When I started photographing The Art of Real Life sessions, I didn’t really have a plan for how they would fit into my studio ~ I just loved the idea of documenting families’ lives and wanted to start making photographs asap. The response to these sessions has been really exciting, both from the families who have been kind enough to let me spend a morning as a fly on their walls and from the people who have seen the resulting images.

I’ve had a lot of questions about booking The Art of Real Life sessions, but I wasn’t quite ready to go live with them until recently, and I wanted to do so in a way that would celebrate the little things that can go unnoticed, but that make life worth living. I’m fortunate to spend quite a bit of time around amazing mothers, and they are high on my list of the “things” that enrich my everyday existence in big and small ways.

So, officially introducing The Art of Real Life sessions to A. E. Wiley Photography seems like an especially appropriate way to celebrate Mother’s Day, and to give a meaningful gift to the mothers and grandmothers out there who often find themselves behind the cameras rather than in the pictures of their families.

If you love what a friend calls “the preciousness of real life” and would like to have yours photographed professionally, you can drop your husband a hint in the form of a link to this post or pass along my email address ~ beth@aewileyphotography.com ~ or my phone number (919.624.1633). I’ll be happy to chat with him about the specifics and to reassure him that he can wear whatever he wants in these photographs.

The Details | Mother’s Day Art of Real Life Session Special
2 hours of photography in your Triangle-area home
A custom 8×8 album of your favorite ten images
$485 (regularly $625)

The number of sessions available is limited. All sessions will be scheduled based on mutual availability and must be photographed during 2012. You will receive a gift certificate to present on Mother’s Day and, we are guessing, quite a few points in the thoughtful husband (or son) column.

And because it isn’t a good blog post without some images, a few photographs of The Art of Our Real Life from the past few days:

One of my absolute favorite activities is researching (and especially buying) new photography gear. There are few things that I enjoy as much as unwrapping (they are always well wrapped), setting up, and playing with a new lens or camera. 2012 is expected to be a very big year for new pro Canon equipment, with a new 5D/6D camera widely considered to be a matter of time and some new versions of workhorse L series lenses likely to come out as well. I check in occasionally with the gear gossip on CanonRumors.com and on photography forums, and I think about how much fun it is to get some fancy new stuff.

So now that the fall crazy is over (I think I’m down to ONE more 2011 session to blog), I thought that it would be fun to do a little series on photography for mamas (and daddies), following up on the Clickin’ Mamas workshops that we did in 2011 (and amenable to being read in the comfort of your climate controlled home, rather than in the sweltering/freezing temps that mamas have endured at our workshops so far).

Please feel free to leave comments here or on my FB page with your questions, your opinions, to let me know how useful this first installment is (or isn’t), to suggest future topics, etc. All of what follows is my opinion ~ there’s no photography gospel, but hopefully we can have a little fun talking clickin’, cameras, etc.

Beth’s Mini Guide to Buying a New Family Camera:

One thing that people talk a lot about that really is *not* a factor to worry much about: How many megapixels does the camera have? As long as you’re over about 5-6MP, that spec is not especially useful. Sensor size has more to do with image quality than megapixel count alone does, and you can actually get lower image quality by cramming too many MP on a small sensor. As a frame of reference, my first DSLR had 8.2MP and made nice 24×30 prints given that the file was good to start with. I took a workshop years ago with a man who made billboards from his images out of a camera with fewer than 6MP. Also, more megapixels = larger files = more taxing on your computer and more space required to store. Fine if you need them, but more isn’t necessarily better.

The Two Main Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Buy:
1) What is the main purpose of buying a new camera? (The more specific you can be about what you want to be able to do with your new camera, the better)
and
2) How much time do you want to invest learning how to use your new camera?

Some possible answers to Question #1:
* To get a camera that takes a picture immediately when I press the shutter button
* To get a camera that takes better pictures in _________ (gymnasiums, low light, dance recitals, etc.)
* To get close-up shots when I’m in the stands at my kid’s ballgames
* To get a camera that will allow me more control over the settings
* To get a camera that will allow me to get decent pictures on auto

Some possible answers to Question #2:
* 5 minutes and I’ll be drying my hair at the same time ~ did I mention that it needs to take good pictures on auto?
* Realistically, I’m willing to spend an hour or two learning a little about how the camera works while the battery charges.
* I see this as a major hobby and want a camera that will grow with me as I learn for at least a year or two.

The answers to these questions will help you get the best value for your budget when you buy a new camera.

Camera Phones:

Where Camera Phones Shine: I love my camera phone, and it’s (shhhh) a Droid model.

Source: http://android-apps.com/articles/report-htc-droid-incredible-to-receive-android-2-2-starting-august-18/

I nearly always have my phone with me, and that’s its strongest point. It lets me photograph little things that I would miss otherwise. I also love that a few clicks let me send a photo of D to Facebook, grandparents, etc. ~ so the fact that it’s there and it’s easy are big points in its favor. If you have an iPhone, extra cool points for getting to make Instagrams.

Drawbacks/Considerations: On the one hand, I truly believe that the photographer is the most important element in producing an image, and that any camera is just a tool. I have a fairly old film camera that I am really happy with in terms of image quality, and I’ve honestly seen loads of bad photographs from really capable cameras. I also love the collections of iPhone images that show just how much you can do with a camera phone. But my experience is that the image quality from my Droid in most cases doesn’t compare to snaps out of almost any real camera, and the more challenging the conditions, the worse my camera phone does. It doesn’t help the camera’s performance that the situations where I want it ~ those when I don’t have a real camera handy ~ are usually tough in terms of the subject (moving children) and the situation (often low/bad light where I have little time and little control). But if the proof is in the pudding, I’d say that the images out of my camera phone are instant pudding at best ~ good for having captured moments that I’d have missed otherwise but bad in terms of image quality.

On a related note, most of us just don’t back camera phone images up (I’m a fanatical backer-upper, and I am not great about it with my phone, either). The portability that makes camera phones great also makes them even more vulnerable than other cameras to image loss (whether through memory failure, loss of the actual phone, or accidental drowning/smashing/washing/etc. Bottom Line: Great for quick shots of little things that you’d miss otherwise; not a substitute for a family camera in my opinion.

Point and Shoot Cameras:
(For my purposes, we’ll say that any small camera with a single lens that cannot be switched out is a p&s; prices range from $50-$600ish depending on features.)

Where P&S Cameras Shine: I think that these are the unsung heroes of photography today. If you want a portable camera that is meant to take good photographs on auto right out of the box, P&S cameras are a good option. Imo, DSLRs get the attention, but point and shoots come in a huge range of price points and offer all sorts of combinations of features that make them a great option for families. The best ones are in the price range of entry-level DSLRs and offer similar image quality and manual control. In that price bracket ($500-600 or so), you’ll get good low light performance, the ability to shoot in auto, semi-auto, and manual modes fairly easily, and very good image quality in a very small and portable package. In the $200-$400 range, you can find good image quality, a nice range of features, and cameras that are meant to be shot primarily in auto modes. Almost any of them will take better photographs than a camera phone while still being easy to throw in a purse, diaper bag, beach tote, etc. To me, that last concern is a big one ~ I’m mostly past the diaper bag phase (for a little while anyway), but I usually have a giant mom purse and a snack bag with me when I am out. I really have to think hard about whether to add an additional bag to carry my DSLR. And don’t even get me started about taking it on a plane.

Drawbacks/Considerations: The two main potential drawbacks, which vary with price and model, are shutter lag and sensor size. A long interval of shutter lag is a big problem if you’re photographing children and is probably the most common complaint that I hear from people looking to upgrade their cameras. The term refers to the time between your pressing the shutter button and the camera’s snapping the picture, and if your child is more than about 5 days old, you know that it is really annoying. You can find the shutter lag in the specs of cameras that you’re considering (quoted as a fraction of a second), but my advice is to try actual cameras with your actual children to see whether a camera you’re considering is fast enough. Some things that slow P&S cameras down ~ auto face/smile detection and red-eye reduction. Turn those off to see the best case scenario for a camera’s shutter lag (provided that you’re willing to leave the off in real life). Some P&S cameras have done a great job of controlling shutter lag, and others have a bad case of it. Very generally, less expensive cameras have a longer lag time. The smaller sensor size of P&S cameras is their other main possible drawback. The smaller sensors do affect image quality negatively (particularly in challenging circumstances like low light). The main question here is, again imo, is the image quality good enough for what you want to do? (That’s true for any camera.) In many cases I believe that the answer is yes, particularly with mid-range and higher-end models, given their other advantages.

Next installment: Entry-Level DSLRs

With the benefit of knowing that Hurricane Irene was less devastating than was forecasted and that we are fortunate just to have some brush and limbs in our yard, it was really kind of nice to have a day inside with nowhere to be and nothing that really had to get done. And with electricity, which we luckily kept with just some flickering.

There are things that I love about every season, but fall is my favorite, and even though this week is supposed to be hot (again/still), it is starting to seem like fall to me. It might be my amazing success buying fall clothes for D at Buttons and Bows, or it might be that I just added Sweet Potato Day at the State Farmers’ Market to my list of things I’m looking forward to in the next few months. The list already included The State Fair, wearing sweaters, chilly air, *some* football games, the start of ACC basketball season (!), leaves-turning-colors, trips to the mountains, and David’s birthday. And of course the height of portrait season.

AEWP Fall Portrait Schedule:

I’m taking a cue from a photographer friend who has simplified radically (she gave up Facebook!) as we head into the “busy season” for portraits so that I can savor photographing every session while also being more intentional about enjoying time with my family (some of whom have accused me of running upstairs to work before the last supper crumb has hit the floor ~ and been right).

So, in order to tame the chaos that seems to overtake me annually around Thanksgiving, I’ve decided that this is the year that I’m really going to set a schedule for myself and stick to it. And so (drumroll please):

I have one session left in September and a handful of dates each in October and November. Please shoot me an email to beth@aewileyphotography.com or call the studio at 919.624.1633 to schedule your 2011 session. If you are expecting, we will put your due date on the calendar and adjust based on your baby’s birthday choice : )

52 Project ~ The Letter K

It ain’t a good blog post without some images, so here are a few from what I mistakenly thought would be the toughest letter yet. Amazing what you see when you’re looking for it. These are all from the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, scene of the Wedding Photographic Society convention earlier this month.

Contest Update

I think that my love-hate relationship with Facebook might show : ) We are inching closer to the 400 mark, and I’ll give away a session to a contest blog post commenter chosen at random when we get there. I have also figured out a simpler, Facebook-approved way to host future contests where you can vote on submitted images directly on my FB page, without multiple steps, etc. and also without being spammed by a third party. Thank you so much for suggesting my page to your family and friends, and especially for recommending me personally. I know that I consider carefully the businesses that I recommend, and there is no higher compliment to give or get in my opinion. I am looking forward to sending my son off to “school” in about a week (one morning a week, anyway), I still find it a little bittersweet not to be headed off to a classroom myself, and I’ll really enjoy giving away that session when we hit 400.

I am not quite ready to count up how many weeks behind I am on the 52 Project. I think that I’ve stayed pretty current on the shooting side, but processing and blogging has fallen by the wayside a bit lately. I am finding that there are just not enough hours in the day to stay on top of photography, “paperwork,” AND to shoot often just for myself and the project, not to mention cook an occasional meal.

But while the nuts and bolts of the 52 project have been losing out to the nuts and bolts of running a business, the goal of shooting some outside-the-box creative stuff has been great for keeping my juices flowing in my sessions, and has accomplished my main goal of continuing to see more and better.

And Katie, if you’re reading this, I have not forgotten about ShopWildThings!!

So, the 52 project is paying off, even as blogging it takes a backseat to the day-to-day operations of child and family photography, even in the hot summer months.

Here are some of the most compelling, expressive eyes I know of:

And a couple of the letter H — admittedly one of the easiest letters out there to find!

I occasionally get questions from new photographers who are interested in the 52 project, so here’s a quick paragraph — make that two or three — for y’all (and anyone else with an exceptional attention span). The 52 project has been great in that it is something totally different from the children and families that I usually photograph. By far the greatest growth I’ve experienced, though, has come from second shooting with — and the resulting critiques from — two seriously talented photographers. Working with them has helped me grow professionally in terms of both portrait photography and wedding photography, which I consider a lifelong process. I am grateful, grateful, grateful. It literally took me years to find them.

If you’re a new photographer who is thinking of taking the plunge into business, I encourage you to read Kristina Young’s PSA Re: Hanging Out Your Shingle — I couldn’t link to it directly, but it’s posted as a note on her FB page. We all love the “you rock” and “awesome photo” comments that our friends and family post on FB, but an objective assessment by an established professional is invaluable if your goal is to create a viable business. Just be careful that the person offering the portfolio review is legitimately someone whose work and business are where you’d like to be. The influx of new photographers has led to a flood of classes that sometimes educate but too often take advantage of people who would like to learn.

Mother Wit posts give me a fit, but I love writing them. This one is bigger than blackout curtains in terms of revolutionizing my life.

I tell people that I really just wanted to be skinnier — not so much stronger — when I first started Stroller Strides in January. But Stroller Strides was my route back not only to better shape, but also to a happier and more balanced life.

I buy into the power of alternating cardio bursts with strength training. I benefit from doing the math that says that 60 minutes at 86 degrees in 400% humidity = skip the afternoon bowl o’carbs. I have triceps for the first time in my life. But mostly I agree with Toby, who said that Stroller Strides gave her her self back. Finally, I look like me again (even though I’d still like to drop another 10-ish pounds, of course). And better yet, I feel like me again.

The truth is that Stroller Strides was a miracle cure for two of the things that challenged me most about being home with my son: being lonely and feeling like the days ran together. The exercise feels great, does me a world of good, and is definitely challenging. But the conversation, cutting up, and esprit de corps are the real reasons that I drive 30 minutes to Stroller Strides instead of hitting one of several local gyms within 10 minutes of my house. If you’re a mom who is home during the day, or during some days, I can’t say enough good things about Stroller Strides as a way to get fit and meet other moms with similar schedules while spending an hour outside with your baby.

If you are looking for a great group of moms who will happily share their highs and lows as you get outside, get going, and do the most important stretch of the day (believe me, you’ll hear about that — and walnuts), I can’t say enough good things about Stroller Strides of Raleigh.

If you have any questions, you can click on the link above for the full schedule, or leave a note as a comment and I’ll either answer or get you an answer from Jen Kedrowski, the owner of Stroller Strides of Raleigh. The quick version of questions that I get asked a lot: You don’t have to have a special stroller — people use almost every type except umbrellas and do just fine, including double strollers; there are kids from 6 weeks old to about 4 years old; we are used to a little fussing and don’t mind it — you can always park by D and me, I promise; the workouts always combine intervals of cardio (jumping jacks, jogging, fast walking, etc.) with periods of strength training (lots of resistance band exercises); everyone truly is nice — as long as your kid arrives in a car seat, you are unlikely to feel any judgy-ness : )

Stroller Strides of Raleigh:

So, if I had blogged about Garner as a small town full of good people who go out of their way to contribute to their community, pre-Scotty McCreery’s run on American Idol, that would have been big news to the rest of the world, right?

But now that the cat is out of the bag and America knows that Garner is what life in a small town is all about, I can just tell you that the Garner Police Auxiliary planned a party that is a great example of why I’m glad to live in this area, and you’ll know what I mean. The mayor, town council, police officers, and lots of guests turned out to support the Police Auxiliary at this awesome event, and they were rewarded with good food, good music, and a good time.

So what started as my (hopefully helpful) butting into an early planning meeting at Aversboro Coffee led to my photographing the First Annual Police Officer’s Ball at The Rand-Bryan House, not to mention having a fantastic time as the committee and guests danced the night away for a good cause, the local women’s shelter.

I am thrilled to have been a part of the first gala that you ladies hosted — such a well planned event from start to finish.

For those of you who attended, the images will be available for purchase through the Police Auxiliary. I will post details when the ordering system is in place. All proceeds will benefit the Auxiliary and its projects and charities.

D has hit the perfect age for this 52 project theme — he is suddenly more dextrous and is enthralled by all of the things that his little fingers can do. With apologies to Charles Shackleford (“amphibious,” sic) and PaPa (leftie), he appears to be pretty solidly right-handed. At a little over a year and a half, D isn’t into looking at the camera for my convenience, and generally he doesn’t respond to my photographer tricks, either — possibly from overuse. I do want some snapshots that show him looking at the camera with a natural smile, but for our family snaps, I focus mostly on trying to capture the behaviors that are unique to this time in his life — I love to photograph him doing the things that he loves to do right now.

Here are those little fingers in action:

Playing along with Mama’s rendition of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”

Trying to figure out the Forbidden Fruit — our Granny Smith Time-Out Timer:

And coloring on our Giant Floor Pad — thank you, wonderland of all things educational, Stone’s!

Last night’s session was one of those that I almost can’t blog because I can’t do justice to how I feel about it. What started as an idea when I saw an N&O article about an Iraq War veteran became a relationship with a whole family as we plotted, planned, rescheduled, and finally created what I hope will be a very special family portrait.

I’ll try to start at the beginning: Operation Coming Home is an alliance of local real estate and home building professionals. Their goal each year is to provide one Triangle Area disabled combat veteran with a new home customized for their needs. When I saw this article in the News and Observer around Veterans’ Day last year, I thought that maybe I’d found the project I’d been looking for — a tangible, practical gift that I could give to a military family that had sacrificed tremendously for our freedom. A quick phone call and a few emails later, and I was in contact with Sgt. Roberts’ family, and we were talking about a making a family portrait. You have to love dealing with local people who are motivated, competent, and have the power to act — literally I spoke to one person at Operation Coming Home, and we were off to the races.

When I first talked to Stan’s wife Crissy on the phone, I knew immediately that we had a lot in common — we are both moms whose #1 goal is trying to do a good job of raising our children (and sometimes we wonder how well we’re doing at it), we both admire our husbands’ work ethic and strength, and we both treasure photographs and the memories that they hold. I was thrilled to learn that she and Stan had been talking about having a family portrait done to hang in their new home, and that they had a special place in mind to do a session.

Before I say anything else about photographing a real, live American hero and his (gorgeous) family, let me say that Operation Coming Home is working on its 2011 home as we speak, and you can find out more, including how to support their efforts, here.

When I came home from this session last night, my husband said, “Didn’t you start planning that at Christmas?” So I checked my calendar. I started thinking about this session around Veterans’ Day of last year. I met with Crissy and Stan around Valentine’s Day, and yesterday we got together to create a family portrait for their new home.

Luckily for me, they have some seriously charming, well behaved children. I could have stayed much longer photographing them just because they are a joy to be around. But in case you’re not local, it’s been HOT this week in North Carolina. Thank you guys so much for welcoming me into your home, for sharing your family’s story and your time with me, and for giving me the opportunity to do something small for your family as a way to say thank you not only for your sacrifice, but for the sacrifices that every American military family makes.

I’m going to wait to show you guys the family shot. I will tell you that I want to shout about Simply Color Lab from the rooftops — they told me today that they’re going to donate a large gallery wrap of your favorite image for your new home. In the mean time, here are a few of my favorites of your model gorgeous children to tide you over until we can sit down and pick out your gallery wrap image.

And the key to getting Crissy to smile when it’s 90 degrees and we’re at the end of our session? Looking at her husband. They are that cute.

May is always crazy at our house, between two big family holidays (Mother’s Day & Memorial Day) and Jonathan and I both having birthdays next week. I’m looking forward to a couple of shoots with military folks this month, too — including one for Sgt. Stanley Roberts, a true hero and his family, profiled here to decorate his new home. We have a spot picked out that is special to the family, and I can’t wait to head to Apex to make some portraits for this special family. They even have the space picked out in their great room for a large wall canvas — nothings says inspiration like a big wall waiting for some family love to fill it.

I’m also teaching a class for Stroller Strides mamas this month in which we’ll work on getting better snapshots of kids’ day-to-day antics and growing up between professional sessions. One of the ways that I love to learn is by looking at photographs and trying to figure out how they were shot (lighting, location, etc.). Especially since it can be hard to concentrate on details when your little details are running around, I thought that it would be fun to take a look at some shots beforehand to get our creative juices flowing.

So for all you Clickin’ Mamas (and anyone else who wants to play), leave your best guesses as to how I got this shot of D, who has definitely reached the camera-aware stage and doesn’t love having his mama photograph him — though he does love to look at photos of himself on the back of my camera.

And of course I can’t neglect this week’s 52 Project: It was supposed to be fruit, but my lemon tree isn’t cooperating just yet. So, here’s a vegetable that’s almost ready to eat. Stay away, JoCo deer!

This week, I had a last minute chance to go to the Duke Men’s Basketball Awards Banquet with a very generous friend and her family. This banquet is basically a chance for the team, coaches, staff, and supporters to gather one last time to honor the players’ achievements from the season and to focus on the seniors who are graduating. I took the liberty of putting off my “letter D” post hoping that I would have more interesting options in Cameron Indoor Stadium than pretty much anywhere else in the world. I wasn’t disappointed.

What an amazing experience — of course I enjoyed the opportunity to play with new, fast glass in a very dark setting. But mostly I am grateful to have heard Coach K and some of Duke’s most amazing players (Singler and Smith in particular) talk about the Duke environment and about the mentoring that the coaches and the staff (including Coach K, but also including people who spend hours in the gym working with athletes without ever becoming household names) consider a hallmark of the program. Each of the three graduating seniors shared a personal story about hours spent in the gym with one other person who was there out of the purest motives, giving time for someone else’s benefit. They also focused on the trust, love, and respect that go into forging relationships that literally made grown men (big ones at that) cry on stage in front of hundreds of people.

Overall, I enjoyed hearing the marquee names speak, but perhaps more important to me was the chance to think about how a great leader structures an environment that leads people to want to do and to be their best, and to help others do so. And that theme in turn reminded me of my first high school principal, who passed away recently. He was that kind of truly great leader, and he had an influence on my career and on the careers of many other present and former teachers that I am sure goes well beyond what he would have imagined. His greatest compliment was his trust, and the implicit faith that we would “be good — or be gone.” I was lucky to begin my career working for a great leader, and to have worked with so many selfless, dedicated teachers at Leesville Road High School.

Okay, so the 52 Project image for this week… I found 6 clear D’s without stretching it : )

And my personal favorite of the night: Kyle Singler sharing his hope that Coach K will never become an ESPN commentator.