I'm Still At It

I have been a busy guy these last couple of weeks. Our construction company had a booth at the local Home and Garden show last weekend and I attended a Lead Renovator Certification class this weekend. With all the other work going on, I didn't feel like I was getting much quality time with my camera, but, looking back on the time period, I did get some shooting practice in.

At first it was just the same old "get the camera out when the kids are being cute" routine. And a few before and after shots of a bathroom I taped and textured for a customer. But then Alicia brought me along on a portrait shoot of our friends, John and Kim. Alicia actually used more than one of my pictures in her blog post from that session. I also got to shoot more jewelry with my friend Bob as well, and the things I had learned from the first go 'round with him a couple of weeks ago sped our most recent shoot up tremendously.

The most amazing one for me was getting to work with Alicia to take pictures of a wedding design that Sara and Sharon from Serendipity Events put together just for us. They even brought a model bride and groom (real people!) with every detail planned and executed just so. The light was beautiful and we really enjoyed getting to take the photos at a nice mellow pace.

I have been feeling more confident this last week in my ability as a photographer, but each new experience emphasizes to me the need to work on one aspect or another of my skill set. Last week I noticed that I need to not always leave my aperture quite so tight all the time or I end up with shots that would be truly great except that a critical area is blurry. So I am learning in low pressure situations and enjoying it all. I keep coming back to the idea that pictures are truly everywhere, and it simply up to me to find them and frame them well.

One other thing I am looking forward to is the arrival of our new copy of Jesh De Rox's "Beloved Field Guide". If you are a people photographer, you should check out what this guy has going on. He sees people in such a full way that his pictures just naturally show the inner beauty of his subjects. His website is amazing, and some of the music on it is by a lady I worked with at Big Sky Bible Camp a long time ago named Amy Seeley. Her songs are deep and moving.

I am planning in the not-too-distant future to start shooting portrait sessions when Alicia is too busy with the new baby to be able to shoot for awhile. I am hoping to set up a couple of practice sessions before that, so don't be surprised if I call and ask if you would be willing to be my guinea pig!

"There's so much beauty around us for just two eyes to see. And everywhere I go, I'm looking."

-Rich Mullins, "Here in America", Liturgy Legacy album

Which is your favorite image? Feel free to leave a comment!