My world has changed with the arrival of my new little lad, Sebastian. The world that I used to have, included music photography and going to many gigs of an evening. Now, with no time to see my boy other than at night, the other stuff has faded (like that proverbial flower) into the background. I think then, that I might reinvent myself and start looking at different types of photography - my second or third love - so that it doesn't stop altogether! I was having a think this morning that I've hardly picked up my camera since Sebastian arrived, and that when I do it was to take a photo of him - which is great! - but I've just been snapping moments in time rather than creating photographs. Why? because I'm not actually a very good photographer as such - I built up a "way to shoot" musicians live, and I pushed myself off the live sound that was filling my head at the time, working with some sort of rhythm and watching what came of it as a result. Now, it's all change - the mood and ideas behind the photos are a lot different and I don't actually know what I'm doing.
The basics of lighting and composition are beyond me! I move light around (when it's not the Sun, that would be hard to move) and try framing things differently.. The shot above, it was a "I wonder what the light will look like if I hold it here and click this button" You might not like the result, but I do... M was telling Seb at the time "It's not time for food yet" I imagine this will be the case for at least the next eighteen years!
He is a captive audience and a great, facially expressive little fellow, but he gets jacked off if I take too many photos (as you can see below)
So, what I need to do is to learn the basics again and enjoy what I have around me to photograph, but, most of all, to actually go out and photograph it (or stay in!)
What's your best tip for lighting photographs of people with a single flash unit? - comments below appreciated!
Sime