Going to Europe with Kids.

Here's the thing.  You have to remember it's Europe with Kids and not Europe with your husband or your college friend and a backpack.  The agenda changes.  Cut back on the art museums, and think castles, cannons and daggers.  Instead of long espresso break in the cafe, think a few hours at the beach, whether you're prepared for that beach day or not.  More time in souvenir shops pricing out souvenir crap and less time in boutiques with espadrilles.  And you know, in the end, you realize you just saw the city in a different way, and that's part of the journey too.

It reminds me of something Bill Mahrer once said -- "Kids.  I don't want kids.  What?  Do you want to learn your colors again?"

Yes, Bill. I do.

my besties

24 Years ago, or so, I met my best friends.  We didn't click on the same day, we kind of tumbled together and stuck through four years of college.  I remember those days so fondly it sometimes aches.  We did crazy things and we had each other's backs like nobody's business.  Most of all, we laughed and really, we just loved each other.  I now see these girls (they will always be girls) once a year, when I'm lucky.  We email and talk, but not all that often.  The great world spins.  We hang on.  

This year, we met in New Orleans, LA for a four day weekend.  One of us couldn't make it (the past decade has been dotted with pregnancies, babies -- those things that keep you home) but she will always be there in spirit.

For four days, we regressed. Counseled.  Laughed.  Cried (that was only me, I think) and of course sang, danced and caroused until the wee hours.  We are a lot of fun, doncha know.

These are my besties.  

the outtakes -- shooting portraits

A few of my few readers asked about taking better portraits of their kids.  Here's a little more of the process for the low key portraits I posted in my previous post.

I shot these while we were in California for vacation, specifically in a hotel room in Marina del Ray.  I took some 1,100 photos that week and the ones in the previous post are my favs, and not all of those are even CA week, so, it helps to take a lot of photos.  However, I have gotten much better at considering the shot before pressing that shutter. I know it's digital, but still who wants to pan all those and search for the gold?

For the images of the boys in dark shadows, I was looking for that perfect window light.  The dark brown wall in the background and the strong window light worked for that chiaroscuro look I love.  Seeing the beautiful light is the cliche, and the truth for getting the best pictures.  I moved the chair, moved the fish statue in the background and closed the sheer curtain on the window.  Then, I asked the boys (or rather begged them) to please, please sit in the chair so I could take their pictures for my class.  They are rather used to this, and are not always willing, but often will give me a minute. Other times it requires a payment (cash, candy or screen time).  Because I shoot them all the time, they have stopped giving me that tight kids smile I so often get when I shoot their friends.  In December, I was shooting my friend's kids and from off camera, she kept telling them to SMILE! turning their sweet expressions into tight grimaces. 

As you can see, they were really dark as shot.  I did all of my editing in Lightroom 3.  I had to lighten things and adjust the color to tone down the reds.

Alex's orange shirt cast a bright orange glow on his face. Needless to say, my kids aren't big on the hair and wardrobe portion of the shoot.  Usually, I just get what's already there, though I do try to make sure they're faces are clean.  And sometimes, I miss that too.

I sometimes have trouble with the focus.  I really have to watch that.

Here are two that I liked best, and that I worked on:

You can see how the post processing part is just as important as the in-camera part.  I also tweaked them again during the printing process to get the colors right.

I shot Jack too, though he would only sit for about 10 seconds.  You can tell he's so annoyed.

I won't punish you with more of those outtakes, though that last one makes me smile.  Anyway, for that set up, I got it with relatively few outtakes, but often there are many more.  I'm taking a continuing ed class and our photo teacher says if you get one picture for a roll of 36, you're doing fine.

Just for the record

Hullo?  Anybody home?

I have fallen off the face of blogger Earth.  No reason.  I just dropped the ball there for a while, and didn't feel the least bit guilty about it.  I over-volunteered this month and last and was having a bit of a scramble.  Still not out of the weeds, but there's hope.  Always hope.

Well, even if I'm the only one who sees them, I'm posting some of the pictures from my digital 2 photography class.  This class has kicked my butt a bit -- again, wishing I had more time for it -- but it's so good to be pushed out of that comfort zone once in a while.

Our first project was portraits.  I started out with the idea of shooting my identical twins to capture what makes looking at twins so intriguing.  I see them so much as individuals that it surprises me when people say they can't tell them apart or refer to them as "the twins."  Somehow, I thought maybe I would play up the similarities though, since the similarities make them special too (and they enjoy it).  But in the end, I just see them as I see them --  as individuals.  And, I think, that's how these portraits turned out.

slideshow template - advice

No, not advice from me.  I found this in the back of american Photo magazine in a little sidebar, and I thought it was worth remembering.  It was a column about a workshop for creating audio slideshows. Anyway, the advice was a formula for creating a narrative template, which I thought would work well when shooting an event, in general.  I find many times I prefer similar angles and shots and dof, which can work well individually, but don't always gel to tell a dynamic story.

Here is Jay Dickman's formula:
1. Establish the setting
2. Introduce characters
3. Introduce an issue or problem
4. Show details to create intimacy
5. Show moments that bring energy to the piece
6. Close the story

He also stresses that sound and images should not match exactly.  I find in flickr, I tend to caption a bit literally, while I tend to enjoy the images that are enriched by the captions rather than just telling me what I'm looking at.

Anyway, there was a bit more, but as I'm a sucker for a good formula, thought I'd share it and of course, try it out.

More later, with pics.

The Artist in Everyone

Our school has a fantastic new art teacher who has energized the art program to a new level.  Last night was the first annual art show, complete with red carpet and paparazzi (Yes, I volunteered for that one.  Too fun, though I was jostling with a dad for my position.  Just like the Oscars.)

Quite a few of the kids "dressed" for the occasion.  Many of the girls wore lovely spring dresses and sparkly shoes;  there were a few bow ties, one tux, and my kids and their buddy did their version of French artists:  gelled hair, shades and pencil moustaches and goatees.  I coached them to say "je suis tres chic" but mostly they said they stuck to "croissant."  It was a fabulous night.  You could almost feel the school buzzing as the students led their parents through the "gallery."  I sent my mother-in-law some pics and she's warned me that there are artists in the family and starving is not a fun way to live.  Ok, ok. But can't every human be an artist?

I quote this inspiring book on my nightstand, "The Art Spirit" by Robert Henri:

"When the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressing creature....Where those who are not artists are trying to close the book, he opens it, shows there are still more pages possible."

Artistic Inspiration -- The value of the search.

I have been woefully absent from this space due to the lack of camera, which I have blogged about ad naseum.  However, this absence does not mean that I have been putting those energies into cleaning the house or becoming more organized or catching up on correspondence, filing and garage-cleaning.  Oh no.  That's not me (with apologies to my patient husband).  Instead, I've been painting.  Pictures to come, camera is due to be ready today!

I just wanted to share a bit from the book, Hawthorne on Painting, a collection of lessons from painter Charles Hawthorne (1872-1930) collected by his wife, credited as Mrs. Charles W. Hawthorne.  It's an inspiring little book, loaded with jewels.  Here's a passage which appeals to my minah-bird nature:

"Don't try to be an artist all at once, be very much of a student.  Be always searching, never settle to do something you've done before.  Always be looking for the unexpected in nature-- you can have no formulas for anything;  search constantly.  Don't learn how to do things, keep on inquiring how.  You must keep up an attitude of continuous study and so develop yourself.  I don't know a better definition of an artist than one who is eternally curious."

Process

Oh, I was so ready for the snow this weekend.  I assumed that everything would be canceled.  The hot chocolate was in the pantry.  Crock pot dinners ready.  Snow shovel propped by the front door.  And not one snowflake fell. 

Nonetheless, many new projects were undertaken.  I looked around to see so many works in progress and chuckled about how much we all groove on the process. I also have a new quilt sandwich halfway quilted (thread shortage) and a ball of yarn sitting here that may be a baby's hat by the end of the Superbowl.  I looked around today, and saw the process.

(Rock candy experiment.  Day 2 of 14)