Weekly Photo Challenge – Resolved.
This year I have resolved to take one photograph every day for 365 days. This is photograph 4 of 365. I hadn’t thought to post them to my blog but perhaps I should start to do that.
Also, I have resolved to try to learn about taking nice portrait shots so that I can get lots of lovely images of my children and put them on the wall. I have been very lazy about printing my photographs off. Mostly because I want to decorate the house first.
I haven’t looked into portraits yet because the whole complexity of the lighting is something I haven’t had time to get too involved in but you know, not all photographs have to be ‘perfect’. It has always been more about the emotion or story behind a shot that has been much more important to me than technical ability, contrast and correct exposure. I think you can lose an opportunity if your mind is constantly on all of that stuff. Earlier I glanced over at my daughter, she was lay on the floor reading on her laptop. The light from the screen had reflected back onto her face and she was engrossed in the story she was reading. She looked so lovely so I got down at her level and took a photograph. Luckily for me my children are so used to me doing things like that they don’t stop what they are doing and look up. They just totally ignore me!
I much prefer candid shots of people and I have a passion for looking at street photography so my third resolution is to do more street photography.
Also to try to learn a bit from each photo. In this one the light of the laptop was shining upwards to her face. I do love the photograph but there is a lot of fine hair on display here especially around the nose area. I think that the angle I shot it at must have been wrong but I really wanted to get her eyes in the shot so I shot it as I did. Now I must resolve to learn how to shoot this kind of shot and for that not to happen… Meh, another one to add to my list!
So there are my three, no… four resolutions. See how I have managed to make them something that I will enjoy? Less chance of failure. ;-P
The numpty with a camera 
Resolution no 5 should be strive for perfection -Yes but also remember you are a perfectionist- so realise when you have succeeded and enjoy the glory. This is a beautiful shot, that captures F so well, not the surface of her but her soul!
Thank you Jo. I do like this picture of her x
It’s a beautiful shot. One could ponder for a while what is going on in her mind, what she is feeling, what prompted the moment…thank you for sharing. Be well~
Thank you. She is an avid reader and she gets utterly engrossed and I really can see that in her. I do love this photo of her.
Ah, and avid reader for a daughter..we have something else in common besides blogging then 😉
I am thinking of working towards my goal of man/woman on the street portraits. I love the b&W, too, btw.
I would love to try that challenge together, egg each other on and share how it goes x
Wow, that’s calling my bluff! lol Okay..let’s think about this, come up with a game plan and come back t it.
Very much looking forward to the pictures you post from what you snap each day this year.
I think this is a beautiful picture, and one that will be treasured in years to come! I wish I had more pictures of my brother and I in candid moments, because most of our family pictures are posed happy smiling ones, which are very nice, but there is so much more in pictures like the one you have here. It makes you feel something of the character, a bit like good writing! I took a load of candid pictures when helping out in a playgroup about 25 years ago (probably wouldn’t be allowed now!) and there were some posed smilie ones, but most of them were the children doing their paintings and sticking a cereal box to an egg box construction, and the parents loved them – their little faces all concentrating on their art!! Pictures like that mean so much!
Have you tried using daylight through a window for portraits? I’m in my forties now, and do more writing and a lot less photography, but when I was 21 I started to get really interested in portraits, and because I had spent all my spare money on a new camera with a set of lenses I had little left to spend on lighting. I read an article about Lord Snowdon and how he had a studio with windows and blinds and nearly all his fabulous portraits were taken in that way. I thought if it was OK for Lord Snowdon to do it that way, then it was OK for me too! I used pieces of tracing paper stuck together into a large sheet to hang across the window to soften the light, had an amazing beautiful effect! I really treasure that collection of portraits now, and if I got back into portraits again, I’d use the same techniques. I did eventually get into flash lighting and that is nice too, very crisp sharp pictures, but can be tricky to get right. But at least today you can see the result immediately, and can adjust your effects. No waiting for several weeks for the pictures to be developed and returned, to find it was all wrong – that was terrible – like waiting for a baby to be born! Digital photography is wonderful! And I hope you do some more candid shots like this one – I look forward to it!
Suzy 😀
Thank you for replying. Yes, more candid shots this year and you are so right about playing around with natural lighting. I cannot afford the get up for professional gear but I have also read about lots of great photographers who just use what they have to hand. Time to get creative I think.
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A lovely candid shot of your daughter, merleytwister. What luscious, silky eyelashes and oh, that adorable, light dusting of freckles…
Thank you. I think she is beautiful but then I am slightly biased. 🙂