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project 52 :: week 3

01.24.2010

Week three of our Project 52 is our first themed week, so we had a specific challenge. This week’s challenge is to shoot without looking through the camera, or “shoot from the hip”. While I can see how this will be useful with many kids, and can give some very unexpected, exciting shots, it’s something I would definitely want more practice with! Lots of blurry frames, subjectless shots, and very unpredictable results.

I tried outside one day last week when Oliver was outside sledding with his friends, but really wasn’t happy with the shots. Very out of focus, lots of empty frames. I tried again this morning and got some cute captures of Elliott in the kitchen. He was helping Michael make pancakes, or “pink-pinks” as Elliott says, and drinking frothy warm milk out of my favorite childhood gnome cup. I’m posting two photos – love these two together as a series.

Bedhead.
Blueberry-stained cheeks.
Milk moustache.
Footie pjs.
That’s my little man.

ISO 800
f/1.4
1/125

IMG_1727

IMG_1758

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by gwendolyn waite

5 comments

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February 2, 2010 - 1:20 pm

Candace Sheets - These are adorable!

February 1, 2010 - 11:43 pm

Wendy Tienken - Love, LOVE these!

January 24, 2010 - 5:35 pm

Nancy Zugschwert - These are precious! Your children will never wonder what they were like as kids…you capture them magnificently.

January 24, 2010 - 4:21 pm

Missives From Suburbia - Adorable.

January 24, 2010 - 3:13 pm

Melissa - Priceless. LOVE IT! Off to make some coco!

project 52 :: week 2

01.15.2010

So today is another dreary, messy winter day in Minnesota. I missed getting outside to shoot the early morning frost on all the trees – we had a couple of really gorgeous mornings this week. Our crabapple tree looked so beautiful, the frost coating all the remaining red apples. But I missed my chances, so I’m left with an overcast day, inside while Elliott naps.

I shot this in our newly painted hallway. It gets very little light, so I wanted to go bright with the color. I love how it turned out – a fun apple green. I installed some white coatracks, down low for the kids, and up high for the big folks. This has been one of our favorite robots through the years, and here he stands on the kids coatrack.

I really upped the ISO since it was so dark, so it’s a bit grainy. I used my 100mm macro again, and opened it as wide as it would go. No overhead lights, no flash, just shot it using the window light that came in through the bathroom.

Happy Friday!

ISO 5000
f/2.8
1/200

IMG_1626

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by gwendolyn waite

6 comments

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January 21, 2010 - 11:50 pm

Max Wendt - ISO 5000? Daaang… that’s less noise than I usually get at 1200.

I’ve been planning to do a project 52, too, although I’m putting it off until I get my website rewritten. It’s about half done, but at this rate, I may be doing a project 47… :\

January 19, 2010 - 5:54 pm

Lisa - Gwen, I love the project you are doing this year. It is so inspiring!

January 17, 2010 - 12:55 pm

carolyn bowles - Wow, you can really crank up your ISO! Looks amazing! Love the fun silver against the bright green. And I can’t wait to see other photos from your hallway. Sounds so cute!

January 15, 2010 - 11:33 pm

Cindy - What a fun robot and I LOVE the wall color! So cool! Your camera rocks the high ISO… It looks great!

January 15, 2010 - 4:50 pm

Cathy - Great shot Gwen. I love this project of yours. So fun!

January 15, 2010 - 4:29 pm

Fargo Wedding Photographer - Laura - Fun!

project 52 :: week one

01.12.2010

One of my personal projects for 2010 is to do more photography for myself. Get back to what inspired me in the first place. And capture more photos of the everyday happenings of my family and my life. I made a casual post on my facebook page about considering Project 365, which is the simple idea of taking a photo every day for a year. Well, this facebook “conversation” evolved and several of my photographer friends determined that Project 52 is probably more realistic given our busy family and work lives – one photo a week. I’m so excited to be doing this together with some great friends, all of whom I met last year at a workshop. We’re planning on even taking it so far as specific weekly challenges which will push us creatively. I’ll be posting the photos each week here on my blog and on my facebook business page (where, by the way, you should come be a fan!).

Here’s my first week’s photo. It’s been incredibly cold here in Minnesota for the past few weeks, and the windows in my house have grown some pretty spectacular frost crystals. Fortunately/unfortunately, it warmed up today – a balmy 18 degrees right now – and all of the frost has melted. I’m glad I captured it when I did.

I’ll post my settings on these photos as well for any of you who are interested. If you have any questions about how I shot these photos, I’m happy to talk about them! Leave a comment on my blog with any questions and I’ll try my best to answer.

I shot this with my 100mm macro lens, on manual mode and using manual focus.

ISO 400
f/2.8
1/3200

Enjoy!

IMG_1583

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by gwendolyn waite

10 comments

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February 2, 2010 - 1:25 pm

Candace Sheets - Holy WOW Gwen! Gorgeous image! I don’t think I’ve ever seen cold like that!

February 1, 2010 - 11:42 pm

Wendy Tienken - Wow! Those almost look like something you’d see under a microscope! So glad Cathy Z. posted about your blog. I’ll be adding it to my reader :)

P.S. I’m so curious as to the high ISO, fast shutter speed combo. I’ve always heard you should try to have the lowest ISO possible. And with a still subject, you could lower your SS to allow for a lower ISO. I’d love to hear your thought process :)

January 15, 2010 - 11:09 pm

Missives From Suburbia - I’ve been admiring the last two weeks’ photos. I’ve always wanted to participate in Project 365, but it’s quite daunting. I like 52 better.

This shot is gorgeous.

January 15, 2010 - 12:08 am

Michael - it’s so beautiful! as if a Ziegfeld Folly-Bird had smashed into our window. love it.

January 13, 2010 - 7:31 pm

Lauri - Awesome shot Gwen. Strangely, I feel very warm looking at this photo…like a bunch of warm little feathers.

January 13, 2010 - 1:44 pm

Cindy - Wow! This is beautiful! Having never lived in the snow and only visiting snow a limited number of times, I didn’t know snow crystals looked like this. So pretty!

January 13, 2010 - 12:58 pm

Ann Westerman - Gorgeous detail and such a unique and creative image!!

January 12, 2010 - 11:24 pm

Ashley - That is so cool, it looks like a piece of art. I would have never guessed it was frost crystals!

January 12, 2010 - 10:09 pm

cathy - This is SO cool, Gwen!

January 12, 2010 - 5:12 pm

Melissa - I feel cold looking at this photo. Very cool. I love the patterns in the frost.