Jan
01
2013(Note this class is from 2013. Each class lesson is still below but you will not receive any instructor feedback and the Flickr Group is no longer active.)
I’ve had a camera in my hands for the better part of 12 years now. I was a 16 year old kid chasing around my babysitting charges. A 17 year old kid spilling chemicals all over the darkroom. An 18 year old kid hand coloring a black and white image. A 20 something recording those crazy moments on your dorm that bring so much laughter. A mid 20s mom taking pictures of her kiddos. 
For two years now, I’ve been called to pursue this craft professionally. I’m not making a whole lot of money right now and, honestly, a lot of my clients are friends and family who are receiving a gift. Money isn’t really what I’m after. No, my end goal is to have a client laugh over the capture of that one face their their kiddo makes that is so them, to walk into a client’s house and see that frozen in time moment right above the mantle, or to give that mama an album exploding with her whole family while she weeps tears of joy. Those are the moments that make my soul sing. I love giving the gift of photography to clients and friends.
Teaching the Craft
When I pause to dream about where this business might go, there’s always a tug on my heart to teach. To gather a group of friends around me and teach them to capture their own memories. Give a man a photo and they’ll cherish the memory forever. Teach a man to take photos and they’ll capture memories forever. I’ve tried numerous times to do just this, but in this season of life it’s just hard to do. Eventually, I’d like to host (or be a part of) one or two day retreats to help new photographers learn their craft, but that time is not now. Yet while participating in Holley Gerth’s God-Sized Dreams Team and reading her early release of the Do What you Can Plan, I realized that maybe I can slowly move toward this dream. What if I start compiling my resources now? What if I invite you, my readers, to explore the craft of photography with me in a free beginner photography class right here through this blog? 
Would you join me in a Free Beginner Photography Class?
I’ll commit to posting on one topic every Tuesday for the next 52 weeks. You can stop by as often as you like and soak up as much information as you dare. I’ll throw in 20 or so large assignments and a mini assignment for each post as we cover the material and host a Flickr Group so we can see your finished projects and chart your growth. As I watch you grow, I’ll invite some of you to guest post your images and contribute your learning.
What will the Class Cover?
Here’s a brief list of upcoming topics. As I post in this series, I’ll update this list with a link to each individual post for easy reference.
- Assignment #1: Learning to Critique Photos
- How Cameras Work
- Camera Types
- Photography Critique Assignment Link-Up
- Camera ISO and Assignment #2
- Shutter Speed and Assignment #3
- Apeture and Assignment #4
- Depth of Field: Further Study
- Camera Light Meters and Metering Modes
- Program Mode
- White Balance
- Introduction to Storytelling with Images
- Rule of Thirds
- Student Images
- Leading Lines
- Try a Different Angle
- Detail Images
- Diptych and Triptych
- Lens Type: Zoom or Fixed Focal Length
- Lenses: Differences on a Full Frame and Crop Sensor Body
- Lenses: Focal Lengths-Wide to Telephoto
- 6 Month Student Reviews
- Camera Lenses: Recommendations and Buying
- Using your Camera in Manual Mode: Exposure Triangle
- Photography Exposure Stops
- Manual Mode Workflow
- Exposure Bracketing
- Setting Exposure in Manual Mode: the Zone System
- Painting with Light: a lighting overview
- Natural Light
- Front Lighting
- Side Lighting
- Back Lighting
- Available Light
- Modifying Light Part 1: Reflectors and Diffusers
- Modifying Light Part 2: On Camera Flash
- Portrait Lighting
- RAW or JPEG?
- Changing your Perspective
- Final Assignment and Announcements
- Nailing Focus
- Editing Software Overview
- Basic Editing: Brightness and Contrast
- Basic Editing: Magic Histograms with Levels and Curves
- Basic Editing: Converting to Black and White
- Basic Editing: Layer Masks
- Editing a Naturally Dark Image
- Final Assignment Due Date and Action/Preset Love
- Quick Clean Edits in Lightroom and Photoshop Elements
- The Finish Line and My Final Project
- Amber’s Final Project
- Teddy’s Final Project
Please let me know in the comments below what you’d like to learn over the next 52 weeks and I’ll be sure to include it! I can’t wait to see where this journey will carry us!
Dec
30
2012
Sedryn boy, you are amazing. I can’t even process how ridiculously fun and adorable you are. I’ll try, but only because it’s the only way to permanently keep you little.
You’re still not walking. You can stand for a good 30 seconds, and take a few steps if the mood strikes, but overall you have no desire to walk. You spend most of your day taking things apart or putting things in small cavities. I think I have 5 crayons in my window sliding area that will take me over 15 minutes to get out. Good things it’s winter and I don’t need the windows open. Your fine motor skills are pretty through the roof because of all this practice. You seem to prefer your left hand, so I’m wondering if I have a little engineer-brained strangely creative kiddo on my hands.
You might not walk, but you sure do climb… everything. It’s amazing what you’ll climb. Today I caught you up on daddy’s computer chair. There was nothing near the chair so I was astounded. Later, I watched you try to do it again. You grasp the spindle on the back of the chair and the front of the seat and use your abs and arms to haul yourself right up. I’m not sure I have the physical strength for all that! Your look of mischievousness joy just melts my heart when you accomplish a climbing feat.
The other thing that’s curious is your vocabulary. I’m not sure if this is a second child thing (as in the girls speak to you all day long or momma is better at understanding toddler speak), but I’m floored by what you already say. Sometimes we have entire conversations! Today you pointed at pictures on the wall and told me “Der Dadi!!!” (there’s daddy).
Here’s a list (as best as I can compile) of your current vocabulary:
- All done
- Socks (gocks)
- Clock (gock)
- Up (bup!)
- Daddy
- Momma
- More
- Car (gar)
- Sister (ter with a point)
- No (nuh)
- Uh oh
- Cup
- There (der)
- Kitty (ditty)
- Dog (gog)
- Ball
- Throw (doe!)
- Mouth (mow)
- bird (bud)
- duck
I’m sure there’s more than I’m forgetting. Your understood vocabulary is crazy too. I asked you for a Kiss and Snuggle today and you were all over it in seconds. Big drooly open mouth kisses right on the mouth and head butting snuggles. My favorite.
I’m still wishing I could freeze you sweet boy…. But you appear to get more fun each month.
Dec
24
2012
“Girls, please stop fighting over the cabbage!”
followed by
“Don’t throw the cabbage either.”
Dec
21
2012
A Different Type of Story
When I photograph families or children, I try to tell you the beautiful stories. The funny ones. The silly moments. The laughter. The pure joy.
But pure joy it has two sides: the crazy-beautiful (those I can’t believe this joy actually happened to me moments) and the ugly-beautiful. There is a word in English for the crazy-beautiful joy- miracle. But in English there is no words to encapsulate the ugly-beautiful.
And yet the ugly-beautiful is the climax of all the best stories every told. The moment you realize that Old Dan and Little Anne aren’t going to make it after they battle a mountain lion to protect Billy in Where the Red Fern Grows. The moment where Despereaux goes back down to the dungeon to save the one he loves even though the odds are stacked against him. The moment you realize Charlotte has spun her last web and Wilbur won’t have her anymore. That split second where Frodo pus on the Ring of Power right there inside of Mount Doom and all of Middle Earth is hanging in the balance. The moment they roll the stone in front of Jesus’ tomb on a dark Friday afternoon.
My friend Karen (above!) and her husband Shamus’s story is full of this ugly-beautiful. And I feel like it needs to be told even in my 3rd person voice so that it may speak directly to the heart of one of my readers. Bear with me in the telling because no matter how ugly-beautiful things become know that joy is coming.
Karen and Shamus’s Ugly-Beautiful Story
On August 5th, 2010 I was driving to some play date grossly pregnant with Sedryn and just hoping to wear my 2 two year olds out so I could take a nap. My phone rang. I still remember Karen’s voice. “Melissa, I lost Baby #3… they can’t do the D & C until tomorrow. I don’t need to be alone… can I come over?” Karen and I were just mere acquaintances at this time, and to this day, I still regret not driving home and having her over. Oh, but Karen, she took refuge in a God who gave far more comfort than I ever could.
This song gave Karen so much comfort, and you can read more of her faithful reaction to this miscarriage here.
Karen’s and my lives intersected more deeply later when I was sleepless and exhausted with a very sinful attitude toward my own baby #3 and she drew me into her small group. She loved me when I was pretty hard to love and struggling with sin that she may have wished she’d still have the opportunity to struggle with. She challenges me weekly on following Christ in very practical ways. She actually called me in the middle of writing this post to reflect to me a behavior that I need some growth in (ouch and Amen!).
Karen and Shamus’s arms were empty on March 1, 2012, the last possible day that Baby #3 could have been born. And on that same day Karen, penned these tear drenched words.
On Thursday, December 4, 2008, God gave us Jay. On Friday, May 7, 2010, God gave us Ben. Two miracles. On Thursday, March 1, 2012, God gave me rest, fellowship, wisdom, laughter, entertainment, His Word, order, romance, and peace. What would you call those things?
When I cry about losing our precious daughter, I remember who God is. I remember that He is holding her along with the rest of His children. When I cry, I cry on God’s shoulder. That is called Comfort. You might have had comfort before. But you can’t have Comfort unless you have Christ. And I have Him. So I have everything.
Comfort from your Creator: that’s also a miracle.
Content in All Things?
On Sunday, May 6 our whole shepherding group was seated together at our annual outdoor service. The kids were elbow deep in play dough or sidewalk chalk when Karen pulled me aside to whisper that Baby #4 was on the way. Our hearts all left that worship service full in so many ways.
Two days later Baby #4 was in the arms of Jesus. This time I was privileged to hold my friend while she wept. But even more so, I was able to watch in awe as this second miscarriage transformed Karen and Shamus even more. Watching Karen and Shamus vulnerably process their grief in light of the Cross of Jesus is truly one of the biggest miracles I have ever experienced. It’s mostly impossible for me to summarize their transformation… so I’ll just once again quote Karen.
MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012
I wrote this journal entry:
I truly want to love Baby #4. But I’m too afraid to commit. Last time I committed with my whole heart and when Baby #3 died my heart crumbled. Can I handle that again? YES! Of course I can, because I know what it is to be pregnant and I know what it is to miscarry and I know what it is to have life with my child and I know what it is to have life without my child- I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation; whether listening to my child sing scripture or digging a grave for my lost baby…
I can’t finish that statement the way Paul does. I want to so badly. And that makes my body shake with weeping.
SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012Mother’s Day
Peter preached on Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
These verses are just before Paul says this:
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:11-13 ESV)
That’s the secret I wanted to say I knew last week. And I couldn’t.MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012
If we miscarry again, we can rejoice. Which is not the same as being happy. We can rejoice in the midst of deep sadness.
Can I say that I am content in any and every situation? I can say that Christ died for my sins and I am redeemed and reborn and growing to be like Him and saved from eternal punishment, no matter what my situation. And that brings joy every time I say it.
Every good and perfect gift is from above. A child is a good and perfect gift. If God puts another child in my womb, it will be like Christmas morning when you’re 7 years old! A gift! The one we wanted most!
We know that we will struggle with anxiety and fear apart from a particular miracle. But we will refuse to struggle with love.
Karen has a hat for each of her four children.
Soon she’ll need another one.
And Shamus and Karen are anticipating the birth of Zan with so much joyful hope, but only by the grace of God. For through their suffering, they have learned the secret of being content. Not the secret of happiness, but the one of joy. Joy in a God who gives the greatest gift, His Son.
Karen’s Lifestyle Maternity Photography Session
Now I’ll just let you feast your eyes on the fun we had at the Cronin’s lifestyle maternity photography session. I love these two!
Dec
19
2012So many fun things have been happening over here that I’ve hardly had time to blog them all. In addition to that, I’ve had two sessions in less than 9 days which is a work load I try to avoid. Blogging has been low on my priority list with the top being romping in the 70 degree weather my crazy kiddos. So here’s a wham-bam visual tour of what we’ve been up to in the past few weeks.
Snow paint Snowflakes!
Egg Carton Painting. I had little to do with this. Since making them an organizer for their craft supplies, the girls have come up with many new art endeavors. This is their favorite. They steal all egg cartons from my recycling bin. Rarely a day goes by without paint touching one of these egg cartons!
Seeing the Nutcracker (they were spellbound for the beginning half- second half was less entertaining for them).
Gingerbread cookies! Sweetened with honey, molasses, and maple syrup these are super tasty!
Playing with random hardware. I love this toy we made Sedryn (the girls do too)! I can’t believe he’s joining in on toddler activities… but he’s still not toddling.
