Today’s post is for Project 52, a weekly blog project that I am working on with several other talented photographers whom I’ve come to know and love over the past year. In this project, we concentrate on light and spend several weeks exploring an overarching theme. This month we will be exploring diffuse light.  Diffuse or soft light is the opposite of hard light, which we worked on last November.  Where hard light was small compared to the subject, resulting in dark shadows, soft light is large compared to the subject and results in subtle to no shadows.  Overcast days, open shade, or the sky (as opposed to the sun itself) are examples of diffuse light sources.  Soft light is often the easiest light to use, because it lights your subject rather evenly, but it can sometimes be a little bit boring, a little bit safe.

Seattle often has overcast gray days, so I am very, very familiar with diffuse light.  Just in time for our new theme, however, the grays skies vanished and we have been blessed with blue skies and sunny days.  Let me be very clear – I am NOT complaining one bit!  But this meant that I turned indoors to find my diffuse light, relying on my windows to soften the light, so that instead of harsh shadows across Alexa’s face there are subtle ones to give her face some dimension.  Ok, enough of my blathering – isn’t she a cutie?

Cheese!!!

Please continue along in our creative blog circle to see the stunning work of Sarah Roemer Davis.  Sarah lives in Manhattan with her husband and son, and another little one on the way.  Click HERE to see Sarah’s creative play on diffuse light.

Today’s post is for Project 52, a weekly blog project that I am working on with several other talented photographers whom I’ve come to know and love over the past year. In this project, we concentrate on light and spend several weeks exploring an overarching theme. In this month’s theme we explore light at different times of day.  So far we have explored morning and afternoon light.  This week is evening light, and next will be night.

Evening is a wonderful time to shoot.  The hour or so that surrounds sunset is called the “golden hour” for the warm light that it usually provides.  Of course, here in Seattle, many evenings are less golden and more gray.  Gray clouds, gray skies, gray light, gray everything.  In the summer, we have stunning sunsets with gorgeous color, but in the spring one can’t rely on that.  Most of this week, in fact, we’ve had gray, cloudy skies in the evening and I began to accept that I would not have a beautiful golden light image to post.  But then, this afternoon, the sky cleared and the sun appeared!  I was so excited and full of hope that I dragged my family (Avery was literally sleeping) across town to Olympic Sculpture Park for sunset.  We arrived a bit early to find surprisingly cold conditions as well as thick cloud cover to the west, which meant the sun might disappear well before the magic hour began (assuming we lasted that long).  Luckily, however, there were a few breaks in the clouds, so we were treated to a golden 5 minutes.  I didn’t get to take the images that I had in mind, but I’ll take what I can get.  Here is an image of the gorgeous sunset, and one of my lovely family, who puts up with these slightly ridiculous endeavors (even if they were cold and ready to leave just as I was getting started).  I do love them so!

Please continue along our creative blog circle to see what my friend Linda Hooper has posted.  Of late, Linda has focused on out-of-focus images that create a stunning painterly and impressionistic effect.  Please click HERE to see Linda’s play on evening light.

Today’s post is for Project 52, a weekly blog project that I am working on with several other talented photographers whom I’ve come to know and love over the past year. In this project, we concentrate on light and spend several weeks exploring an overarching theme. In this month’s theme we explore light at different times of day.  Last week we explored morning light; this week we will look at afternoon light; in the third, evening light; in the fourth, night.

Day light can be tricky to utilize, because it can be very strong and therefore create harsh shadows.  It is often a great time to shoot indoors, however, when extra light is often welcomed.  This week’s image was taken in the living room of the house that we rented this past week in Breckenridge, Colorado with the families of two of my dearest high school friends.  While it was wonderful to spend time with my old friends, it was absolutely a delight to see our children playing and getting to know each other.  I took this shot surreptitiously, hiding behind some furniture so that I didn’t interrupt the play.  I stumbled upon this moment, where Henry, who is almost 5, was playing with my Alexa, who is only 17 months.  All the kids got along so well this week, it was just amazing.  I didn’t get many images of the kids, but this lovely moment will remind me of how lucky we were that all of us had such a lovely vacation.

Please continue along our creative blog circle to see what my lovely friend Julie Kiernan has posted.  Julie photographs many varied subjects, from landscapes to images of her children or high school seniors to macro, and I always look forward to seeing what she will do next.  Please click HERE to see Julie’s play on day light.

Today’s post is for Project 52, a weekly blog project that I am working on with several other talented photographers whom I’ve come to know and love over the past year. In this project, we concentrate on light and spend several weeks exploring an overarching theme. Today we embark on a new theme, in which we play with light at different times of day.  This first week we will explore morning light; in the second we will look at afternoon light; in the third, evening light; in the fourth, night.

Morning light is typically very soft and diffuse.  The sun is low in the sky, so it is the sky reflecting the sunlight that lights your subject, rather than the sun itself, resulting in lovely soft light without harsh shadows.  Of course, this morning was a typical Seattle morning, so we had a bit of rain and lots of cloud cover that resulted in some really boring, flat light.  Avery and I headed out to get some coffee, but I agreed to a stop at the parking lot down the street so she could stomp in some puddles first.  Hey, when the light is boring, you’ve got to get your kicks somehow.  😉  A lovely morning with my girl.

Please continue along our creative blog circle to see what my lovely friend Kim DuPree has posted.  Kim lives in Texas and, in addition to taking photos of her lovely children, takes stunning photographs of high school seniors.  Please click HERE to see Kim’s play on morning light.

Today’s post is for Project 52, a weekly blog project that I am working on with several other talented photographers whom I’ve come to know and love over the past year. In this project, we concentrate on light and spend several weeks exploring an overarching theme. As this is the 5th Sunday in March, and we have all had enough of artificial light, this month is a freebie.  In honor of the arrival of spring (or, at least, the wonderful-but-perhaps-ultimately-cruel taste of it that we’ve had lately in Seattle – it was 71 degrees today!!!), I decided to post a cheerful flower.  I hope there are many sunny days ahead for all of us!

Please continue along our creative blog circle to see what my lovely friend Jill Cassara has posted.  Jill is a wonderful photographer based in Michigan, who takes gorgeous lifestyle photos of her two adorable kids.  Please click HERE to see what image Jill chose for today’s post.

P.S. And a shout-out to my friend Renee Bonuccelli for inspiring my composition today – check out her work if you have a minute.  I am sure you will be impressed.

Today’s post is for Project 52, a weekly blog project that I am working on with several other talented photographers whom I’ve come to know and love over the past year. In this project, we concentrate on light and spend several weeks exploring an overarching theme. This is our fourth week playing with artificial light.

This image was taken yesterday at the Seattle Aquarium.  These moon jellies are displayed in the Ring of Life exhibit – essentially a glass donut that you can walk through, which is filled with these mostly transparent jellyfish that turn colors as the funky lighting inside the ring changes.  I thought they looked otherworldly.

Please continue along our creative blog circle to see what my lovely friend Kelly Patton has posted.  Kelly is a wonderful photographer based in Brooklyn.  Please click HERE to see Kelly’s latest play on artificial light.

Today’s post is for Project 52, a weekly blog project that I am working on with several other talented photographers whom I’ve come to know and adore over the past year. In this project, we concentrate on light and spend several weeks exploring an overarching theme. This is our third week playing with artificial light.

Last night was our final night of our Hawaiian vacation.  We watched the sunset, but Avery hadn’t had enough of the beach, so she stayed out there to make sand castles until it was too dark to see.  Alexa and I walked around for a bit so she could explore by climbing stairs, around the light fixtures and such.  This shot is of her playing peek-a-boo with a couple walking by.  The light hit her perfectly for me to capture her friendly little face.

Please continue along our creative blog circle to see what my lovely friend Jessie Wixon has posted.  Jessie takes stunning photos of her two gorgeous daughters.  Please click HERE to see Jessie’s play on artificial light.

Today’s post is for Project 52, a weekly blog project that I am working on with several other talented photographers whom I’ve come to know and adore over the past year. In this project, we concentrate on light and spend several weeks exploring an overarching theme. Today we begin a new theme: Playing with Artificial Light.

For this post, I am actually attempting to use my flash.  Alexa had fallen asleep on the sofa this evening and just looked so sweet curled up on the couch.  It isn’t the most exciting shot, but it was a memory that I wanted to capture and I simply wouldn’t have been able to get it if I hadn’t used my flash.

Please continue along our creative blog circle to see what my lovely friend Cheryl Chriss Sawyer has posted.  Like me, Cheryl is a Monmouth County, New Jersey native, though she currently lives in NYC with her two girls.  Please click HERE to see Cheryl’s play on artificial light.

Today’s post is for Project 52, a weekly blog project that I am working on with several other talented photographers whom I’ve come to know and adore over the past year. In this project, we concentrate on light and spend several weeks exploring an overarching theme. Today we begin a new theme: Playing with Artificial Light.

My first post is from a sunrise shoot that I did on Saturday morning with some local photographers.  This image was taken before the sun rose, where you can see that artificial lights can be quite beautiful.  Indeed, the artificial lights were much prettier than the natural ones that morning, since the Seattle sunrise mostly involved the sky going from deep blue to dark gray to light gray.  Sigh.  I suppose I will have to try again in the summer.    

Please continue along our creative blog circle to see what my lovely friend Jessie Wixon has posted.  Jessie lives in NYC and takes absolutely stunning photos of her gorgeous family.  Please click HERE to see Jessie’s first play on artificial light.

And if you are interested, here are a few more shots from the sunrise in Seattle.  The first was taken with a super wide-angle lens, and the last with a Lensbaby: