Laying In Wait...

You know your family best, right? You know what sets your little guy off (or your big guy for that matter), the way your daughter sighs when she's "patiently" waiting for supper to be ready (uh, maybe that's just my daughter...), how your pup teases your cat, and the way your baby giggles when you tickle under her neck. You know your routines and schedules, you know what works for your family and what doesn't. And you take pictures of these moments so that you can store them away to be enjoyed later or shared right away.

I had a friend once take a picture of her son in the throws of a temper tantrum. When all the rest of my friends and I were trying to capture the fun, sweet, happy moments during the chaotic, insanity-inducing young childhood years - this mom documented her reality. I loved it!! Lets photo document our reality, shall we? Thats what we're really going to want to see years down the road when we're trying to remember what the heck happened during the crazy years.

Anticipate The Story and Change Your Perspective

So take a step back and blend into the background. Decide what you want to capture. I once sat near my dog and cat for while because I knew that eventually, they would interact. Gracie will tease Tiny. I just didn't know how it was going to all go down. So I positioned myself and waited. Some of the best pictures are when the subjects don't know they're being photographed.

Don't let them pose or prep. Avoid taking pictures of only when they're looking at you. Get on their level. Or get up high looking down or low looking up. Changing your angle and perspective changes your focus of the picture and the way you tell the story. Zoom in to capture eyelashes on the cheeks of your sleeping baby. Zoom out to give background to the story. The details tell the story. And details aren't always obvious. You can mold the story you want to tell by choosing how you take a photograph. And everyone has their own voice, their own point-of-view. I spent an hour with little Zeek about this time last year - he was a year old and so curious about everything. An adorable little daredevil. We went outside where he tromped all around, getting dirty and thoroughly enjoying himself. This picture of little Zeek's foot doesn't show much, but it gives insight into his toddler personality. I love it so much that its on my business card!

So that's about all I have to say on the first two categories of photo-journalism. Not so bad huh? Go out and give it a try! Inspire me with your story and images!!