Crush on Kelle Hampton

You know I'm a big fan of i heart faces. The most peculiar and lovely things have happened since entering my first challenge, Vroom Vroom.  The curtains have been pulled back and I am finally remembering why I love(d) photography so much. We, photography and I, have been fighting. For two years, photography consumed me in the way a bad relationship does. I wanted to quit. Instead, I was commissioned more than all the other years...combined.  I was proud of the work I was producing but something was off.  
The photographers, story tellers, teachers, and friends of i heart faces have been my silent support;  pulling back the curtains. Many of whom have no idea how they have helped me to redefine, rework, and rekindle my love. 
Today, I "met" Kelle Hampton, a guest judge for the Innocent Wonder challenge. I've spent the morning with her stories. If you want real, make yourself a cup of coffee and sit down to a visual and written journey. Kelle is one of those virtual friends that will pull back the curtains on your dirty, dusty junk and let you figure it all out in your own time. 

thank you, Kelle.

Crush on Innocent Wonder { an i heart faces challenge }

Innocent Wonder is this week's theme at i heart faces (my favorite community of hobbyists and professional photographers).  Each time my girls come across a new creature, their  faces illuminate with wonder. A starfish. Magical. 

thanks for sharing your thoughts here :)

Crush on Moving Pictures

For six years, I have been creating slideshows of my babies. Each year I make a year-in-pics show for each girl on her birthday. It organizes me and creates a keepsake that we love to pull out and watch. The girls love them the most...ok-almost as much as me.  No one could love watching their wee faces glide across the big screen as much as me.  Our clients preview their images in a slideshow but i've never brought it here to the blog. Here is a little 30 second clip animoto clip of my photos and a darling french nursery rhyme. My first attempt to embed a little action into the page. 


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Crush on Winter Wonderlands

This week's photo challenge over at i heart faces is "Winter Wonderland". I chose this photo of our Ruby in the front yard. There was so much snowfall that all the very close houses and cars have been hidden in whiteness.  The tree is blossoming. The day before this snowfall, we were wearing t-shirts, basking like lizards on the driveway and trying to make our own tie-dye creations. Very typical weather shift when you live at the base of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

thanks for visiting. I always appreciate your comments and thoughts :)

crush on hearts

the heart photo challenge

What a topsy-turvy way to come about a photo challenge. If the process were mapped it would look something like this:

So there you have it--the January/February 2011 challenge is about the heart. Anything to do with the heart--the organ, courage, love,  that which makes your heart beat each day. Photograph what your heart desires and find your way to our Facebook wall to publish it.

how to participate

1) upload your heart inspired photo to our facebook page

2) include this link in the status of your photo upload

 http://skyesnyder.blogspot.com/2011/01/crush-on-hearts.html

3) return here and let us know you entered in the comments below

4) encourage your pals and family to participate 

5) please, only one entry per person

6) deadline to enter is jan 31st. winner will be announced feb 14th.

with love - skye {xo}

crush on smiles

Tis time for an i heart faces challenge--smiles. I give up. As a photographer, I have a ridiculous amount of these and how do you narrow it down? I have entered into handful of their challneges and have always picked my family instead of clients (never knowing if they would approve of it) and I love the photos of my own family--of course. So here it is. A raw, real smile. Not a laugh. Not a smirk. A smile. I hope it makes you smile like the other entries have done to me.

NanaBread...i like your idea of an arranged marriage. :0

Crush on Food Photography :::Tips #1:::

Good morning. I began today with a mental checklist, ticking the boxes to my previously posted MUST-DO list. I added some items to my list beginning with this post to share my progress with you.
I am surprised at how little I photograph my favorite subjects. With food being one of them and something we consume each day, it seems that it would find its way in front of my camera on a regular basis. But, it doesn't. Thanks to my list, I have been paying attention. Typically, when I am preparing food, it's either dark outside or is coming out of a box. Neither of which make for fabulous food photos and explains my lack of opportunities. I will have to make a conscious effort to make this goal happen.

My favorite type of food photos are a combination of people involved with the food and pretty details of the delectables, like this composite from our Christmas Baking Day.

The holiday ham leftovers were to become delicious ham and bean soup. These photos don't do it justice. Typically, I wouldn't want to share images that I didn't think were up to par but they are the perfect opportunity to share some tips with you before our next photo challenge launches.

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY DONT'S

Food photography is much harder than one would think. As you can see from the soup image below, it's easy to make it look unappetizing. It was night time and the only light was from the stove light above and a dull, overhead kitchen lamp. I was alone with no tri-pod handy. The image to the right was me trying to get an action shot while stirring the pot and photographing the steaming hot aromas. FAIL. I can't see the steam. The ham looks gelatinous and the green onions have seen a better day. Odd composition and where is the action hand stirring the wooden spoon? Covered in mess! The photo needs to make you want to get in the car, get the ingredients, and get cookin'! This does not achieve the desired effect.

Often when food is photographed, it is not intended to actually eat, therefore food is not prepared for a photography session the same way it would be if prepared for a dining guest. I know this, but have only photographed food that was going to be eaten. Even for restaurants, I was given "as-is-to-the-dining-guest" food to photograph. A dressed salad often looks sad and soggy. The dressings often look like non-consumable liquids. Meats are tough to photograph. Fats and grease bead up on the plate making a hamburger look less enjoyable.  Check out that charred, greasy hamburger from a 1960s food advertisement. Yuck and no- I do not like it.

ham and bean soup

The problems with this shot --the green fabric gives an unappetizing color to the shot. I was going for rustic with the cassoulet style bowl and wooden background but it just doesn't work. Overkill on the croutons. Where is the soup? FAIL.  The other photograph is getting there. I would have loved this color if it involved people. I think they would have added to the mood I was trying to achieve. A hot bowl of hearty soup after a day of skiing. I need to re-do this shot in a west shore Lake Tahoe cabin. We need to add some hod toddies and maybe...just maybe...we'd have a photo spread.

Canned Food vs Fresh. I wanted to photograph what I actually used in the soup. But as you can see, I didn't take the time to find the most perfect shaped, unsquished beans to be on top. I should have. I like these images, but I am drawn to the "mushiness" of the bean instead of its beautiful shape and subtle color. Food photography is all about the details.

Crush on I heart faces ::: Absolute Best Face of 2010:::

Kickin' off the year by participating in my favorite challenges at i heart faces. This week's challenge is The Absolute Best Face of 2010. Head on over and see the fabulous faces.
Meet our Marley Bear. One of the funniest little tykes I've ever met. I hope this year puts a bigger smile on  everyone's faces and that we all take after the Marley Bear and let ourselves be a little bit sillier. Enjoy...