Creative Pictures of the Kids

As a guy that has made a hobby of taking pictures of his children I loved this post my wife turned me on to. Take a look, very fun and creative.

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/a-father-who-creatively

Photographer Love

Couldn't pass on posting the above, it's an old photographers joke but a good one.

Thanks for the laugh Canon.

52 Variations - Variation Thirty-Two

Making the Shot

I've spent far too long apologizing for late or delayed posts. Unfortunately, I find myself in this position once again. It has been too long and I have missed my goal of a shot a week, ending the project with the end of 2010. Life, more specifically my job, has gotten in the way. I do have to pay the bills. :-)

The above shot, my re-entry into the 52 Variations Project is my tribute to the person Gustavo is developing into. He has never been an aggressive child when it comes to sports, but he does love them nonetheless. When he wanted to join the 4th Grade Basketball team I thought it would be typical of his other experiences. He will do, okay, be a defensive player, not one to make baskets and score points. After all, Gustavo's first instinct is to protect...an excellent trait.

This season I have seen Gustavo truly develop as a player. His defense has gotten better, sure; but more importantly he began doing some offense. This was new, and to no small part due to his coach who is very nurturing and encouraging. All of this new behavior culminated yesterday in Gustavo making his first basket during a game. Took three attempts but was a wonderful thing to see. He was so proud and his team was so affirming to the accomplishment it made me proud of all of them. Gustavo is fortunate to play with some wonderful kids.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Thirty-One

Hide & Seek

Another variation from out trip to Guatemala.  Grabbed this one while Gustavo was playing hide and seek. It is a classic name that requires no explanation.  Even with Dulce growing up in Guatemala and Gustavo's Spanish being a bit limited, they were able to bond amazingly quick and find ways to play that both loved.

No great photographic skill went into this, but I've found as this project progresses that is as much, if not more about, the moment than the planning and execution of a artsy shot.  In the beginning we did staged shots that captured variations of Gustavo, but in the shots of late I am getting spontaneous variations of his personality.  The spontaneity of this is more him, much more natural.  I won't be moving away from the staged shots permanently but it is fun to explore the spontaneous road with my son.  I hope you enjoy this little diversion with us.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Thirty

Duck!

Another entry from out trip to Guatemala.  In this one Gustavo was playing in the ball room of the Guatemalan City Children's Museum.  The objective of the room is to, through various devices, get the balls into a over hanging container.  When the container if full enough it empties and this is where the fun comes in.  An alarm goes off and the children and families run under the container so it can shower balls down upon them.

This is where we see another variation/side of Gustavo.  He is a bit timid regarding getting hurt or bruised.  It took a lot of encouragement from me to get him under the ball container.  And as the picture shows, Gustavo being on the far left of the group, he covered himself up as best possible so as to not get bruised.

In the end he came out fine proclaiming that it was cool and that he wanted to do it again.  Yep, dad's know best sometimes, after all we are masters of fun for all ages.  :-)

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Twenty-Nine

Little Sister

Today is a to-fer; yes you guessed it, I'm trying to catch-up.  :-)

As I mentioned in Variation Twenty-Eight, Gustavo loves being a big brother.  It is something he has asked for since age 3.  In my opinion, while I know many children love being brothers or sisters I have never met one that wanted it the way Gustavo does.  For example, every Christmas list has had little sister on it.  I don't know about you but it just warms my heart to see such desire for family.

The one drawback to this desire for a little sister is that the waiting has been hard on him.  For years Yesenia (my wife) and I tried to conceive naturally, thinking it would be easy as it was with Gustavo, but unfortunately it was not.  Then when we decided to adopt things have taken longer than any of us could imagine.  This has been hardest on Yesenia and Gustavo, each wanting Dulce home with us more than they have expressed.

I worry the most about Gustavo though.  On several occasions I have found him standing outside what will be Dulce's room in house, staring at it with an expression of longing.  (We painted and prepared it two years ago based on when we were told she would be home.)  When I ask him what he is doing he always says something like "Just wishing Dulce was here...or...I wonder what Dulce is doing right now."  It breaks my heart, all I can do is hug him and thank God for such a son.  I often wonder if I'm worthy of having him in my life.

I don't mean for these entries to be overly personal and I had to stop to find a tissue, but I wanted to take a moment to share a bit of Gustavo's psyche.  To appreciate the above variation you need to appreciate how much he wants to be a big brother.

The above is another shot where I needed to make noise work to my advantage.  I grabbed this one while walking to breakfast Friday morning.  The light was horrible and the onboard flash of my G11 was causing all kinds of color casting, so I turned it off, bumped up the ISO to 3200 (what I knew would be grainy as all heck) and shot away.  This picture is evidence of the "any photo is better than none" adage.  I was going to stop shooting but didn't and I'm oh so happy I didn't.

They problem was I had make the grain work.  I ran image through Noise Ninja and got the noise out but at the expense of detail and the resulting pic was fuzzy to the point of distraction, even for Gustavo who usually does not notice such things.  Then it hit me, how about a vintage look, pictures are always grainy in vintage photographs and it is almost expected that they are to boot.

The above is the result, what do you think?  I'll share that Gustavo doesn't like it too much, he likes color pictures, but for me it works.  It has an old feel to it, like the feelings of love and devotion Gustavo has are old, but eternal.  Feelings we all should have toward are families and loved ones.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Twenty-Eight

Hug

We are in Guatemala this week visiting our adoptive daughter.  While this adoption has dragged on longer than any of us could have imagined, her having been referred to us 3 years ago, it is always a joy to be here and spend time with her.  At 3 she is a joy to be around as I've forgotten how much fun a 3 year-old is.  Gustavo at 9 is a whole different kind of child and while also a joy it is a different type of Joy.  She (Dulce Maria) has a joy of everything, of the simplest touch or interaction.  Gustavo has a joy of learning, testing his limits and discovering things for himself.  I love the contrast and Gustavo loves being a big brother.  More on that posts to come.

Now on to the purpose of this entry.

Above is my humble submission for this variation.  The time we wait for Dulce to arrive is the most anxious of these visit trips.  This picture is one of Gustavo attempting to console his mother, ensuring her Dulce will be with us soon.  Not to mention, he loves to hug; hence the variation's name.

When I travel in Central and South America I make it a habit to only bring my G11 and a little bit of strobist lighting equip.  This allows me to stay under the thieving radar and still get some good pics.  The biggest drawback to this setup, especially for someone used to shooting with full frame DSLRs is the noise I get at what I consider to be low ISOs.  This is why the above is in B&W.  At ISO 800 there was too much noise to make a color version look tack sharp the way I wanted it.  However, in B&W the rendition is soft and contrasty, just as I wanted.

I'm very pleased with the outcome, what about you, I want to hear your thoughts.  Does this picture work as a B&W?

Anyway, stay tuned, more variations will come from this trip.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Twenty-Seven

Aim...Fire!!!

Keeping the water theme going we have Gustavo in the middle of a water gun fight this past weekend.  Seemed logical to continue this theme as like most children he loves swimming and water games.  Makes me remember how I loved it as a child.  Yep, watching him I was wishing I was 9 again.

Here's to wishing we were young.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Twenty-Six

Sprinkler Play

Still behind, oh so behind.  I have no excuses, I won't even try.

Another simple quick one of Gustavo playing in the sprinkler.  Watching him I forgot how much fun that is, oh to be 9 again.

The shot has no merit from an artistic perspective, but it does go to remind me of the fun of youth, so that as so many of the entries in the project have been is what I offer this shot up as, a celebration of being you and having fun.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Twenty-Five

Pool Play

I'm way behind, way way behind.  Did I mention I'm behind.  I wish I could blame it on work but its not so.  I have been caught up family things, like enjoying the summer.  Sorry but fun came before the project. I'm so embarrased.  :-)

The above does little to get me up to where I should be but it is a shot that gets a new variation of Gustavo. As I've mentioned before, he loves to swim and play in water.  The above came from a party he was at over the weekend.  He found himself in the middle of a splash war.  Very serious matters for a 9 year-old.  Anyone with children knows what I mean.

Its a casual shot, not of any artistic merit, but due to the sense of another side of Gustavo I had to present it to you. So enjoy and see you soon, I promise to dig myself out of the hole I find myself in with this project.  I do, I really really do.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Twenty-Four

Chef

Everyone will have to wait another week for the crafted shoot I did last week.  Yet again I came across a opportunity shot that pulled me in.

This week we had the pleasure of celebrating the second birthday of a dear friend's daughter.  In fact, he is Gustavo's Padrino, Mark (Godfather).  It was a wonderful day.  We were able to catchup with friends and Gustavo was able to spend some long over-due time with Mark.  One of Mark's skills includes creative culinary interests.  As a result, we had some wonderful fetta turkey burgers which Gustavo found himself mixing.

It was fun to watch.  Those of you that know my son know he hates dirty hands.  So seeing him dig into the Turkey, mixing the ingredients, messing up his hands.  It was great to see and when Gustavo began complaining about his dirty hands it was no shocker.  For my wife and I it was wonderful to watch.  Bonding moments like this just make me smile.

Have a great week everyone and treasure moments with friends and family, they are far too fleeting.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Twenty-Three

Bummer

You've heard me say this before but I had a different plan for this week.  I even executed the idea and have it ready to process and post.  However, as life does, I had an experience yesterday that made me change plans.

Yesterday was supposed to be the Inter League soccer Tournament for Gustavo's AYSO team.  We had all been looking forward to the day as it was to be our first at the event.  Unfortunately, as happens in Chicago, the weather did not live up to the forecast and we ended up with rain.  Luckily we did not lose out on the entire day was were able to play one of the three scheduled games, but the below shows Gustavo's disappointment at the time when we thought the day was cancelled.

The handiness of the G11 proved it self again, as I just brought it along to capture the odds and end shot.  Very little processing went into the picture, a bit of drama was added to the sky and a little clean up to the umbrella.  However, in general this is how things looked.  Abandoned soccer fields and a sky boding rain. Another fun day in the midwest.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Twenty-Two

Fore

Continuing a small series of Gustavo playing sports.  This week I submit him playing a new sport, golf.  This one is a recent interest, just beginning it late last summer.  We did some lessons together which I think helped me more than him, but solidified that he truly enjoys playing golf.

The above was taken with my walk-a-bout camera, my faithful G11.  It also exemplifies why I have a walk-a-bout camera, you never know when a you'll come across something worth capturing.

Please enjoy a bit of enthusiasm for a new sport with me.  I don't know if or for how long it will last, but I can't think of a nicer way to spend a day than with my son walking some beautiful greens.  Oh, and cross your fingers that he doesn't get too much better than me too quickly.  The kid seems to be a natural.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

New Territory

Thank God for wives.  My son's soccer league was not going to have team and individual pictures this year so she volunteered me to take pictures of my son's team, the Blue Sharks.  So off I went, to take sports team pictures, woot, woot.

I have never done team or individual sports portraits.  I have done more game pictures than I care to think about, I've also spent endless hours in event and controlled portrait work, but never done onsite team pictures before.  As always, I learned a ton about how I must adapt as a photographer to this new photographic form.

So if you have some time, not too much needed, lets talk about what I learned and must now integrate into my photographic life.

What did I know going into the shoot.

• I would be shooting in mid-day sun.  Therefore I would need fill light to prevent harsh shadows.
• I knew posing would be challenge - kids like to slouch.
• Corralling 9 year-olds is very, very difficult.  Nine year-olds are fast.  :-)

As you can see, I knew some things that would be challenges, like getting the the kids to cooperate and dealing with the bright mid-day sun.  I felt prepared as I had done my research to address these.  I knew what I could know, but no more.

How did things develop?

• The consensus was to use a goal as the background.  Not my personal choice, but the right one given the streets and mall surrounding the soccer field.
• Using the goal caused issue with the sky.  It was a very bright day with no clouds or color, just sun.  No matter what I did, I couldn't get the sun under control.
• Challenges in posing showed.  Looked at the team picture in the memory mate above.  A few of them were wearing sun glasses.  A rookie mistake.  I did ask them to remove the glasses after a few pictures but every shot taken after that had a bad pose.  Closed eyes, looking at a passing car, etc.  Sadly, the above was the best of the shots.
• The most valuable thing I brought were weights to prevent my light-stands from blowing over.  I have scientifically proven that winds pick up as soon as an umbrella opens, and calm as soon as the umbrella is closed.

At the end of the day everyone seemed happy as was my wife, my most important customer.  Enough for now, as always, if you have any suggestions let me know.  Lets just say I'm glad I had the opportunity to do this shoot and look forward to doing more team and individual sports portraits in the future.

52 Variations - Variation Twenty-One

Futbol

With soccer season drawing to a close I had to make sure and get a picture of Gustavo playing the game he loves so much.  This sport has done a lot for him.  Gustavo, as many of you know, is a very gentle child.  At times this gentleness is manifested in a passiveness, not a bad thing, but a challenge for a soccer player.  Over this season I have seen him become more and more assertive, fighting for the ball, driving hard to contribute.  I couldn't be more proud of the progress he's made.

The above is a slice in time, a slice of the new assertiveness he developed this season.  For those of you with children playing sports I know you can understand the pride I have.  There is nothing like seeing your child grow and excel.  It is really quite wonderful.

So enjoy the above picture with me.  He didn't score a goal, but stole the ball.  All to often that is more important.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Twenty

Pull...Pull

Late again...what can I say, work has been a killer lately.

Originally planning to do a crafted shoot, I came across the opportunity to take some shots of a Tug of War contest at my son's Cub Scout meeting.  Not only were the Scouts victorious but the event provided great fodder for capturing another side (variation) of Gustavo.

Pulling as hard as possible, giving it his all, he was determined to win.  The title comes from this determination as all I heard him say was "pull...pull", driving himself to keep at it.  This determination paid off with a win, but is impressive for other reasons.  It shows his focus on a goal, the goal of doing his part, of being part of the greater entity which is his Cub Pack.  It is so the essence of my son, always focused on the greater need/good.  I could not be more proud.

Enjoy this moment with me and have a great week everyone.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

Lonely

Quick little post this morning.

I finally got around to importing some pictures from my walk about camera, my G11.  Amongst them was the above which is a picture of a goalie at one of my son's soccer games.  So much of the game was spent at the opposing goal he got board and sat down for the majority of the game.  I like the capture as it shows his boredom and isolation during a very busy game.

I wish I could say this is the goalie for my son's team, unfortunately, his goalie was very busy.  Lets just say we lost and leave it at that.  :-)

Have a great day everyone!

Thanks Ernie

My brother-in-law called me today asking for a passport photo.  Sure thing I said, I'd be glad to help.  Little did I realize that my over-thinking would get in the way.

I knew what I wanted to do.  I would do a single light setup with a softbox to camera left while using bounce fill on his right.  Looking above you can see that is not what we ended up with.  Let me say first off that Hernan (my brother-in-law), Ernie as we call him is an extremely talented artist.  Understanding what all good artists do, that the art must work for the intended audience, he went to the U.S. Passport office web site for direction on how the photo should look.  Thanks to him I learned that the photo needed to be much simpler than I conceptualized it.

There are all kinds of rules by the way.  Subject position in the print, size of the print, pose and even lighting direction are all on the site for reference.  I was amazed.  Fundamentally, the light needed to be even with little if any shadows.  In the end I had one light on each side, set to provide even (what some would call flat) lighting.

It was perfect in its simplicity, it was everything a passport photo should be.  Better than the P&S passport photo's taken at the local drug store, showing a bit of the character of the subject while being simple and straightforward so any customs agent can easily identify Ernie and the proper passport owner.

So why is this post entitled "Thanks Ernie"?  Because thanks to Ernie I focused on what the picture needed to be and stopped over-thinking what had to be done.  In focusing on what the portrait needed to be I was better able to capture the person my subject is.

Thank you Ernie.  Thanks for the opportunity, thanks for the lesson in not over-thinking.

52 Variations - Variation Nineteen

Jammin

Gustavo like millions of other children loves to play Rock Band on his Wii.  Seeing how much he loves to jam on the virtual guitar I thought it would be fun to capture some of the essence of jammin on the guitar this week.  Something which has a bit of a Fender Stratocaster advertisement feel.

Above is the outcome of the attempt.  It is a very simple shot, using only one speedlight into a gridded 24" softbox.  But it gave me the light I was after, soft, yet a bit hard thanks to boosting blacks in post processing.

This was not my original plan.  At first I wanted to get a stage lighting affect, but just couldn't get it to come off the way I wanted.  This was plan B, and with the angle, I'm actually quite happy with it.

What do you think?

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation Eighteen

Joyful

Let me start out by saying that this photograph will not win any awards.  It is the result of candid shots I was taking at Gustavo's last Cub Scout meeting.  I'm using this picture because of the joy he exudes in it.  I know I promised a constructed picture this week, but when processing this I couldn't resist and needed to use this picture.  It has too much personality in it not to.

It is a simple shot taken with my G11 at its highest and worst quality ISO.  I did the best I could to remove the noise and sharpen it, but walking the fine balance of detail, the above was the finest balance I could achieve.

I ask you is to remember the power of the snap shot.  As Ansel Adams said, "it captures moments which would otherwise be missed."  I didn't have any of my DSLRs with me, nor was there time to setup a proper shoot, as anyone that has been to a Cub Scout meeting would know.  I was there with the "best camera" as Chase Jarvis would call it.  The camera I had.  A camera that captured Gustavo reveling in a flag swiping across his face...the pure joy of the moment.  The G11 captured the joy, a joy I feel it when looking at the shot, I can ask for nothing more.

So revel in joyfulness with me.  Enjoy the moment, Gustavo sure did.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shots by Clicking Here.