Progress reports sounds kind of threatening, huh? Well, I didn’t mean for it to be that way. After all I was supposed to write this post on Wednesday. 😉

This humble photography class has whittled down to just two lovely participants. Amber and Teddy. However, I’m so thankful that Amber and Teddy have stayed the course and encouraged me to keep at it.

If you’re still following along, I’d love to see how your work has changed so drop some images in the Flickr Group.  I’m also considering a private Facebook group: would it be quicker and easier for you to share imagery and critique on Facebook? Comment and let me know.

Teddy and Amber are currently turning in a mixture of manual mode, lighting, and final project images. So I’m going to keep this simple and showcase a brief spattering of their best images with a few comments on my favorite parts of their images.

Amber

 

I love the narrow depth of field that lets us focus right on this little gift of childhood.

 

Beautiful lighting.  A wonderful expression.  Love the skin tones.  Love that this is straight out of camera.

 

Love this!  Love that you were looking for the light and the catchlights.  The lens distortion (where her body is tiny and her head huge) makes me smile and really captures her well from the perspective an an adult looking down on her.  I think this one needs to go on the wall.

 

I had to put this up here because I can’t believe how much he’s grown already!  I love the contrast of the bright jacket on the drab background colors and the beautiful expression.  The weird crop is my only critique… but when I’m shooting fast moving children… I get lots of weird crops… so well done!

 

This might be your capstone image.  I can see how much thought went into it.  The colors, the moment, the leading line of the fishing pole connecting the two image parts and creating interest.  It’s breath taking.  It elevates this normal moment of childhood to true beauty.

Teddy

 

When I saw this my first thought was that there’s almost complete lack of distortion in this photo. Teddy chose his crop/focal length/shot location/angles so well!  He loves this sort of high contrast night work and I love watching him do it.  My only wish: I want to see it in black and white because I love high contrast night work in black and white.  Ha!

 

Again: I covet the black and white.  🙂  But for me this feels hopeful: it’s dark and yet still the greenery is growing.

 

I just love this.  The playfulness.  The forty stories I could tell about this one image (the people pleaser, the abused, the unnoticed, the grown up child).  The light and the shadow of the pole.  I just like this.

 

I’ve been reading and writing and going to a conference about how our ever day life is art.  And here is this man working this low wage job and creating art right where he is. Powerful.