July 17, 2011

Sometimes We All Need A Cheerleader. . .

I'm trying to make a big purchase and I'm scared. It's already been "added to my cart" but I'm not sure if I should go for it, or wait another month to make sure I still have a job. You see if I PROCEED TO CHECKOUT that means I will have to follow through on this daydream I have had forever.

Here it is. . . I have a daydream of becoming a children's photographer in my free time in the summers. I love the 7:00 light and what the summer humidity does to kids hair; I love the popsicle stained shirts and lips and the bare feet. I never want to photograph in winter, just in summer, just kids. I kind of keep it a secret because I have LOTS of daydreams. Is it an artist thing to have a million ideas in the air? Anyways, on my mini vacation we went to the beach and I shot some quick pics of my nieces and Stella. I had so much fun! I look at the pictures though and think wouldn't it be great to have a little tiny fill flash here and maybe an out of focus background there? What would I need? A 50 mm lens (about $100) and a flash (about $350) not to mention I need to update my old computer and get photoshop but that's another day.

See how I could use a little photoshop to pop the kids and maybe work on the background color?

This could use photoshop too to sparkle the eyes more.

A tiny pop of flash would make the shadow on my nieces face go away. . . the 50mm lens would make the background dreamy!


By the way, I graduated in photography but all I learned is how much I don't know. Sometimes I feel like when you learn too much about a subject that you actually get stifled. I want to get back to why I love taking pictures in the first place. Even though there was great critique at RISD sometimes I just need a cheerleader.

So now that I've put my daydream out there (which I don't like to do because people will laugh at me. . . but you are all nice) maybe I will actually do it? Do you have a daydream you are scared to start? Please tell! What are they. . . why do we put them off? Maybe we just need a cheerleader sometimes instead of critics.

One more thing. . . should I click PROCEED TO CHECKOUT?

9 comments:

Phyl said...

Oh yes, proceed to checkout! Does Nick say OK? I'll bet he does.

I spend big bucks every time I pass a bead store, but I refuse to feel guilty about it. Even if this doesn't pan out as any sort of business venture for a LONG time, it's an investment for the long haul. Heck, you can have a few dinners out in restaurants and blow that much money. Or attend a couple of concerts or a Broadway show with a couple of train tix to Manhattan.

And if you suddenly DON'T have a job, maybe you can use the flash and lens toward a money-making opportunity until you teach again.

As for my dreams - I need to figure out what comes next I guess!

Unknown said...

Yay!!! I'm excited! Nick just got home from work and he says go for it too! I guess it's a go. Now I'll just have to a friend with kids to go out for a picnic with my my new camera lens so we can get some beautiful pics:)

Unknown said...

When I was in O.C. New Jersey where we took these pics I saw the hugest awesomest (is that a word?) bead store on Asbury Avenue! I thought Phyl would go nuts here!

ArtfulArtsyAmy said...

Yes Proceed!

1st, your pics here are so beautiful; you are able to capture subjects so well!!

2nd, it is obviously a passion of yours; you should do it!

3rd, My momma is a photographer and I have the most unbelievable, gorgeous documentation of my childhood. She took a family portrait of all of us on the beach in 1989. . .We returned, as a group 20 years later in 2009 and re-created the portrait. Just imagine the amazing documentation you can create for your little one. Oh, and btw, I complained the. entire. time. my mom raised a camera as a kid. . .But, I wouldn't give up a single photograph. There are too many precious moments she captured between me and my siblings that I treasure.

Unknown said...

Thanks Amy that is so cool! I have been photographing my family since I was a little one. I actually used to develop all the pics myself and print them. . . part of the reason I'm starting pretty far behind in the photo world. At RISD the digital instruction was lacking I thought or else too complicated. So I have found some awesome blogs with self taught photographers who break it all down very simply so I can start to relearn what I didn't understand in school.

Those two photos together must be so powerful. What a great thing to have. I think I remember my life in pictures. Have you ever seen the series called "The Brown Sisters" by Nicholas Nixon. I always loved that. So simple but the changes from picture to picture tell so much about the girls.

Susan Bivona, Art Teacher said...

Sounds like you already clicked - if not...GO FOR IT!
Beautiful photos!

Phyl said...

Checked back, and am glad to see you went for it! Yay! Giant bead stores - double yay!

Seems like so many of us have photographic backgrounds - I taught high school photo for 8 years and loved having a darkroom all the time. I grew up with a darkroom in the basement and still have the wonderful Yashica camera I used for my college photo classes, though it hasn't shot a picture in years.

Unknown said...

That's interesting because I always thought you framed things well. Do you have a telephoto lens? You like to look closely at things it seems.

Angie said...

Hoping you got it! When I went to college digital photography didn't exist (or at least not in a decent accessible form.) We would scan photos or film to manipulate on the computer. Not near as good. I would love to take a digital photography class. I've had a 50 mm lens in my cart from amazon for the past few years, actually! It isn't my dream to be a photographer, though, just to play.