I recently had the pleasure of meeting adorable baby Bennett ~ 24 hours new ~ and his beautiful family at the hospital where he was born. It was such an honour to be welcomed into this intimate space, observing the first moments of a newly extended family, watching parents and siblings form lifelong bonds. Fresh 48s are really the most wonderful of sessions. Here are a few of my favourites:
If you love Mila and Bennett’s embroidered clothing and bunny stuffies, check out their momma’s Facebook page Perfect Stitchuation. She is so talented!
2016 is going to be my year. My year for growth. My year for exploration. For learning. For building up my confidence. And for working out photographically, who I want to be and where I want to go. So what better way to round out January than to reflect on where my love for photography comes from and who has influenced this journey of mine. My inspiration.
Let’s start in the present day and work backwards.
My gateway to the online photographic community came through the Life {Unscripted} Facebook page almost exactly a year ago. I started 2015 convinced I was going in a certain direction but finding that page, and then many others after that, my eyes were opened to other possibilities. And I quickly realised how much I still have to learn! I love supporting other photographers, and watching their journey; it pushes me to try harder and be better. There are many many individuals I could list here, but my favourites, each inspiring me in different ways – their images, their words of encouragement, the size of their hearts – are Natalie ~ Act Naturally Photography, Crystal ~ Crystal Raynard Photography, Jen ~ Jen Dzen Photography, and Holly ~ Holly Nicole Photography. They are each their own light.
Helping Hands
Rewind 15 years. When my boyfriend (now husband) and I travelled the world after graduation, we spent some time in the Everglades, Florida. We’d spent a few days kayaking through the mangroves (a whole other tale) before we visited Clyde Butcher‘s gallery. His black and white landscapes are vast and so full of texture; they capture the magical essence of the environment and more. The experience, his work, was eye-openingly wonderful. As we left the gallery I realised I was standing in the middle of a piece of art; the landscape was an artists canvas set out all around me. I opened my eyes to our surroundings and spent our remaining time in the Everglades looking for new perspectives, new angles, trying to recreate what I’d seen in the gallery with my simple point-and-shoot. Although I’d owned a point-and-shot camera for many years and used it constantly, and always been artistic in other ways, the visit to Clyde Butcher’s gallery was a defining moment. Creating this photographic art for myself had become a distinct possibility. When my point-and-shoot broke a few weeks later I replaced it with a 35mm SLR (…but it wasn’t until after I went digital that I got off Auto in 2014)!
Black & White Landscapes
There is however no doubt how my light for photography was lit. By my dad. This is him!
He documented our family holidays religiously (and by family holidays I do not mean just standard family holidays: there were epic pilgrimages to far flung European destinations, fully-laden campervan expeditions, for weeks on end) and we re-visited them every slideshow night. On one of these family holidays, somewhere in the Alps I think, I climbed a tree at a campsite and got stuck. As I cried and screamed perched in the branches of this tree, my dad stood watching, documenting the event for eternity (after which point he finally came to my rescue). I realise now, I would have done exactly the same with my own children: I even did it last week at my son’s birthday celebration as he ran away when his friends sang ‘happy birthday’, and I photographed the moment before I went to comfort him.
Birthday Party Distress (this also demonstrates the power of the Montessori School method: his older classmates were first on the scene to comfort him and successfully helped encourage him back to the party… I love our school!)
Documenting. Capturing memories. Un-posed, lifestyle photography. That was just what he did, there was no name for it, it was just part and parcel of everyday life. It’s only in thinking about this blog post that I had a moment of revelation: it all comes from my dad, the spark of interest, the subjects, the style (…not to mention a few lenses, lens cleaning kit, tripod etc etc). I am so very grateful for all that and so much more.
Abstract Landscapes
Thanks for stopping by! If you’re following the Inspiration blog circle, up next is Jenny of Snaps & Sprouts Photography.
I joined the Facebook photographic community almost exactly one year ago. I’ve ‘virtually’ met so many wonderful people in that time; I’ve opened my eyes to admire and support the talents of many more; and I’ve watch those talents grow and evolve. Following the work of some amazingly talented artists, I’ve heard it so many times:
“…doing a 365 has helped me grow…”
“…I learned so much doing a 365…”
“…I’m a different photographer now, thanks to my 365”
“my 365 photo journal is my most precious keepsake…”
“…just do it, you’ll see the benefits!”
At the Kitchen Table | one the first images I ever posted to a Facebook community page
But for me, the prospect of a whole year, taking a photo every single day…. that was (and still is) absolutely terrifying: ‘I don’t have the talent these other photographers have to grow in the way they have; what if I have days where I don’t like any of my images?; what if I’m so busy I forget to take a picture?; what if I fail?!’
it is time to stop fearing failure
In September 2015 I began the Freelensed Fall Project with some fellow photograhers: a freelensed photo every day for two months. I told myself if I succeeded I would use it as the start of a Project 365. And I did succeed. And after that, I documented the daily adventures of Estelar the Elf. And so I started 2016 with three months of a project already completed, and yet I still didn’t have any public accountability. Because admitting that I had started the project opened up the possibility of failure. I feared failure.
Freelensed Fall Project 46/366 | Elf on the Shelf Swing 80/366
As we moved into the new year, I made a resolution: 2016 is going to be my year to grow (photographically speaking, not my waistline…), to push myself, to find my style and my direction. I am going to work really really hard. Therefore it is time I made myself accountable.
my name is Ceri Herd and I am doing a Project 366
In the first few weeks of 2016 I can already see improvements, I’m thinking more creatively, I’m finding inspiration everywhere. So failure isn’t a possibility. Whether I make it to September (or dare I say it, the end of the year so I can make a complete 2016 book) or not, I have already succeeded.
Home is Where the Heart is | 90/366Drool 114/366 | Desert Spikes 121/366
Matching feet | 117/366
Looking Forward 2016 | 118/366Cactus Web 127/366 | Race Car Crate 111/366
Estelar the Elf had a very busy visit to our house again this Christmas. Playing with Lego, sending a message with toothpaste, making a mess with silly string, eating all the brownies, dying the milk orange, wrapping up the TV, teepeeing the kitchen, even flying in relatives from the UK! The fun and games were non-stop! He (and we) had so much fun, there were tears when he left. But no doubt he’ll be back in 2016 for more silly antics!
I recently teamed up with a group of amazingly talented photographers, each of us taking a freelensed image per day from September to Thanksgiving. Be sure to follow the link at the bottom to see the next collection in the project. You can see all my images for the project here but for now, here are a few of my favourites:
Thank you for stopping by! Click here to follow the blog circle. Up next, wonderful images by Kellie of Kellie Brindley Photography.
Matching feet | 117/366
