DITL (Day in the Life) – April 2016 edition

Posted on April 23, 2016 by smgoode

I’m currently enrolled in Jessica Thomason’s workshop, the documentary Approach, on clickin moms. I’ve taken a gazillion workshops it feels like, and this may be my last one for a while. I’m burnt out, having a 4 month old and a 3 year old is a lot of work! I still take pictures, but uploading them on the laptop, editing them always seems like more effort than its worth right now. But this class is great, and Jessica’s work is awesome. If you’ve never heard of her before, you have to check her out. I love how open she is with her knowledge, and willing to share. Her photography is documentary, and it’s very real. No posing, no staging. You can find out all her info here.

Anyway, our week three assignment was to capture a day in the life. And with this assignment in mind, we had to answer a few questions. How different is our life now from 6 months ago, how different will our lives be in 6 months, etc. And the reason why I started photography in the first place, was the hope that my daughters would look at these pictures years from now, and remember what their lives were like way back when. So this was a great exercise in seeing how our lives are like right now at this moment.

It’s exhausting. My DITL started this past Sunday. And I already forgot to take pictures of our morning, waking up, getting Ariya dressed, etc. But I did the best that I could. I also took these photos with the fuji x100t. I have such a love/hate relationship with it. I’m so close to selling it, I’m just more comfortable with my nikon d610. But I love how small and portable the fuji is. Anyway, here is how we spent our day. Enjoy!

Project 365 Film edition – March 2016

Posted on April 13, 2016 by smgoode

I’m so in love with film. So in love. I’m learning a ton, and I still have a LONG way to go. But shooting film just fits with my lifestyle right now. one thing I’m starting to hate is the time I spend on my laptop. When it was just Ariya, I had plenty of time to sit down after her bed time and just hang out on the laptop, upload pictures, edit, etc. Now, with a baby…forget about it. Asha only naps for 30 minutes at a time in her crib. She can be high maintenance at night. And honestly, I’m just tired. At night, I just want to sit down, watch my favorite tv show, hang out with the hubs actually have a conversation. So the only time I want to spend on the laptop is if I’m typing up a blog post. Like right now. Right now, my husband and I are catching up on the OJ mini series. Ariya is in bed, Asha is swaddled and in his arms. And I”m catching up on blogging.

So, a few days late, but here are a few pictures from March on film.

Mamiya 645 and Portra 160

Mamiya 645 and Kodak 400vc (Had I known how awesome this film was, I would have treated this differently. But now I’m on the hunt for more VC. If you have any, send some my way)

Nikon f100 and fuji 800. This was old expired film that my mom gave me. I didn’t know how to rate expired film, or if I should tell the lab to push it. Had I known, I would have done things differently. But now I know, and have some more expired film that I plan to experiment with.

Mamiya C330 and fuji 400h

Mamiya 645 and Portra 800

Nikon f100 and Portra 400 rated at 200

That’s it for March! I’ve got plenty more for April. This 365 project is going much better than my digital version, that’s for sure. But, I refuse to give up!

10 on 10: April 2016

Posted on April 13, 2016 by smgoode

I’ve been in a photography slump lately. I’ve taken workshops, but I’m just tired. Running after a toddler and a 4 month old baby, it can get exhausting. And I’m just taking pictures to take them. I’ve fallen off the 365 wagon (digital version). I’ve been shooting, just haven’t been editing. I’ve fallen in love with film. I’m not able to get on the laptop and edit. I love the colors of film. The only problem is that I don’t get instant gratification. Which is why I still shoot digital. But this isn’t a love letter to film.

The 10th happened to fall on Ariya’s 3rd birthday. Ariya decided she wanted a Sophia the First themed party. And what started off as a small party with a few close friends turned into something bigger. Family came into town. We had a petting zoo. It was nice, but wow, it was exhausting.

So, I didn’t shoot a true day in the life, it was chaos trying to get ready for the party. Honestly, I turned my fuji x100t on auto, thinking I’d give it to someone to shoot. Big mistake. a lot of the photos were out of focus. I didn’t change the ISO to auto, so a lot of the outdoor shots were blown out and not salvageable. I was wearing Asha in a wrap b/c that was the only way that she would take a nap, so taking pictures were not very comfortable. the angles are awkward, etc. I shot film outside, which i have to send out to the lab, so I won’t get those photos of the petting zoo until sometime next week or the week after. The downfall of film, the wait.

What I realized, and hopefully learned from this is that I’m no longer taking a gazillion photos at my daughters’ birthday party. Either hire someone, or get a photographer friend to help. But if it’s just me, I’m taking a few key photos and that’s it. Because there was no way to be 100% present. And a lot of my photos were not the best, so it almost doesn’t seem worth it. Anyway, that’s me just venting. It was a great day, just wasn’t documented in the best way. Live and learn.

Here’s a few from our day.