Photographing Children Contest Winner

Congratulations to Jane Adlem, of London, who won first prize in our Facebook Photographing Children Contest. The assignment was "Pictorial," and this image beautifully typifies my vision of the assignment. We are always busy om our group inspiring one another and improving our photographs of children. Jane is a new member and we welcome and honor her!

What I love about this image is the beautiful and somewhat dramatic background, with soft light that eliminates distracting hot spots. Even though there is a pictorial or painterly look, I consider it a timeless, contemporary photograph due to the clothing. I would not ordinarily recommend centering the subject as Jane chose to do in this photograph, but it is the perfect example of "breaking the rules" and going for boldness. The natural and unfettered expression of the child is timeless and spontaneous. Her body language is so fluid and carefree.

Jane describes her photograph:"This is a photograph of my niece I took for a project which was part of a photography course I recently started. I found this beautiful, quiet country lane not far from her house and just followed her around with my camera whilst she was having fun running and hiding from me. I was so pleased to have captured a sense of her movement and love the way her face looks so lost in thought!

Thank you so much for choosing my photograph, I feel very privileged!"

Today we are starting a new contest. The first prize is Nik Color-Effex Pro 3.0. I LOVE that software and use it almost every day. I will announce the subject of the contest on the Facebook Group Photographing Children page. Don't hesitate to join our group by clicking HERE

If you want to go to the contest page it is HERE

Ephotozine Interview Photographing Children by Ginny Felch

A few weeks ago, Nikita from ephotozine.com emailed and asked me if she could talk with me about photographing children. Wiley sent her the book and today they published a nice interview which follows. Thank you, Nikita! I love to share my enthusiasm about photographing children and then get involved with the photographers and parents who share it. The Facebook Group, Photographing Children (by invitation) has grown to over 400 members who ask for help, share their successes, and participate in discussions and contests. The subject of our contest ending June 6th is about depth of field (bokeh) or keeping the background out of focus while the subject remains in focus. Sometimes this really enhances a portrait and it is fun to experiment with. The winner will receive Photoshop Elements from Adobe!

One of our newest members just had a baby a week or so ago and is sharing her first portraits, complete with her own hand-knitted hats and outfits.

Enjoy the interview, read the book (!) and join in on the fun! Best, Ginny

Interview

Notes from a Master of Photography

Sometimes I just like to mention that. Master of Photography. What does that mean, you ask? Through Professional Photographers of America, this "degree" is bestowed on photographers who go through the arduous, challenging, and rewarding program to attain status among professional photographers. It involves submitting prints for judging in national competitions and scoring very high in technical and creative points. It also involves teaching workshops and lectures to other professional photographers internationally. I earned this award in my early career, and I am still very proud of this "representation of the oldest and largest professional photography organization’s standards of excellence."

As I worked through the process, the experiences I gained were priceless. I began to seek out judges whose work I greatly admired and asked for critiques which were generously offered. Developing one's own style often involves emulating the work of others, but I found that my own "signature" developed very quickly. I was a single parent at the time and one of my teachers, Linda Lapp, inspired me to create a home studio and photograph out of doors, in client's homes and gardens, and the beach. That really cut down on expenses and I loved working in the soft afternoon light, always challenged creatively by walking into unfamiliar territory.

As a result of all the help I received over the years, I feel it is so important to give back that inspiration and guidance to others. I truly hope that my book will help you make better photographs of children - to find your own style, choose which skills you want to hone in on, and MAKE IT HAPPEN! Whether you are a parent, a grand-parent, or an aspiring/accomplished professional, I believe you will find a great deal of helpful information. I hope so.

Warmly,

Ginny

In the Gloaming...

Days like this make me really appreciate what I do for a living and also as a passion. This little sweetie is 2 1/2 years old and I photographed him on a warm and sunny Sonoma afternoon. I took him, along with his big brother, to the garden at a local winery. The light was a low, broad blue sky, and the overhead portico created good protection from overhead light. The warm glow was thanks to good old California autumn. I love the way the crimson leaves peak through the columns. This portrait demonstrates how lovely an image can be in all its simplicity - both in lighting and composition.

I love the spontaneous, impishness of his expression. What I really love about children this age is that they still have the babyish round, soft cheeks. This usually disappears when they are 3 to 4.

Best of all, his mom said the portrait really captured him! Ahhh. That makes me so happy!

What is YOUR learning style?

My book, Photographing Children, has two distinct tracks to learn about creating better photographs of your children. My intention was to write a book that is geared to less technically-oriented readers who want to learn to turn an average snapshot into a more fine and dazzling portrait. This journey is about learning to see the light and to use it effectively and sculpturally. It is also about using more dramatic composition and eliciting a wide range of expressions from children, as well as finding more interesting backgrounds.

Most books on photography, and even on photographing children, elaborate about all the camera bells and whistles and digital tricks. Many people pick the books up in the bookstore and start seeing references to f-stops and color temperature, only to feel intimidated and put it right back on the shelf.

Photography needn't be so dreary!

I wanted to inspire the reader to see that it can be fun, relaxing and un-intimidating learning to create better photos of their children! When I teach photography to parents (mainly Moms) I will often have them start off using automatic mode on the camera.

Then I teach them to see, feel and LOVE light...light in the afternoon, light coming in through a window, and so on. Then we look at some of their favorite photographs, noticing how they are composed and why we are drawn to them so that we can incorporate that into their images.

In my experience as a teacher of other professional photographers, I have noticed over the years that many don't see light and make use of it in a creative way. They automatically use a flash and zap away any possibility for a beautifully "sculpted" portrait.

I have attempted in my book to show the value of using natural and available light, and classical composition.

However, if you find that you want to go a step beyond and learn more about your camera, lenses, and settings, you can follow that track through the book as well. I found a contributor, Allison Tyler Jones, who was able to add that information in a simple and friendly manner.

The photographs in the book range from very contemporary and fresh to the more classical and refined, and much in between. Readers can identify with a style that might come close to theirs.

The nice thing is that you can choose your path in reading this book, and continue to use it as a resource and inspiration as you gain confidence in your photography!

Enjoy!