Tuesday's Top 5

Getting back into the swing of things here...

MY TOP 5 FIRM(ish) PHOTOGRAPHY GOALS FOR 2011

First of all, these are NOT resolutions. New Year's Resolutions are sooo passe! These are firm(ish) goals, which are clearly something different (not the least of which is that they don't involve me losing weight, which everyone knows is an historical requirement of all New Year's Resolutions). So what am I planning to do with myself this year? Let's see...

5. KathrynShoresPhotography.Com. This is definitely a must-do during these long, cold winter months. I've even already made a little progress (i.e. I've bought the domain name), so it's only a matter of time until my (hereto undiscovered) web-site development skills start to surface and, through me, create the perfect online home for KSP. Yep, only a matter of time.

4. Take a Studio Lighting Class. This one only requires me to find (or, more accurately, put aside) the time. Up until now I have worked primarily only with natural light, occasionally busting out the flash gun to get a group shot or boost light in a dark room. But I am so intrigued by photographers, newborn photographers, in particular, who are able to use studio lighting so effectively that you would never know it is not window light; thereby enabling them to shoot year-round at any time of the day or night. What a concept! I really do want to put aside the time to get to a studio-lighting class this year. So who's going to nag me about that one come mid-year?

3. Maternity. Maternity. Maternity. This is an area where I would love to strengthen my skills and my portfolio. Last new year, I made the goal of building up my newborn portfolio, and I think that worked out pretty well. Sooooo, if you or someone you know is expecting, keep your eyes peeled for a KSP casting call here or on Facebook in the next few months! (By the way, are you a fan on Facebook?)

2. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. I do not shoot enough. It might have something to do with my full-time job, two-year old son, thirty-something year old husband, twenty-pound cat, yada yada yada, but I have just got to make the time to get out there and shoot. Just before Christmas, I drove past this Christmas tree stand on my way to my son's soccer class. It had just snowed and the snow on the trees was so perfect, as well as the string of lights charmingly strung above the rows of trees. I wanted so badly to stop and capture that shot, but I didn't have my camera with me (and soccer awaited). I told myself I'd go back that afternoon and shoot it. I didn't. I said I'd go back the next morning. I didn't. I said I'd go back after the next snowstorm. Nope. And now the trees are gone, along with my shot. If only I had made myself get out there and shoot! Next time, right?

1. Step Outside the Box. This is big. Big, big, big. So often I get into a typical portrait-session flow and forget to step back and look at the session from a new, creative perspective. Today, I saw blog post by another photographer who had shot an entire nine-month old session in a public library, complete with silly parent puppet shows and snuggly story-time. A library!?!? It was wonderful! It was not traditional portrait and it was simply wonderful. Am I going to be venturing into the library for my next shoot? Maybe not, but my goal has to be to take some time for each session and step (run? leap?) outside the box. Who's with me?

Speaking of what you can do in a year, here's a small sampling of my 2010:

Best Face of 2010 ~ I Heart Faces

This week at I Heart Faces they want to see the Best Face of 2010. And I can only pick one!

Although I've seen a lot of great faces this year, how ironic is it that the face I'm loving the most is the last one I snapped in 2010? Coincidentally, this little girl is also responsible for my first maternity session, first newborn session, and she's the owner of that cute little baby tushie with the pink tutu which you may have seen on my facebook page. Now she also gets the honor of Best Face of 2010! I just love that quirky peek she's giving me here. It is so almost-two!

Miss Nora was, let's say, luke warm to me when we first started out. I pull a mirror out of my pocket, however, and she's all "oh the diva has arrived!" Honestly, this shouldn't have surprised me. When I asked mom what Nora's favorite song is, she responded, "Well, it's not what you'd think. She likes Beyonce's Single Ladies and a lot of Lady Gaga."

Check out more of this sweet face on my facebook page and more great faces on I Heart Faces. Oh and did I mention that the winner of this challenge will be voted on by I Heart Faces readers? What say you to checking back in later this week and giving a little voting love?

Hellooooo 2011!!!

Somehow, between finishing up client orders, packing for vacation, wrapping gifts, hosting parties, celebrating, traveling, and eating a lot of junk food, I missed wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. How rude of me.

Now that you've forgiven me, let me show you where I've been. At a photo shoot, of course:

We had the most wonderful Christmas with our family in Florida. We spent ten great days visiting, laughing, lounging, and even roller skating. But now it's back to the real world and I am ready to plunge head first into 2011. I'm going to be working on a new website in the next few months, so keep your eyes and ears open. Speaking of the interweb, are you a fan of Kathryn Shores Photography on Facebook? If not, clicky clicky!

Best of luck to all returning to work tomorrow. I know I'll need it come 5:45 tomorrow morning!

Tuesday's Top 5

Can I do it? Do I honestly think I can narrow it down? Only 5?

("What on earth is she talking about?," you ask.)

My top 5? Really? Well, okay, I'll try. But I reserve the right to change my mind.

THE TOP 5 PHOTOS OF 2010 (maybe):

5. I love this family shot that I captured just a few weeks ago. We had worn the little guy out by this point, but the yawn is just so yummy.

4. I know I probably shouldn't use one of my own little guy, but I truly adored his Halloween shots this year. He was the perfect baseball player and we were shooting at the perfect time with the perfect light. So this is love.

3. I loved everything about this session with Sofia and Gavin, but this is definitely my favorite (except for my 6 or 7 other favorites, but whatever). Letting kids do their thing = Awesome.

2. Confession: I found this sheet at a church rummage sale for .25 cents. I promise I washed it in HOT HOT water before I put little Michael down on it, though. I just love what the bright but not too busy pattern brings. A nice diversion from the traditional simple newborn shot.

1. I'm at #1 already? NO WAY! Honestly, this was never going to work. But if I must pick a #1, I suppose I would pick this shot from our family reunion this summer. "Jump off the dock all at the same time," I said. And they did. Perfectly. Ah summer....

Seriously, I cannot stop at 5. Here are a few more oldies but goodies that you may not have seen before:

p.s. Now that I've started, it's hard to stop. I'm sure I'll be back soon with more favorites.

Christmas. Now.

I am loving Christmas right now. And I don't mean to say that I don't always love Christmas. I do. I really, really do! But right now, while Max is in all his almost-three-year-old glory, Christmas is perfection.

We got our tree last night. By the time we got it home and in the stand, it was too late to let him stay up and decorate it. We let him put a few ornaments on and then sent him to bed. Consequently, he came down stairs to a transformed house this morning, and said (no kidding), "Wonderful! Oh! Santa! The tree! The tree!"

So yeah, ask me how Christmas is right now? Christmas-right now-is something really special.

Tuesday's Top 5

Something a bit different for today:

THE TOP 5 REASONS TO MAKE MISTAKES

5. Mistakes Are Funny. What? Mistakes are funny. And sure, maybe you're not laughing now. Maybe it's mostly just me and your other friends laughing right now (and laughing hard), but one day, you'll laugh about it, too; because, really mistakes are funny. Most of the time.

4. Mistakes Make You Humble. Mistakes keep you from getting that big balloon head that you (and me and you and you and you) get when we've been on top of the world for awhile. Hey, we all need our bubble burst every once in a while, otherwise we'd really be insufferable.

3. Mistakes Are Learning Experiences. When was the last time you made a mistake that you didn't say, "Oh yeah, I should have done that instead."? And if you didn't say that (or some incarnation of it, please see number 4 and then come back to number 3). Seriously, I think some of the best photographic lessons I've learned have come from times when I've royally screwed up first and had to think through fixing it. This logic applies whether you're a photographer, an accountant, or an underwater basket weaver. Mistakes = Knowledge!

2. Mistakes Begat Greatness. Sometimes mistakes turn into accidental greatness. Okay, maybe not for you or for me, but that happens sometimes, right? Yes! The chocolate chip cookie, the slinky, and Velcro are all results of mistakes. Hope springs eternal.

1. Mistakes Are Just Mistakes. And finally, mistakes are just mistakes. I mean, not so much if you're a doctor or an airplane pilot, but for most of us, a mistake is just a blip on the map; something we'll look back on and laugh, reflecting on how much it taught us and how humble we are as a result. So don't sweat those little mistakes, because (after all), tomorrow is another day! (Sorry, couldn't resist).

What mistake will you make today?

This is the face of blog neglect

This is also the face of a photographer who let her two-year-old take her picture while she was on vacation and had not washed her hair or put her contacts in.

(Yikes! I can't believe I shared that!)

This is the face of said two-year-old.

This is the face of the same two-year-old on a sled with his Dad.

Forgive me?

Be back soon!