April 25, 2012

Catching WAY up with Project 52


Well, I've been pretty good about taking photos for each weekly assignment; however, I have NOT been good about blogging! Takes awhile to establish a new habit... So, with one exception, here are my pics for the last several weeks.


WEEK 9: LEADING LINES
Found some great leading lines when we visited Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies - that is, when Little Miss E wasn't taking advantage of my kneeling down on the ground for photos to try to climb all over me!




WEEK 10: ROUND
So uncreative, I know, but there's nothing round I love more than the dear little faces of my Mr. B and Miss E. Especially since I know that sweet softness will be gone before I know it.




WEEK 11: MOTION
Tried a couple of slow shutter speed things this week without getting the result I was hoping for. Then at the end of the week, I found Mr. B busily decorating our front porch with sidewalk chalk. BINGO! Set the aperture to f/18 to force a slow shutter speed for a good exposure, and this is the result!



WEEK 12: WHITE
My crocuses were in full bloom this week! I got out my macro lens and extension tubes for some abstract-type close-ups of, of course, the white ones.




WEEK 13: CATCHLIGHTS
Of course I spent some time in front of my kiddos eyes recording their catchlights, but for something slightly different, I recruited my neighbor to model for me "in studio." She has gorgeous eyes anyway, but I loved how these catchlights made them just sparkle.



WEEK 14: WEATHER
I got no shots for this week's theme. It rained and I was hoping to get a macro of raindrops on the tree buds, but it was too windy. It was sunny (most of the week) and I was uninspired. Oh, well.



WEEK 15: TWO
I realized this week that Miss E finally has hair long enough to DO something with! So one afternoon I stuck some pigtails in her hair, only to discover that Mr. B really wanted some, too. So there they were, TWO of them with TWO little pigtails each... such a dear and silly little duo. And they nicely posed for me, to boot.



WEEK 16: WATER
Probably my favorite thing to photograph is the lakeshore and lighthouses. One day this week after 24+ hours of 30-40 mph winds, I realized the sky might offer up a nice sunset. I secured a last-minute babysitter and raced out to Grand Haven. The sunset wasn't quite what I hoped it might be, but I was grateful for every minute of my two hours out there. It was exhilarating and refreshing. And I ended up with this shot after the sun went down.



WEEK 17: NEGATIVE SPACE
With this assignment came the following explanation:


In photography we often spend so much time focusing on the subject itself (after all, we have to account for position, exposure, focus, etc.) that we can completely disregard the surrounding area. But, the area surrounding the subject (also known as Negative Space) is equally as important. In fact, it can make or break your image. Negative space often adds interest as it can place a stronger emphasis on the subject and it can evoke emotions completely different than that of a frame that’s filled with subject matter. Negative space does require a completely blank region, however. It is simply a reference to the space that is NOT the subject. Carefully considering negative space and purposely incorporating it into your photograph can certainly be challenging, but once you’ve learned to pay attention to it, your overall photographic composition is likely to become much stronger in the long run.


I have a protected wetlands behind my house that boasts an astonishing crop of trilliums every spring. The ground is literally carpeted with white - seeing this display and capturing it with my camera is one of my annual traditions. This year there were a number of pink trilliums - far more than I remember seeing before. So they were the subject of my annual trillium-portrait-fest this year. And this shot fit the assignment quite well. 


And now, ladies and gentlemen, I am finally caught up with my Project 52 Assignment blogging! 

About Jennifer

I am an on-location, natural light family, senior, child and maternity photographer in West Michigan, serving the communities of Grand Rapids, Jenison, Grandville, Hudsonville, Allendale, Holland, and Zeeland. I'm also a mommy to two amazing little kiddos, a nature lover, a reader, and a gardener. I love a great charcoal-grilled steak, snuggling up for a good movie, getting a far too occasional massage, and having heart-to-heart conversation with good friends. And I would love to be YOUR photographer!