newborn safety in photography

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i wrote the post below for the creative mama today, but wanted to share it here as well.  i feel it's so very important that information regarding newborn safety in photography gets to as many photographers as possible.  please pass it on!! +++

It seems that there's a lot of talk happening right now regarding newborn safety, in regards to photography. And honestly, it's about time!!! Yesterday, a friend who is trying to spread the message of newborn safety, shared on her facebook wall, a photograph [from another photographer] of a newborn in a glass vase that looked very unsafe and quite scary!  As the photography industry becomes more and more saturated with photographers [many getting into business well before they're ready], I'm afraid this unsafe newborn posing might also continue to occur more and more. This message needs to be spread --no matter who we're photographing, photographers need to have safety as their number one priority.

Please know that professional newborn photographers, such as Baby As Art and Kelly Ryden Photography, always have newborn safety as their ultimate priority. These photographers have many, many years of experience, work as a team and they have the art of posing newborns and editing in Photoshop mastered.

Jodie Otte recently wrote this great article on newborn safety, along with sharing some behind-the-scenes photographs, showing how this baby on a guitar is actually a composite of a couple different photographs. Never was this baby balanced on this guitar alone, without the assistance of someone else. Please refer to Jodie's article in it's entirety, for additional newborn safety information and behind-the-scenes images.

And this article by Shoot Baby shares additional [frequently attempted] newborn poses, along with how the photographs were achieved, by combining multiple images in Adobe Photoshop.

Parents -- if you don't feel it's safe, you don't think it's right, it doesn't make sense or you're simply not comfortable with something during a photo session, please stop the photographer immediately. Always remember that you have commissioned the photographer; he or she is working for you!

ETA:  if you're going to pose a newborn in a bowl, in a basket, hanging in fabric, etc., you need to do it WELL -- along with the baby being kept completely safe and comfortable at all times!  with that being said, i just don't understand poses like sticking a newborn in a glass vase filled with gum balls [even when done well].  i know and appreciate that photographers have their own creative style, but some of the things photographers are doing with newborns these days just doesn't make sense to me [and often is not even done well, nor seems to be done safely].

and if you put your photograph out there [to the public], it's important to be open to feedback -- both positive and constructive criticism. know why you're creating the photographs you're creating and be sure it's for more than competing with other photographers.

getting in front of the camera

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when meredith contacted me about photographing her family, she mentioned how important it was to get some photos of her with her children and husband.  my guess is that every photographer knows this feeling, whether a professional photographer or you're just the one in the family who always seems to be behind the camera.  i know for myself, i take so many photographs every year and yet i'm almost never in my own family's photographs.  and with that said, i so cherish each and every photo i have of me with my kids and husband -- so, so cherish! i did take photos of the wilcke family and the kids by themselves, but today i want to celebrate mom | photographer getting in FRONT of the camera.

and if you haven't had your family's photos done in a while and you're waiting for the perfect time, you might just want to read THIS!

daily

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a bit of our daily. not sure how this came about but this was our [the little ones and i] conversation on our way to the grocery store today...

SKYLER:

i'm not going to have any kids. because i want to be in charge. i'll be in charge of my husband. like you are mommy. maybe i'll have one kid. but i'll still be in charge.

RYDER:

i'm going to have a wife. and prank her. and my kids too.

you are what you see

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okay. not really.  but, i saw this on pinterest the other day. not sure how accurate it is [LOL] but kind of fun. what are the first four words you see? i'd love to know; post your four words in the comments.

original source is here.

also, i've had a few people inquire about the smile photo seen here in our house entry way.  i actually took that photo, when we lived in kansas.  please email me if interested in purchasing a print.

BTW my first four words were... happy naive outspoken love

ETA -- i just did this with kiele and skyer. they found...

KIELE: happy patient prey peace

SKY: lazy happy sweet love

i'd pretty much say that the words they found are right on. prey through me off a bit but kiele is such an animal lover, so maybe that's where it comes from.

fav finds friday

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thought it would be fun to start sharing some of my favorite new finds of the week.  so here we go... adore this necklace for a child.

love.

i love this DIY coat rack and am thinking about asking steve to do a rack for the little ones' room [since they have such a tiny closet and sky has so many dresses].

a cute DIY book mark project.  would make a great little addition for christmas gifts and a fun project to work on with the kids.

this was so, so good and easy.  definitely a keeper recipe.

brings me back to childhood. one of my all-time favorites, especially around the holidays.

as we demo and renovate our bathroom, pinterest has been an awesome place for inspiration and putting ideas, thoughts and design all together.

one of the next projects that i want to do with the kids. could also make for some great christmas giving.

a message about this is going around on pinterest right now.  i remember seeing it on the news quite a long time ago.  in 45 minutes at DC's metro station [jan 2007], only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while, 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace...all while one of the greatest violinists in the world played six bach pieces. he collected a total of $32. indeed...i wonder how many amazing, incredible things we are missing during our hectic day-to-day lives? or that we just don't take the time to stop and notice.

hope you have an awesome weekend!

souces: be wise kid's necklace | beth quinn designs chunky brass love bracelet | etsy DIY coat / dress rack [original source unknown] DIY paperclip book marks crock pot santa fe chicken buckeyes pinterest yarn font

grace, hope & strength

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as i bitch about this and that and this and that, HER feed pops up on my facebook wall and i am reminded about the treasure and absolute gift of life. i am slapped in the face with this amazing woman's strength and grace, as she fights...for her life.  recently, jen's world was rocked [completely rocked] as she was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer.  she went through massive surgery and is left with specs of cancer in her abdomen. she is currently receiving a double dose of chemo (IV and directly into her abdomen). you can read all about and follow her fight here. she is amazing. full of grace, hope, love and strength. i don't know jen very well, but she reminds me to be grateful. she reminds me to live and enjoy...

enjoy every single minute that i am blessed with.

i am reminded to not take anything for granted. i am reminded that i have nothing to bitch, moan, groan or compain about, that's for sure.

i think about and follow jen daily. but i wish there was something great i could do for her.

sending you so much light, love, hope and strength jen!!

ten things

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this is just WAY TOO GOOD to not re-post here, originally shared by chase jarvis [whose blog i really need to visit more often]... Here is a list of 10 things I’ve learned the hard way that every photographer, designer, creative–hell, every creative person–should know.

1. Experts aren’t the answer. The blogs, the teachers, the mentors, the seminars aren’t the answer. They’re not there to tell you exactly what you need to know. If they’re good, then they are there to give you some ideas, some guidelines, or some rules to learn and subsequently break. This isn’t about the expert, it’s about you. In creative pursuits especially…what’s going on inside you is where the answers can be found. Hear what experts say, but don’t always listen to them.

2. Clients cannot tell you what they need. Clients hire you because they have a problem. They need a great visual representation of something, a solution. They think they know the best way to photograph something, but they don’t really. That’s why they hire you. Take their suggestions to heart, because they definitely know their brand, product, their vision–perhaps even shoot a few versions of the images they THINK they want to see first–but then go nuts with own vision. Add value. Show them something they didn’t expect. Don’t be a monkey with a finger. Remember why you got hired…that YOU are the badass image maker. If you are good enough to get selected for the job, you should be good enough to drive the photographic vision.

3. Don’t aim for ‘better’, aim for ‘different’. It’s funny how related “better” and “different” are. If you aim for ‘better’ that usually means you’re walking in the footsteps of someone else. There will often be someone better than you, someone making those footsteps you’re following… But if you target being different–thinking in new ways, creating new things–then you are blazing your own trail. And in blazing your own trail, making your own footprints, you are far more likely to find yourself being ‘better’ without even trying. Better becomes easy because it’s really just different. You can’t stand out from the crowd by just being better. You have to be different.

4. Big challenges create the best work. If you get assignments that are pushing your vision, your skills, then awesome. Kudos to you, keep getting those assignments. If you’re not getting those assignments, then you need to be self-assigning that challenging work. Give yourself tough deadlines and tougher creative challenges. You do your best work where there is a challenge that is clearly present and 10 feet taller than you think you can handle.

5. Aesthetic sensibilities actually matter. Go figure on this one… I’m constantly surprised as how much this is overlooked. Read this and believe it: You must develop a keen understanding of design, color, light, and composition. To just say “I know a picture when I like it” isn’t going to get you anywhere. You need to know –for your own sake as well as the sake of your clients who will ask you– WHY a photo is a great photo. WHY is this one better than that one. If you don’t have any visual vocabulary, opinion, or aesthetic sensibility you won’t be able to explain these things. You won’t get the job. Or if you do get the job, you won’t be able to explain why your photos are worth getting hired again by the same client for the next campaign, story, or video. Trust me on this. Develop a sense of visual taste.

6. Simple is good. Almost every photo that is bad has too much information. Outside of technical basics, the number one reason that most photos fail is because there is no clear subject. Often this is the case with design, film, fashion, you name it. Remove clutter, remove distraction. Tell one story, and tell it well.

7. Make mistakes, learn quickly. Simply put, you need to be able to learn from your mistakes. Avoiding failure is not the goal. The goal is recovering from mistakes quickly. That goes for ever element of your photography–creative, business, vision…you name it. If you’re not willing to make mistakes, you’ll be paralyzed with inaction. That is the devil. Get out there and do stuff. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn’t work, change it. Quickly.

8. “Value” is different from “price.” Don’t compete on price alone. That is certain death in any creative field. Focus on delivering value and price yourself accordingly. If you deliver great value with your images — better than expected, and better than your competition– and you can illustrate that through any means, then you should be more expensive. And remember that value comes in many forms.

9. A-Gamers work with A-Gamers. If you are good at what you do, then you work–or seek to work–with other people who kick ass too. If you suck, then you put yourself around sucky people to feel better about yourself. If you want to be the best, seek to be around awesome people–be it other artists, assistants, producers, clients, partners, whatever. Shoot high. Shoot for better than yourself.

10. Real artists create. Do you just sit around and think of stuff you could create, photograph, build, ship, or design, but never output anything? Then you’re a poser. Take a new approach and make stuff. Maybe what comes out of your studio isn’t perfect, but there should always stuff leaving the door and hitting the web, the page, the billboard, the gallery, or the street. If you are for real, you’ll be pumping out work on the regular.

There you go. Now don’t just read this list, KNOW this list.

[This list was unabashedly, profoundly inspired by my pal Guy Kawasaki's article "What I learned from Steve Jobs." If you like this version that I've adapted to and reworked to be creative industry/photography centric, you'll still love Guy's version here.]

in my spare time

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...i've been working on my family's annual book. anyone who's read my blog over the past couple years, probably already knows how much i adore and treasure my family books. they grace our credenza right as you walk in the door and i get chills each and every time i look through one of the books.  last night, i found the  kids looking through them -- laughing and giggling as they turned the pages. i've been doing an annual book ever since i started photography [2006].  i always joke that if there's a fire and my family is all safe, my books are next to be saved from the flames. but i'm serious.

i started working on the book a bit earlier than usual, so i'm not rushing to get it done the end of november.  i give the books to grandparents for christmas every year and need to make sure i allow time for printing and shipping. this year my book is called life passes so fast, with an accompanying closing quote on the last page.  sigh!

while i'm sure the book will be tweaked many times between now and the end of november, this is how it's looking so far...

you can see a larger version HERE.

a bit about my book-making process: i design the book from scratch [no template]. 11x13 landscape format. hard cover and premium matte paper. use booksmart via blurb. every year is different (e.g. here's last year's layout). include favorite photos from the year. quotes to go with some of the photos. words | thoughts about each child. every book is unique. and so very special.

in closing... i beg you to get your digital files off your computer and printed. on your walls. in a book. somewhere. anywhere.

i'll be sharing another project i've been working on in a few days. just a couple more things to get done first.

superwoman

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no, i didn't see her cape but i secretly think that kristin is superwoman. five kids, ages one to 12. all so well behaved, kind and polite. her husband often away for work.  she home schools. and who looks this amazing after five kids, with the youngest just turning one? yep, superwoman, i say. i was supposed to photograph the young family a month ago, but it was rained out. they were driving from gainesville and we just couldn't take a chance with the weather we were having at the time. well...it just so happened that her ten-year-old had a football game in clearwater this past friday, so we did a session with kristin and the kids on saturday. and i'm super excited to be photographing the whole family in the spring, when kristin's husband is done traveling for a bit.

kristin is an awesome photographer, who recently moved from california to gainesville. and while i'm so honored each and every time i'm commissioned by my peers, it also adds some added stress and pressure [self-imposed, of course].

what if i don't live up to her expectations? what if she's disappointed? what if... what if... what if...

but i'm happy to say that this is what kristin shared after seeing some of her photos...

at loss of words...really (and i can talk.) loveeverysingleoneofthem. (as in, have the huge urge to take down every single photo in my house and just put these up instead.)

love them, love, them. LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

cannot thank you enough, deb.  from the very bottom of my heart....k

and with that said, my heart is SO, SO happy!! again kristin, i can't thank you enough for entrusting me with your family's photographs!!

here's a few of my favorites...

reach for the stars

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remember when sky and i went to check out the light? this session was the reason why. we went to get a photograph for the cover of the third grade [auction project] book i've been working on.  the school theme is 'reach for the stars' so we went with that for the book theme too. this is sky's page spread from the book...

she wrote,

I reach for the stars every time I finish a goal.  And when I have been working on something for a long time.  Also when I have completed a challenge.  And every time I complete a goal like when I finish one of my gymnastics meets.  Or complete something we have doing at school and at my house.  That's what I do to reach for the stars.

and this is the photo i chose for the book cover.

i just love doing these books so much! this year, we decided to do the auction book as a pre-sale item, so that every parent in the class has the opportunity to purchase one.  i'm hoping they do well!!

i also photographed the three sisters [the middle child is in sky's class and mom is my kids incredible art teacher]. i just love the spirit of these kids [and the whole family]...through and through. thank you for all your inspiration and support kim!!

ETA: i decided to answer this question [from a comment], so that all interested in the doing a school auction project could benefit.

Q: Hello, I have so intrigued by this project and each year I read about it , I want to ask " when do you take the photographs for the book?' Do you schedule private sessions or take them during the school day. Do you need parent signature for participation? I am a teacher/librarian and would love "lift" your idea for a school wide reading incentive. Any ideas/advice you would be willing to share would be awesome.

A: i come to the school one morning and photograph the kids someplace on the school grounds. it takes about 30 minutes to get through the entire class. i do individual portraits and a couple group shots. this year, i came back a second time, to capture the kids on the playground -- a bit more casual. i don't get parent signatures for participation; however, we make sure that the parents have all signed the photography release for the school. there was one child in sky's class, whose parent did not sign the release, so the teacher checked to see if the parents were interested in their child participating in the auction book project [they said yes]. the teach and i then decide on something for the kids to draw and write about. for the younger ones, we ask them a question and document their response and include that with their drawing. i then scan all the drawings and writings and clean up the pages [spots, marks that weren't completely erased, etc.]. lastly, i just put everything together.

here's ryder's spread from his class' auction book. i included a writing they did at the beginning of the school year...on why they're special because it was too cute to pass up.

in the past, a single book has been up for auction; however, the book didn't auction off as high as we wished. so this year, we decided to try the book as a pre-sale auction item, available to all parents. the book is $65 and with the purchase of the book, they'll also be getting a 5x7 print of their child [as featured in the book].

42 before 43

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another amazing year gone by.another year ahead to embrace. grateful for every day i have on this earth. to be with my family. to share. to love. and simply be... me.

and this year, i decided to make a list of 42 things i'd like to accomplish before my 43rd. so here we go...

the forty-two before forty-three list 1. rent an RV and travel across the country [or at least through a few states]. 2. go camping. 3. organize my office better. 4. visit france [shoot with & learn from a photographer i so greatly admire]. 5. deep clean the house. 6. take an iphone photo every day [for one month]. 7. send hand-written thank yous. 8. visit someone new. 9.  sew something. 10. make sure my husband knows how much i love and appreciate him. 11. make every sunday a no technology day. 12. apply to nursing grad school. 13. take an art history class [or at least begin studying]. 14. play with my kids more. 15. wake up and journal every morning. 16. create a family grateful jar. 17. craft with the kids at least once a month. 18. shoot more underwater. 19. enroll in an ASL class with kiele. 20. be sure to appreciate and embrace every single day. 21. take a hop to germany. 22. write a letter to my mom. and my dad. 23. start [& I guess finish] my partial sleeve tattoo. 24. learn how to use my cameras or get rid of them [i have lots gathering dust]. 25. mark at least one thing off of my to-do least every single day. 26. read a classic novel. 27. make a video of my kids. 28. commission someone to video our family. 29. start going to church (sky has been begging). 30. visit a new church [of varying religions] every month. 31. add yoga to my workout routine | schedule. 32. spend more time outside. 33. get a florida driver's license. 34. cross-stitch something special. 35. actually use the herbs from my little herb garden. 36. set [& stick to] specific business hours [computer off when shop is closed]. 37. market my business better. 38. do a family trip to Hawaii [not sure france & hawaii can happen but still on the list]. 39. make a list of things we want to do while stationed in florida. 40. volunteer at the nearby homeless shelter. 41. focus on the right important things. 42. dream big[ger].

i haven't gotten very far with my bucket list [that i wrote on my 40th] but i'm hoping i have  quite a few many, many years ahead to get through that list [which no longer seems to be on my blog so i'm posting it again].  i guess if i could accomplish one or two a year and live to be 80, i could do okay with my bucket list.

the bucket list 1. study a foreign language 2. sponsor a student 3. sail the Americas 4. backpack through Europe 5. have a solo exhibition 6. ride a train 7. go on a roadtrip with no predetermined destination 8. take a cooking course 9. run a half marathon 10. learn to play the guitar 11. go white water rafting 12. go to oktoberfest in germany 13. teach my children what is really important in life 14. visit all 50 of the united states 15. attend and graduate a fine arts program 16. volunteer as a family 17. build a habitat for humanity home 18. give back at every stop as we sail the Americas 19. don’t ever forget to say thank you and I love you 20. visit and help maggie doyne in Nepal, for as long as she needs me 21. photograph an orphanage or children in need 22. watch my children grow up and fully support their doing what they love (no mater what that might be) 23. own an mid-century modern home 24. keep in touch with my kids (at least once a week), after they leave our house 25. start a parent support group 26. present at a national DHH convention 27. make a difference in someone’s life (i mean really make a difference) 28. celebrate each and every day 29. heal my past 30. have dreadlocks 31. embrace aging 32. make a video for my children 33. read for 30 minutes every day 34. learn about all the different religions 35. tell my husband how much I love and appreciate him each and every day 36. never go to bed angry 37. send a handwritten note to each person that has inspired or supported me 38. take a sign language course with kiele 39. remember and recognize birthdays 40. truly and deeply appreciate

p.s. i just can't believe i'm 42.

thank you to my kids, who took these photos, to celebrate my 42nd.  :-))

and kiele's amazing birthday gift painting of me.  could a mother wish for anything more for her birthday?  i am so blessed!!

looking for light in tampa

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the other day, sky went with me to see what the evening light would be like at a specific location. i knew it got dark there quickly because of all the trees and wasn't sure if 5:30 PM was going to be too late for my shoot the following week. sky is my muse. completely. and i can't get enough of her although i respectfully try [and always make sure to thank her...over and over again]. from our looking for light adventure...

sky is my free-spirited one.  the one who is, in many ways, my opposite.  she definitely completes me and oh, i love her so!!

thank you courtney courtney for the fabulous dress and owl cardigan.  we love them so!!

yet, another movie

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first, i want to share this clip...for those who are easily distracted. and...ummm...that is so me!!

while the video clip is a bit long and a bit dramatic, i think i might just try this.  i want to make sundays 'no tech sundays' and why not trap my phone and keyboard [my computer is too big to trap] and everything else that i'm so easily distracted by.

anyways, here's the clip...

...which is actually an outtake from miranda july's latest film, the future. i had never heard of the future or even miranda july, until i was on bluebird vintage's blog yesterday.  goodness, the future seems wonderful [official site].  another movie, i can't wait to see.

The Future Trailer From Trailerpulse

to have a dream

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my friend, peta, told me about this awesome documentary. to have a dream wish that you could stick with your dream and focus on what makes you happy take risks and do something bigger than yourself... something that is true and good and meaningful.

that's what he did...

and i so can't wait to see this award-winning documentary.

i also just saw the bill cunningham new york documentary on 'on demand'.  a simple, yet great documentary and what a fascinating, joyful, intriguing man. mr. cunningham is an 82-year-old street fashion photographer in NY, simply [and completely] doing what he loves and is so passionate about. as i watched the documentary, all i kept thinking about was how could anyone not be happy being around this man; i found myself smiling at the TV more than once.

and here's mr. cunninghan's 'on the street' feature on the NY times.

i wish i could remember more of the great words shared by mr. cunningham throughout the film, but here's a few...

money is the cheapest thing. freedom is the most expensive. a lot of people have taste, but a few are daring enough to be creative. most of the time i miss, but i try.

lastly, i so love this quote shared with me the other day by my friend, lissa...

when you find you are lost or running into closed doors, be yourself...only more. - author unknown

so funny

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i came across this video this morning.  such a great way to start off my morning!  i love the video for so many reasons and i'm pretty certain you will too.  just keep watching.  there's little golden nuggets throughout the whole thing. such an awesome older couple, who seem to have the most incredible relationship.  they inspire me.

and here's a video of the couple being interviewed [via skype] on the morning show.  and wow...he's 86.

gettin' crafty

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i've always loved crafty stuff [although when i recently texted my mom about what i loved to craft as a child, her response was, "you didn't like to do many things. you wanted to be with your friends and play."]. but, i remember loving to draw, doodle and cross-stitch...a lot.  i also remember getting very frustrated with tangled threads, when cross-stitching.  my mom later added that i did do a great job with those things.  as an adult, i've cross-stitched, scrapbooked and quilted -- all for random short periods of time. now, my kids so love crafting. they're drawing, painting and simply creating all the time. they have the best imaginations and the freeness to be...that only childhood offers.

well...pinterest has my crafting spirit really fired up. i feel the pull. and i long to start creating soon. very soon.

here's a few projects that are at the top of my list right now. projects that i long to get started on soon...very soon!

i love you collage [will take lots of time to collect all those letters. should start collecting today.]

a silhouette picture of all three of my kids

our embroidered hands

animal topped storage jars [my kids love playing with the hard-figured animals. such a perfect project to celebrate their joy.]

create my own designs and cross-stitch my entire family

and i recently asked steve to get my brand-new-unopened-year-old sewing machine out of our storage facility, which he did.  it's now sitting in the corner of my bedroom, anxiously waiting for some attention.

bean bag chair cover [we have an ugly bean bag, which i would love to cover in some cool mod fabric.]

lounging mat [perfect for our hard wood floors and a couch that is too small for all five of us]

last time i got bit by the really crafty bug, i made these tents over the littles' beds [in our kansas house].  i hope someone who found them at goodwill appreciated them. we just didn't have the room in this house and i figured by the time we leave, the littles would be too old for these tents.

have you recently done a crafting project that you loved or are so excited about?  if so, i'd love to hear about it.  please share.

grateful

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so grateful for the magical gifts i received last week from one of my clients. francesca emailed me this so kind, heartfelt note, after seeing her photos...

deb, we all can learn to take pictures by reading manuals, going to workshops, using photoshop. but what you do... you CAN'T learn. it's in you. it's the power to understand the little glimpses of bliss that can show up on a daily basis. it's SEEING what, as mothers and fathers, we feel in our hearts. as I told you before, you gave me the pictures that I carry in my soul but now I can print them :) hope you get back two-fold what you give to people like me. and its not just the pictures.

and then i got this hand drawn beautiful portrait in the mail of...ME.  :-) notice the awesome beads at the bottom of my dreads.  and i so love the heart on my dress and my colorful camera...along with being surrounded by hearts and flowers.  who could wish for anything more?!

here's a few photos from our session together, in chicago.

their middle child is their wonderfully spirited one [with the best dimples ever] and i so love the face she gave me in the photo on the right.

and you can read some of francesca's thoughts about our time together here.

francesca, thank you for entrusting me with your family's photographs. thank you for your hospitality. thank you for your kindness. can't wait until the next time!! ;-) xo.

...

in

your time is limited...so don't waste it living someone else's life. don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. they somehow already know what you truly want to become. everything else is secondary. - steve jobs | 2005

rest in peace.

ETA...

thank you steve jobs for being one of those to change the world.