Not that I don't love people and portrait photography anymore...I do and I hop on that train every time it arrives, but there is something about being out there in the world, appreciating the sheer beauty, grandeur, and magnificence of it. Don't you think so? There's so much to see and no matter how many times you look at it or how closely you observe it, it will never reveal itself to you in the same way twice. The lighting varies, the time of day, the season...it is always metamorphosing. It doesn't fight it; it just goes with it, a natural flow of constant transformation...some evident, some not so much...sometimes quietly and sometimes with great fanfare.
And, here I am going to be blatantly, unheard of honest, even for me...you may want to shield your child's eyes for this next line or so. I know this may come as a complete shocker to you but people can sometimes be a pain in the...well, you know...tush, tuckus, derriere, rear end...I think you get the point (I am not excluding myself either...we all have our moments). Not all of them and definitely not all of the time but they can be a challenge; they have expectations...lots of expectations. Please don't get me wrong, I am not bashing people or any venue of photography that includes people in it; I am only sharing a peek at some of the challenges in a, hopefully, humorous way.
Don't believe me? Spend a day as a wedding photographer. They want you to make them look like the blushing bride in "Bride Magazine" and, honey, I'm just saying...I could photoshop that extra few pounds off of you but you still want it to look like you, don't ya? Yes, they want it to look like them AND just like the model in "Bride Magazine."
Also, I believe it's possible to bi-locate but I haven't actually learned that ability myself quite yet so, no, I didn't get the cake shot and Grandma doing "The Chicken Dance" after a few too many on the bar. Yes, I understand they were both important to you but you hired one photographer, remember?
Or how about baby/children photography? Love, love, love kids! I really do but their parents? Hhhhmmm...not so much. Okay, I'm being honest. I love them, too, but more so when they pretend to be invisible and allow me to work my magic; otherwise, there can be a chorus of "Smile. Oh not like that...that looks so fake. Give a big smile.." coming out of the peanut gallery while "Little Johnny" goes from smiling to not smiling to smiling, confused at his inability to smile correctly.
Sometimes parents only want their children to have one setting...happy. Whatever happened to all the other emotions? Letting a child have fun and running the whole gamut of emotions can be one way of getting them to loosen up and actually ENJOY the shoot.
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Give an inch and they take a mile! One outfit change is not equal to change clothes every 10 minutes of an hour long photo shoot. Little Johnny is trying out for the part of Grumpy in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" and I'm running a close second by now. I may even be rushing for the lead.
And, no, your newborn isn't going to look like an Anne Geddes angelic repeat. I mean, hospital photography has grown immensely but it still has its limits...time and hospital beds to name a couple. For one, we are not allowed to hang your child from the cute, little bonnet its auntie made for it, the hospital has its policies...I'm sure you understand.
I'll do cartwheels if I manage to get the baby's eyes open for even one shot; after all I don't wake up without my coffee and she hasn't even been alive for a few hours, much less had the pleasure of an introduction to caffeine. She's crying? Oh, no! Well, she has gotten poked and prodded five times since I've been here. And, no, we can't ask the nurses to leave us alone.
When was the last time you fed her? Last night, you say? She hasn't done a "boom, boom" in over a day? You may want to have that checked out.
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| Sometimes you get a beautiful moment anyway.... |
See what I'm saying? People are wonderful...sometimes just wonderfully unrealistic. I do have tips and ways around human nature, though, if you are particularly interested in these styles of photography. I will save that for another post.
Okay, I jest, but only slightly. It would be more appropriate to say, I am exaggerating and using "poetic license" to get the most bang out of your lovely presence and have you leave my blog a little lighter while still presenting a truth, not THE truth but a sliver of truth as I have had the joy of experiencing it.
Nature is just nature. It has no expectations of you, doesn't care how you look on any particular day, doesn't judge or care about what mood your experiencing or for how long it takes you to snap out of it...it just is and it allows you to just be also.
There you go! I've given you my confession in a nutshell. I love people but nature loves me for me...faults and all...and will let me experience it in any way I wish within reason. What's not to love?
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| Shenandoah Mountains, Skyline Drive, Virginia |
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