Thanks for stopping by our photo blog. We are two spunky, artistic, creative, fun-loving, intellectual, mostly sweet, "photojournalistas". We are passionate about photography. We're always snapping away, so don't mind us. [www.mariechristinephotography.net]
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Field of Dreams
Marie
Friday, September 17, 2010
Oklahoma City Memorial
This week my travels took me to Oklahoma City, OK. Being the ever curious traveler, I made it a point to do several things on the Oklahoma City “must do” list. I visited the zoo (one of the top ten zoos in the country), had a steak at Cattlemen’s Restaurant (as seen on the Travel Channel and in the travel book “1000 Places To Go before you Die”), saw a movie at the luxurious Moore Warren Theater (heated seats…wow!), and, perhaps most memorable, visited the site of the Oklahoma City bombing.
As you know, on April 19, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed. 168 people were killed during this senseless act of violence (the details of which I will not describe here so as not to give more power to the perpetrators). The memorial consists of two twin gates with the moments before (9:01am) and after (9:03am) the bombing etched on each respective gate. Between the two gates lies a serene reflecting pool that pays homage to the devastating moment the bomb struck. Facing the pool are 168 small and large empty chairs, which represent the children and adults who lost their lives.
What struck me most about the memorial was that it was not only moving but also conceptually brilliant. The feeling of gravity and serenity is captivating. I lingered near the empty chairs and reflecting pool longer than I planned but my spirit was revitalized by the meditative moment. It may sound trite but the hour I spent at the memorial truly reminded me that our next moments aren't promised . . .
- S. Christine
Sunday, September 12, 2010
9-11 Day of Service
May we never forget how we felt nine years ago, and may we memorialize the lives of those who lost theirs in the tragic events of 9-11. May we respect others and allow our differences to unite us instead of dividing us. May we realize that life is about service and there are many ways, large and small, to serve. May we forever remember . . . .
Marie
Saturday, September 11, 2010
141 Thomas Street
While walking the neighborhood with a friend of mine, I met a former resident. Caleb Thomas moved to Ledroit Park in the 1960s after serving in the United States Army. He spoke reverentially of the era as he proudly stood in front of his former home, 141 Thomas Street NW. We were captivated by his stories and pleased to hear that Ledroit Park lived up to its remarkable reputation. I was also thrilled that Mr. Thomas allowed me to snap a few shots of him in front of his former residence. I absolutely love it when life gives me these moments!
- S. Christine
Monday, September 6, 2010
Getting Jacques to Smile
- Marie
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Congratulations Christa and Julian Thompson!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
First Photo Shoot: 12 Lessons Learned
As some of you may know, I recently finished shooting my first official photo shoot, and more specifically, my first engagement shoot (a teaser for this shoot can be seen in the previous post). Christa and Julian, the affianced pair, are close friends of mine. I will post photos as well as more background about the shoot and the models later. Today, I wanted to post a few lessons I learned from this experience that I plan to apply to my next shoot. These lessons come from mistakes I typically make. Some of these may apply to you and your subjects while others may not. But feel free to borrow any of my lessons if they do apply!
1) Shooting in RAW was extremely helpful as I was able to focus more on composition and inspiration. However, I must remember not to completely ignore Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed…and not be crippled by them either.
2) Planning photos beforehand worked very well. Even though I only shot 70% of my planned photos, preplanning kept me organized and freed me to veer off the beaten path without worrying about forgetting crucial shots.
3) Remember to pay attention to details that may be out of place (bra straps/lines, underwear, hand placement, wrinkles, hair strands out of place, etc).
4) DO NOT GET DISTRACTED BY BACKGROUNDS and forget to pose and, more importantly, to light your subjects.
5) In hot weather, NEVER shoot at a beach unless it is during sunrise or sunset. The weather left us with no choice but to shoot at high noon and, although it worked out, it was absolutely grueling!
6) Begin with standard portraits (and close-ups) and save purposefully blurred and faraway shots for later. The model’s makeup, clothes and hair tend to become less “picture perfect” as the day goes on.
7) Don’t be afraid to re-compose a background.
8) In engagement shots, in order to get an authentic moment from the couple, sometimes getting the man to tell the woman how he feels about her often works better than vice versa. This is because most men tend to be “touch oriented” and often romantically caress the woman while he is speaking to her. Many (certainly not all!) women tend to visibly swoon before the camera when this happens.
9) Sometimes it works well to pose one model and let the other think you forgot about them so that they naturally respond to the posed model. This sometimes creates a more authentic appearing moment.
10) It sometimes works well to give the male a task or “something to do” while shooting.
11) Be aware of where the sun is at ALL times!
12) When torn between working with minimal light or a higher ISO, in post-shoot editing it was easier for me to correct for a high ISO than not enough light.
I am happy to have learned and grown from this experience…and from my mistakes! I hope you find this helpful. Feel free to post your own most common mistakes and significant lessons learned.
- S. Christine