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10 on 10: May, chasing the spring light

My May project initially felt a little random to me but as I look through this set of 10 photos I see how the light changed throughout the day. I love that with the warmer weather I'm finally able to get outside again. I have both beautiful diffused indoor morning light and magnificent backlit golden hour afternoon light all in one project.

Welcome Spring!!

8:00 a.m.: My little one slept in late and woke up with crazy hair!

9:00 a.m.: Our dog curls up in my super soft robe I left on the couch.

10:00 a.m.: Sisters in the rocking chair.

11:00 a.m.: Great Grandma's transplanted irises. I should have remembered earlier in the day they were blooming but still glad to have captured this.

12:00 p.m.: A car picnic lunch. 

1:00 p.m.: Our new Disney pins display hangs proudly in our hallway. My little lady worked hard to collect these:

2:00 p.m.: Bedroom makeover work. A new comforter arrives and I check out the fabric I want to sew pillows with to see how it all looks together with the picture frame that will hang in the room.

3:00 p.m.: Snack attack. Homemade salsa (Thank you, Pioneer Woman!) and chips.

4:00 p.m.: My favorite little green plant on our deck.

5:00 p.m.: Spring pansies backlit in the golden hour.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Golden hour on our deck playing with their new sandbox for the first time.

ISO 200, f/2.2, 1/1000 at 50mm

 

How to photograph your vacation: Let them be goofy

Without quite realizing I'm doing it, I have tended to post only the pictures of my girls looking all sweet and innocent and cute. That is definitely not the only type of image I capture of them. I have plenty of silly playful ones too but they tend to break a lot of "photography rules": limb chops, awkward composition, poor lighting, etc. because they are taken spontaneously and I'm just not quick enough to manage it all at once. So while I may not be sharing them publicly as examples of "fine photography" rest assured my personal albums are overflowing with images of my girls being their naturally goofy selves. 

Vacation photos should be no different. Posed family shots in front of famous landmarks are fun to have, but what you'll really remember in the long term is how your family behaved naturally with one another while having the time of their lives. Goofy faces, silly poses, funny moments: be on the lookout for everyone simply having a blast together.

I'm so grateful to have a husband with a wonderful sense of humor. He's obviously passed that gene on to our children. If you ever met Tim in person, you'd likely think he was quiet and reserved. But one of the things I love most is how he really gets into taking silly pictures while on vacation. He prompted this shot of our daughter ROARING in front of a dinosaur and she was definitely up for the challenge. He notices details I would otherwise miss and always has a clever idea for a funny pose.

These photos inject a sense of personality into any vacation album. I received more comments on that first image above when I shared it as part of a set on Facebook than any other image from our trip. People loved seeing my girls so natural and silly. It is just so "them."

This post is part of my ongoing Disney vacation photography series:
    Interested in reading more? You can see the whole Disney photo tips series here.

Inspiration Challenge for May

April showers bring May flowers. . . and May knock-you-flat-on-your-back colds. Even though it is the 14th, I'm just now getting to our monthly inspiration challenge. Please forgive my tardiness, Life decided to shout: "Slow the heck down!" and I had no choice but to listen.

Now is the season for graduations, end of school, the start of summer--that big annual shift in so many lives. I haven't been in school for more years than I care to admit but somehow that feeling stays with me in May. I find myself shifting focus onto the future and starting to plan and dream about what's ahead. Old habits die hard I suppose.

My good friend Zina from Let's Lasso the Moon shared this excellent inspiration piece with me this morning. "The Geography of Verbs: Commencement remarks by Patti Digh"

If you have a moment, it is worth the read. While full of great stories, my favorite quote was this:

" ... It is your dream that matters now.

Don’t feel panicked if you don’t know what that dream is yet. It is like those old roadside signs that used to spell out an advertisement one sign at a time as you went down the highway. While you’re navigating the landscape, the atlas of your life, the signs will come to you one by one. The way they connect isn’t known until you get to the last sign. The map is only complete when you stand at the final page of the atlas."

It is with that bit of inspiration that I've decided that the word of the month for May will be: Dream. 

I hope you'll focus on that word in the next couple weeks as a reminder to not be fearful of not knowing what your dream may be, or even what you'll do about it once you discover it. Just spend some time looking for it and enjoy the journey!

How to photograph your vacation: Get in the picture!

My single greatest regret when I first downloaded the photos from my memory cards was: "WHY didn't I hand the camera over more often and get IN the photos??"

Of the 600+ images I took over the course of 6 days I think I appear in approximately 7 of them. I'm so grateful for those 7 images. I did make sure to have my husband capture me with each girl individually at the park, we have family shots in front of the castle at Magic Kindgom and with Mickey Mouse, and there's this nice shot of us in front of the Epcot "golf ball". 

We brought along our point & shoot. I had every intention of handing it to my husband so he could capture things from his perspective (including more shots of me) with a camera he felt more comfortable with but we were overcome by how much there was to juggle between keeping an eagle eye on both kids and the stroller and taking in the parks. It was all just too much. 

Instead I made sure to pass over the DSLR a couple times to make sure I was in the photo. I set the settings for him and my husband is well versed in "focus and recompse"--I've made sure he's practiced at home so he can nail the big moments when they hit. He has a good natural eye for composition and I'm always pleased with the images he captures. One of these days, I swear I'm going to get him shooting on his own. I know he enjoys it but he just hasn't had the free time to explore it more.

So while I'm grateful to have handed the camera over, I'm really wishing I would have thought to do it far more often. Learn from me--whether you think you look good or not, whether you wish you were skinnier/younger/dressed better/had more make-up on, none of it matters. You'll want to be in your own vacation photos in the future. Your kids will be happy to see your smiling face in there too.

It feels awkward to have to say so directly: "Take my picture!" but you'll be so glad you did. 

This post is part of my ongoing Disney vacation photography series:
    Interested in reading more? You can see the whole Disney photo tips series here.

How to photograph your vacation: Capture their reactions

There is so much to see at Walt Disney World. The amazing details of each of the parks is simply mind blowing. It is truly a photographer's dream. I could spend days just capturing the buildings, the characters, the gardens, the sculptures, etc. I'm so happy there I feel this crazy urge to document every element of the experience to bring it home with me. 

But the thing to remember? All those details will still be there next time. What changes is your family.

The best tip I read before our vacation is to turn your camera towards your children and document their reactions to the experience rather than the parade/show/castle in front of them. There is nothing in the world like the smile and excitement of your daughter seeing Mickey for the first time. (See photo above.) That's the picture I wanted to bring home, not an image of something that could be purchased in the gift shop as a postcard.

I found a great open shade spot for us to watch the 1 p.m. live show in front of Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom featuring Mickey & friends. We arrived 20 minutes early to save our spot under the awning and it gave us a perfect view of the show. From there I was able to move around and to the side of my family to capture their reactions in nice even lighting.

I did capture just a few images of the show so I would remember what it is they are looking at but none of them catch my heart strings like these do.

I love this image of my daughter clinging to my husband's neck as he holds her up for a better view. They are all snuggled in and enjoying the show. Beats a shot of Mickey in front of the castle any day!

This post is part of my ongoing Disney vacation photography series:
    Interested in reading more? You can see the whole Disney photo tips series here.

How to photograph your vacation: Set aside time

The thing that took me most by surprise during our family vacation to Disney World is just how difficult taking pictures would actually be! The parks are very crowded even on slower traffic days. Those gorgeous photos I had in my mind's eye were nearly impossible to capture without lots of extra bodies in the frame.

This was complicated by the fact that we were traveling with two small girls ages 2 & 5. If you're not familiar with photographing a 2 year old just know that she saw every moment out of her stroller as an opportunity to run as far and fast away from us as possible. Since her safety is far more important than taking her photo, she appears strapped in and safe in her stroller for most of our vacation album.

My husband and I decided to designate one single morning of our 5 day trip to capturing some images of the girls in the park:

Day 1: We rode on as many rides at Magic Kingdom as we could squeeze into a single day and got familiarized with the layout of the park.

Day 2: We scheduled our "slow it all down and take some pictures" morning followed by an early lunch and sight-seeing the parades and live shows.

This worked out really well because the girls weren't quite so anxious that we were "keeping them" from the rides and were just as relieved to be going at a slower pace for a morning.

Scheduling our photo time for Day 2 also allowed me one day to just experience the park without trying to multitask with my camera. I was able to look around and scout out a few spots for photo ops the next day.

My best tips for trying your own informal photography session at Disney World:

1. Mouse Ears: Arrive at Magic Kindom at park opening time and head straight for Mickey & Minnie Mouse. Their "dressing room" is right off the main square of the park. If you head there right away in the morning, there is very little wait. As you head out of their greeting room you exit through the store where the famous mouse ear hats are sold and personalized. 

    - While we waited for the girls' hats to be embrodiered, we took some silly photos of them trying on the crazier hats available that we didn't want to purchase. Made for a silly photo op. 

    - Once they had their hats, there is a pretty little courtyard area directly outside the store with beautiful lighting. (See photo above.)

    - My oldest daughter wore her mouse ear hat all day long. Splurge for the $7 personalization, it shows up in photos far better than their $3 option! I was able to get so many sweet photos of the back of her head with her name on her hat that really gave a personal touch to our images. The thinner, cheaper embroidery option would never show up.

2. Shoot early!: The park opens at 9 a.m. as a general rule. From 9 - 10 am was the last of the golden hour time frame for us during the time of year we visited. Beyond that, the light becomes very harsh and bright and you need to look for open shade if you don't want squinty sweaty photos. Decide which images are most important to you and try to get them done before 10 a.m. I regret not trying for our "in front of the castle" family shot during that time frame but it is impossible to do it all! There's always next time.

3. Consider your wardrobe: I'll be the first to admit it, we went way over the top with the girls' outfits. I'm not suggesting you need to be as crazy as me. That being said, if you are looking for wall-worthy images from your vacation it does pay to consider what your entire family is wearing during the day you plan to set aside the time for photos. We color coordinated for that one day--the girls in their matching outfits, me in a simple white t-shirt, my husband in a grey Mickey Mouse t-shirt that our daughters were thrilled with. No matter which combination of the 4 of us appears in a photo from that day, there are no major clashes of color or patterns in our wardrobe.

This post is part of my ongoing Disney vacation photography series:
    Interested in reading more? You can see the whole Disney photo tips series here.

How to photograph your vacation: Be in the moment!

Our trip to Florida was fantastic. I never thought something so stressful and overwhelming could be still be so incredible. Now that our whirlwind week is over and all I have left are the memories and the photos I'm even more grateful that I took my DSLR into the thick of it all. Toting that kind of gear in a place like Disney World is definitely a unique experience and I learned a lot that will be so helpful next time!

I'm working on a series of posts for vacation photography tips to share with you and I wanted to kick off with this most important one:

Be in the moment!

I took a ton of photos during our 5 days but I didn't let it completely define our vacation. There were several times I left the camera on my hip and just enjoyed the experience. Did I miss a few precious photo opportunities? Yes, definitely. But I learned to recognize my limitations and let it go. When getting the shot meant missing out on the experience, it just wasn't worth the time to do the capture.

My vacation album has a few holes that I'm letting my memory fill in the blanks and I'm more than ok with that. 

Just a little noodle: My April Food Photography Challenge

This month's food photography challenge was to capture a pasta dish. I knew we were bound to see lots of traditional recipes featured so I decided to try something totally different and do a favorite pasta salad recipe of mine. 

I tried several compositions during the process of building this dish: the ingredients laid out on a platter, gathered in a bowl, tossed and ready to serve, and finally this winning shot of the plated dish ready to be tasted. I experimented with setting a scene but none of it felt quite right to me. From farther away, the dish lost it's appeal. I wanted to be right up in there where you could see the ingredients: grapes, pea pods, artichoke hearts, shredded chicken, baby spinach, and the hero of the day: the noodles.

I learned a lot about my own process this month, how I work and how I get to my final shot. I'm hoping to use that lesson to start working a bit more on setting the full scene so that my portfolio isn't so uniform with shot after shot of plated dish. I know what I need to work on, now it will just be figuring out how to get there! 

Please take a minute to check out the other gorgeous pasta dishes my group has put together this month. You can start by visiting Amanda Eller | Salisbury, NC Food Stylist & Photographer. Her work is always lovely and she pulled off this challenge during an extremely busy time. I'm so happy she made it in under the deadline!

Vacation photos on the fly

Yesterday I mentioned all the gear I've hoarded for my DSLR for our big trip. Beyond all the fancy photos I want to take, I am also looking forward to the simple snapshots I'll be capturing with Instagram. I love that I'll be able to easily share with our friends and family on Facebook as the trip is in progress with these fun little photos. 

Think my girl is ready for the trip?? She got all geared up herself yesterday with big sister's travelling hat and backpack when she saw me packing my bag. Our excitement is palatable!

If you're going on a Disney trip like us, you should also look into their official "Disney Memories" app. I've got it loaded onto my phone to test out on our trip. I'll probably use Instagram far more, but the Memories app is a cute way to send Grandma and Grandpa a souvenir looking digital photo postcard from your trip.

How do you share your vacation and travel experiences with your loved ones? Do you wait till you get home and load a big gallery or do you like to share on the fly with a mobile device?