You know when a word can start to look funny when you write it out a few times? It can be a simple word, but you’re suddenly second guessing yourself about how it sounds or how it’s spelled. I did that with the word “horse” as I had intended to title this post, “horses, horses, horses” from that goofy Christmas song. So, I looked it up just to double check that there wasn’t a U or something in there somewhere. Turns out I had it right, but I did come across a phrase I had never heard before, which I decided would be the title of the post. I always thought it went, “don’t change courses in midstream”, but it’s “horses” instead of “courses”. I thought changing courses would be a bad idea, but tempting at least, unlike changing horses which just seems too ridiculous… unless the stream is small maybe? Well, I’m no horse riding expert, but that is how the saying goes apparently. Anyway, it basically means, if you’re going to change your mind, then do it at a reasonable time. I change my mind quite often, so I’m glad to have a fun phrase to remind myself that sometimes it’s too late to decide on something else. I hate missed opportunities due to a bad decision that I’ve made.
To tie this in to photography, a missed photo opportunity is especially painful. I try to relax and not worry about photos when I’m at a social event, so I almost didn’t bring my camera for a big summer party I attended this weekend. At the last minute, I decided to bring it for the purpose of recording videos of the super slip and slide that I had created for the event. I’m glad that I decided to, regardless of the reason why, because I was able to capture some really nice horse shots. It’s not that they are spectacular shots, or that the horse was striking a magnificent pose, but I was happy to have even had the chance to take these pictures. He only gave me a few minutes, most of which he was moving around too much, but I was pretty satisfied. Then I went out and got my videos and even a few pictures of the slip and slide extravaganza. No regrets!
So, just remember, don’t change horses in midstream! A change in course might be a bad idea too. 🙂
.jpg "horse1WS")  pinimage
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Since I’m catching up on my work with my new crazy fast machine, I’ve decided to post a few of my older spontaneous portraits. I wouldn’t call them anything like a personal project, but simply taking advantage of nice photo opportunities. My favorite photography is unplanned. Of course, with these particular shots, the moments weren’t as candid and spontaneous as I’d prefer, but I think they’re nice nonetheless. Besides, I wanted to show a glimpse of my daily life with me and a few of the people (and cat) that I love.
.jpg "shannon_bobWS") pinimageThat's Bob on the left in one of his favorite places and Shannon on the right at one of my favorite beaches in Seattle.
 pinimageThis would be me and my boyfriend Dave doing a timed impromptu self-portrait.
I have been slacking, yes. BUT, I have a valid excuse! I just moved and I am still in a state of transition. Not only that, but I have been unable to connect to the internet through my own computer (that has everything important on it) at my new location through the new router. The good news is that I am upgrading my laptop to be able to connect. The best news is that, in addition to my upgrade, I am buying an iMac! That’s a quad core i7 27″ screen, baby! I wish it was a matte screen though 🙁 .
I’m super excited about finally being able to process my photos fast! It’s been a long time coming. That means that I will be able to take on way more projects and post more often! I am getting a free iPod Touch along with it, so thanks Apple! I am debating on an iPhone purchase too, but I think the iPod Touch will at least suffice for the time being.
Anyway, I’m pretty excited about these new toys. They will serve me much better in posting new content here and on my Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tracie-Howe-Photography/179744273518 . Heck, I might even join Twitter at this rate.
Last weekend I did an engagement shoot with Samantha and Josh. They seemed pretty happy with the location that I suggested despite the Mother’s Day/ first warm and sunny Seattle weekend that we’ve had in awhile. I chose the Arboretum because it’s not only gorgeous, but there are lots of nice little areas that you can seek out if you need to get away from other people. It’s huge though, so I suggested bringing walking shoes just in case we had to cover some ground. We didn’t end up walking too much, but Samantha took advantage of having those spare shoes.
Anyway, it was a beautiful day and there was no shortage of bright, harsh sunlight. Fortunately, arboretums obviously have a lot of trees. We got some nice shots under those trees and I used a bit of fill flash when needed for the brighter areas.
If you’re wondering what the heck fill flash is, it’s simply used to fill in the harsh shadows created by bright light with a soft light. If you know what it is, the following will likely not apply to you, so you can skip to the next paragraph 🙂 . The use of a fill flash is a simple solution to 2 common problems that I see in photos all the time. I don’t intend for this to be a lesson on flash, but it is a handy thing to know anytime the sun is bright and high in the sky. Just pop up or turn on your flash to see what happens, because you might be surprised. If you have a little pocket (or what I like to call point-and-shoot), just make sure the auto flash is not on. Auto will usually guess that since there seems to be enough light, then it doesn’t need flash, so that’s where you need to control it. Another instance where you might assume you don’t need flash is when the sun is lower in the sky. If it is close to the horizon, you first have to be aware of where your subject is in relation to the sun. If your subject is being lit directly by the low sun (your back to the sun), you’re likely to get very nice light as long as your own shadow isn’t falling on the person. If you find yourself unable to take a nice sunset photo of your subject (when you’re facing the sun), try a little flash to add some light to what would otherwise be a silhouette without it. Really, just try a little flash to see what happens. The fill flash method on one of those little cameras won’t work 100% of the time because they almost force you to lose control. In fact, the reason I decided long ago to upgrade my point-and-shoot to a DSLR is because I needed more control over what the camera was trying to do on it’s own.
Getting back to the engagement photo session…
So, after searching for some acceptable locations unoccupied by happy mothers and thankful children, we were able to take some pretty natural looking shots. I think people often assume that a photo session involves a lot of posing, which makes them feel awkward because it’s so unnatural. I try to make my photo sessions as natural as possible, but that usually begins with a little posing. You have to start somewhere, right? Unless people are used to falling into natural looking “poses”, I will start them out with something simple and then nudge them into interacting with each other somehow. This will inevitably give me natural shots, but the trick is to catch the good ones! It takes patience, but it’s fun because you have to interact with them as well.
Enough talk, here are a few from the shoot:
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I am offering CUSTOM prints that you can pick from my galleries for an extra $10 added to the frames that I am trying to get rid of before I move. I usually sell this size of print w/o frames for around $40, so you’d be getting a heck of a deal! I really just want to get rid of the frames, but it’s hard to just throw away perfectly nice frames! Plus, most of the frames still have my prints in them from when I was using this frame size.
For custom prints, see my galleries!
For the photos already included in the frames, here are most of them:
Only want the frames? That’s okay, just don’t tell me if you’re going to rip out my prints and toss them! ; )
Frame and Print info:
- $3 – 4 smaller frames -11×14 (white signed mats and print included; in great condition)
- $4 – 5 small frames – 12.5×16.5 (4 have prints and black signed mats of various sizes; most in great condition)
- $3- Large frame – 17×17 (no print; has a white mat with multiple small windows; good condition)
- FREE- Large frame – 24×36 (no print; okay black mat w/ blue inner mat; fixable condition)
- $10 – CUSTOM prints – To select a photo, see my galleries!
*****Things to consider before ordering*****
All custom and included prints will be about 8×10. This will depend on photo selected.
I can’t sell any custom prints that depict recognizable people.
While I’m trying to sell some things, I should mention that I have more prints and mats at smaller sizes that I am offering for under $10. Just find a photo you like and see if I have it already. If not, consider ordering a custom print.
If you don’t live in the Seattle area, consider typical shipping costs added to your order.
This mini yard sale (for frames)/ print sale will last until the end of May.
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Virginia - Nice photos, that’s a really cute horse!