A Tree Fan’s Family

 

There were so many pictures in this session that I loved, it was hard to pick a favorite. But the one above is just beautiful. I love the light, the natural pose, the chair, the melancholy expression on her face. It’s one of those pictures that I could stare at for quite some time wondering unsuccessfully what she was thinking when I took her picture.

 

You might recognize this face from the Halloween pictures. She was an adorable Dorothy.

 

And he was a very cute lion.

 

What a sweet face!

 

And what a sweet family picture. (One of these days I’m going to get a picture like this of my family. Gabe? Gabe? Are you reading this? I need you to come take pictures of my family!)

 

Thank God I got the exposure right because that kiss only happened once. That’s the thing about kids. They hear a click, they think you got the shot and they’re — zoom — gone!

 

Christopher can still catch the little one though. I love this shot!

 

Love this one too!

 

If you know Mary and Christopher, send them an e-mail and I’m sure they’ll share the slide show link with you!

 

Mary has been following my Tree Grower’s Diary for quite a long time. That’s how she found me.

 

It was a perfectly timed shoot — the first of November when the leaves were at their peak and the filtered sunlight through high clouds made for gorgeous morning light.

 

Interesting twist to this story though. Mary booked her session a really long time ago — in fall of 2007 — and then called me in January suggesting that she no longer needed my services because Christopher had given her a new camera as a gift.

 

I replied, “But who’s going to capture images of you with your family?” (See, this is something I have some experience with since I have so precious few pictures of me with my boys.)

 

So I set out to show Mary that these moments fly by and that life isn’t always about just having nice pictures of your children.

 

“Your children,” I told Mary, “will someday love looking back on pictures of YOU!”

 

I’m betting both of these boys will love looking at this picture!

 

Plus, the light from a regular on-camera flash would have rendered the shot above flat. But adding a simple light above right gives the shot depth and emotion. Not very many people have the equipment to create images like this.

 

But if you are taking shots of your children with your own camera, here’s a tip: direct people just a little bit. Say something like, “What do you guys do all the time — twirl? Flip upside down? Blow bubbles?” Then be ready to capture the action shot with your own camera outside!

 

I love shots with the sunlight coming from behind the subject. That takes a little practice to master, but can be done on manual settings or spot meter settings on many point-and-shoot cameras and most consumer-level digital SLR cameras.

 

I love that dog! This is another example of off-camera lights making an everyday shot possible. (“Everyday” meaning that the above activity captures an everyday event this family might like to remember.)

 

This shot was taken with no additional lights, just the light from the window. I love the light in this shot.

 

Mary, I truly hope that I was able to capture elements of your lifestyle that will bring you joy for many years to come. FAVE ALERT ABOVE — I love that window seat (handmade by Christopher himself!) and I am so happy the shot came out so nice! I hope you enjoyed your slide show because I simply love it! Oh, and remember to keep practicing! Trees and plants make excellent practice material for mastering yummy light and getting a beautiful bokeh (blurry background using wide aperture settings).