Speedy Gonzales

Gosh- trying to keep up with this boyo is hard at the best of times! So, you can imagine that I have been finding it increasingly difficult to take a good portrait of him. My idea of a good portrait include the following points: 1/ Sharp 2/ Interestingly composed 3/ A smile (or at least engaged with the camera.)

Sometimes I have to content myself with 2 out of the 3. It's a rare shoot that I can pin them all. A lot of it has to do with only having natural light to work with. I have to use a low shutter speed with a high speed child! And now he's walking he has ran from one side of the backdrop to the other before I can even press the shutter release! 

In the top photo, I attempted to try something new with something old. I placed some large yellow pages on top of my green backdrop. As it turns out, the colours really didn't work well together, but I like the photo in black and white. I have added some other portraits I have snapped of Jack recently, including some bubble bursting fun, which, (honestly) might definitely involve some photshop trickery again. I was just trying to snazz up an otherwise plain shot. Don't be cross. K?

Balloon Boy

Forget Falcon... Here's the real balloon boy! Actually- no. This is a hoax too. The balloon does exist; Jack was given it at a restaurant last night. But as hard as I tried, I couldn't get him to stand still and hold it for a photo. So, I photographed it separately against the grey and added it and the shadow into a photo with Jack. Hey presto. Also, the balloon was green, but that didn't match his 70's blue vintage jumper and dungarees, so I faked that too, and changed it to blue.

I totally live to capture the key moment, with real expressions, poses, shadows and colours. That's part of the challenge, and the fun. But sometimes with a 16 month old, that's just not possible. So perhaps you'll forgive me just this once.

Block Party

Here's a simple portrait I created with Jack today. I placed him on some orange fabric against my blue backdrop while he played with his blocks and ate a cookie. He totally spelt his name out himself you know. (Or not...)

His little knitter jumper is from Next. The blue cords and checked shirt are from Baby Zara. And those shoosies, are of course his trusty black Converse.

Toy Story

I'll admit, I hardly stepped out of my comfort zone during today's photoshoot with Jack. My excuse is I had some work on, so all my plans to try something new fell through. However, what I really wanted was to record Jack is this little blue vintage jumper, gifted to us by my dear friends at the Rusty Zip. I just love this jumper, it'll be so sad when it no longer fits!

Oh, and can I just say a quick thank you to all my lovely followers who consistently write me lovely comments and give me great feedback on every post. I really appreciate your kind words. I hope you can see an improvement in my photography since I began this blog. And also, a big welcome to any new followers. Thanks for joining Jack and I. I hope you enjoy watching him grow as much as me.

Rockstar

Today Jack had his first haircut. Not that you would notice, it's just a bit tidier. Anyway, he was a great boy at the salon, much much better than I thought he would be. I thought he would be terrified and kick up a stink. However, this hairdressers is a salon dedicated solely to kids. They have toys, and screens with kids programmes running. So he was completely distracted. I'm not even sure he noticed he was having his hair cut!

As a reward Jack picked out a new toy. Check out Jack rocking a new haircut and flamin' guitar! Yeahhh! Oh, and Jack's skull tee is from All Saints. I'm so disappointed to find out they have dropped their kids range. I was a big fan.

I can sing a Rainbow

Jack is getting so tall and big, he has almost grown out of all his sleepsuits. So, I bought a multipack from Marks and Spencers today. They are just darling. I had the idea to photograph him wearing one each day for the next 4 days, and place them altogether, much like the one you see above and below. Well, I'm a terribly impatient person, and when I get an idea in my head, I sort of have to see it through to the end (that very same day.) Luckily, Jack woke up from his nap in a great little mood, and he allowed me to snap him wearing each one.

I clone and patch images all the time in my graphic design work, but I have never tried in a portrait context. I look back and see where I could improve these, but all in all, I think they're fun, and I'm pretty pleased. The green was my favourite colour, so I put an all green version together. I have also added my favourite shot from todays shoot below.