Finding courage and laughter...

I try to laugh often.  I find that it keeps me moving.  Just when things seem overwhelming, I find myself laughing uncontrollably... usually at myself.  Is that weird?  As I've gotten to know myself better, I'm come to the realization that some neuroses are ok.  You know... I'm fine with the fact that when I feel like life is gettting the best of me, my solution is to ransack the fridge and throw away everything that has been in there longer than 2 months - regardless of the expiration date (hey, it's better than eating everything that's been in the fridge longer than 2 months, right?).  I'm alright with the fact that it's ok for me to leave my photography gear, fabric, props, etc, sitting out, but the second Jeff sets one single notebook down, I let him know very nicely that I'd prefer if he cleaned up after himself.  I mean seriously... how rude of him to be such a slob!  I'm really quite comfortable with the idea that while I've got a million things on my plate, I always seem to find just enough time to watch The Real Housewives of... (you name it... I watch most of them).  C'mon - priorities people!  It's just me... and I'm ok with that.  I spent my 20's trying to figure out who the heck this crazy lady named Leah was, and now, in my (insert gasp here) 30's, I'm pretty darn happy with the person my 20's created.  That being said... life does seem to be a process of sorts, huh? 

When I first started photography, I was supported by so many wonderful people.  People who continued to tell me that I could do this, that I was "good enough."  That one took me awhile to believe - and honestly, there are times still when I wonder, but they are getting fewer and farther between.  BUT (and there's always a "but," isn't there?).  But...there were people who also weren't so supportive.  In fact, I had one "friend" tell me that my camera wasn't nice enough, my lenses weren't expensive enough, and that I hadn't taken enough classes.  While what she was saying was partly true - my camera wasn't top of the line, my lens was an entry level lens, and I'd only taken one weekend workshop, I just had to believe that she wasn't right.  Although... in my "greenhorn" eyes (Yup... that's right, I not only make time for The Real Housewives, but I'm also OBSESSED with Deadliest Catch), I was inclined to believe her.  So, I decided I wasn't good enough.  I let her words sink deep into my soul and that was it.  I wasn't going to take pictures for people... this was not my "thing."  I was lucky though.  Two things happened:  

First...  another friend told me that camera's don't take pictures, people do.  You can have the nicest camera in the world and take a crappy picture.  And, you can have a really inexpensive camera and can capture beautiful images.

Second... Photography found me.  Dorky, I know, but oh so true.  I never set out to be a photographer.  I never dreamed that people would hire me.  I never imagined the overwhelming response this business would get.  I never thought I could do it... but through all that doubt, every time I picked up my camera, I felt confident.  The stress, the doubt, the negativity all melted away and it was me with my camera... and it felt just perfect... it still feels just perfect.

So... over the coming weeks, I'm hoping to share more and more of my journey with you. I have to believe that there are other people out there who just want to grow and take better pictures. If there's any way I can be like my second friend was and encourage you in your journey... then this will all be worth it. Here are a few photos from my very first venture into portrait photography (remember... this is a space of non-judgment!).

I call this next one "Give me my damn carrots lady!"

And here are a few from a session I had this spring.  What a difference a couple years can make!

Now... on a side note.  You may be wondering 'where is that first friend?'  Who the f- knows?  Honestly, haven't seen or heard from her since.  All I know is that she wasn't right and instead of being a friend, she became a "friend." 

Back to laughing.  My goal with these personal posts is two-fold.  To help you understand,deep in your soul, that when something finds you, you should trust that it's found you for a reason.  And secondly... to make you laugh, if even just a little, even if it's laughing AT me and not WITH me.  Hey... I'm happy to help in any way I can.  ;)

Aperture made easy!

Boy... am I behind on blog posts! I have 3 amazing sessions still to blog about, but I've also been working on this aperture blog that I really wanted to share. So... stay tuned... I promise I will have more posts for you this week!

When I first started learning about photography, I wanted to understand the fastest, easiest way to improve my pictures. I got a book (as recommended by the amazing Erika McCauley), and started reading. The problem... I still didn't understand most of the language, and reading is time consuming. I wanted instant gratification! In the end... I needed practice and patience. But... knowing what I know now. I have a suggestion for YOU. Your quick answer is aperture. I know, not a word that sounds very fun, but I promise, it will become one of your best friends. Now, please understand, there are a million things that go into creating that beautiful image. But, in my brief experience, I've found that focusing on too many of those things confuses me and eventually bogs me down. So, for now, let's focus on aperture.

Aperture: aperture is the unit of measurement that defines the size of the opening in the lens that can be adjusted to control the amount of light reaching the film or digital sensor. The size of the aperture is measured in F-stop.

What the!?! Ok, take a deep breath. Step away from the mouse you were about to throw at your computer screen, and walk with me. ;) What you need to know is this - aperture gives you that beautiful blurry, buttery background you love. Look at the picture below:

Ahh... do you feel better?

Do you love that amazing blurry background? Then you will love learning about aperture! The second thing you need to know - aperture is talked about in terms of f-stops. I won't bore you with why they're called f-stops (and to be honest, you don't need to know... it's sort of like Algebra... don't ask why you need to know it, just know you need to know!). Low f-stops mean blurry background, high f-stops mean less/no blur. Now... there is this really exciting description of how those f-stops relate to the amount of light that reaches the image sensor... oh crap, I've already lost you again. Sorry. Don't worry, not going to bore you with image sensors and light openings. Back to what you need to know - low f-stop = blur, high f-stop = crisp. Again... low f-stop = blurry background, high f-stop = crisp background.

Now let's put this to practice:

Here is an example of a low f-stop: f 1.4

See how nice and crisp her face is, but how blurry her shoulders are?

You can barely make out specifics in the background on this one - nice and blurry. F-1.4

Another low f-stop: F-2.8. Do you see how the blur progresses as the fence gets farther away?

Now here's an example of a high f-stop: F-5.6. Do you see how crisp EVERYTHING in the photo is? Now picture it if I had used a low f-stop. The background would be blurry... not nearly as impactful, right? (Yes... I crossed that scary bridge - TWICE!)

Again, a high F-stop: F-4.5. Se how it blurrs ever so slightly to show the distance between the front point and the far point? But... it's not so blurry you can't make out details.

One last example of a high f-stop. F-5.6. Imagine this with a low f-stop. It would totally take away the power of the image. We are on top of a 14,000 ft mountain that we just climbed. The view was spectacular. When we took this photo, the view was the story we wanted to tell - if we had lowered the f-stop, what would the story be? 4 people dressed for cold weather in June... not nearly as exciting. ;)

F Gone Wrong:
What were we thinking?!? This is obviously in a very early stage of learning about photography! Love the blurry background and the way the light behind me sort of fades the landscape. Neat, EXCEPT, I was looking at the most amazing view of the sea from our Bed and Breakfast window on the Northern coast of IRELAND! No way you could tell that from this photo! We should've stopped and made the f-stop much higher so we could crisply see the rooftops out the window and the beautiful sea in the background!


Here's another mis-hap, although a little less obvious. Behind me is the most amazing castle, again on the ocean in Ireland. You can make out the castle, but there aren't any details. This photo would have been much more impactful had we set the f-stop at a 4.5+ and we could appreciate the beauty of the ancient structure!


F-Misses:
When I look at photos I've taken, I sometimes see opportunities I've missed. Here's an example of a great family photo from a recent session. This is an f-stop in the 3 range. There is an ever so slight blur on the last little girl's face, and the first little girl is crisp. Here's what I could've done:

Option 1: Bump up the f-stop so that everyone is crisp. Great family photo!
Option 2: Lower the f-stop to a 1.4 or lower and really focus on the first girl. In the background you would see really blurry images of the other two and their smiles. This option would elicit so much more emotion than the first option.
Which would you choose?

Another option for this photo would've been to really lower the f-stop and give it the same feel as the fence photo above. Focus in on the first portion of the path and let everything else melt away.
What would you have done?

I know this is a lot... read this post a couple times, and then practice! Even if you just have a point-and-click - see if there is an Aperture Priority mode ("A" or "AV"). Put your camera on that mode and try to play with the f-stops. What sort of photos do you like to take? Crisp landscapes or blurry portraits?

Let's join forces!

Wow... lately I've been approached by a number of friends who are interested in learning more about photography or even starting their own photography business. This just baffles me at times. I can hardly believe that people are looking to me for advice... it is truly flattering. I thought I'd use the power of the internet to start helping those friends (and some of you "friends" who I do not yet know) hone their photography skills along with me. Let me begin by saying I'm NOT a photography guru. I'm just like you, most likely. I fell in love with photography when I was introduced to the very amazing Erika McCauley. She creates amazing images and I'm in love with her work - and maybe a little in love with her as well ;). She was our wedding photographer and I remember the first moment I realized the power a single image can hold. It was about 2 weeks after our wedding. I was in a Panera on my laptop doing some work and an email came through from Erika - she had created a slideshow of our special day. I honestly sat in that booth and cried. It was amazing to see that day captured through Erika's eye. It was unbelievable. I felt so lucky to have such wonderful images. I was hooked.

When I wanted to learn more about photography, I was completely overwhelmed. I had a couple friends who were starting photography businesses at the time and they knew so much more than me. They were excited to jump in head-first, but I was much more hesitant. I didn't know how to learn about this camera I had bought. I didn't know what lens(es) I needed, I didn't understand how to frame a picture. I started looking at websites and was pointed in the direction of Mera Koh. She is wonderfully inspirational... and I loved reading her blog. She had these amazing "photo recipes" that I thought were super neat. The only problem? I didn't understand any of it! I needed to start from scratch and that was hard. I wasn't able to invest in a photography class because I had just spent all this money on my new camera, so I bought a couple books, and found myself asking lots of questions (mostly to Erika, who patiently guided me as I learned).

I love that people are starting to reach out to me for support, encouragement, even help. I want to empower as many people as possible in what they love - even if they don't have an interest in turning it into a business. I think I've stumbled quite a bit over the last year, and I'm excited to share my mistakes with you in hopes that they will help guide you along. And... I'd love to have you take this ride with me, because I'm still just beginning.

So... let's do this together! It'll be fun! I'll start from the beginning and I'll make sure to explain just HOW & WHY I'm taking the shots I'm taking. I'd love to hear from you as well. What are you struggling with? Can you help me get better? I'd venture to guess you can!