Sometimes I can't remember why I first picked up a camera three years ago and decided photography was a good fit for me. Maybe I was bored and needed a hobby? Maybe I was tired of dragging my kids to the same sad studio every year and waiting for prints that I disliked too much to ever bother framing? Maybe I just reached the point in my life where I finally understood what I loved?
Whatever the reason.
Three years ago I taught myself how to use a camera. How to shoot portraits..
And sunsets...
And life's little moments I wanted to remember forever.
Someone asked me recently how I get my kids to cooperate for pictures. The answer is: lots of patience and chocolate. Patience because kids have good and bad days too. Sometimes they feel like smiling, and sometimes they don’t. And chocolate, because I’m not opposed to bribery.
I dabble in nature photography now and then,
but I love photographing people. I enjoy the thrill of clicking the shutter and just knowing I’ve captured the moment. It’s why I pick up my camera every day, whether I feel like it or not, and shoot something, anything. You never know when the moment will be right in front of you.
Most of my favorite pictures of my kids feature bright catchlight in their eyes. This is an effect I usually achieve with an umbrella light or an off-camera-flash setup. Or by simply positioning them close to a brightly lit window.
I shoot with a Canon 5D mkII and all my lenses are Canon. I can’t remember why I went with Canon in the beginning, but once a Canon lover, always a Canon lover. Aside from my camera, the best piece of equipment I ever bought was my hotshoe flash. I don’t know what I ever did without it.
The lens I use most often is a 24-70mm 2.8.
I use Photoshop CS5 to edit. I am by no means a Photoshop master. I still learn something new every day.
The best piece of advice I ever received was to quit trying to force my kids to smile, and instead focus on capturing a specific moment. Sad, joyful, thoughtful… whatever they are feeling at the time.
