Week 22 - Family

The Lost Boys...don't mess with them or you'll get karate-chopped or shot with an imaginary arrow.  We've always tried to teach our boys to look out for each other.  Jeremy tells them, "friends may come and go, but brothers are forever."  He didn't have a brother growing up.  His twin brother died a few days after they were born and he's always wished he had experienced the camaraderie (and headlocks) that comes with having a brother.  Hopefully, one day they'll appreciate how lucky they are to have each other.  

Week 21 - Foreground

This week's assignment of Foreground has been a challenge for me.  Most of what I’ve learned about taking better images has been to simplify and get rid of distracting elements in my pictures.   However, when used wisely, a good foreground (the part of the image nearest to the viewer), can add interest, context and lead the eye to the main subject.  This is my son, in one of his quieter moments.  I say “quieter” because there are still sounds happening, usually in the form of car engines revving and screeching.  How do little boys instinctively know how to make realistic car sounds?  I’ve been a mom of 3 boys for 11 years and I still sound like I’m spitting when I try.

My Dad used his horse's mane as a foreground to get a shot of his friend on their 55 mile endurance horse race.  55 miles, you say?!  Yes, that's right.  I've gone on a few long horse rides with him (maybe 15 miles) and I was so sore, I couldn't walk for a week!  Endurance horse racing is not for the faint of heart.  And He doesn't like to tell people (so I'll do it for him...sorry, Dad!), but he usually wins these races.  

 

Week 20 - Peaceful

Bridger is always full of energy and his preferred method of getting from Point A to Point B is usually running, hopping, skipping or bopping.  Because this week's theme is the antithesis of my boys and peaceful moments are a rarity at our house, I've had to stretch my brain more than usual.  One of the rare times when Bridger is still is when he is looking for bugs, flowers or cool rocks.  He can quietly and patiently scour the ground, looking for treasures for hours and be perfectly content.

Here he is showing me his finds...a feather and a lady bug. 

 Taking a break from all the creature hunting.

Blowing dandelions...what kid can resist?

I don't know how peaceful these next pictures are, but they just make me happy.

Week 19 - Curved Lines

I enjoyed reading up on the compositional element of curved lines.  Leading lines are all around us and it was interesting to try and see curved lines as I went about my week.  Here is an example of more obvious curved lines, with the bend in the stream and the curbing beside it.  Bridger was doing what he does best...hunting for bugs. 

Here's a not so obvious curved line - the bend of Bridger's head.  

Here's the curved lines from an empty tunnel at the park. 

I took this at the Tulip Festival.  The grounds were so picturesque, I didn't want to leave!

Seriously...this goat!  How does my Dad do it?!  He has a knack for catching animals at precisely the right moment.  Is he laughing, crying, praying??  I guess we'll never know.  That's the beauty of this image...it can be whatever we want it to be. :) 

Here's the goat in one of his more serene moments....

Week 18 - Spring

Utah is a bit of a tease when it comes to Spring.  A few brave plants begin to bud and then it freezes.  It thaws quickly and a few more plants emerge only to be covered in snow.  Back and forth it goes until May.  The day before I took these pictures, it had snowed over 5 inches.  But it melted quickly and I was able to go to the Tulip Festival and wander around, taking in the gorgeous display of color.

Oh how I love tulips!

I love so many aspects of my Dad's image this week.  First of all, the newborn goats.  I just need to pet them! They look so soft.  I love the expressions of both mother and daughter.  And the fact that both of their dresses are floral and pink just scream Spring to me.

Week 17 - Food

Let's just say that artfully frosting cupcakes is not one of my talents.  Nor, I discovered, is food styling.  I made cupcakes for Bridger's birthday last week and thought I might as well try a few shots since our assignment this week was food.  I am laughing as I type this because it was a debacle.  I tried piping frosting on cupcake after cupcake, but they just kept getting worse.  I have a shallow depth of field here for a reason!  Who came up with this assignment?  ;)

And here is my Dad's clever interpretation of food...

Week 16 - Vintage

Years ago, my Mom gave me my grandpa's old Zeiss Ikon camera and it has always been a treasure to me.  My grandpa purchased this camera in 1926, in Sweden where he lived, and my Mom said she remembered him carrying it around everywhere when they were kids.

Here is Hayden, checking it out.

 

Here is my Morfar and Mormor (grandpa and grandma) on their wedding day and my Mom and her brother, Torbjorn, in the background.

I noticed this outhouse, across from the baseball fields, and thought it would be perfect for this assignment.  The only obstacles were the 2 "Keep Out" signs and the "Beware of Dog" sign that were displayed prominently on the property.  I summoned all my courage and knocked on the door of the old weathered house nearby and fully expected to be accosted by a man wearing long johns, wielding a rifle.  The man was nicer than I imagined and he worn flannel instead of long johns.  And as you can see, I lived to tell the tale.

Now...for the truly "vintage" artifact, see my Dad's image below.  This is what he says he found in the boiler of the 100 year-old house he and Gail are renovating.  Gail claims it was a joke they were playing on the grand kids.  Either way, it is creepy and eery and perfect for our vintage assignment!