Joyce Smith Photography Blog

Kickin' it

Just one from a gallery that went up today.  I just love this . . . love that the baby is so small in the frame, and I love how he is having so much fun kicking his legs.  I can still remember how gleefully my little girl kicked her legs in the crib . . . and now we've just ordered her big girl bed.  Sob!!

Have a wonderful weekend, all!  I will be celebrating my birthday Sunday--yay!

it's another party of five!

My regular blog readers (love ya!) will remember the beautiful M. family.  Today I had the pleasure of photographing their adorable cousins and look--it's twins and an older sibling as well!  It was lovely meeting you this morning, C. family.  You have your hands full, no doubt, but an equally plentiful share of love and FUN.  Enjoy this little sneak peek.

Meet big brother H.  He was such a personable little fellow and we hit it off right away.  This is one of the first clicks of the shutter.

And his little sister, sweet Miss H. with her lovely mom.

. . . and next is little Q.  Check out these eyes!

Finally, a little walk in the not-quite-rain, not-quite-snow weather we had today.  This little guy was happy as can be in his favorite boots. Click to see this bigger!

snow!!!

I think this post will be self-explanatory. : )

(Okay, a little explanation . . . no, I do not do wardrobe changes when my daughter plays in the snow.  LOL!  We had a little "this black hat is HURTING me!!!" meltdown and had to switch to her hooded coat after 10 minutes.  Life is oh-so-dramatic when you are three.)

Stay warm, everyone!

Sweetness!

It's another adorable six month old!  Such a terrific age to photograph.  Meet baby C. and his adoring parents.  This little guy was fascinated by the camera and gave me eye contact every time.  I think he might be seeking representation soon--ha ha--and what an adorable model he would make. Be prepared to say "awwwww."  Here's a little sneak peek for the M. family:

And finally--you know I have to say it--"welcome to my crib!" :)

I hope everyone has enjoyed the long weekend!

the wordsmith {what to wear} guide . . .

. . . for photographers is now available.  Whew!  I'm so tired . . . . : )  Enjoy, and Happy Valentine's Day to all!

http://joycesmithphotography.typepad.com/wordsmith/

another little peek . . .

. . . for the F. family.  I had such a fun time shooting this happy bunch. : )

I love relaxed family photos like this one, where everyone is just having fun!

a sweet moment with dad . . .

and one of my personal favorites from the shoot.  Just a little rush of tulle running by.  Ah, to be a little girl again!

beautiful week

In keeping with the blog title theme from last week's "beautiful day" entry, I present "beautiful week."  lol  But indeed no other title could be as appropriate--it was indeed a most beautiful week!  I spent three days learning from two phenomenal photographers, Jesh de Rox and Anna Kuperberg. As one who is not at all given to hyperbole, I'd classify the experience as, oh . . . life-changing?  A huge, heartfelt thanks and much love to Jesh, Anna, and the other thirteen photographers I had the pleasure of learning from this week.  I feel completely renewed, inspired, and more sure of things I already knew deep down.  My photographer friends jokingly call me the workshop queen, but nothing compares to Jesh's life (as an artform). For all my photographer blog readers . . . this is THE ONE.

On a completely different note . . . today marks the debut of WordSmith for photographers. I'll be offering writing and editing services as well as helpful guides for photographers to give to their clients.  Mom would be so pleased--all those years of graduate study in English at work! : )  Pop on over to the WordSmith blog and look around!

beautiful day

Wasn't the weather today gorgeous?  As luck would have it, I had an afternoon session and we got to go outside for a while.  Who would have thought that you could be out without a heavy coat on February 3rd?

Here's a little sneak peek for the F. family.  It was wonderful meeting all of you, and I'll be in touch in about 10 days with your online gallery.  We got many fantastic photos--Dad will be shocked! : )

Here's sweet Miss C. in her beautiful room and going for a little walk with me outside.  She specially requested my tutus so I was happy to bring along a little stash from Prissy Poofs with me.

And here's little brother D.  He wasn't so sure what to make of me at first . . .

and then he started to warm up . . .

and, finally, he just let go.  ha ha! I can practically hear the laughter looking at this shot.

it's everyone's favorite . . .

More Q & A. : )  Just one question for today, this one from Karen.

Q: My question goes back to the lenses that you use. I have recently purchased a 50mm 1.4 lens and have achieved the results I hoped to achieve with babies and still subjects. However, I'm the mother of a 2 1/2 year old (like yourself) and have a harder time achieving focus with those busy toddlers at larger apertures. Do you use those larger apertures for those on the go or could you make a suggestion about what range to use for those types of subjects?Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and expertise!

A: I've used both the Canon and Nikkor 50 1.4mm and they are both fantastic.  But yes, it can be tricky to work with the lens at wider apertures.  Toddlers can obviously run in and out of the plane of focus quickly and, if that plane is narrower (i.e. your aperture is wider), it will be harder for you to achieve sharp focus.  If you want the plane of focus to be less narrow but you still want some nice bokeh, you might want to try your aperture at 2.8 or 3.2 and, when you start getting the focus you want, open up wider from there. You also might try continuous focus or AI servo with those toddlers if you are not already.  With that said, I do shoot toddlers wide open and I've gotten faster with the shutter and catching them right when they pause for a split second.  You can always expect out of focus photos with quick subjects at any aperture, so don't be afraid to overshoot a tad for those speedy little ones.  Hope this helps.  Thanks for checking out the blog!