Simplicity

So I guess an introduction should probably come first huh? My name is Molly Durham. I am a mother to three little girlies and a wife to one amazing husband. For blogging purposes I lovingly refer to the girls as Small, Medium and Large. I also refer to the hubs as Husband. I bought my first professional grade DSLR about a year ago and haven’t put it down since.

For my first assignment as Raven’s intern I was asked to choose from all of my images, my favorite one and tell why it’s my favorite. This was a really tough decision for me. I do portraits, weddings, newborns, etc. for my business but I LOVE macro photography and that’s what I do for “fun”. I decided to go with a client shot that I think truly shows my abilities as a photographer.

These little boys were bundles of crazy energy and intelligent curiosity. (Having no boys of my own, they kinda fascinate me). This image was never intended to be included in the final edits. It certainly isn’t a technically perfect shot. I was scoping out my next bit of scenery when I saw them standing behind this group of plant stalks so I snagged the shot and moved along. When I got to my office and uploaded the pictures this one just jumped out at me. In the original shot the older boy’s face was covered more than I would have like with plant stalks and it bothered me. So, I did what any good photographer would do and spent way too much time trying to edit the excessive greenery out. It was an edit that I had never done before and really didn’t even know where to start. Unfortunately, I did lose some of the depth and contours of his left (my right) cheek but I still am totally in love with the finished product. For me the black and white edit only accentuates the simplicity of the shot. This was quite possibly the only time during the shoot that both boys were quiet and still. The rest of the images include laughter, banter between the two of them, silly faces, and overall personality. This shot, however, brings a sense of peace and calm to me. Of all the shots I’ve done for clients since then, this one still remains my favorite.

This picture alone taught me the importance of not always sticking, religiously, to the plan. Since this shoot I have tried to grab as many candid shots as I do posed. I have found that the candid snags usually turn out to be favorites of mine as well as the clients.