Month: February 2019

Community Critique – Nuno

Community Critique

This week we have a photo submitted by Nuno who is working on a project called “Explorations” which is about photographing his daughter as she explores throughout their house . This image was shot with a Nikon D200, ISO 500, f3.3, and SS 1/80.

Critique today comes from Heather, Celina, and Robin.

Heather: What a sweet image of your little one. I love that you converted it to black and white. It helps focus the mood and brings your attention to the baby. I am a huge fan of shadow images. I think that I would like to see the whole body in the shadow or to see the face. I like that you used the door for framing the baby.

Celina: What a great idea for a series, I am sure you have plenty to document especially at this age. I love that your daughter has something in both hands and is kicking a ball all at once, it really emphasizes the exploration theme and chaos that comes with children. The lighting makes it feel like it’s really early in the morning or later at night which really adds to the story of the busy toddler always on the move no matter what time it is.

Personally, I am curious to see what expressions she has, I think that could have added to the story. Things do move quickly, but I would have tried to crop her a little lower at the shoulders or one idea would have been to take the photo from a higher angle and maybe tried to get more of her shadow and put emphasis on the ball even more. I do love the motion blur of the ball, it adds movement and a sense of urgency. I love a black and white picture but I am really curious how all the toys would look in colour. I am really looking forward to seeing more from this series and how it evolves as she grows.

Robin: I love the idea for your project! One of the first things I notice about this photo is the motion of the ball. I like that you chose a slow enough shutter speed to keep your child in focus but still captured the motion of the kicked ball. Using the doorway as a frame for her works well, too, and it draws my eye to her and the ball. I am normally a fan of images without a face, but I think seeing her face might have added a bit of interest to this photo – especially if she had an interesting expression (like excitement or concentration) on her face.  I wish I could tell what she is holding in her hands, and I find it a bit distracting that I can’t figure it out. I’m curious if it would been easier to see what’s in her hands had this photo been in color. I think squaring up with the doorway would have helped and possibly have allowed you to get rid of the distracting elements in the left side of the frame. If the setup of your house allows for that (I get that squaring up or backing up isn’t always an option), I would try a shot again like this and aim for more horizontal and vertical lines.

Thanks for your submission, and I hope you have fun as your continue on with this project.

*****

Interested in having one of your images critiqued? Check out the submission guidelines.

Lisa Coker – Journey to Contributor

Contributor Articles

I can’t remember exactly when it was that I joined Instagram, but I definitely remember the amazingly small amount of likes I would get from my posts. I was oblivious to the science of hashtags, but frankly I wasn’t concerned about who saw my photos. I was perfectly content sharing my images with my small circle of followers whom were mostly family and friends I’ve actually met in real life. Things were much simpler back then.

April 2015 | 10 Likes

When I started taking my photography more seriously and wanted more exposure I was told by the social media experts that if you’re not using hashtags, you’re not doing it right. So I proceeded to go down the rabbit hole of hashtags, algorithms, peak posting times, etc., and suddenly I’m following and tagging all kinds of photography hubs. There were so many of them that it was hard to choose which ones to include in my 30 hashtag limit. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had my photos featured across these hubs, but I noticed a trend: it was always, the cleaner, “prettier” looking photos that were picked.

One day in Instagram land, I’m scrolling and tagging along, and I stumble onto a photography hub with an interesting name: Sham of the Perfect. The images in their feed resonated with me more than any other. There were images of unposed, real life, raw moments which were unashamedly encouraged and supported. I visited their website to find out where this name came from. I found that this group had a pretty cool mission: tear down the idea of perfection in motherhood and family life. At this point I hadn’t seen a hub like this before. It was a space I felt was missing in social media and it was a profound moment of discovery.

Right away, I added their hashtag to my growing paragraph of hashtags saved in my text replacement shortcuts. After some time, one of my photos was finally chosen to be featured on their feed!

February 2016 | 1st photo featured on Sham of the Perfect

I continued to post and share and play the social media game throughout the year, not exactly sure of the end goal with all this. Other photos of mine were featured on this new favorite hub of mine and this is how it went for a while.

May 2016 | 2nd featured photo on Sham of the Perfect

Then later that year, I received an email:

“Hi Lisa,

We are reaching out to extend an invitation to apply for a contributor spot with Sham of the Perfect during 2017. You came highly recommended and, after looking at your work, we think you may be a good fit to join our team.”

I read the entire email. Paused. Then reread it in disbelief. Once I realized that the email wasn’t sent to the wrong person, I felt flattered to be considered for a contributor position and humbled that my work made an impact. I was excited to join the group and couldn’t wait to start!

I remember it took a little while for me to get used to featuring other’s family documentary work, when not too long ago, I was on the other end. But my experience as a contributor with Sham of the Perfect was more than just moderating the Instagram account. We did artist features, community critiques, and, of course, our weekly blog posts.

January 2017 | My 1st photo contribution for Sham of the Perfect

But what a lot of people didn’t see, and what I valued most, was the stuff that happened behind the scenes. This very specific group of people that came together to work on this project, is what really made it so successful. Our online conversations that were most meaningful to me were not about the project. We shared our personal successes and struggles about family, business, marriage, and life. We would vent, encourage, and support each other in our moments of vulnerability. There was a connection there. It’s a strange thing to feel connected to people you’ve never actually met in real life.

April 2017 | In the ICU with my premie

And now that our project is at its completion, I’m both sad about the ending, but excited for my own personal beginnings. Because of this project, I’ve connected with like minded individuals, expanded my perceptions, and found value in my own voice as a photographer and as a person. As I move on to new projects and ventures, these experiences will move with me. I’m happy, proud, and grateful to have been part of it all. Thank you to all my fellow contributors and to all of you lovely people who have followed along!

Jan 2019 | “Home” a new project in progress

To continue following along with my work, you can find me on Instagram @lisacokerphoto, or on my website www.lisacokerphotography.com.