Point and Pray Photography

Lovin' his Uncle Jim

I caught this quick, candid moment between Logan and his Uncle Jim on Halloween morning as they played catch - y'know, like, "catch the baby".  Logan loves that game... and his Uncle Jim.

 

Toddler + Slide = Magic

What do you get when you combine a toddler, a slide, and flexible parents? The magical photograph above.

Logan had never been down a "big kid" slide before, so this was a complete experiment. Lucky for us, he loved it.

To capture these, I used a combination of my new zoom lens (Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 with VR and SWF) and my favorite fixed 50mm f/1.4 (which I used for the first photo in this post ... capturing his expression when he got to the bottom of the slide by standing right over him). I should have been shooting in shutter-priority mode, rather than aperture-priority - it would have eliminated the blur you see in his feet above - but I vascillate on whether or not I like the effect.

 
The one thing I'm sure of, though, is that the trick to dynamic photos of a toddler is finding something they enjoy and allowing them to do it, while you chase them with your lens. Just make sure you're wearing lace-up shoes, and bring a change of clothes. Some of the best shots require kneeling, crawling, or sitting in the dirt.

What Generation Gap?

Logan just hangin' with his grandparents, who were visiting for the weekend from New Braunfels.

Shot with Nikon D200 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens; 1/1600s at f/1.8, ISO 600, using natural light on an overcast day. Edge burn applied during post-processing using Photoshop CS3. 

Looking Up to Daddy

I'm learning that, when shooting a toddler, one has to be both patient and always at the ready to fire off the camera. This photo was the result of that patience and of being down at Logan's level. I didn't much care where the adults were ... I was following him ... trying to capture the world through his eyes. And even though Chris's face isn't in this photo, I think it manages to capture an aspect of his relationship with his son quite nicely.

Shot with Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, 1/90s at f/5.6 and ISO 200, using natural light on an overcast day. 

One Happy Little Guy

At fifteen months, Logan Reed is one happy little dude ... except when he's not. We had a bit of a challenge at our photo shoot, since he's mobile, fiercely independent, and rather opinionated about what he wants to be doing at any given time. But I did manage to catch a couple great smiles from him ... including this one.

Shot with Nikon D200 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens; 1/100s at f/16, ISO 600, using natural light on an overcast day.

Evolution of a shot into a portrait

 

I love this portrait. Love, love, LOVE it. It's a combination of my slowly-improving photography skills, an awesome lens, and some Photoshop magic.

Here's the original photo, straight out of camera (SOOC):

 

By itself, it's a pretty good picture. But I used Lightroom to crop it in tight on his face (and rotate it a bit, because I find there's more energy and interest in angled images) and tweak the exposure just a bit.

Then, I took it into Photoshop and used a couple filters to pump it up (Bring On the Eyes from Pioneer Woman Action Set 2 and Bitchin BW from Totally Rad Actions). Finally, I added an "edge burn" layer with a feathered-edge parallelogram rather than a circle to follow the same angle as his eyes.

Voila! Photo to portrait.

The Many Faces of Logan Reed

 

Now that Logan is massively mobile, I've found the best way to shoot him is to crawl around on the floor with my fixed 50mm lens and talk to him.

 

If I shoot with a really shallow depth of field, everything blurs into a soft background that makes up for the fact that we're not using a backdrop. I call it "Logan in his natural habitat."

 

He's got the sweetest smile... and that chin - could he be any cuter?

 

Okay, so maybe my depth of field was a little too shallow ... and maybe his eyes aren't "tack-sharp" ... but I think it's sort of a cool effect that his hands are sharp and his face is a little blurred. And in the end, my photography is all about amusing myself, so...

 

And every once in a while, I catch one like this that just melts Aunt Angie's heart. There's nothing sweeter than the sound of baby giggles!

All images shot with Nikon D300 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens using natural light.

Memoralizing a Year in a Moment

 

Last week, my "nephew" Logan turned 1. It's hard to believe a full year has passed since I shot his first portrait on his birth day, but yeah - the little man is one. It was my job to capture his birthday celebration in stills, and I'll share some of those gems in a separate post ... but about mid-way through the party, Audrey gathered up her men and asked me to shoot a quick portrait.

I had less than two minutes, I think. I had them pile up in an armchair by a window, turn sideways to the light, and then asked Uncle Jim to make faces at Logan. He can make that kid laugh in a heartbeat!

Shot with Nikon D300 + my favorite Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens @ 1/160s at f/1.4

Logan @ 9 months - Reed Spring 2009 Shoot

 

At 9 months, Logan weighs over 25 pounds, is crawling, and has the most mischevious grin.  And he's as photogenic as ever.

He loves his daddy (and I love those little elbow dimples!)...

 

...but I suspect he's really his mama's boy.

 

Of course, no matter who's loving on him, he's full of grins and giggles.

 

I love the matching polo shirts with the denim. There's something about a baby wearing clothes that look like mini versions of grown-up stuff that just makes me giggle helplessly. SO sweet.

 

This photo is Audrey's favorite; I actually overlooked it on my first pass through the shots. But now, it speaks to me - happy mama holding baby, with dad looking over them. They're all looking in different directions, but there's still such a sense of unity... of family.

 

It's been a privilege to watch from the sidelines as "Audrey + Chris" had changed to "Audrey + Chris + Logan"... amazing how a baby can change everything.

Shot indoors with natural light using Nikon D200 and fixed 50mm/1.4 Nikkor lens. I am offically in love with this lens. Audrey thinks my photography is "maturing"; I think it's the lens.

Audrey's Little Man

 

Jim and I got to babysit Logan for a few hours this weekend. I haven't seen much of him in the last month since I've been on the road for work ... and I'm simply stunned by how freaking big he's gotten. At almost nine months, he weighs 25 pounds and looks like he's more along the lines of 18 months. He's crawling all over the place, and it won't be long before he's pulling himself up and walking.

I had Jim sit with his back to an open window and put Logan on his lap, while I stood behind them and took some pictures. I just love natural lighting!

Shot with fixed 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens (I am absolutely in love with this lens!); 1/50s at f/3.2, ISO 200.