I’ve had a few more sessions recently now that the Oklahoma weather is staying below 110 degrees. Over the weekend, I got to spend a little time with a family that is just such a blast to be around!

I’ve said this before, but I love working with kids when doing sessions. They have such an honesty and innocence in front of the camera because they’re not worried about their hair, if they have any lunch left on their face or if they’re sporting a boogey. :) They are just relaxed and natural and it’s so much fun to catch their personalities on “film”.

The family I spent some time with has 4 little ones (and counting). It was a session full of laughter, jumping, play fighting, smashing things (with permission), love and joy.

I walked away a little tired, a lot sweaty and with a full heart. This is why I love photography. And I am so beyond blessed to get to spend a little time with all of these wonderful families.

You can read more about me on my “About” page.  Not much has changed since I originally posted that short little bio.  Oh, except we’re totally hooked on our own little redneck pool.  Explanation:

Our son is a water baby – he can’t get enough.  I’m also sort of germ and insect-phobic, so I won’t do one of those kiddie pools they sell at Wally World.  I want something that I can easily dump the water and put it away.  Hence the drink bin turned baby pool.

So, that’s a little bit more about me.  Tell me about you!

This guy wants to wish everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.  And thank you to all of the men and women who have served, and are serving, our country.

The photographs I cherish the most are the ones that capture emotion, that freeze a moment in time and that catch the people I love being natural and living.  I’ve never been a fan of posed photography.  To me, photography is a tool that helps tell a story.  I want to capture my subjects in a way that relates to the story I’m trying to tell.  The “Sears Portrait Smile” is the opposite of that.

With my family, everyone has pretty much learned to ignore the fact that I walk around with a huge camera in front of my face.  (In fact, my son is so used to the camera that, when we stopped in at one of Ashley Ann’s SnapShops, he was completely comfortable having 15 cameras in his face at all times.)  But, when I was first getting more serious about photography, the first reaction when I was shooting was for my subject to stop, pose and smile.  There are times when that’s perfect (who doesn’t love a toddler smile?) but there are also times where that pose isn’t the story I want to remember.  So, in those early days, I had to become a photography ninja – I had to be quiet, to stay out of view of my subject and then – BAMMO – pop in, get my shot and get out.

So, part of capturing candid moments is all about being invisible, or unseen, by the subject.

Another tip is to just be honest with your subject.  On shoots with my client, I obviously can’t hide and make the subject unaware that I’m photographing them.  Because of that, I have to give instructions to my subject to capture the moments I need to.  This is a habit I’ve taken into my personal photography as well.  You’ll hear me say “ignore the camera!”, “don’t look at the camera!”, “act like I’m not here” or “act like the camera lens is a laser and, if you look directly into it, your brains will be fried”.  I’ll also ask for certain things, like to change the subject’s position, angle of the head, prop placement, etc.

As an example, here is a photograph of Grandpa Smith, one of my extended family of grandparents:

Technically, there are imperfections with this picture.  There are things that I could have done better and it could have been more crisp.  But, with my own family especially, I’m willing to accept the compromise of catching candid moments over technically superior photos.  I want to capture the people I love, in the moments I want to remember, over having a posed, perfectly-sharp photograph.

When I look at this photo, I will remember a Grandfather’s pride as he watched his great grandson playing in the yard.  I’ll remember what a hard-working cowboy he is, his soft nature and how much fun we had spending time on the ranch (a moment I wanted to capture because Grandpa and Grandma are moving away from the ranch soon).

To me, this photo is perfect.  And it’s perfect because it captures who he is and what he was feeling the moment.  That was possible because, in this situation, Grandpa wasn’t aware that I was pointing my lens at him.  He was just being and not posing.

If you own a DSLR and are interested in learning how to take your photography to the next level, I’d definitely recommend one of Ashley Ann’s SnapShops.  She puts all of the technical photography jargon into the context of everyday shooting and makes it a total blast.

In other news, no, I’m not dead.  :)  I have been horrible about updating my blog, but I have been busy with lots of photo sessions recently!  Look for Tidbits soon with lots of new pics!

Ashley Ann over at Under the Sycamore is such a sweet, seriously talented gal.  Today she posted a few of my pics and a link to the site, because she’s cool like that.  :)

She’s also doing a giveaway – head on over there, answer her question and get entered into a drawing for a free photographer session from….wait for it….me!  :)

What are you waiting for?  Go enter now!  And good luck!