Where to Start

So we’re a couple weeks into this new year and so far things are going good with my new Challenge. I don’t think I’ve taken anything prize-wining (lol) but the point is I have been taking them. Each and every day and intentionally. Looking for the little moments that are meaningful and and special to capture. That is one definite upside to this challenge, that once I actually get off my lazy backside and pick up my camera, I am pushed to look through the lens and seek out something to photograph.

When I said in my last post that I intend to be more intentional behind the shutter, I meant doing more than just clicking a snapshot to get the challenge done. It means taking a few moments to a few minutes to focus my mind and take in the scene around me and find the photo instead of just making it.  It’s in doing this that I’ve been able to capture some special moments with my littles that may have passed me by had I not been so mindful of them in our surroundings. For example, this shot below of my son Ben. We were just getting ready to head to daycare so things were (as usual) rushed, except for Ben who was his silly playful self. In stopping to take a deep breath before I lost my top at his dawdling, I saw how perfectly the room was lighted and how happy he looked.

 

Then, after taking the photo and sitting back later on to review it, it caught me how much he’s grown these last two and half months since his sister was born and how hes looking more and more like a boy and less like a baby. (Cue tears). And this is exactly what drew me to photography in the first place. Being able to capture these mini moments in between the big ones that too often pass us by or are forgotten in the chaos of our lives.

Right now especially, even though our baby girl is already two months old, I still feel like I’m in a bit of a ‘new baby fog’ and haven’t quite found my sea legs as a SAHM of two (two under two for that matter!).  So this challenge has a secondary perk in that it helps me to not just stop and focus for a minute on the life in front of me, but also in that it captures our daily life which I may not be able to remember a year or ten from now. Mindfulness and gratitude take practice and so far this challenge is helping me keep them both in focus.

Until next time!

© 2017 Amber White, KoiBlue Photography. None of the contents may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission.

Smile!

“Smile, it’s free therapy.” ~~~Douglas Horton

The latest in my 52 weeks of Photo Inspiration is week 24 with the words “Smile or Face”. This was an easy one to capture!

I grabbed this shot already of my husband on a sunny evening in our backyard while we were playing with reflectors. It was one of my favourites and actually a very candid shot as we weren’t going for anything in particular, just having fun with each other!

And below for the word face, a shot of me from last winter. I had set up the camera to take a couple shots of the dog when my husband picked it up and grabbed a great one of me. So I took it and edited it for a dramatic effect with good results. Sometimes we do make a good team!

;)