Photography Observations - May

Wow, this has been an awesome month, both personally and with regards to my photography. We left North Carolina on May 3rd, and after six days driving and visiting family, we arrived at my parents' home in Orem, Utah. James got to stay for a week and a half, then flew home with Shadow. I will be driving back home this weekend with our boys. (Wish me luck!!)

I was talking with my friends Sam & Ashley this past week about photography, and Sam asked me what kind of photos I enjoy taking the most. The answer was easy: "People!" Specifically, I love children, but families in general. I love capturing personalities and relationships.

The challenge with this, for me personally, is a lack of people upon whom to practice! I can photograph my kids endlessly, but in order to really grow, I need more subjects.

In advance of our visit to Utah, I decided to try and schedule a couple of family photo shoots with some willing test subjects of my acquaintance. I was really nervous, I'll admit, since this was my first time formally taking photos for people (albeit close family and friends). Nevertheless, I am very happy with how everything turned out! While I got some decent shots, I also captured some truly beautiful moments. :)

My first photoshoot was with my dear friend Mara and her beautiful boys, who were students of mine at Beyond Sports Taekwondo. I had so much fun! Here are some of my favorites:

My second photoshoot was with Patrick and Shaylee, my brother- and sister-in-law. They are basically mine and James's best friends, and I love them to pieces. Again, I had a lot of fun, though I think I was even more nervous! Again, here are my favorites:

This shoot was an especial learning experience. I gained some really valuable insights about posing, and wasted a fair bit of their time trying to get some shots that just didn't work! I'm so grateful to Patrick and Shaylee for indulging me and being patient while I experimented a bit. (Especially Patrick, who didn't feel very well!) These are things you just can't learn any other way but hands-on.


And naturally, I spent some time photographing my own family:

What a great month of growth for me! I am so happy with what I have learned and produced over the past couple of weeks. I can't wait to continue exploring and experimenting!