I’m feeling somewhat reflective this week, and so I wanted to do a different kind of post about my photography.

Photography is something I’ve been doing for a long time, and it was my concentration in design school. But damn, even though I thought I was doing then, it’s so clear to me that maybe I didn’t. Or maybe the hours and hours of practice and shit photos has taught me something.

So I wanted to take two subjects that have been consistent for me in the last 10 years of making pictures. First up, Drake.

As soon as you get a puppy, if you have a camera, you want to take photos of it. Teaching Drake to sit/stay has obviously become a double edged sword. Poor dog.

How is he 8?! WAHHH

It’s obvious that though my equipment has upgraded, 2013/2015 are the same lens, and this year’s photo was taken with my now ancient 50mm. So really, it’s my eye and style and knowledge of editing that has changed the most.

Though this is my favorite from that same day, also the nifty 50.

And then there’s my sister. Hey, what are sisters good for unless you can make them pose for you at will?

Just kidding….

Again, it’s crazy to me that the kid with braces is now the stunning, tanned creature she is today. But here I note that I’ve gotten so much better at posing, at finding backgrounds that work well, and trying to focus on lighting the eyes. I still need practice in this, but this collage makes me feel like I’ve made progress.

I hope in another couple of years I’ll be more confident in my craft, and there are some things that I am focusing on these days specifically, too:

• Remembering detail shots – closeups of sentimental items, gestures
• Not being afraid to use the whole frame (cutting off the tops of people’s heads is not always bad!)
  • On the same point, not leaving so much white space at top of image
• Getting better about catch lights
• Improving my posing so that I am quicker and have more tools in my back pocket
• Remembering to slow the eff down and relax when I’m shooting

It’s always a work in progress, but it’s nice to see how I’ve improved over, you know, the last 8 years!