Preserving the Memories

Hey there!  Glad to see you’re back!  I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s Guest Blogger, Barbara, and her Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream post!  Well guess what?  Yep, I have another Guest Blogger for you today!  You can usually find her blogging over at The Sassy One!  Hillary is a wife and mom to an angel and two princesses!  She loves craft related things like scrapbooking, card making, and knitting!  Since photography is a hobby of mine, I was immediately drawn to the amazing images in her posts!  And being that it is a guilty pleasure of Hillary’s, I thought no one better to blog about it than her!  Makes sense right?  So, here it is.  Have fun ooohing and aaahing! PRESERVING THE MEMORIES  
I have a vivid memory of a classmate in elementary school showing me her mom's artwork in the form of photography.  They were beautiful black and white photos of my classmate and her brother.  I was young, but those photos left me slightly sad that I didn't have such beautifully captured memories. I was also determined to have my own stunning photographs someday.
In 2006 I got the brilliant idea to finance my own DSLR camera.  I was in college and although I could have spent my money on what others may have considered to be more fun or bettering my education, I was determined to learn photography.   I have spent hours and hours with my camera and I'm still learning tricks and techniques.  It’s a good thing I have two cute little subjects to foster the desire to practice!
My favorite thing about photographing my little girls is knowing that I will have tangible illustrations of my memories. Motherhood is a testament to time moving quickly and I know that as much as I want to hang onto every detail, it just isn't possible.  I try to capture the things I love in the moment such as tiny toes, dimpled hands, wispy curls, and sleeping lashes.  One day these things will be a thing of the past and far less relevant.  I want to remember how much joy they bring me now. Most of the time I try to capture the natural moments like the ones where they are just them with no forced, stuffy posing! As much as I desperately want to save all of these moments, I want to live them too.  I can't possibly capture all of them so, rather than my children remember their mom being behind a camera constantly, I am selective about when I take photos.  The best part of those moments is that I got to be there. I wouldn’t want to miss them because I was too busy thinking about that picture perfect moment.
On occasion I'm all about the posed shots.  I’ll take my girls somewhere just for the sake of taking new photos.  I love when creative inspiration strikes, using Pinterest for photo ideas, and looking for props at antique shops.  I also like to photograph their favorite outfits (another keepsake) or find beautiful places to incorporate my ideas.  The most important thing is for them to have fun!  I find it much harder trying to tell them what to do and expect them to actually listen.  Instead we have mini impromptu dance parties, animal noise trivia, or jumping contests.  Bottom line to my “posed” shoots is they are fun and natural and I always try to keep them short. I often get questions about what kind of camera I use.  I made this mistake once believing that an expensive camera was the way to amazing photography.  If you have a desire for beautiful photographs your camera equipment doesn't matter nearly as much as your knowledge.  I highly recommend reading books about your camera and the art of photography but, in my opinion, hands on practice is key.
I am a Canon girl. I use a Canon 60d and a variety of lenses.  My favorite lens for capturing kiddos and their precious moments is the Canon 50mm. My heart is in capturing the memories and preserving my keepsakes in a way that flatters the eye. I now have the beautiful black and white images I once dreamed of and they mean just as much to me as I once thought they would.  Maybe a little bit more. Technorati Tags: preserving the memories,photography,child photography,toddler in hat,sisters,kiss on cheek,new image,the sassy one,guest bloggers,guest post,Hillary,Canon 60d,Canon 50mm,camera