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

Radio Interview with Ginny Felch on Photographing Children

What a great way to celebrate finishing my taxes! Today I was interviewed about photographing children and my book by West Marin's Adrienne Pfeiffer on KWMR radio, which was live on radio and online. I was a little nervous about it, so I didn't make a big announcement, but after hearing it today, I decided to share it with you. It's about twenty minutes. If you join the group Photographing Children on Facebook, you can ask further questions.

Here it is: Enjoy!

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!

Photographing Children Featured in Real Simple Magazine

I was thrilled to receive a call from my editor telling me that my book, Photographing Children Photoworkshop by Ginny Felch was featured in the current July issue of Real Simple Magazine. It is on Page 8 in "the simple list," How exciting is that!

It is titled: 3 tips for taking better pictures of your tots.

I love Real Simple Magazine and I know how popular it is with all ages, so I was thrilled to have the book featured there.

I wanted to show you a beautiful image that I delivered yesterday to the sweetest family in the East Bay. Such a beautiful child and it was created on an evening at the beach during twilight hours at low tide. Just a quiet and magical moment with a truly delightful child and her mom and dad. I love the soft light and harmonious colors, right down to her sweater. Her beautiful red/gold locks really vignette her face. Usually I tend to avoid centering the subject in a child's portrait, but it just seemed like the right thing to do in this case. Important to use that intuition sometimes!

Ironically, this image was taken two weeks after a California wildfire, and the evening light was crimson for quite some time. This was one of the images effected by unusually warm light.

Photographing Children - The book is released!

I just received an email from my niece saying that she received a copy of the book! (She is the mom of several of my "models," so I requested that she receive a complimentary copy from the publisher). She is a young mom of three boys and her first glance was very positive. I will ask her to write something soon because as a mom with camera, she will have very helpful feedback for us all. Stay tuned!

The actual release date on Amazon is March 10!