a peek inside the fishbowl

I had a photoshoot with a mother and her son at Westboro Beach last week.

They brought their dog to the shoot. The mom apologized but I was really happy about it. Family portraits should definitely include the family pet!

The dog was terribly excited – so high energy – that he wasn’t able to sit still for one single second. He chased the ducks, dug in the sand, ran up and down and up and down the beach, jumped and splashed in the water … I laughed and laughed.  We were all covered in sand by the end of it. It was totally hilarious.

We couldn’t chase him down. It didn’t matter. My focus was on this little family.

Can I tell you again how much I enjoy taking photos of people in a meaningful, natural environment? It makes my heart sing:

This foray into family photography has been an amazing learning experience. I always walk away with something new.

I’ve learned a little secret. Can I share? Never ask a shy child to smile. Or even worse, say cheese.  It’s best to get them talking about stuff:

… or just thinking about something you said:

Although bathroom humour is almost always certain to work, even if they’re about to slide out of a tree:

I’ve really found my groove over these past few months.

Here’s how I work. After the shoot I review all of the photos (all 200-300 of them) and delete the closed eyes and the grimaces. That being said I make a point of leaving in some of the outtakes, even if they’re not likely to be printed. For example, like when the dog gets a little overexcited and starts knocking people over:

 
See what I mean? Too cute not to keep. So yes, I delete some, keep others. And then I’m faced with the issue of post-processing. The term “post-processing” refers to anything that is done in the “digital darkroom” a.k.a Photoshop or other photo software. You can do anything with Photoshop, like take off 20 lbs, change the colour of someone’s eyes, brighten teeth, make wrinkles disappear etc. On a more basic level you can also use Photoshop to change colour and tone and make a photo darker or lighter.

I use Photoshop to crop and tweak my photos (if required), but I don’t like going overboard. Everyone has their own point of view on this topic – some photographers are wildly against post-processing, some don’t care – but I have to admit I tend to shy away from it.

There is a certain look that I do like, and that’s strong contrast with punchy black levels and great colour. That’s what I’m trying to achieve when I’m processing 200 client photos. But some people overdo it, or don’t get it just right. The processing has to fit the photo. When I see an overprocessed photo I immediately wonder what the photographer was trying to fix. Exposure issues? Colour balance? I’m not a big fan of overprocessing because if it’s not a good photograph to begin with it will take away more than it gives … and it just ends up being distracting, you know what I mean?

I could talk more about this stuff but I also recognize it’s pretty dull. And I need to get some work done today. So how about I switch tracks to something a little more exciting? Drum roll please … I have another giveaway coming up. It’s for Ottawa peeps, so check back tomorrow for details!

I am not sure if I posted this before, but Mark made spaghetti sauce the other night and the recipe (as well as the recipe card) is too good not to share.

This  was given to Mark by his mother Mary. I love the p.s. at the end. Don’t you? You might need to click the image to enlarge:

Edited to add: We have a winner. Thanks for your entries!

Lavish & Lime, one of the sponsors here at the Fishbowl, sent me some new CoverFlex food covers to try out.

I had actually never heard of these things before. They’re intended to be used as an alternative to plastic wrap and aluminum foil. The CoverFlex is made out of food-grade silicone and there are three sizes in each package. They’re stretchy, so they can cover any kind of container.

At first I wasn’t sure how this would work, but I was quickly converted once I realized how handy these are.

Exhibit A) Although the girls use plastic containers for their lunches I don’t really like to store leftovers in plastic. And I don’t have very many food storage containers (glass or otherwise) because storage space is a huge issue for us. (I need storage for storage, how ironic!)

Can I give you an example of when these came in handy? We had fajitas for dinner last week. When we were cleaning up I just left the fried onions in the little ceramic bowl I had served them in, pulled a small CoverFlex cover over the bowl and popped it into the fridge. Cleanup, done.

Exhibit B) Reheating those onions was a snap. The covers can go from the fridge to the microwave, which I love. (Besides, according to the experts plastic wrap shouldn’t come in contact with food, especially when heating it up in the microwave.) The covers can go in the freezer and even the oven (up to 446°F).

Exhibit C) Due to their stretchyness they provide a snug fit and are airtight.

If you’re interested in learning more about these eco food covers you can read more about them on the Lavish & Lime website.

Lavish & Lime is offering Fishbowl readers a chance to win a $25.00 gift certificate. That way you can either try the food covers for yourself or choose something else. Cool huh?

This is how you can do it.

• Check out the Lavish & Lime website and let me know how you’d spend your winnings. A wee gift for yourself? Something for the kids? Or maybe you’re thinking about Christmas already? Let me know in the comments below to qualify for this giveaway.
• This giveaway is for Canadian residents only. I’ll pick a name (using random.org) on Saturday October 31st at 12 noon EST and post the name of the winner here. You must leave a valid email. Because if I can’t reach you I’m giving it away to someone else.

Please note! Fishbowl readers qualify for a 10% discount at Lavish & Lime between now and October 31, 2009. Just use the code QUIETFISH at checkout.

I almost forgot. Lavish & Lime has a Facebook page too! If you’re a fan of eco-friendly gear you will want to check it out for additional giveaways and other insider scoop.

Good luck!