Annie Leibovitz

I don't usually buy Newsweek. If I read it, it's because I'm in a doctor's office. Last night I stopped at the store for the essentials - orange juice and cat food - and the cover of Newsweek caught my eye. It was a picture of Annie Leibovitz and her children with the title "My Life in Pictures". She has always been one of my favorite photographers. I love her portraits. She always seems to catch the beingness of a person. It was interesting to read that she didn't think she was "a great studio portraitist". I guess no matter how good you are you're never satisfied. Which is a good thing otherwise there's no growth.

I think she's amazing and her work has always inspired me to take different portraits. To maybe not frame something in an expected way. To try and catch an emotion or a feeling. Not only with expressions but with body language. I love to take pictures of smiling and laughing people like this one from the party I shot on Saturday…

But I also like to take pictures of quiet moments. Like this one (also from the party) of Jillian and her dad...

My goal when I'm taking pictures at an event is to first get the expected shots - blowing out the birthday candles, the bride & groom's first kiss, etc. But once I get those out of the way, I like to see if I can capture the interactions between people. Or the moments where someone is relaxed and enjoying themselves. The trick is to have them not be self-conscious with the camera around. One of the ways that works for me is to get to know them and then take a lot of pictures. A lot. So they will get used to having me around. After a while, I find they almost forget about me and then the photos I'm looking for come easier. It doesn't work with everyone. Some people just don't like having their pictures taken (like me which is why I'm BEHIND the camera). Some people are hams (like my nieces and Mondi's kids).

Taking pictures for other people is an interesting thing. I'd always thought that working as a photographer would take some of the fun out of it. It doesn't. I have great fun getting pictures that make people smile or laugh or groan (but in a good, wry kind of groan). It's a much more hectic than most of my photography, except maybe sports. Most of the time, I'm setting up the shot, walking around checking out different angles and different light, and deciding how I'm going to shoot it - b&w or color, fast or slow, depth of field. With an event, there's usually no do-overs (um, can you exchange rings again cuz i missed that?) so you have to stay on your toes. It's a little nerve wracking but a fun challenge.

The pictures from the party came out well and Leigh was really happy with them. Woo! She asked me to take more portraits of the family for Christmas. Can't wait. And I still have to take pictures of Mo's family. And the wedding is next month. My photography is hopping!