Photo 52: A Play on Light

Natural Light Indoors - Week 3

Lately my son won't go too far without his Fischer Price toy camera (the same one I had as a child in the late 70's) taking pictures of whatever is before him.  This past week he spent time "snapping photos" of the cars and busses on the street below the living room window.  Documenting this moment of his childhood with my own camera, I wanted to convey a sense of him taking a peek into what lies ahead, the great white expanse of his future, so bright and so infinite.  

​Budding photog

Please follow along the circle to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Erica Obenchain Collins, my friend and beautiful mother of five living in Indiana.  Her images are always so touching and rife with emotion.  

 

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Natural Indoor Light - Week 1

Well it's now January of 2013, and because it's a winter month for most of us our photography group decided that Natural Indoor Light would be an appropriate theme to challenge us to find available and interesting light in our hibernation.  

For Christmas this year Santa put a Lensbaby in my stocking and I have been spending time striving to master its capabilities.  (A Lensbaby is a special effects lens that creates an area of focus in your image surrounded by beautiful blur).  For this month's debut image I chose to capture my son at play near the window which was getting some diffuse afternoon light.  My vision was to show the detail of some of his hair while the rest of it faded into a blurry mane and the Lensbaby helped me achieve it.  Below is my little Lion King.  

Lion King

Please follow along the circle to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Jill Cassara, my photographer friend who is insanely talented at capturing the daily life of her family, particularly her two adorable children.  

Photo 52: A Play on Light

The Holiday Edition - Week 2

This was the first year that my little one helped decorate our small Christmas tree.  Though we always travel to Chicago to spend Christmas with family we still have a small tree in our apartment through the holiday season.  The magic of the lights and his joy while hanging the ornaments on the tree was the subject of my installation for this week.  I created a diptych to showcase a sort of split screen, highlighting both the small Christmas tree down the hallway and his up close and personal reaction to hanging the family ornament.  

Small tree, little boy wonder

Please follow along the circle to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Kelly Roth Patton, my fellow New Yorker and dear friend whose skills for capturing alluring and romantic images are astounding.  

 

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Hard Light - Week 3

Early in the morning, at around 6:45 a.m., the sun comes streaming in through our east facing living room window.  The light is very dramatic and directional at that hour.  So when the little one went searching for Daddy (who fell asleep on the couch the night before), I followed along with my camera to capture him in a halo of light.  Below is my image for this third week studying hard light.    

Angel hair

Please follow along the circle to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Linda Hooper, a most gifted photographer who is presently living with her family in Geneva, Switzerland.  

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Hard Light - Week 1

Our topic of study for the month of November is Hard Light.  Hard Light produces well-defined, high contrast images and tends to originate from a single light source, usually small or located far away.  Although the sun is not a small light source, when it is direct and undiffused by clouds, harsh and sharp lines are seen in the shadows.  Hard light can also be found indoors in low-light conditions.  For example, the light of a single candle, window, or lightbulb.  Even the light emanating from electronics is a fun way to play with hard light, especially as we move into the winter months.  Below is my Hard Light debut where the single light source happened to be that coming from the refrigerator.

Busted

Please follow along the circle to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Kami Chaudhery, a mom of two darling girls and an exceptional photographer in her own rite, who recently relocated to Seattle from New York City.  

Rembrandt's Light

 

Rembrandt Lighting was named after the great master and is based primarily on two factors; a light on one half the subject's face and a triangle of light on the shadowed side of the face that should be no wider than the eye, and no longer than the nose.  In photography it is a common technique for portraits and was my challenge for this week.  

The key to Rembrandt lighting is to have your subject turn their head away or into the light, usually at a 45 degree angle, in order to get the triangle shape of light underneath the eye.   This particular time I cajoled my husband into being my model whom I tirelessly directed around the room in search of the correct angle, bright catchlights in his eyes AND the triangle - which, by the way, is much easier said than done.    

 

The process itself was a combination of fun and frustration and certainly requires further practice and exploration on my part.  But at least I had a willing (and cooperative) subject and a nice portrait of my beloved in the end. 

 

The Reluctant Self-Portrait

One of the biggest challenge for any photographer is to be in front of the camera.  We much prefer being behind the lens looking at the world through our viewfinder.  So this week I was pushed out of my comfort zone when one of the final assignments for my Lifestyle photography class was to take a self-portrait.  I decided it would be best to do this when my toddler was napping (to avoid further distraction from an already grueling event) and to just take my time.  

I proceeded to remove all the unnecessary pillows from the sofa, set up my tripod and camera settings, focus first on an object where (hopefully) my head would be, press the timer, do the "Fonzarelli" hop onto the couch and try my best to look casual.

Below is the result of my effort.  Of course there was no shortage of outtakes but a simple lesson was learned in this process.  Though reluctant at first to do this assignment, I realized it's good to experience the other side of things - to look INTO the lens instead of the viewfinder - despite it feeling somewhat uncomfortable.  As all things in life you just might surprise yourself.

And your family will be happy to see a photo of you for a change!  

 

It Must Be Heredity

Grandpa and grandson standing next to the TT plane Grandpa used to fly in the Navy over 55 years ago ... 

... and a boyhood obsession with planes is passed down. 

Nail polish crime scene

Any Mom's famous last words, "But I was only gone for a second!"

In this case I returned to the crime scene AND culprit that included hot pink nail polish AND a bright white bedspread. Even before trying to clean up the evidence I reached for my camera.  Ironically the name of the polish is "NEON FURY".  Precisely.  

Central Park Zoo

Within New York City's greatest park is a lovely treasure - the Central Park Zoo.  This past Thursday I took my son to the petting zoo where he encountered several of the animals in his picture books. We fed cows, llamas, pigs and sheep.  But the one animal that was of particular interest was the goat!  It was an unmeasured joy. 

 

Coney Island Rides

No summer is complete without a trip to Coney Island or so I'm told.  Last weekend we finally made it down to the Brooklyn shore to take in the sights, sounds and kiddie rides.  On such a hot sweltering August Saturday it seemed everyone in New York was finding relief at the beach.  We chose to ride the carousel (over and over again!) and catch the breeze up high in the sky.