazes me how creative you are with your toys, and how quickly you learn to use and manipulate them.

Mostly I love how completely and utterly silly you are. You're constantly singing and making up sounds, or dancing to whatever music we have on with the most ridiculous dance moves I've ever seen. Even after you've gone to bed, your dad and I find ourselves still laughing about something you did during the day, or because when we check the monitor we find you in your signature sleeping position - on your back with your arms folded behind your head like you're lounging poolside. We find you endlessly entertaining, and your love of life endlessly inspiring. I feel so immensely blessed - not just that I get to be a mama - but that I get to be your mama. So thank you... thank you for being you and for bringing me so much more happiness than I ever thought possible.

I am joined in this “Letters to our Children” blog circle by an amazing group of photographers and moms. Together, we'll be writing these letters every month in honor of our love for our sons and daughters. I encourage you to head over to Davina's blog to read her letter, and then continue on around the circle!

December's 12x12

Happy Friday, everyone! I thought I'd share a little photo project I worked on last month... it's called a 12x12 - 12 photos in 12 hours. It was a little challenging since you're not always in good lighting situations every hour of every day (how nice would that be??), but it ended up being a great way to capture our day as it really was. I liked it so much I'm planning to start doing a monthly 12x12. Even if you're not a photographer, I encourage you to try it. So many of our family photos are taken during events or special occasions... sometimes it's nice to see life as it really is - dirty faces and all. :) For December's 12x12, we were in North Carolina visiting my in-laws...

Okay, so things got a little klugy during naptime so it wasn't exactly a photo each hour, but no photo project is worth disrupting naptime. Aaaand, there's no #12 here because it's a photo of Emma in the bath that, while completely adorable, isn't something I'm comfortable posting for random strangers that might come across my blog. So let's just assume it's the greatest photo ever taken of a baby in the tub, k? :)

Have you done a 12x12? Send me a link in the comments! I'm planning to try the 12x12 again tomorrow to get some practice with my new Sigma 30mm lens and I'd love the extra inspiration.

Have a great weekend!!

30 days of gratitude: grandparents

30 days of gratitude: daddy's arms

30 days of gratitude: Adventure

This might be my favorite photo of her ever. :)

30 days of gratitude: equality

It was a good night for humanity.

30 days of gratitude: silliness

30 days of gratitude: leaves

30 Days of Gratitude: Happiness

30 Days of Gratitude: Smile

"Cheeeeeese!"