Project 52 | Three

This week, a challenge was posted in our little project 52 group.  Shoot from the hip.   Where did this idea come from?  The amazing Tamara Lackey showed us her little trick at the workshop we all went to last April.  And when I say ‘little trick’, I mean it’s a little tricky.  It’s an awesome way to interact more with your subjects and catch a few amazing, unexpected moments.  It’s not an entire shooting style someone would probably use though and it’s certainly like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re going to get.

What I got were a lot of blurry photos.  But I also got a few that I wouldn’t have been able to get other wise.  I wasn’t about to lay in the snow that day (it was 9 degrees and windy) but when ’shooting from the hip’ I stuck my camera low to the ground, where I couldn’t be, to catch a different angle.

I think I’ll be trying this one again..next time with a wide angle lens so I don’t keep cutting heads off.

Also, for a quick peek of someone shooting from the hip, check out Tamara Lackey’s latest blog post.  About half way down, she’s playing with the kids and ’shooting from the hip’.

Minnesota Baby Photographer

Project 52 | Two

One Million Bubbles

I’m really not behind in my Project 52, I’m just behind in posting!

For week two, we still didn’t have a specific theme so I just took a very random photo…that I have to explain or it just looks random.

I was out on Lake Nokomis, playing ice chunk fetch with Ike (until we got busted by the leash cop) and there was quite a bit of uncovered ice because of the recent rain.   I don’t think I have ever seen clear ice like this on a lake in my life!  The rest of the lake was solid translucent white  (or snow covered) except for these patches here.   Suspended bubbles, darkness below, walking on glass.  Kind of cool.  A little skylight for the fish.

Minnesota Child Photographerf2.8  1/640  ISO 100

Lenses of Love | Hearts for Haiti

I’m honored announce my partnership with Lenses of Love: Hearts for Haiti, a national non-profit endeavor dedicated to helping the people of Haiti recover from the recent devastating earthquake.

I will be offering my support to organize relief services by offering both my weekend and weekday session fees for $150, of which, 100% will be donated to relief causes and support for Haiti. Funds raised though Lenses of Love will be sent directly to Kentucky Adoption Services (KAS) who will assist in relief efforts and care of the many-orphaned children of Haiti. KAS works with Brebis de Saint-Michael de L’Attalaye (BRESMA) orphanage in Port au Prince, which was damaged during the earthquake.   One-hundred percent of funds donated to KAS as ‘humanitarian aid’ is used for humanitarian aid and all Lenses of Love donations will be marked as “Haiti Relief”.    This offer is available for families that book their session by Sunday, February 14, 2010 and complete their session by April 30, 2010.

My amazing friend Sally, who is a photographer in Colorado, started Lenses of Love and I was so happy to be able to join and help out.  Everyone in a time of disaster feels the need to just ‘do something’ and thanks to Sally, I’ll be able to help out a little bit more than if I were doing this on my own.   Lenses of Love is important to me because as a parent in the process of adopting from China, it was comforting to know people cared and were so willing to help the orphanages after the devastating earthquake in China in 2008.  Although many orphans in Haiti did receive humanitarian parole and are home with their parents in the US and other countries across the world, many, including a fellow adoptive parents little boy (please view the story here) still remain in Haiti.   The orphans who remain in Haiti as well as those children who have been recently orphaned due to the earthquake are the littlest ones who need support from agencies such as KAS.

Minnesota Photographer

Baby Blogged

Gloomy January days don’t seem quite as dreary when some time is spent with a little one.  Thanks to Baby ‘C’’s mom and dad for stepping in for some photos too.  At this age, the interaction between baby and parents is so precious when captured…

St. Paul Baby Photographer

Eagan Child Photographer
Eden Prairie Baby Photographer

Project 52 | One

Ok, I’m starting another photo project,  this time with a group of photographers to keep me on track!

I met some amazing women from across the country at a photography workshop last April and a bunch of us have kept in touch.    We have  weekly chats where we can run photo and business ideas past each other and our own little forum as well.  They are all so inspiring and I’m so grateful to know them all!

So, we all decided to start Project 52 (a photo a week) together with weekly challenges for each other, both creative and technical, to keep our photography fresh.   Plus, because we are all children’s photographers, it also will give us a chance to get out and shoot things other than our favorite subjects.

On with Week 1 - I’ll call it ‘chasing the light’ because I was literally chasing the light as in running down the frozen boardwalk to get some backlighting before the sun went down.  But I was too late for the effect I was specifically looking for.  Although the sun hadn’t set quite yet, the pond was a bit too low for me to catch any sunflare.  But even without that, I like it because of the warmth it has even though my hands were about to fall off.

You can follow my Project 52 here on my blog (subscribe too!) and I’ll start a folder on my facebook business page as well!  Facebook Page

1/160 @ 2.8 - ISO200 - 70mm

Eden Prairie Photographer