I started shooting in 2006. That seems like eons ago when I compare my style back then to how I shoot today. I've learned SO much since that time, mostly through trial and error. But boy, it sure would have been nice if I had had a little more personal help along the way. 

I decided to dig up what used to be one of my most favorite images of my middle bear cub. I loved his look...I loved how grown up he looked...lost in thought, but ohhhhh, if I had a do-over with this shot, I would have done so many things differently. The version on the left shows my editing style back in the old days ;-); the one on the right shows you how I would have edited the image a little differently (wish I still had the RAW file, actually, so I could edit effectively in Lightroom). I do think I chose a great moment to capture and a great focal length, but if I had the time to do so, I should have strolled him to a place where the background wasn't quite so blown and more even to help him stand out a little better. Also, in the new version, I cropped out the bottom part of the stroller where the sticker was showing ;-). 

This is the kind of critique participants in the Chic Critique Celebrity Critique can expect from me. I have another 4-week session coming up next month and we have a few openings left if you want to give it a try. It has been such a privilege to be on the outside, seeing images from a different perspective, and by giving just a few quick pointers, helping to turn images that seemed like coal into diamonds. 

By the way, even with his overly-processed, neon blue eyes, I still love this image and always will.

 

As I was sifting through my archives the other day, I found myself getting lost looking through past sessions. I thought it might be kind of fun to bring back a few blasts from the past every now and then:

I sometimes wonder what I sacrifice in exchange for improving technique. At the time of this session, I think I was about a year in and had only photographed a few newborns. I wasn't as technically proficient as I would like to have been and maybe just a teensy bit heavy on the photoshop. But I felt like I had a vision...like I did see things from my own unique perspective. Do I still do that or am I too focused on trying to get something technically perfect these days? 

What do I remember about this session? Hmmmm...I remember I was captivated by how handsome these two brothers were. The toddler was very charming and actually quite well behaved for his age. I remember I loved the layout of their house, but I was too afraid to photograph much indoors ;-). Their mommy was stunning, but she didn't want to be in the pics and I was soooo bummed. We had fun flipping through her wedding album after the session. And little man's slack lip when he fell asleep just made my heart leap.