Occasionally I get intimidated. More than occasionally. Often. It’s fun to look at other photographers’ blogs and websites. I’m inspired by the beauty in front of the lens and the talent behind it. But often, I start comparing myself (my main problem in life, not just photography) and feeling like I’m not good enough. Usually I go on strike for a while and stop looking at others’ work. Inevitably though, I find myself striving to produce in MY work what I envy in theirs. Perfect editing, amazing posed portraits, magazine style images… All of these are good and work beautifully for some. BUT, it’s not why I fell in love with photography or why a 14-hour wedding day thrills me. Tonight I visited one of my favorite photographer, Julie Harris’ blog, and was reminded of what I love about photography. She says, “Mary Ellen Mark says, ‘Reality is always extraordinary.’ I live by this. I’m a documentary photographer with a thirst for love, life and truth…In an industry saturated with trendy processing techniques and emphasis on style instead of substance, I strive to make honest images that are full of emotion and reality.” While I’m not a documentary photographer and “street photography,” which Julie is so good at, scares me, the moments she’s talking about are the moments I want to capture. That’s what I love about families, children, and the love surrounding a wedding day- the real moments. Capturing a little boy sucking his thumb instead of smiling for the camera. A bride laughing at her sister next to her. A parent crying as they watch their daughter walk down the aisle.
There is certainly a need for posed portrait photography. But what I love, and what I feel proud of at the end of the day are the real moments within those portrait sessions.
There were a lot of those with my best friend’s sweet boy Cooper this week. She wanted to capture him at this precious age and we had fun doing it. Maybe the fact that it’s hard to get a one-year-old to pose and smile is the very reason that I like working with little children. It’s lifestyle portraits or no portraits at all with them!
Since it was Cooper’s one-year portrait session, Trisha brought some balloons. They were the perfect, festive touch. I love the shape of his little lips as he says “ba-oon!”
