Photography & Kids

I've always had an interest in photography.  Even when I was younger, I was always snapping shots of my siblings.  In fact, most of the family pictures we have of when we were kids were taken by me.  In high school - I was one of the yearbook photographers.  But for some reason, I never pursued that side of my life.  Probably because as a profession, it didn't involve being a doctor, lawyer or some math/science related field, and my father only allowed us to pursue a "professional" field. 

When my daughter Ava was born in 2008, it was the perfect excuse to get serious and really interested in photography again.  Mind you, my skills are not even remotely close to the professional photographers you see, but I can always dream and strive towards that goal right?  So, before my daughter was born, I invested in a good DSLR camera, a 50mm lens for portrait photography and just started snapping away.  My first goal was to stop taking pictures in "automatic" mode and to venture into the different manual modes and understanding terminology such as f-stop, aperture, ISO,white balance, and spot meter.  I've also invested in Photoshop to see what my other possibilities were.

For those unfamiliar with a 50mm lens - it is a relatively reasonable lens that is great for portrait photography.  It has really stepped up the quality of shots I've been able to capture of my kids.  In order to get a jump start on the whole process, I actually took a half day seminar from the person that took my family pictures.  It got me even more interested in learning and practicing - but also looking at some pricier, more expensive lenses.  Dangerous!

Where all this practicing will lead me, I'm not sure yet.  I've had visions dancing around in my head of becoming a more "professional" photographer and starting a business.  I personally don't think I'm at that level yet, but the thought does keep coming up.  I have had numerous friends that had kids recently, and they all have asked me what baby products I would recommend.  My advice is to invest in a camera - because there is something about capturing these moments that just appeals to me.  These kids grow up quickly and having these pictures not only remind me of what I've experienced through the years, but also leaves me with great pictures to share with (or blackmail) them in the future.  :)

Here are some of my favorites from the last few years.