Happy New Year, everyone! One of my photography goals for the new year is to get comfortable shooting at a low f-stop. Even though I’ve been shooting for years now, I still get intimidated by an f-stop lower than 2.8. Part of that is because I have a tremor in my hand which makes stability a little tricky when hand holding. The other part of it is just a mental barrier. I’ve told myself that shooting below f/2.8 is just too risky; it’s so easy to miss the focus when it’s that narrow.
Time to get over that! And what better way to get comfortable shooting below f/2.8 than using a squirmy toddler?! I figure if I can get her in focus, I can get someone who can stay even remotely still with no problems.
I consider all of these photos to be snapshots. From a technical perspective, they are nothing special. It’s simple window lighting. Some shot using a broad lighting technique, others using short lighting. Nothing ground breaking. As a mother, however, I think the fact that my daughter is in them makes the most special photos in the world, and I will poke you in the eyeball if you tell me you disagree. I believe anyone can get shots like this each and every day if they know how to work their camera and know a bit about lighting. The whole trick is to be more engaged with the subject than with your camera.
On a personal note, I can’t believe how big my baby is getting! I have a feeling she’ll seem even bigger when the new baby comes in a few months. Crazy!
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