I love shooting RAW! I make the mistake of forgetting to change my camera settings a lot, I'm getting better though. There are times when I do not have even a second to check my settings because the kids are doing something cute and I don't want to miss it.
For example:
My son was taking his bath tonight and our kitty Maisy was sitting on the edge watching his every move. She has a weird fascination with water and bubbles. I grabbed my camera before she jumped away. I did not have my settings perfect, obviously. Whoa yellow!!!
After I uploaded the photo, I opened it up in my RAW editor. Here is a screenshot of my very quick edit. I clicked on the white balance tool and then selected a spot in the photo that was white. RAW editor automatically made the adjustment. Looks good doesn't it? How quickly could you achieve this if it was a JPG image? You would have to open up Photoshop and fiddle around with a few settings. RAW saves time!
Here's the final edit! I just ran a quick creamy light action and adjusted clarity and sharpness. Finished!
For this week's Project 52 submission I chose to photograph my lovely daughter feeding the crazy kittens. Moe and Maisy hear the sound of food and race into the kitchen meowing up a storm. They act like it's their last meal......every meal. ha!
I have so many favorite shots from 2012, but for this month's Rock the Shot challenge I'm choosing an image that makes me smile every time I see it. It is real life and it tells a story all on its own. I hope it brings a smile to your face too!
How many of you are struggling right now with patience, worry and immediate gratification in your photography business {or any other aspect in life}? I have SIX projects going on right now with two of them stewing in my head waiting their turn at stardom. I have a lot of ideas, a lot. Some of them are great, some not so great. My flaw is allotting 100% of my time to each project and letting it grow to stand on it's own before starting a new project. It is very hard! I find myself screaming: "Can this just happen already?!"
I'm tired of waiting. I'm impatient. I worry about succeeding. I doubt myself. I'm sure a lot of small business owners feel the same way from time to time. We want success and we want it now. I know there are businesses out there that have had overnight success, but that doesn't happen with the line of work I'm in. It takes a lot of time studying, practicing, spending time away from family/friends, etc. etc. Photographers understand that this list is endless, you can never stop working at the business, even those who are super successful STILL pound the pavement to make sure their name is not forgotten.....while some of us still struggle with finding a name for ourselves.
-------------- Going off track now for a second --------
How many of your brains go in overdrive while lying in bed or when you're in the shower? That's me too! Yesterday while I was in the shower I couldn't help but go over all the things I need to get done this week and the feeling of anxiety rushed over me. Then I heard in my head:
"Trust me"
I do, but..... I will, but....
Okay, so straight up talk isn't going to work on me....so almost like a joke, a Psalty song pops in my head. If you do not know who Psalty is, you may have grown up in the 90's, unlike myself who was born in 1976. :) Psalty rocked my record player, day in and day out! The big, blue Bible will always be embedded in my heart.
God is so smart, and such a witty guy. Thank you for getting your point across to me in a way that I will listen. :)
For all of you who may be struggling, read the words, or better yet....listen to the song. Know that all things are made beautiful in HIS time. Time to be second in line and let the real leader show us the way!
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:11
Song Lyrics to "In His Time"
In His time, in His time,
He makes all things beautful in His time.
Lord, please show me every day,
As You're teaching me Your way,
That You do just what You say, in Your time.
In Your time, in Your time,
You make all things beautiful in Your time.
Lord, my life to You I bring.
May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing, in Your time.
This week's theme was "Pieces of Me" for the Project 52 with My Four Hens Photography.
How many of you kept little toys from your childhood? You may remember these little figurines. :) Funny how some things never go out of style, my kids now play with these among all their other millions of toys. I'm glad these never made it into the donation pile over the years. Enjoy!
Be sure to bookmark my blog to keep up to date on all my weekly project posts.
Some of you have followed the progression of the studio since September, but I haven't shown any images of it complete. I am not sure it will ever be "complete" to my satisfaction. I plan to add to it, so what you see now is just the beginning! I plan to add pullback shots of shoots as I remember to take them. I'm so excited to be able to offer the space to other local photographers to utilize too!
Here's a set up for a newborn session, set takes down easily and stores away!
Feel free to bookmark my blog to see more props and pullbacks in the future.
This week's Project 52 theme is : FRESH! We've had a lot of rain this week in Texas, much needed rain too! I'm hoping it washes away all the flu germs being passed around. I decided to open up one of our windows to let in some fresh air, our kittens love this! They will sit in an open window and watch, listen and sniff, sniff, sniff. Here is a photo of our Siamese kitten Moe, I just adore his little perched paws and pretty blue eyes!
If you'd like to join in on the Project 52 with My Four Hens Photography, it is not too late! Robyn
I'm challenging myself this year to complete a Project 52 with My Four Hens Photography. Each week a new theme is announced and photographers all over snap their little hearts out to capture an image that fits the theme.
The first week's theme was TIME
I snapped this photo of my son this morning while he was eating a snack, I think it's {time} for a new haircut! I do love his hair - it contains perfect highlights and it's silky!
If you'd like to join in the Project 52, click here! It's always fun and inspiring to see what others capture.
With the addition of the blog on my website, I'm faced with new layout and editing issues from a whole new dimension! Bear with me as I figure out how I want this to look. :)
