Chasing Light and Laughter: A Wednesday Morning Well Spent
There’s something uniquely rewarding about photographing children — especially when they’re not posing, but just being their joyful, chaotic little selves. This Wednesday morning, I had the pleasure of photographing a playful brother-sister duo at the park. At first, they were a bit camera-shy, unsure of the lens and sticking close to their mom and grandmother. Though from from grumpy stops on the grass we moved quickly towards triumphant climbs up the playground slide. Every candid moment was bursting with personality. Capturing their energy felt less like work and more like play — just with a camera in hand instead of a juice box. There were giggles, dandelion wishes, and even a quick game of telephone through the talk tubes. Sessions like this remind me why I love what I do — photography gives me the chance to freeze tiny, fleeting moments of joy before they grow up and run off to the next adventure.
Of course, behind every great shot is a whole lot of camera juggling. Thankfully, I had some helpful advice tucked in my camera bag — my supervisor at work once told me that on sunny days, a great place to start is ISO 200, shutter speed at 1/200, and an f-stop of 16. That tip has truly stuck with me, and I’ve been putting it to good use. During this session, the lighting shifted constantly thanks to playground shadows, dappled sunlight through trees, and two kids running in and out of both like little light-speed tornadoes. Staying alert and adjusting my settings quickly while knowing my camera inside and out truly made all the difference. I'm grateful for the guidance I've received and proud of how far I’ve come in being able to handle dynamic, fast-paced sessions like this one. While I still have a lot to learn its great knowing I have so many resources and I want to do my best to document these things for anyone else breaking out into the field.
If you enjoy seeing behind-the-scenes moments and little snapshots of life like this one, be sure to follow along on Instagram and check out more stories and photo sessions on my blog at shutterbug27.com. There’s always more sunshine, laughter, and lens talk to come!
