Santa’s little helper…
Today I spent a little time taking some pictures for our holiday cards. Of course, things did not go as planned and I found myself begging Aidan to pose for the pictures.
I am not a person that completely enjoys the Holidays but they are really something special once you have kids. As soon as Aidan saw the Christmas tree he was asking for the gifts and he was saying that he was a good boy 🙂
He finally started playing on the floor and I saw the lights reflected on the floor. I was playing with my new lens, what a joy!
Birds of Feathers
Sometimes you discover you may be good at photographing subjects you are not particularly interested in. That is the case of birds. I am not really interested in birds but for some reason I sometimes take good pictures of brids. I am still not good at photographing moving subjects so portraits will do. Also, I was thrilled to realize I am getting better at capturing backgrounds and having an idea in my mind how they will look in the final print…
Ipad dreams a.k.a Follow your gut feeling, follow the light!
Our daily ritual is to play with the “Ipap” every night before we go to bed. I am a reader and before the Ipad we used to read stories… We play with educational apps, lately fragments of movies. I am not too concerned is not a book, they will be around, in electronic format.
I was with Aidan on his bed and I noticed how the light from the Ipad reflected on his face. I though how cool would it be to get a picture of this exact moment, so unique and intimate. Then I thought there is not enough light! I almost discarded the idea then I thought twice… That is why I spent all that money, didn’t I? In any case it wouldn’t be the first time I get a lousy shot. I got my camera and played, and played, and played! Different lenses (I used my nifty fifty thinking 1.8 aperture would help), I changed ISO… He was not looking at me at all, and all from a sudden I got the right combination! The gods of light, technique and composition got together and magic happened!
Canon 7D, Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS, @ 20mm, 1/15, ISO 3200, f2.8
Behind bars
I am originally from Venezuela and I visit my family as often as I can. This time I decided not to take my camera and used my brother’s new camera instead. Crime is not joke there, all houses have bars everywhere, some even have electric fences on top of high walls. It is very sad to live in a place where you do not have a basic level of security. Porlamar is better than other cities like Caracas, but little details reminds me the hostility of a place. Even when I was a little girl we had bars in the apartment windows. Home break-in is a common crime there. I just saw my nice standing in front of the bars, such contrast between the softness of a kid and the harsh vertical lines from the bars. It is sad to live behind bars when you have not committed a crime, but sure makes for a nice portrait.
Latte Fun
It is not a secret that when it comes to photography, kids are my favorite subject. A year ago I decided to spend some money on a DSLR camera instead of paying for cheesy portraits. Of course, my son Aidan is my favorite subject! He is very expressive and always gives me an opportunity for a great picture. Today we went to Latte Fun in Palm Beach. I love that place! It was hard for me to stay away from other people kids and not taking their pictures!
When it comes to portraits I like candid shots, kids engaging in activities instead of posing for the camera. Playgrounds are the best places to take kids pictures: Great props, consistent light (if indoors) and plenty color for your composition. Also in playgrounds kids are very happy and happy kids = great shots!
Lately I’ve been using my Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS for portraits a lot. It is not an expensive lens, I can stay way back and let my subjects do their thing and the image stabilization lets me hand hold the camera. Yes, I have to pump the ISO in low light but I have to compromise until I can afford the prime. Digital ISO is way better than film’s so don’t be shy to push 800+. Another lens I love for portraits is the famous “nifty fifty” Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. For the price you cannot get a better portrait lens.
Couple of tips: Dress your kid in solid color clothes and get close, close, close…
My Life on a Frame 
