New Endeavors

It's possible you've noticed that the University of Sarah isn't updated as frequently as it once was, and if that is the case, I wanted to be sure to offer a sense of where I've been and what I've been up to!

As it turns out, I have been sharing my expertise in new forums, and am very excited to share them with you in the context of other online platforms (outside my own blog).

First of all, I began a regular contribution to A Child Grows in Brooklyn - a wonderful resource for parents, particularly those based in Brooklyn, New York, but serving savvy parents everywhere. My segment is entitled, "VEEPS," A Child Grows' special nickname for parents, which features photos of moms and dads, along with their likes and insights, which I glean in a brief interview accompanying our shoot.

Next, I have had the honor of getting to know Goodkin - located at wearegoodkin.com. This site rocks for modern parenting! A month ago, Goodkin featured a story on my family photo-taking tips, and next week, they be posting a story I wrote called, "A Child Photo Shoot in Nature." Look forward to more of my work on their site in the near future!

Last but not least, I got to write the May 14, 2010 entry for the3six5 project - in which one person writes about his or her experience for each day out of a full year. They also let me feature one of my photos - since it related so perfectly to the story I wrote for the project.

Enjoy these contributions, as I branch out from my home-base, and as always, I welcome any feedback.

Elongated Seasonsal Change

It's spring again. It came early in New York, and then I went to Colorado during a blizzard, which gave way to another frigid beginning-of-spring. I got to see the end of summer in Ohio, and the beginning of fall in London and Paris. (I am fortunate that I get to change perspective whenever I feel like it.) There was hardly any winter for me this year, with the extra long autumn that began early in London, and late back in New York, and a winter that sped into an early New York spring - a spring that seemed to last forever once out west, in the mountains, experiencing its birth all over again.

Seasons of change like fall into winter or winter into spring, seem the most dramatic, and it's been interesting to have these two changes stretched and skewed and elongated this past year. As if you could take a picture of a digital clock, just as it changed from 11:59 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. - literally changing minutes, hours, a.m. to p.m., and even the calendar date - frozen for pondering for way longer than the split second during which it actually occurred. These stretched out seasonal changes made me feel like I had jumped into a moment in time and spread my arms and spun around and found lots of unexpected space in which to run and frolic.

Shifting perspectives made the impossible seem possible - that we are not just on this relentless fall forward into the future, but that there is space, even within moments of great change, for experience and pondering. Changing time zones and continents and climates with the simple hop aboard an airplane made it obvious that the way I am thinking of the world in any one moment relies heavily upon where I am and what I am experiencing. Landing in a snowstorm in Colorado, after driving with the windows down to the airport in New York, was enough to make me see, that a single moment contains a lot more than we usually think. It contains a blizzard, and a sunny-breezy day; it contains light and dark, depending on where on earth you find yourself; it contains peace and it contains tumult.

Maps are great because you can see all the places you are not, and begin to conceive of "elsewhere." Quantum physics says, it is impossible to measure both the location and the velocity of an object at the same time. It is 1 p.m. in New York, and 11 a.m. in Denver. Doesn't all of this boggle your mind?

Beginner's Photo Workshop for Moms (Call Series)

Did you make it to last Thursday’s Photo Introduction Call for Moms: Developing a Creative Practice? We covered 3 recommendations for developing a practice, honoring your creative instincts and integrating photography into your family routine.

The recommendations are

1. Get into the spirit of "flow." - Be in the moment!
2. Be prepared. - Always have your camera ready so you can honor your creative instincts.
3. Observe & Learn. - You can hone your photography skills by looking more closely at images around you.

If you missed the call, please check it out at your leisure – each of these key recommendations is covered in more detail with inspiration and ideas for grounding yourself in new habits to enhance your ability to photograph your family. Registration is required to access the link to the complimentary recording:

Photo Introduction for Moms - Developing a Creative Practice

Were these recommendations useful to you?

I want to invite you to integrate these ideas and help them stick as new habits by sharing your experiments with me on my facebook page - please visit the SARAH SLOBODA | photography facebook wall, and share your thoughts and ideas, as well as post photos you'd like to celebrate or get feedback on. I love seeing people's photos, so I hope you will take this opportunity to share!

Beginner's Photo Workshop for Moms

Some of you may be chomping at the bit for more right now! For those of you who feel inspired to take this a step further, I am offering a beginning photo tele-course for moms that will take place over the course of 3 weeks. Each call will last one hour. The line is easily muted, and each call will be recorded, so you will have access to all of the information, even if your little one requires your attention during the live call.

This course will go further into the theories we discussed in the intro call, and it will also get into the technical aspects of photography, like camera settings and simple ideas for better lighting. We’ll also cover special ways to interact with kids to earn their trust while behind the camera, and ultimately end up with better photos. It’s perfect for someone who is totally new to photography, and those who want to create an integrated creative outlet in their everyday lives.

We'll cover

• Writing with Light: The basics of lighting, as the foundation of photography
  
• Inspiration: Utilizing your environment
• Technicalities: Getting to know your camera
• Interaction: Training your child's response to the camera
• Creating the shot: Camera angles and composition
• Further learning: How to find answers to your specific questions
• And much more!
  

We will meet on a special dedicated call-in line each Wednesday at 12.30 p.m. EST from April 21, 2010 to May 5, 2010 – so, three dates – April 21, April 28, and May 5, 2010.

The cost is $199.00, and you can register by following this link. Space is limited, so don’t delay!

Please don't hesitate to email me directly at rsvp [at] sarahsloboda.com with any questions about the course. Looking forward to seeing you and your successes on facebook, and I hope to have you in the course starting on April 21.

Baby Photo Tip #6

Make a scene.

Kids are amazing. You can feel their tenderness when you're close, and you can see the independence of their spirit, even at a distance. Try creating a scene around your child, or rather, plop the child right into an unusual or beautiful scene. Don't be afraid to step back and show the landscape - your child's figure silhouetted against a special backdrop will forever conjure memories of when she was that small.

Landscapes from rolling hills to parks to cityscapes are wonderful backgrounds to use, particularly early in the morning or as the sun goes down in the evening, when the light is most angular, and thereby, dramatic. Think creatively about real-world scenery in which your child would be distinctly juxtaposed - something outside the playground and a little unexpected. Live near the mountains or the ocean? Immerse yourself and your child in the views that surround you, and create for yourself some memorable experiences and keepsakes.

Click here for tip #5, "Turn off the flash."

For more, please check out Sarah Sloboda's Photo Teleseminar for Moms.

Baby Photo Tip #5

Turn off the flash.

There certainly plenty of good reasons to use the flash on your camera - to ensure you have enough light, to make sure the light is pointed at the front of your subject, to stop motion, etc. However, I recommend experimenting with having the flash turned off. The coolest thing about shooting sans-flash is that you get to see exactly the way the scene looks with existing light - which means you can be deliberate about your composition.

Most point-and-shoot digital cameras have a flash off setting under "menu." It looks like a little lightning bolt with a buster sign through it. Another adjustment you might want to make while trying this setting, is manually selecting the white balance. You can identify the white balance options because they'll usually look like a sunshine, a cloud, a lightbulb, a shadow on the side of a house, etc. Just select the white balance that most accurately depicts the kind of light in which you are shooting. One other tip: hold your breath while you're shooting, and hold the camera as steady as you can - shooting without flash can require longer exposures, so unless you're still as you can be, they'll be blurry (which could also be cool! See tip #4.)

Alternately, if you find you can't break the flash habit, cut a little piece of a dryer sheet and tape it over your camera's flash. This emulates "diffusion," the filter movie-makers use to soften the lights they point at starlets.

Click here for tip #4, "I meant to do that."

For more, please check out Sarah Sloboda's Photo Teleseminar for Moms.

Baby Photo Tip #4

Repeat after me: "I meant to do that."

Many a trick of the trade were developed in quite a surprising way - by mistake! Don't try too hard to "get it right" because taking risks and being uncomfortable are the very things that will help you learn. Edit slowly at first, taking time and going through all the photos you've shot, and try to notice what captured moments create a sensation of some kind - good or bad. Take note of any photos you too quickly try to discard because of an imperfection; within them may lie the seed of something special.

Experiment with your camera settings, and when you get a shot that is strange or unusual in some way, own it! By noticing the results of your explorations, you are learning how to achieve different results. Even if the shots are flawed, you are learning to have some control over the way the shots turn out, and you are doing it in your own, unique way. Over time, you will use your favorite "shortcuts" to achieving desired results, and this will develop into a style that is yours alone.

Click here for tip #3, "Find a rhythm."

For more, please check out Sarah Sloboda's Photo Teleseminar for Moms.

Baby Photo Tip #3

Find a rhythm.

Put on some music! Try creating a little portrait session in your living room with some music on, and notice how the music creates a flow for both you and your little subject. I recommend the Beatles or a live jazz recording from the 1960s or classical music - something you will enjoy more than the latest Elmo song - because it's as important for you to find a rhythm with the camera as it is to amuse the baby. Allow the flow of the music to inspire you, and follow the instincts that surface about the moments you feel inclined to press the shutter. Over time, you may find you can achieve this rhythm outside with the birds chirping, or with no music at all.

Finding a rhythm while behind the camera is a very personal experience, and each camera brings its own challenges for doing so. For instance, many point-and-shoot digital cameras have a delay between when the camera's shutter is pressed, and when the actual photo is captured. The best advice I have for this, is to keep shooting, and keep paying attention - you can learn the timing of any camera, with patience and practice.

Click here for tip #2, "Act normal."

For more, please check out Sarah Sloboda's Photo Teleseminar for Moms.