Weekly Header Challenge - All Things New

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Craver VII 

Fishing Guy 

Katney 

Imac 

Lew 

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Feel free to click on the other participants' blogs

to see what they've come up with!

Theme ~ All Things New

Since it's New Year's Day (meaning wintertime), and since it snowed all day yesterday, and since I'm cold, I'm thinking about snow.  Tie that in with this week's header theme, and you get The First New Snowfall.  You just have to go out and walk in it, catch some snowflakes on your tongue, and marvel at how a blanket of snow can seem to make everything look new--or at least you're looking at things in a new way!

A sunrise is definitely new every morning (just like the mercies of the Lord, according to Psalms)!

And, just like a snowfall makes things look "new," spring flowers bring the promise of warmth and green and all things new!

With all things new, here are some of the new things I'm personally looking forward to this year:

Fernando learning new things (here he is fixing the car after learning

via YouTube videos).  He passed the CDL (commercial driver's license)

test and got his permit yesterday and will soon be in a new job, learning the

ropes as a satellite truck operator!  (Goodbye, unemployment!!)

For Joseph, our autistic son, I hope this new year is filled

with opportunities for him to grow, learn, and develop

into a fruitful participant in life.  (In this image, he got up

with me on our 2011 Florida vacation to catch the last

sunrise of our trip.)

For Thomas and Jacob:  Thomas will graduate our homeschool high school,

and move on to bigger and better things!  Jacob will graduate from WIU and

begin his career in law enforcement with an eye toward the FBI or U.S.

Marshals (watch out, world!).

New beginnings!  There are already three weddings on the horizon this year,

with the promise of a few more for us to attend.

Lastly, for my business, I hope to capture more moments like the above

(holding baby sister for the very first time).  I hope to hone my skills and

shoot better and better!

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Little Miss C | Chicago Newborn Photographer

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to do this in-home newborn session!  Little Miss M was late in arriving, and I almost felt like her mom, waiting, waiting, waiting.  (Trust me, her mom felt every minute of that wait much more than I did!)  She finally made her appearance, and four days later I visited her for her very first portrait session.  :)

I love this vintage look for Miss C, especially with the crate in the picture.

Isn't she precious?

She slept so sweetly throughout our time together.

Baby's feet are incredibly wrinkly and red.  I love putting these shots in black and white.  After a lot of maneuvering on my part, I captured a sweet shot below.

 

 Mama and baby

After getting Miss C arranged in this really cute basket, her arm flopped over the side.  Her mama wanted to move it, but I wanted to try just a few shots.  She looks plumb tuckered out, and adorable.

We helped her get situated more comfortably, and I caught some super-sweet shots, even without headbands, flowers, or other props.

The below is possibly my favorite shot from Miss C's portrait session.  Although I have the shot in color and vintage, I especially love the black and white, and how the light falls across her face.  Dear me, I've fallen in love!

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Photog Class -- Pose or Candid

For today's photography lesson, I'd like to continue addressing the subject of, well, the subject.  :)

Whatever you're shooting--person, place, or thing--there are a few more things you can think about before you look through the viewfinder.

Think about how you want to portray your subject.  How you can show your subject's personality through your photo?  Do you want to capture your children's personalities?  The playfulness of your dog?  The excitement of a sports game?  The hectic atmosphere of a city street scene?  I think one key way to capture these things is based on this quote I recently read:

The whole point of a good photograph

is to show what is going on in your life at the time.

Joel Sartore, Photographing Your Family, page 125

Take a posed shot.  Then take a candid one.  It seems that whenever a camera is pulled out, someone hollers, "Look at the camera!  Smile!"  Those shots are fine if you're taking a portrait shot, maybe for a special occasion or to document an event--to show that these particular people were all there.  But if we truly want to capture what our life is like at that moment, as in Sartore's quote above, I encourage you to take the candid shot.

In the candid shot, the subject is in his/her/its natural environment, doing something he/she/it normally does--playing together, talking, reading a book, participating in a sport, etc.  He (and I'm using he so I don't have to keeping typing he/she/it) is not necessarily looking at the camera.

Danny is voting for the first time...

 The girls are enjoying their new baby sister for the first time...

My dad is "overseeing" the carving of the turkey.

No pose in the below shot, either.  Even though the scene is backlit (not great for capturing faces), Jacob and his grandma were listening to the conversation going on in the room.  I saw Jacob's sweetness and love for his grandma.  I saw my mom smiling because she knew I was clicking away with my camera.  I'm so glad I captured this!

I wanted to capture the people in the above shots in their moments, enjoying their moments.  Those things were going on in their lives, and in mine.  I feel that I captured what was going on in my life at the time.

All that being said, go ahead and pose a shot.  Older kids and (some) adults are good at posing for you, in the way you want them to.  Check out Thomas below.  The family room was a mess, and he needed to pick it up.  I asked him to pose on purpose, and that was the face he made.  I love it.  :)

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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My Week With the S Family

One of my Project 2012 weekly blog posts featured my time throughout the week with the S family, while dad and mom were at the hospital having a baby, and again so dad could go back to the hospital a few days later to bring mom and baby home.  I photographed most of my time with these four wonderful children.  What an amazing, wacky, fun time we had together!  And our time together ended on such a sweet note, when baby sister came home.  So, in pictures, here is my week.

Headed to the park

Underdog!

Playing on the rocks

Trampoline time

The farming game (I was losing miserably!)

Master R made pancakes for breakfast!

Pizza slicer as pancake cutter--innovative!

Daddy's home, and showing off pictures of their new baby

Daddy/daughter time on the porch

Waiting for Mommy

Gifts from the family for Mommy and baby

More gifts arrive!

Mommy and baby are home!!

Three sisters

Welcoming Little Miss C

The below is a beautiful shot of mom.  I can't believe she just had a baby; she's still glowing!  I know the picture is blurry, but this is the only shot I have of her.  I didn't even take it, since I was too busy holding/adoring Little Miss C.  Throughout the week, I had let all the kids (except little E) use my camera.  I kept the settings on manual mode, too, and they took some great shots.  Miss K (big sister in the above image) is, in my opinion, a budding photographer, and used my camera the most.  Although her mom was slightly alarmed at her just picking up my camera and shooting, Miss K took the below shot.  So don't think about the blurriness of a shot captured by a six-year-old!  Yes, six.  Not bad, huh?

Up next--photo session with Little Miss C.  I can't wait to share the images; they turned out simply beautiful!  :D


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Newborn Portrait Session -- Not!

I was all set to do a newborn portrait session in my clients' home.  I had all my props, my gear, and the car for the afternoon.  I was ready for anything.

Little A was just finishing his feeding when I arrived, and he seemed content.  I happily shot a few shots of his darling sister once I set things up.

Isn't she an angel?  I don't think you can take a bad shot of Miss J.  She loves the camera; and of course, the camera loves her.  Her whole face lights up when she smiles.

Once her little brother was settled, we set him in my basket and I snapped a few preliminary shots.

Isn't he precious?  It may look like he was sleeping, but alas, no.  Mama had eaten some raw veggies the day before, and I think his little tummy didn't like it.  No, not one bit.  He gave me a yawn...

...Miss J sweetly kissed him...

...and in another several seconds, this is what met our eyes (and ears):

He proceeded to fuss, cry, holler, and fuss some more for three hours.  Alas, there was to be no newborn portrait session that particular day.  It was a great learning time for me, though, and I captured some sweet little girl portraits.

Miss J had to climb into the basket I set up for Mr. A, so I captured her silliness.

I was blessed.  I learned a lot, got some sweet girly portrait images, fed a family, and had great fellowship.  I even got to rock the baby.  All in all, a very good afternoon.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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