The Shadows are just as Important as the Light

I am feeling a little bit delusional. We are on day 4 of my daughter’s tummy bug . I think we have only slept maybe 10 hours the past several days. She finally seems like she is getting over it and ate about 2 oz. bananas today for breakfast. She is still pale and weak but I am hoping today is a turning point.

I have been thinking a lot about what my style is and how I want to put my images out there. There are so many different types of photography styles and editing styles. There are some I ADORE, Crave Photography, but her style isn’t exactly my style. I think she is way more creative than I am. I think once we get comfortable with our cameras and start to figure out what style we like while shooting and post processing, we figure out our style. It takes time and we have to develop it over our entire careers. I think I played around with tons of actions, looked at tons of photographers, and finally on my own I discovered my own style. I am not sure what you call it but I love lifestyle photography along with post editing keeping the shadows and the light in a good balance. I am not saying I have this all figured out, but at least I know what I like now. I have been experimenting with this for some time. I sat down to watch Jane Eyre the other night; I am a HUGE history buff. History is where we come from and I feel a sense of connection to the past and my family history when I read about it. I love English history, especially The Tudor Era. I was once told I was Queen Elizabeth in a past life. Either way, I still love everything about history, but I digress. Anyways, in the movie she is teaching a girl that she governs how to draw. She told her, “The shadows are just as important as the light”. That hit home with me. It was like fate finally told me what I had been trying to figure out. Is it okay to show shadows in my pictures? I see a lot of styles that put even light through out their pictures. I do like the way it looks, but I think I prefer to see the shadows in the face. I think it gives the face some dimension and texture to the picture.  Now everywhere I go I pay attention to the light and the shadows. I am finally seeing things in a different way that I believe will improve my technique. I am excited to try this out in more pictures and develop my style. 

I still have only had a few paying clients and sometimes I feel like there is no hope for my photography. But in the end, this is what I love to do. So, if I have to take pictures of rocks and my daughter to develop my style that is what I will do! I hope one day I can attract someone’s eye to me and give me a chance.  It would be nice to move out of my mom’s garage and back into our home that we are renting out. Living in a 400 square foot area with your husband and you 13 month old daughter can be tough at times. But we get a lot of help and she loves seeing her Nana and Uncles every day. God has this all worked out for me, I just have to have faith in his plans for us.