I am excited that people have joined me in this project. I find myself looking forward to Fridays to see what will be posted in the flickr group. If you haven’t joined in yet or haven’t posted, it’s not too late. Join in anytime.
Smoochy MoochyYesterday my boy called down the stairs, “Mom! Smoochy Moochy is awake!” I considered many nicknames that she might have when we named her Augusta but Smoochy Moochy was not anticipated. Neither was this photo. With the 40 Friday Photos project, I want to push myself to do things with my photography that I wouldn’t do otherwise. In this case, it was setting up the camera to take a photo of me and my girl. This isn’t a creative challenge. It’s a logistical one. It’s hard to find a time when the baby is in a good mood and I can set up the tripod without fearing it will get knocked down. In this case, I only had the boy to distract while taking pictures. His sisters were both out of the house. I thought that he’d be happy to swing while I got my photo but I forgot the baby magnetism of little Smoochy Moochy. He couldn’t stay away.
While we were outside, I also found her impossible to resist.
I rarely get into photos of our family. Beyond the dangers inherent to putting a camera on a tripod in a household full of children, it’s hard to frame, focus and time a photo when you’re not behind the camera. I do it because my favorite photos are ones in which you can see something about the relationship of the people in the photograph. My relationships with my husband and kids are my most precious and I want to capture moments when those dear connections are visible.
I’ve had a tripod for years but only recently spent $40 on a remote and made this kind of photo much easier. In the past, if I was in a photo, I focused the camera on a spot where I would move to after pushing the auto timer on the camera. I knew that remotes released the shutter but what I didn’t know is that you can also use it to focus. You press the button halfway and it focuses just like the shutter button on your camera. You probably already knew that, but it was news to me. It’s still not easy to get in front of my own camera, but it just got a whole lot easier.
Thank you for sharing! I too struggle with self portraits and I don't even have billions of kids running around. In fact, I did not know that a remote auto focused as well as releasing the shutter. Now it may just be worth spending the money! Beautiful photos and darling children. I admire how you continue to push yourself in your art despite life's chaos. Keep up the good work!
These are so precious, Jenny. Smoochy Moochy!
Your little guy is looking at her with such adoration. You surly captured a beautiful moment with the three of you.
Hi Jennifer,
I was looking for a remote and bought yours from B&H. I have a 7D but it doesn't seem to fit very well. I'm afraid to push it down hard. Do I need to? It's not working for me and I want to make sure I'm not missing something before I send it back. It *sometimes* focuses but it hasn't taken a picture.
Thanks for any help!
Barbara