What Does Photography Mean to You?

I'm watching Rick Sammon on Creative Live and he asked the question, "What does photography mean to you?"   Photography to me, is a way to be creative, it also allows me to capture memories of my children and I love the joy I feel when I photograph all those happy smiles. 

Rick goes on to give a challenge.  Whatever photography means to you, capture that.  So for me it would be a picture of creativity, memories and smiles.  The picture below is something different for me.  I usually always have a nice even light on the face but I wanted to experiment with the light.  Here is what I captured. What do you think?  My advice, don't be afraid to experiment.  That's how we grow as a photographer.

Whenever I'm taking pictures I'm always looking for that smile.  Not that fake cheese smile but the real, genuine smile.  My advice, don't ask your kids to say cheese.  Talk with them, tell them jokes, act silly. 



Here is my challenge to you.  What does photography mean to you?  Then capture that.  I would love to see what you come up with.

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Nickie

The Golden Spiral

I love it when I learn new things.  Especially when it comes to photography.  Yesterday, I took my daughter to Target and snapped some shots in the red circle.  When I was editing the image below I noticed I had unintentionally used the Golden Spiral.

What is the Golden Spiral?  Well, I could tell you a long mathematical explanation, but it's so much easier to say that it's a formula to make you picture look more pleasing.  See diagram below.  Image provided by wikipedia.



That's why pictures of shells, flowers and staircases look so nice to the eye.  I'll be explaining this more in my class.  This is just one of the many composition rules I teach.  Click on the Photography Class tab for more class info.  Have any other photography questions then just shoot me an email.

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Nickie

What's Your Style? {Photography Tips, Tutorials and More}

I read this article last week. Click here to read it in it's entirety. Great advice for photographers. My favorite quote is, "Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don't look outward for your style; look inward."

Wow, so true.  So how do we find our style?  I've been thinking about this for some time. What is my style?  A few things came to mind.  My mentor, Me Ra Koh, gave me an assignment once and I would challenge you to do the same.  Look through some magazines and collect pictures that interest you.  They can not have people in them.  Don't over think this.  Collect at least 10 images and paste them on a board.  What do these images have in common?  Are you attracted to color, a certain shape, maybe texture?  When I did this I noticed that I liked color, texture and pattern.  Here is my board.



Knowing this has helped me focus adding these elements into my pictures.  It has given me a source of inspiration. 

Another activity that has helped me in finding my style is writing down what I like about a photo shoot, what I didn't like and what I could do better.  I noticed that whenever I was asked to do a family photo shoot I was really nervous and wasn't at ease like when I'm just doing children.  So guess what.  I only do children for now.  You don't have to specialize in everything.  I personally believe it better to shoot what you love.  For now, for me, it's children.   That doesn't mean I won't change in the future.  A photographer is always evolving and always learning new things.

The other day I was taking pictures of an energetic, two year, old boy.  I was looking over the pictures and I absolutely feel in love with this picture below.

Then it dawned on me.  This is part of my style.  I love real life not studio posed pictures.  I love taking pictures of kids being themselves.  Notice the bib in his hand.  Well, apparently he is always holding a bib with him.  I was able to capture him at this stage of his life.  Listen to your inner self.  Let it guide you as you discover your style.  Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai said, " Never apologize for your own sense of beauty or style. Nobody can tell you what you should love."  I hope these tips and article have helped you as much as they have helped me.  Leave me a comment and share your thoughts.  Also, send me an email if you have any photography questions.

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Nickie