The Black Dog’s PhotoBlog

Just wanted to share more of my Nessel Township project that I started in August.

On this particular morning the mist was rising off this little lake called Stauffer Lake. It’s located in the south-west corner of the Township. I honestly don’t think a picture does this lake justice but I had to try anyway.

Can you smell that clean fresh air?

Being a fan of Dorothea Lange, I had to try photographing laundry hanging out to dry. My biggest dilemma in making these photos was deciding how I wanted to show the motion of the clothes blowing in the wind. Did I want to blur the motion or did I want to stop the motion and have the picture in clear focus. Ultimately, I couldn’t make up my mind so I tried a little of both.

For the first picture below I used a slow shutter speed with a tripod mounted camera which gives you the feel of motion with the blurring where the motion occurs. The second picture I used a fast shutter speed which shows you the motion but stopping it in it’s tracks.

Laundry hanging out to dry kind of reminds me of when I use to develop my own film and hanging prints up to dry. It seems like everyone can relate to the clothes line in some way or another. That’s what really fascinates me are how many people love photos of laundry strung out to dry. It seems to bring up a thought, a memory or an emotion. Maybe of their grandmothers or that clean smell of the outdoors or maybe its how nice and crisp the sheets feel to sleep in after drying in the warm breeze of autumn. Maybe it’s just remembering a time that seemed so much more simple.

A thought, a memory, an emotion, isn’t that what pictures, are about?

What a blast these 2 girls were! So awake and alive with energy. Oh to be young again.

Before these 2 girls came for their portrait session I spoke with their mother and she indicated to me that she always preferred more spontaneous or candid portraits over the formal sit down indoor studio portraits. So I came up with many ideas of poses and settings I thought would work for them. I always like to have a plan.

We started with our first scene that I had picked out and I asked the girls, “what would you like to do in these pictures?” This session just took off from there. There was jumping, running, flower picking, posing, hugging and playing peek-a-boo. It was so much fun for me to see and photograph these girls just being themselves. It wasn’t really what I had planned, it was better. These 2 girls were just adorable.

I also have to say thanks for a friend and fellow photographer for her suggestions on this shoot, what lens she’d use and letting kids be kids when you photograph them.