If you have been wondering where I have gone you can find me here!
I have started the new journey into photography as a business. I got to that weird place where people I didn’t know wanted me to photograph them. I didn’t feel 100% ready, but if you don’t give it a go how will you know? right? If you want to continue to follow me in my journey you can follow me over at my new blog. I appreciate your support! Just quietly I am excited and freaking out at the same time. Who needs bungy jumping when you can launch yourself into a business!
Well I have decided to put myself out there as a ‘real’ photographer. I feel bizarre. Anyway if you would like to check out my new WEBSITE (oh man those things take AGES to put together, don’t they?!) I’m at kimclements.com.au. I’d love to hear your thoughts or experiences. I have just stepped out of my comfort zone!
I think there might have to be some flexibility when it comes to working with kids. Babies especially are so bewildered by the break in routine when they are brought out for photos at tea/dinner time or bath time or worse bed time! I love the wide eyed wonder. Anyone know any good jokes for babies?
I stood waiting for the sun to set. As it did my fingers froze and the sunset was not outstanding. A few images salvaged. Ironically, the yellow of the sun reminds me of the fire that waited for me at home.
I am at the beginning of my journey to learn how to use flash to light my photos in a way that I am happy with. That is so that it doesn’t look like flash unless I want it to. So I started in the backyard this evening as the sun got low with my sons. The light is pretty flat. I am confident if I had a subject that would stand still and look at the camera for more than 2 seconds I could set up something better than this, but it was a start. The blog is about the journey after all. This is the beginning.
I thought I might experiment with one handed selfies. They are so popular at the moment I wanted to see if they were mainly shot up people’s noses out of necessity. Nope. Your arm is long enough to get your chin out and down. Due to the short focal distance there is some distortion of features that occurs with the lens. I used a 35mm. I found shots not looking directly at the camera were better. A distorted, bulbous nose is no friend to any woman’s portrait!
Well it was MUCH harder than I had anticipated to direct someone into a pose. All things considered (we had about 10min to leave the husbands with our combined 5 children and pop across the road to the blank wall of my neighbours house. It was windy and the SUN came out in the middle of a cloudy day…silly sun) it went fairly well for a first go. Things I have learned: I need much more practise. I need to know the poses in the same way you see movies of snipers putting guns together with their eyes closed. I need to be on the subject in a routine way to set the pose and hold it. I am sure I learned more, but I can’t think of it right now…which was exactly what my brain did when I went to pose my friend. Pressure situation = brain fog. Another reason to learn the poses well.
They definitely aren’t perfect portraits. I see the glaringly obvious faults first, but I am happy with my first attempt and it has given me a good idea of how to set about improving. I look forward to the challenge!!
I have been looking at framing the subject using whatever is available. I have picked flowers and held them in front of the camera.
Flowers held up in front of the lens create soft shadows to create interest.
Stood behind objects to highlight something.
The sunset in the window glass was beautiful. The rest of the scene was messy. Shooting from behind a tree removed distractions and helped focus on the glass.
And looked for backgrounds to envelope the subject.
The light frames the flower and the rest of the bush creates an interesting background.
I love it. I love the effect and interest it can create. I enjoy the challenge of finding a new, more interesting way of photographing something. Isn’t photography great?!
He had to dress up for school as something he wanted to be when he grew up. He wanted to be a Park Ranger. He asked me to take a photo to record the day. I decided to pretend he actually was a park ranger. He is squatting in our garden to make the background look appropriate and block out our red car which is directly behind him. It is all practise! I will photograph anything at this stage.
Learning the Light 