At 4:45PM on a rainy February day in Vancouver, there isn't a lot of light to play with. I was working on one of my ideas, looked up and saw how his features were highlighted in this frame and quickly snapped.
I am not a dark photographer. Not even a little bit. I have so many amazing friends who embrace the shadows and make it work for them every single time. But I like my brights.
I think that's my favourite thing about a personal project like linked 52. It pushes me to photograph in a way I wouldn't normally photograph.
This photograph may not reflect 'body parts' as literally as what I had been photographing seconds before I turned and saw his face but I think I love it even more. The shape of his jawline. The way his hair touches his eyelashes. The serious look in his eyes. The shape of his nose. His lips that are always a little bit dry in the winter. All his little body parts coming together in a way that is just so him.
And yes, that is two black & whites in a row. It's definitely a leap year.
Please check out the links to these amazing women to see what 'body parts' looks like to them.
Sara, Janet, Carla, Lena, Rose, Naomi, Tracy, Rhonda, Heidi
If you would like to join us, let me know. Next week's theme is 'romance'.
17 comments so far
I like to have my linked 52 photograph done and ready to go well ahead of our Friday posting date but this week I made it in just under the wire. I thought it would be a no-brainer. Sure I can photograph 'quiet'. Except this week I realized I really don't have a lot of quiet in my life.
I wake up early, really early, to get some things done on the computer before the rest of the house wakes up. So I was sort of thinking that was my quiet time. Except from the moment I step into the shower my mind is racing as I mentally go over the list of things I need to get done before we start our day. And 20 minutes later when I sit down at the computer, that time is anything but quiet.
The times when the kids are awake? Definitely not quiet.
So then I was thinking I'd photograph quiet time - the time after lunch when Gracie is napping and Angelo is reading in his room. But I'm rushing through my to-do list during that time, and I'm never done by the time I spring Angelo from his room and Gracie wakes up. So no, not quiet.
And then I finally realized the moment when I'm actually quiet. It's the 20 minutes before we go to sleep when my monkey mind finally shifts down a gear. I head upstairs while Jim watches highlights of whatever games were on that day and I crawl into bed and finally give myself permission to relax and be quiet.
So since this week turned out to be a lot more reflective than I thought it would be, perhaps a black & white self portrait is entirely appropriate.
Please check out the links to these amazing women to see what 'quiet' looks like at their house.
Sara, Janet, Carla, Lena, Rose, Naomi, Tracy, Rhonda, Heidi
If you would like to join us, let me know. Next week's theme is 'body parts'.
19 comments so far
Love that it's a bit of self reflection. Quiet gives you time to do that doesn't it? I miss my quiet time after kids go to bed. Currently I'm so exhausted that I go to bed after they do, ha! :)
love this jenn.
because i can entirely relate.
my brain, my house- never ever quiet ;)
i tend to stay up way later than i should, just so that i can enjoy the time by myself.
LOVE this photo. It's perfect. It must be a leap year! My bed is my favorite place to unwind after a long day. Except my pj's are not photo worthy (grungy t-shirt) so a self portrait there would not be a good. Ha!
t
Ooooh, I love your B&W selfie! So artistic! :P Isn't it funny how when we start looking for quiet in our lives we realize how little is really there? Deep thoughts. ;)
I love this photo of you in your quiet place. I had to laugh after I saw your comment on my post and then read your post. I totally relate to everything you said. I need that time to turn off my racing mind. We are definitely a lot alike. ;)
Hi Jenn, I just joined this week. Please feel free to stop by and take a look at how I like to spend some quiet time.
You're right. It's hard to find a true quiet time throughout the day. This was a great capture of your quiet time.
love.
love seeing you.
love reading your words.
it's perfect.
Great self portrait! I feel exactly the same way. It was hard to think of time during my day that I do actually experience quiet. It's true - even when the space is quiet, my mind is racing. True quiet time is a hot commodity.
I love this. I think you might need to take more selfies. :)
It's very hard to turn off your brain when you have children at home. I find it's easier to turn off now that they are on their own. If I have a lot on my mind, I soak in my claw foot until I'm prunie.
Great idea for Quiet.
Seeing you read your book and having quiet time reminds me to try to do this more often. It also reminds me to make it happen especially because I have over 200 more pages to read in my book club book in the next two weeks. This is overwhelming b/c I usually only read 10 pages or so per sitting.
Oh man can I relate. there is not much quiet time in my head...9 million miles an hour is what my brain does. I wish that converted into energy!! Love the black and white!
Oh man can I relate. there is not much quiet time in my head...9 million miles an hour is what my brain does. I wish that converted into energy!! Love the black and white!
I can certainly relate, there is not much quiet time that goes on inside this head of mine!! I'm always thinking at 9 million miles an hour...if only that converted into real energy!!
Love this take on quiet---so true! Too bad those 20 minutes can't be the longest 20 minutes of your life!
I feel you on this. Lots going on and not a lot of quiet. Thought about doing a self portrait myself for this one but chickened out. Maybe next time. Looks nice and relaxing.
This is a nice quiet moment. Like you, I have so many things going on and so much in my head that I rarely stop for the quiet moments. I need to.
Even though she's acting older and more independent each day, there's just something about seeing her asleep in her crib all sweaty and warm with that chooch in her mouth that still makes her seem like my little babe.
Please check out the links to these amazing women to see what 'sleep' looks like at their house.
Sara, Janet, Carla, Lena, Rose, Naomi, Tracy, Rhonda, Heidi
Let me know if you're playing along and we'll add you to our list for next week. Next week's theme is 'quiet'.
17 comments so far
Awesome perspective! SO, so sweet. Love watching my kiddos sleep. (and as you'll see from my post...I wish my baby slept more! ha.)
What a wonderful shot Jenn! Loving the lines. And it makes me miss my little ones. :)
absolutely adore this shot. they are so peaceful when they sleep how did you get so high up?! and i'm curious if she woke up when you took this too.
Love the perspective you chose. And no matter how big she gets, she'll always be your baby. :)
You keep having those babies....they will make life crazy but fill your home with love and laughter when you are old!! Plus you get to have more grandbabies to watch sleep, the cycle never ends!!
I can't imagine how you managed to get this shot - amazing!
And I've been playing along for a couple weeks - please add my to your link list!
They are so sweet in their crib. I love this perspective - great lines!
Nice shot, how did you do that? I kinda, almost wish I had a little one to watch sleep.
I used to put my youngest in the one piece fuzzy jammies and man oh man did he sweat. I had to stop and use something a little thinner. ha
I love the perspective on this! Babies sleeping are the best.
I luuuuuuvvvvvv the bird's eye although I have no idea how you pulled this shot off without waking her!?
I am finally getting around to comment. I ADORE this, Jenn. ADORE it. The lines are amazing, the baby adorable. I miss my babies in their cribs.
i adore this picture. I love the lines, i love the perspective.
I walked out into the garage this week and saw our summer tires sitting there and couldn't resist.
Even more amazing women have joined our project this week. Click on the links below to check out what 'tired' looks like to them.
If you want to join in, send me an email or comment below and we'll link to you next week. Our theme for next week is 'sleep'.
25 comments so far
OMG---you catured tired! I love this post, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!
PERFECT!
this totally made my smile this morning jenn!
seriously great job!
hahaha :)
Ha! This is great! Looks like he enjoyed it (just a little bit, huh?)
you rock, i would have never thought of going this route. way to think outside the box!!
you rock, i would have never thought of going this route. way to think outside the box!!
I actually wanted to do a literal TIRED shot like this, too. Sadly we have no spare tires in our garage. :( You did this PERFECTLY! The background makes it so lovely and simple. A+!!!!
OH, I love it! I love how outside the box this is. Way to go. Thanks for the smile. Such cute kids! :)
oh my gosh, are you kidding me?! this is PERFECT. absolutely PERFECT.
BRILLIANT! I LOVE IT! TYPING IN ALL CAPS TO COMMUNICATE JUST HOW MUCH I LOVE IT! What is the backdrop?????
BRILLIANT!! I LOVE IT!! TYPING IN ALL CAPS TO COMMUNICATE JUST HOW MUCH I REALLY LOVE IT! What is the backdrop??
I'm so in love with this!! I love that you thought outside the box. Especially that first shot. Just adorable.
This is a cute take on the muse this week! Have a great weekend!
How brilliant are you? So creative! Love the light. They look like they could be in a gap ad, so cute:)
Super creative. I never would've come up with that. Your kids are so cute!
Great idea, Jenn! Very clever take on the theme. And how cute are your kids?
These are really amazing. Wow. So, I'm curious, do you have an all gray garage? How did you get the background and floor just the same color? It looks like a studio session!
Love these photos - Gracie looks like one tough chick in her motorcycle boots :)
Oh my goodness...I totally laughed out loud! Too cute!!!! And I totally want Grace's leggings! First her tights, now her leggings...I can't wait until she's 12 and I can get her hand-me-downs! :)
What a beautiful picture. You have captured their expressions perfectly.
OMG, you did something I wanted to "think up". Only I didn't think it up. And I missed last week all together. Big L over my forehead! I Love, love, LOVE the tire shots! Maybe I should have more kids to take pictures of them in tires!
you win! that is so creative. it makes me smile-they are so willing and cute!
I was really nervous this week because (a) photographing food is not my forte and (b) I don't cook breakfast. I told a friend of mine that my kids were lucky to get some peanut butter slapped on a piece of toast. I'm pretty sure that, when she laughed, she thought I was joking. I wasn't.
If you're new to my blog I'll mention something that I've mentioned several dozen times here before. I love to bake but don't love to cook even though I do cook every night for my family because it's important to me that they get home-cooked whole food from scratch. But our breakfasts, lunches and snacks are much simpler - usually some sort of bread with some sort of protein and some sort of fruit and/or veggie. And when they do get treats they both know they need to eat the healthy stuff first. :)
Anyway... this friend suggested maybe I could just whip up some breakfast on the weekend. We needed to leave the house fairly early on both Saturday and Sunday this past weekend but I'm an early riser so I rose to the challenge.
I had seen a recipe for cinnamon brown butter breakfast puffs that looked really good but I had imagined more as a special snack than a breakfast being as they're really more cake than anything. But what the heck, if my family was actually going to get a hot breakfast, I might as well go all out. I slipped down the stairs, quietly closing doors along the way and not putting on my slippers until I got downstairs lest that extra bit of noise wake up the kids.
And as I started to get ingredients together, I realized there was no way they would sleep through the sound of the mixer. So I did what any mamma who cherishes her quiet time in the morning would do...
I carried the mixer down into the laundry room so I could mix away without waking anyone. Of course the time I'm trying to be quiet is the time I drop the teaspoons on the floor, crash the muffin tins together as I'm looking for the one I want and somehow topple over everything in the drawer I keep my mixer paddle in.
And, this is the result when you give your child a glorified doughnut for breakfast. At least I made them eat some apples along with them.....
We've added another name or two to the linked 52 project. Please check out their links to see what 'breakfast' looks like at their house.
Michelle, Heather, Tracey, Stacey, Andrea, Jessica, Kristin, Amanda, Amanda, Sara, Janet, Carla, Lena, Rose, Naomi, Tracy, Rhonda
Let me know if you're playing along and we'll add you to our list for next week.
17 comments so far
LOVE it! I'm just like you-- I don't eat breakfast and I fail every time I try to photograph food. Those puffs look amazing-- I think you done good, mama!!
Hahaha, I can just imagine the noise, while trying to be quiet.
Good job with breakfast.
i hear ya on the love to bake, hate to cook front....
and on the simple breakfasts and lunches....
and on the let's keep the kids sleeping as long as possible attempt!!!
i am totally going to make my family glorified doughnuts too :)
i love this. everything about it. you rock for getting up earlier!, for mixing in the laundry room (I often grind my flax in the basement for the same reason), for taking photos of this and for making your kids such a yummy breakfast! i bet they were thrilled. A sure looks happy eating them. :)
Ha! I can't believe you carried your mixer to the laundry room! The picture in my head of you making a ruckus totally cracks me up. Well done on the fancy donuts!! :)
"I love to bake but don't love to cook even though I do cook every night for my family because it's important to me that they get home-cooked whole food from scratch." Yep! Can soooooo relate. Though I am trying to improve upon the "wanting to cook" part. :)
Laughed at you bringing the mixer into the laundry room! And I am that mom that brings apple slices to McDonalds so I understand the need to put the apples with the sugared muffins. It's about balance right???
I love that you took your mixer to the laundry room. Lol! I know all too well about keeping quiet so as to not wake the kids. This sound like a yummy breakfast treat. I sometimes do the peanut butter on toast thing. Today it was cinnamon toast. :)
That is funny. The things we do to get quiet time. Looks like Angelo approves. Love his sleepy eyes:)
So funny you brought the mixer in the laundry room! I would too. like you, I LOVE to bake and dislike cooking. I have such a sweet tooth! Hence, the bars. :) Ill give you the recipe! Where would you like me to email it?!
I love this post! I so get the "cooking" thing. In fact, my last post was about that. I'm not a morning person so breakfast is a challenge at my house, too.
Okay, so this is kindof weirding me out. We had the same (ikea?) cup in our post. And we have the same mixer. Not to mention (as previously discussed) the same kitchen. Maybe you are my long lost twin? :-)
Love this post. Love that you wanted to do something special for your family. I don't cook breakfast either, I leave that up to my hubby. :-)
Love the photos. I can picture you downstairs mixing away while the kiddies sleep. Angelo appears to love the end product. You can see it in his eyes!
Good morning, I am the late poster for this week. I am also new to the link. These look pretty good. Might have to try them. Have a great weekend.
I am new to this project thanks to my friend Kristin. I look forward to this and lucky to associate with all of you talented photographers. I am VERY amateur!
And I think I need to try this recipe!
Those look so yummy! I love the smile on Angelo's face while he's eating them. :)
This week we all photographed 'cold'. Angelo was on a sleepover at grandma's house so Gracie and I had a bit of girl time. We went to the lake to visit the ducks and ended up staying for hours. Gracie could watch them for hours.
She turned to tell me what the ducks were doing and the sight of her cold little red nose made me smile. And mumble under my breath about how she won't keep her hat on for more than five minutes but that's another story.
The group of photographers participating in linked 52 has grown! Please check out their links to see what 'cold' looks like to them.
Michelle, Heather, Tracey, Stacey, Andrea, Jessica, Kristin, Amanda, Amanda, Sara, Janet
If you'd like to play along with our Linked 52 project, please comment below and we'll be sure to link up with you next week. Next Friday's theme is 'breakfast'. I am so excited to see my friend Heather's photograph for next week - she is hands down the most talented food photographer I know (and she makes her family pretty great breakfasts).
12 comments so far
oooohhh what a little sweetheart. i love her expression in the photo on the right.
one on one time with our little munchkins is so wonderful.
what a special day you got to spend with her.
Ok. She is too flipppin' cute! Look at her litte Stay Puff Marshmello Man jacket and her little legs and her little boots. I want to reach in there and pick her up and hug her. Oh, and her little clip in her hair...adorable.
these photos are SO cute. she is adorable. and i'm cracking up at your comment of about not keeping a hat on - we have a one of those in our house too. love your interpretation of this theme.
and you are so stinkin' nice to me. that little shout-out made my day. :)
She is such a doll. That close up paired with the fence shot is just perfect. I LOVE this. Love how you applied cold to Gracie. :) So adorable. I could watch ducks for hours too. I laid on the dock next to our sailboat this summer and lured the ducks with potato chips. Eventually I had them eating out of my hand. Gracie is my kind of girl. :) p.s. I LOVE her scarf.
She is really really cute, especially all bundled up in her bright pink. Super sweet.
Cute cute cute. How old is she? 2ish? I love that age. She is adorable. And my littlest NEVER wants to keep on his hat! What is it with that?? You'd think they would be freezing without it!
She is a doll. And I love the scarf! Perfect for those chilly days.
I love the rosy cheeks and noses on little kids.
She's so cute!
Makes me a little sad mine are big.
Love the crop on the first one! What a doll! And HEATHER....No pressure for next week or anything!
I am so in love with those lips---perfect! Love the pink poof and serious...."I am cold" look--makes this shot.
I love my Our Year in Photos project which has been challenging me to capture specific aspects of our family life and preserve them for my family.
But I was still searching for something that pushes me as an artist. And that's when my friend asked me to join herself and four other women in photographing one theme per week for the entire year.
This week's theme? Newness.
As much as the word newness for me conjures up visions of a beautiful glowing sunrise, a seedling bursting through the soil or a soft, beautiful newborn, for me today newness looks a little different. On this dreary rainy first week of January, when little #1 is just back at preschool and little #2 is upstairs napping, newness to me looks like some quiet time with my latte, a few books I've been storing up for just this time, a pen and a fresh white sheet of paper. It's a newness reminiscent of the first day of school with the smell of new school supplies, the excitement of a new teacher and the promise of a year spent with new and old friends.
And that's what today is. A day of excitement for the year to come, the promise of connecting with old friends and reaching out to new ones and the excitement of setting out intentions for me and my family - writing more, getting outside more, serving more. The newness of a year ripe with possibilities.
I'll post more next week about what I'm intending for my family in 2012 but in the meantime, please check out these amazing women and what newness looks like to them.
Michelle
Heather
Tracey
Stacey
Andrea
6 comments so far
I adore this shot! Really. It's been a time of laying out goals and list making here and the blank page just screams possibility to me.
Fantastic. Can't wait to hear what your intentions are next week.
Love you, Artist Friend.
I loved your words and your thoughts and the picture to match them. I love me a good quiet time and the thought of you sitting there with your two kids occupied elsewhere makes me sigh. :) So fun to meet you Jenn!
t
This photo just looks new and clean and fresh! That sheet of paper just waiting to be filled with new thoughts and ideas for a new year. And your tie-in to the first day of school - I just loved getting all of the new supplies! Especially a new box of crayons. I'll be excited to hear more about what your plans are for the new year with your family. :) Happy Friday! (Oh, and I was going to say, I live really close to that "other" Vancouver. I actually live in Camas, just east of Vancouver. But we just tell people Vancouver because no one knows where Camas is. :) )
this is awesome. love the possibilities that lay ahead on the blank sheet and the mug with the word joy in red just makes this shot. looking forward to hearing more about what intentions you have for your year.
Love the simplicity of this shot, Jenn. Clean and lovely. Makes me want to make a list, and I am SO not a list person. Can't wait to hear more about your goals and see more of your beautiful photos!
jenn!
i ADORE this.
seriously.
everything about it
the expression in his eyes just makes me wonder just what he's thinking.
wonderful job!!!.
LOVE it. I am soooo not a dark photog either but I am trying!
I Love this. I am not a moody photographer but I want to be. This inspires me.
Jenn. This is so so so beautiful. I just want to stare at it. The shadows, the grain, the lovely little bit of light on his sweet face... ADORE it.
I love it...I would enlarge it, put it in a frame and hang it on my wall.
I love the dark.
Such a dark and moody shot my artist friend. I love it. I also was shooting yesterday as the flu makes a person forget they own a camera. ;)
This is truly beautiful. Isn't face a body party?
I LOVE THIS. Amazing. Love the darkness!
This is amazing! I love the light on his lower lip. Such great detail for a dark photo. Very moody and very lovely. :-)
I LOVE THIS! I only wish I could make the shadows and darkness work for me! I envy all the talent of making these shots work! This inspires me since I am bright kind of girl myself! Great JOB!
For not being a dark photographer, you sure did a beautiful job with this shot. This is great and I love the shadows and his expression.
This is amazing! You owned those shadows:) You've inspired me to try something similar. I steer clear of the shadows as well, much more comfortable with the brights. You've captured just a perfect innocence. The tilt of his chin and his peaceful expression, all the negative space. I love every bit of this image. Go you:)
love it. It's moody and emotive. A keeper for sure.
I am learning to see the beauty in the dark photographs, too. And as I study this one, I see the beauty in the gentle light on his face, the shadows, the wisps of hair and lash, his eye. You've inspired me to try it!
I also love the light and have a hard time with the dark. This is beautiful.
I'm like you, I like my brights too. But this is hauntingly beautiful. I'm amazed at how you were able to get it. I would have blown it!
wow, this is stunning, jenn. absolutely gorgeous work.