I always get nervous after I send session photos to a client. Will they like them? I was just as stressed as they were about getting that perfect family shot for their holiday cards. Posing people has never been my strength. I prefer to lay low in the background to observe and capture the family interaction. It brought a smile to my face when I found out that some of their favorites photos were also my favorites. They were the moments in between. The interaction between the posing, the bribing for sweet smiles, the "hold on...just a few more shots" that they loved the most. Those shots were the playful moments, the tender moments, the real moments between them.
As photographers we are always at the ready with our cameras especially at the holidays. My sister doesn't even own a camera anymore as I have been designated the family photographer. This holiday season I challenge you to stress less about that perfect shot and be more aware of those moments that happen when no one is looking. It might be a mom adjusting the skirt on her toddler, a little girl basking in the glow of the sun on her face, a grandmother and a mom getting a baby dressed in his Sunday best, two cousins mugging for the camera or the dog taking the family for a walk. Those are the moments you won't want to miss. Those are the shots that will be a gift to those you love.
Daily Doodle courtesy of the incredibly creative Jeanine LeRoy
Check out all of her daily doodles!
7 comments:
High leigh,
I could not agree more. The very best moments are unposed and these are great examples. And I just signed up for Jeanine's Doodles - what a find ! And what creativity lives among us! Great post!
Your photos are perfect examples of your words. I agree with you, and reiterate what Carol said, above, I couldn't agree more! People think they want that posed family portrait, but the real them comes out in shots like yours above. Love, love, love Jeanine's Daily Doodles and always look forward to seeing them each day. So glad you shared this one here...when I saw this one the other day it really spoke to me! Good job Leigh.
So, so true, my friend! I know the photos I love most are the unposed, in between ones too. I never want to forget to just keep clicking so that I don't miss them. Ah, yes, Jeanine's doodles -- LOVE them! Especially love this one but all of them always strike a cord. Thanks for sharing this one with us.
It's always those in between moments that I love, the ones you capture when they aren't looking. Mine are usually strangers, since my teenagers seem to have radar when I point my camera at them and with stealth agility are able to disappear in a flash! haha
I was completely stressed the other day when I did my first people shoot as one of my son's friends mom asked me to take their Christmas card photo! I never shoot people, just nature (well strangers when they aren't looking) ....but about 10 minutes after I dropped the CD at her house she texted me that she couldn't wait to have them printed so in the mean time she printed them on paper and put them in frames and she sent a photo...made my day. Both of our favorites were the ones when they didn't think I was clicking...
These are wonderful Leigh, love the ones on the bottom left and right!!
Oh such good advice, Leigh! We photographers are surely perfectionists yet I agree: it's the unposed shots that are the priceless treasures. Your "outtakes" are beautiful and thanks for sharing Jeanine's "doodles" with our readers. She's so good, I'm happy to tell others about her.
A few years ago, I made a book of my father's Canadian cabin. I was learning how to make free-form books in photoshop then, and I was having PS lessons by phone from a photographer in FLorida. There was one shot of my sisters' kids when they were little. He (the pro) kept saying - "that is a terrible picture, and the rest of the book is so nice!" But I left it in because my sisters' kids had only been there once and it was very special for my Dad. You guessed it - that was his favorite photo. You all have seen my favorite quote on FB - "Photography is about depth of feeling - not depth of field!"
Ahhh, love these moments in between. When I took my daughter's family photo for their Christmas card, there favorite picture was the out-take of "getting ready"...I always make sure my camera is snapping a lot, you just never know what beautiful images will unfold. Lovely post and thanks for sharing one of Jeanine's incredible daily "notes to self"...what a talent!!
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