52 Week Photo Project: Week Four Wrap Up – Let's Do 52 Challenge With Paint the Moon { Photoshop Actions }

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Another fabulous week of Let’s Do 52 is being wrapped up today. You all really stretched your imaginations and took your images to the next level with this last week’s challenge of “Unexpected Perspective.” I saw some fabulous takes on the theme and some very original thinking! Bravo! And as a girl who loves glitter and sparkle, I enjoyed perusing the images for the theme of “Sparkle” as well.

 

My “Unexpected Perspective” project image for the week … focuses on the details and uses a little different perspective as well. If you know me at all as a photographer, you’ll know that I love taking detail shots. I also adore those smiley (and not so smiley) traditional portraits just as much, but sometimes focusing on the details can really help fill a story out, and can help trigger precious memories in years to come.

My baby is at an age where every little thing in the world is fascinating to her … from a bird flying by to a shadow dancing on the wall. Her chubby little finger is constantly leading the way as she points out all the world’s amazing treasures to me and I just had to get a shot focusing on that precious little pointing finger. The second shot simply focuses on her soft head of fluffy hair that I love to bury my face in and breath in that sweet baby smell. Both of these things might be overlooked in the standard portrait showing off her beautiful face … but with these detail shots I’m able to really remember the little things and how special they are to me right here and now.
 
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Listed below are the links to the photographer’s original images posted on Flickr. Click the corresponding numbered link below (in no particular order – note that this is not a contest or “best of”). The theme for week one photos was either Unexpected Perspective or Sparkle.

1. Christine Dibble Photography
2. Andrea Janes
3. Claire
4. Ella Rose Images
5. Annie Morris
6. Wade Langley
7. Heather
8. Make Your Mark Photography
9. Stars Above Photography

 

 

Back in November I had a little wake up call … and I’m sad to say it actually took me three different “wake up calls” over the past several years before I finally started doing something about it last fall. Forgive me for a bit of a personal share here (and feel free to skip over it), but I really think this week’s theme and the reasons behind it are something everyone can benefit from – from hobbyist photographer to seasoned pro.

While casually browsing our photos – most of which feature my girls or my girls and my husband (and happened to be mostly on hard drives rather than printed) – my six year old sadly asked why mommy wasn’t in any of our photos. On the spot I decided to make a conscious effort from there on out to really be a part of our treasured memories documented by photos by joining my family on the other side of the lens. You can read all about my reasons why in this mushy blog post from last year on my personal blog if you are interested. If, like me, you are also guilty of being the ghost in your own family photos I encourage you to take a look (warning that it is my personal blog – so don’t click if you are a “business only” type).

After suffering the sudden loss of my baby brother in a car accident several years ago, I received a unique perspective to really understand first hand how precious photos can be to our loved ones (and how heartbreaking it can be to find out too late that your photos are lacking). But even after going through this tragic loss and learning the hard way how important family photos are I still wasn’t diligent about actually getting in the photos myself. And then a few years ago I experienced a loss of a different kind when I was diagnosed with a chronic illness. All of a sudden my future with my baby girl was uncertain and at best I’d never be able to return to the very active, playful mommy she had always known. As I came to terms with this, I again dug out all my photos and was panicked and heartbroken to find that although I had accumulated thousands of images of my little girl, there were only a handful of photos with me in them next to her or her daddy.

Being a part of our family’s photos is so very important. Don’t get stuck thinking everything has to be “perfect” for you to jump in there. One of my favorite, most memory evoking photos from 2011 was taken with the little camera on my MacBook. Years from now your children or your family and friends won’t give a hoot if your hair was messy, you weren’t quite in shape just yet or the exposure was off. When they see the whole gang, including you, in the photo all they’ll feel is love and a remembrance of the special moments you shared. As professionals we capture beautiful memories for clients regularly … don’t our own families deserve the same?

The themes/ideas are below for the fifth week of 2012. This one is both challenging (in multiple ways) and close to my heart. And if, even after all my mushy rambling, you are still feeling like hiding behind the lens then there is always the alternate theme.

 

 

 If you need a refresher on the guidelines and details …
please see the original post for the 2012 Let’s Do 52. A couple points to note …

• I am so enjoying all the photos being shared on the Paint the Moon Facebook page and invite anyone involved with the group to come share too!

• Be sure to keep checking in on the Paint the Moon blog and Facebook page for articles, inspiration and the weekly themes! This next couple weeks keep your eye out for the much anticipated article on finding fabulous light and getting eyes to pop with crisp catchlights, the What’s In My Bag feature, brand new video tutorials and our Let’s Do 52 first month’s free album template page!

• For those who want to show off your commitment to the Let’s Do 52 group (or who have been chosen as a Pick of the Week and want to grab the special button), please see the button page for easy code to copy and past on your blog or site.

 

 

And now the kid’s special group …(see the original post details here). Please note that this is not a contest or a “best of” … the picks of the week are simply a very select few images that have caught her eye. The themes this last week were Transportation and Silver. Some of these young artists even did the editing work themselves with Paint the Moon actions. Here is my daughter Adeline’s image for the week, completely photographed and edited by her.

By Adeline, age six, for the Kid’s Click Too theme “Transportation.” She used aperture priority mode, picked her own focus point and selected her Paint the Moon actions by herself. Absolutely no help from mommy on this one, as I am stuck down in bed with an awful flu. I trusted her with my camera and off she went. Includes her baby sister doing a little transporting herself. 😉

 

 

The picks of the week are never in any particular order … so please know that just because these are showcased doesn’t mean all the others weren’t just as fabulous. It’s not a “best of” contest, or a contest of any kind – just a special treat to showcase random photos that caught our eye each week. You guys all rock!! We have many more weeks for your images to be a pick of the week here too!

1. Damian Dones, age 13
2. Tyler, age 9
3. Kinsley, age 9
4. Panga D, age 10

And for the kid’s … your new themes for week five:

 

Important Let’s Do 52 Links:

Original Let’s Do 52 Flickr Group
Original Let’s Do 52 Details (again, for us old folks)
Paint the Moon Facebook Page – Come Share, Be Inspired, Ask Questions

Let’s Do 52 – Kids Click Too! Flickr Group
Let’s Do 52 – Kids Click Too! Original Blog Post