Photography Observations - December

December was a great month for me! I had lots of opportunities to take fun photos. I also followed a photography hub on Instagram, @thecandidclass, which offered specific challenges to improve photography skills. I did not do every challenge they offered, but I feel like I grew as a photography in a couple of specific skills this month.

The class theme was "Celebrations" in -- haha-- celebration of the holidays. ;) I would like to share with you the specific assignments in which I participated. I have to acknowledge how much I still have to learn! There are some truly incredible photographers out there (and editors!! All of my images are unedited, and it shows, haha!), and I love seeing their work on Instagram.

Bokeh

"In photography, bokeh ... is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. Bokeh has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."

In the class feed on IG, I started seeing a lot of really lovely examples of Christmas lights used as background bokeh. I immediately set out to capture this effect myself.

Low Light

So, I made a couple of attempts at this assignment. The first was at Zoo Lights. It was dark, so obviously that gave me the opportunity to play with low light settings. It was a hit and miss experience for me, I'll admit, but some of my hits were awesome! 

My second attempt was on Christmas Day. One of my Christmas presents was a new lens for my camera, a 50mm prime lens. I was so excited! My other lenses are great for certain things, but in low light, they often struggle. But this new lens is definitely going to be a game changer! I can't wait to get to know it better.

Storytelling

The assignment was to use composition, angles, and creative shooting (like intentional blur) to tell a story. I'll admit that I didn't get as creative with this one. But I was thinking about it when I followed Joel around in the snow one day:

Including Yourself

This challenge resonated with me--and with a lot of people on Instagram--because it can be really hard to get on the other side of the camera. Part of it is setting up the shots you want, while still getting in the picture. But the other part of it is feeling self-conscious. I feel this very keenly at the moment. I haven't lost the baby weight. I don't look the way I wish I did right now. But it's so important for our children to have photos of us from these times.

I only made a couple of concerted efforts. But I am particularly proud of this shot: I selected the spot, which had the lighting I wanted. I used my husband alone to get my settings ready, then I handed my camera to my brother and directed him to get the shot I wanted. And I am very happy with how it turned out. (It will look even better when I edit it someday.)

Beyond the Instagram challenge, I also just enjoyed photographing my family over the holidays. Here are more of my favorites:

I have enjoyed posting monthly. I feel like I have learned a great deal this year, and I am more aware than ever of how much more I have to learn! In 2017, I will be participating in a 52-week challenge, meaning I will be deliberating photographing and posting each week. I am excited to see what this next year brings!