i n • p u r s u i t

So, I'm doing this breakout session on Clickin Moms called " The Art of Authenticity. " It's about capturing "authentic, honest moments." This resonated with me because I'm trying to get better about documenting our life and I want these photos to be REAL. Tie that in with the fact that I want more photos of me with Joseph (more than just iPhone selfies!) and I have found myself inspired to take self portraits.  So, one morning were listening to Christmas music and a song came on--I don't remember which one--but I just had to dance around. Joseph actually likes it when we dance around. He snuggles and makes happy noises. It was mid-song when I thought, "Hey! This is the kind of photo I would love to have of me and my mom! I'm making this happen!" I grabbed my camera, put it on the bar and angled it using the lens cap. Set the timer and, there you have it. :) After this, it was nearing nap time and we always always read boo...

I've been wanting to take a decent self portrait for a while now and I really like how this turned out. Of course, it was one of, like, three dozen. For my setup, I kind of channeled (just a wee bit) Jose Villa. I had him in mind when I stood right in front of the window and metered for the shadow. I love how the light is wrapping around. Oh, also! I'm now editing using a Wacom Pen and Touch tablet. It's Mike's and he never uses it so, last night, I thought I'd give it a try. Definitely a learning curve but it's kind of fun. My favorite part so far it that it gives me a steadier hand and more control when editing. And just for funsies, here's the before and after. Yeah, I added some makeup in Lightroom. I don't mind how I look in the original or anything, I was just playing around with the editing and ended up liking how it turned out. Too heavy handed? Probably, but I'm still new to this. Though, if I was to go back and edit some more,...

A few things are happening here, not all of them good. I wanted to take a portrait with me and my Jojo. But my phone died. And with my phone, my remote died. (It's an app.) So, I tried taking self portraits the old fashioned way and ended up with all blurry photos. Well, okay, whatever. Artistic? No, not really.  Also, I've been trying some creative edits. Just playing around with more colorful presets. I don't know if I like it. I mean, it just looks like an Instagram filter and that isn't really my goal. But it's what I have to present, so there you are. Better luck tomorrow?