photoshoot #1

Hendrix was a rockstar in my photo shoot today. 

I love taking pictures. 

And I especially love taking pictures of this kiddo!

I have been taking pictures since I was in middle school.  Not to date myself here, but I was that girl that was spending my paper route money developing my 35mm rolls of film.  Doubles of course so I could have one to frame and one to scrapbook.  lol  I have no formal training in photography, but I do have a passion for photos which has only deepened now that I'm a mom.

Last fall I mentioned a daydream to my hubby that had been growing and evolving in my head for a long time.  I told him that I thought it would be really fun if someday down the road I started taking pictures for a living.  You know, getting paid to do something that I really love!  

I think it could be a really ideal career for a mom as there is plenty of flexibility with scheduling.  I also really appreciate my husband's creative thoughts and tips as studio art was his major in college.  He thinks 'outside the box' and helps to inspire and direct my wild ideas! I could see us working as a team sometimes either during the photoshoot or afterwards during the editing process.  

He was supportive of my dream 100% and even set the ball rolling into motion.  While I would have been content to just think about getting into photography; he bought me a camera for Christmas and rallied some coordinating gifts from my family members including a tripod, gift card to a photo printing website, subscription to a photography magazine and a couple books on the topic as well. 

Now all that is left to do is start shooting I guess, huh?

It was a gorgeous day and I unexpectedly had the whole day off work, so I practiced with Hendrix today.  I decided that I needed to learn more of the ins and outs of my camera, experiment more with a moving (and sometimes uncooperative subject), and just become more comfortable with the decision-making moments in photography.

Here a just a few important lessons that I learned today:

• Have plenty of toys available to entertain my subject while I am busy figuring out the lighting and posing.
• Using a tripod really helps to capture steady shots from varied angles.
• I need to learn how to make adjustments on the tripod more quickly in between shots.
• I need to keep tissues in my pocket while shooting outside (for catching boogies and sneezes).
• Hats and sunglasses are fun accessories, but they can be a huge distraction ;)
• The sunshine really jazzes up any picture.
• And of course, a 7-month-old is going to try to eat rocks if you set him on a pile of gravel!

All I need now is some more practice.  If you want to share one of your adorable children with me for an afternoon, I'd love to practice taking pictures of them.  Right now the going rate for my time is negotiable.  (I am a sucker for coldstone ice cream or mommy-coffee-dates).