Weekly Photo Challenge: Express Yourself

I’m pretty sure he was trying to tell us something…

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Connection

As far as I can tell it is simple really. Powerful portraits are about connection. Connection to the camera or connection between the subjects.

An Unexpected Stop

Sometimes the most fun is had when you least expect it. Like when you have to stop your car and explore out of the way places due to bad traffic and weather. They had so much fun.

Can’t Get Enough Baby Cuteness!

I had to share a few more from my newborn session the other day. He was so cute. Everybody can use a bit of cuteness to brighten up their day, right?

Another Black and White Portrait

I love the sparkle.

Two Perspectives

As a mother I see my beautiful baby. CHEEKY!

As a photographer I can’t help wishing he had moved his chin down ever so slightly to get the best angle.

He LOVES that pillow.

Location Scouting

A family affair. My husband and three boys came along. Here is the first location with my very helpful subject.

Weekly Photo Challenge: On The Move

He felt like he was flying.

A Baby Portrait of a Different Kind

It may surprise you to know that babies aren’t always cute, cheeky, happy little cherubs.

What mother has not seen this face?

This face happens daily. It may be because he has had enough of sitting in one place. He may want to be picked up. He may not be able to reach the toy that is tantalisingly just out of reach. He may have tried to move toward it, only to find he went backward! He may… a million things.

He is my son. I cherish this face as much as the others he makes.

I want to remember it when I look back.

Composition: Drawing the eye using light

I have been studying. A main point that stood out to me as obvious but sometimes overlooked is that the lightest area in a photo is where your attention is drawn. By squinting your eyes you can see those areas more obviously. In a portrait the main focus is most often the face and eyes. This portrait was snapped outside in the garden and it is busy. Busy colour, busy environment. In this instance I felt the environment framed the subject well, but distracted slightly from the face so I decided to make it black and white. I converted it to black and white in Photoshop then identified the colours that needed to be altered slightly to enhance the face region while retaining as much detail as possible and minimise the background. When I felt I found a balance I liked I used a high pass filter with a layer mask to sharpen the outer edges of the face to emphasise them from the background and that was that.

Here is the result. As always with my photography it is a work in progress. I would love to know your thoughts. Particularly any ideas for improvement. My own critique included less contrast to reveal more detail in the face next time. I find it difficult to work that out. Monitors seem to make them varying brightnesses etc. Ah, well, back to the drawing board.