Photography and Blogging

There are SO many moments throughout the day where I just randomly pick up my camera, and snap a photo... It's my idea of capturing "The Little Things".  The little things that make my heart happy/sing... the things that I never want to forget... sometimes the photos are such a hodge podge... that my photographer side of me, doesn't want to post them on my blog... so I hang on to them. You see, when it comes to blogging, for me, there must be some sort of "order" to my photos... It's more eye catching. I don't blog for you (not entirely at least)... blogging for me, is a way for me to have my photos in one organized location (so I can EVENTUALLY print a family book/reminder of our year). It helps remind me which photos to print out, what days we did what... etc. It's sort of like a reference guide... or a "look book" throughout our year.

When it comes to my own personal blog... I like order. I'm a sporadic girl by nature, but I tend to stick away from posting "hodge podge" photos. If there is no rhyme or reason to a photo, I put it aside, and wait for others to join it, or I retire it all together. I enjoy "collections" of photos. I don't think, at least in the last 2 years... that there is one blog post that doesn't have a photo in it. I am a photo driven blogger. That doesn't mean it's for everyone... and trust me, there are some great blogs out there, that have absolutely NO photo, but AMAZING content. I am not bashing those blogs... not one bit. However, I DO love a great photo(s) to go along with great content. Those are the blogs that draw me in, and hold my attention, and keep me coming back for more... and therefore, I try/tend to blog post in that way.

When it comes to my own personal blog... I love bright and vibrant photos. I hardly ever post black and white photos. When I do, it's for a dramatic effect (pretty sure that's only happened once or twice on this blog... like Marley's birth photos, or the day we brought home Charlotte from the orphanage). Obviously, there are times when something happens, worth documenting, but the light is not ideal... in that instance, I try my darndest to execute the best picture possible... or edit them in a way to help them out... or they get shuffled to a folder on my desktop that just "contains" them, but never uses them. Bright, natural light is ideal for shooting. Somehow, don't ask me how, I tend to flock to photographing between the times 8-11 am and 2pm -sundown. I think it's because the light is so "hard" on my eyes from 12-2... or possibly because that's when I'm busy getting other things done, like changing diapers, feeding my little ones, and getting ready for bed. Our adventures, usually revolve around Marley's nap time, so I tend to not take out my camera until the sunlight is near "golden" or first thing in the morning while schooling Charlotte. I also use prime lenses, which bring in MUCH more light than other lenses that have more range. With a prime lens (I use my 50mm OFTEN), you can manipulate the lighting so well by changing your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. I'll be sharing on other posts (soon), what equipment I use and how I use it. I am by NO MEANS an expert at photography or blogging... but I know my personal style, and what I like... and am open to share it with you.

When it comes to my own personal blog... I try and make it as personal and real as possible. The everyday can be messy, so at times I show you my mess... the everyday can be fun and adventurous, so at times I share those moments with you... the everyday can be filled with a constant need for God's grace, so I try and be as honest with you as I can, especially in my writing. That being said, often times, I try and capture those moments that show the "everyday". Yes, I don't always have my camera handy... so you get a phone photo... those can be just as beautiful. In fact, some of my most treasured photos, are from my phone.  For example, the other day... I had my phone on me, as I walked by Marley's room... she just woke up from her nap, and was playing with her stuffies in her crib. I didn't have my camera nearby, but I HAD to document the occasion... it was the FIRST time she sat up all by herself in her crib. She went from sleeping on her tummy, to sitting criss cross applesauce playing sweetly with her toys... and was so happy with her newest accomplishment. Picture needed to be snapped, and the phone was all I had (as show below). Don't be scared to share those moments, just because they weren't captured with a DSLR... they're just as important.

I'm going to be sharing some "tid bits" with you regarding how I capture, how I edit, and how I organize my photos over the next few weeks... but I just wanted to kick it all off, with this blog post... sort of as an overview. An intro to how I mix photography and blogging.

Back to "The Little Things"... they are some of my favorite moments/details to capture, but often become mismatched photos... Until there's some rhyme or reason to them, I stick them in a folder, until I'm ready to "unite" them all together... In the photos below, I documented "my everyday"... those moments that I HAD to capture, or the things that make me "oh so happy". Looking through the folder of this month's photos, I noticed a trend. It just so happened, that there was a lot of yellow involved. That's probably because yellow is "my jam". So, I grouped them together, in a way that created order amongst my photos. Order in a way, that if I were to print them, they'd be hung on a wall together.... But blogged, so that I could always go back to this post, and smile.