Is it just my imagination, or did I just post a picture of my husband and kids riding their bikes the other day . . . in Utah . . . in December? Yes, I believe I did. We’ve had no more than a tiny sprinkling of snow this season (which probably isn’t great for Utah’s occasional drought concerns), but it has been kind of lovely outside. Cold off and on, sure, but also . . . very . . . not cold. My kids did indeed spend most of their Christmas break out riding their bikes. We even had a record breaking 57 degree day. All in all, it feels much more like the early beginnings of spring than the throws of winter. Typing that made me suddenly feel a bit nervous, like maybe winter overheard and is plotting a mid January revenge. In the mean time: early January 2012:
I won’t pretend that I don’t oft times go overboard on photo sharing here. I know it. But how can it be helped?
I realized the other day that my blog has evolved quite a bit since I started it back . . . oh, whenever I started it. And that makes sense because I’ve evolved too. Initially it was more just for the fun of writing. I do enjoy writing and I think my posts were often meant more to entertain others or simply to ramble something fun than to keep memories. However, as I’ve stacked my little printed blog books one after another up on my mantle, I have begun to care more about recording things that I want to remember; things I want my kids to be able to look back at, and, I realize, that many of those things are the very sorts of things that are not really of interest to the common reader (common reader? Huh?), but I don’t mind really. I don’t even mind if blogs completely fade away so long as I keep having a good format to make my little books. (And I don’t know why I am so sure that a printed book will last longer than something on the internet . . . I guess it depends on which I think is more likely a) my house burning down with photo albums, journals, blog books, etc. all caught up in the flames; or b) the modern world ending and all modern things like electricity, internet, etc. failing us. Hmm. It looks like I’m planning on horrible events of a more apocalyptic nature. Or perhaps I just really like flipping through books.)
Anyway, I’ve also learned a fair amount about photography the last year or two, and while I still know very little compared to what there is to know, it has become very satisfying to be able to capture more moments with my kids the way I want to capture them. Which might explain all the overabundance of photos I put on here these days. But, I’ve noticed something that I think is very good for me at this stage of my life. I’ve mentioned that recording little things my kids do, Mike says, etc. makes me appreciate the normal day to day happenings in my existence. Well, I’ve realized that taking pictures does that for me as well. When I was out yesterday watching my kids blow bubbles, trying to snap a photo right as someone reached for or blew the perfect bubble, it felt like magic – having these little people, watching them enjoy something as simple as bubble blowing. And I don’t know if I would have even gone outside to watch them, or watched them how I did if I hadn’t been trying to capture the moment through my lens. I really think it has been another means of helping me in my goal (that is constantly needing to be resolved upon again as I forget and fail) to enjoy now and enjoy the tiny normal moments that currently make up my life.
So, there you have it. I’ll post all the bubble blowing pictures I want to!
How about just . . . ummm . . . five more?
With all that said, I don’t intend to imply that this blog is now solely for recording family goings on. Oh no. I reserve the right to write any ridiculous thing that strikes my fancy at any time . . . simply because I like to.
The End.
10 comments:
Oh what fun pictures of your beautiful girls!
Happy New Year♥
I love your pictures. I can never see too many. Keep them coming! I also love the delightful commentary that goes with them.
These are gorgeous! I agree completely that you should record those things which are most important to you. It is only in looking backwards that we move forward!!! What happy memories you have captured!!!
Very very cool. Love the one with all the popping bubble goo in it!
Heather - MCP Project 12 Team
I need to have you show me how to do a book, not that I have kept my blog up to date, but would love to have what I do have.....some day!
Wow! I saw your photo from the MCP 12 Project and just loved it. I'm new to photography and interested in what equipment you use as well as the settings used to capture the light so well!
Thanks all, and Becky, I am also pretty new. I got my Canon 50D about a year and a half ago, but I haven't so much as taken a class -- so it has just been a slow learning curve through reading things here and there and asking friends questions here and there. I have come a long way, but still need to learn so much more to feel confident, so thanks for your compliment! As for the lighting, one of my very favorite tricks in photography has been learning to overexpose my photos when I am taking them into bright light. That way you don't get a silhoutte figure against the sunshine, but you get a bright figure and kind of that washed out background light. You have to experiment a lot to get a photo you like, but it is fun. A low f-stop number seems to get the more all over glowy light (I think I was shooting with an aperature between a 2.5 and 3.5 on most of these bubble shots). Then you can either do it manually and just get that little line on your exposure bracket to read higher than 0, or an easy way is to just use AV mode and figure on your camera how to set that you want it to expose at +1 or more or less. Most camera allow you to mess with that with only clicking one or two buttons. Good luck starting out! I am still right there with you and it is fun and also very intimidating!
I read this post last week and kept meaning to comment but never did. When I read on my phone, which I ususally do now, I don't comment because the buttons are so ridiculously tiny and I'm using an app to read them anyway. But, here I am on my big computer and I had to come and tell you that I absolutely agree with you on the evolution of this whole blogging thing. My purposes have changed drastically as well. And it is interesting how in just a few short years - what is it now, 3 years that we've been blogging - my perspective and my outlook on life has changed quite a bit. But I still love to do it. The difference being that I'm really just doing it for me and my kids now and all the rest of the world is just out there and its like I've crossed a threshold into not caring one wit what anyone else thinks. So that is why I love that your blog has evolved as well. I only which that my spiritual camera would evolve right along with me.
Please know though, that I am here reading, on my phone, and I am in awe of you and your awesome photography skills. They are indeed gifts of the spirit! ;)
your photographs get more and more amazing! i hope you know i've already decided you are taking my family pictures when i come this summer -- and THEN you are going to give me lessons in photography! name your price and i'll pay up!! :) even if my bald man has to get himself another job!!
your kids are so very adorable ... all that blonde hair! and really, your photos are truly, TRULY amazing!!!
Jam, you know that I have no skills with posing a family whatsoever (the good thing about having no real aspirations of anything serious is -- there is nobody to disappoint when I take crappy pics as it is just my own kids again and again). However, I would love to practice on a family so if you are up for guinea pigness, I am all for it!! The only price being: you can't cry if they turn out lame.
Ooh, but as for teaching stuff. If you do get a DSLR before coming, you should let me spend an hour or so teaching you a bit. It helped me a ton having Amy just teach me some good basic starting tips when I first got mine.
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