newLOVE: a challenge and a half...
Keep reading to the bottom of the post - there's a surprise ending for you, my DLS girlfriends...
As mentioned in my previous post, one of our challenges was to cooperatively create a newborn album for a sweet baby girl and her gorgeous parents. The task was: 10 minutes each, no duplicating each others' shots, and not miss any important pieces of documenting this beautiful tiny girl... There were a few backdrops available, a few props, and we each were equipped with only one lens. It was overcast and although there were some huge windows, the quality and quantity of natural light was less than stellar... Mom and Dad were troopers, bravely entrusting us with their precious gift as we scrambled about frantically... I totally cheated and pulled out the fisheye to document the challenge, but only used my chosen lens (f2.8 40mm pancake) to shoot my part of the session. We looked like this:
I pulled number 5 of 7 'togs. Immediately, Shooter Number 1 stole BOTH of my favourite shots, so the pressure was on to come up with something different. I watched each person ahead of me and those shooting after come up with increasingly cooler, more unique, more wonderful ideas - but as stressful as it was being watched by people we admire, what struck me more than anything was how much we were able to push each other to be increasingly creative and how it became a completely cooperative rather than competitive venture to make sure we got all the sweet shots Mom and Dad needed. Here are a few of the images I got of the extremely sweet little Miss. W for this crazy album:
For me, the hardest part has been waiting to see what everyone else would put up, and thinking, "Wow - mine are not going to stack up." This was such a humbling experience - I am honoured to be a part of this amazing community of clickster chicksters. Check out their amazing work, in alphabetical order:
Christine is one of my idols. She is a genuine spirit unlike anyone I've ever met, and I think it's truly kismet that our paths crossed. Look up "inspiration" and if her picture isn't beside it, it should be.
Heather makes me laugh, smile, cry, play, and dance. Literally and figuratively. She has become a great confidant, shutter sister, and accomplice in silly adventures, and potatoes.
Helena is the only person I know who can look sexy on no sleep while wearing fake hillbilly teeth, and it has been my pleasure and honour to watch her gently yet fiercely grow this past year.
Laura Jane is oxygen to me. She just is. I think when the stars exploded, we were part of the same rock blasted apart, and the universe saw it fit that our cosmic dust should cleave together in this lifetime. <3
Talitha was perhaps the most thrown off by this challenge because she specializes (and by "specializes" I mean she is da BOMB) in weddings. Good thing her 4 (soon to be 5) kids keep her skills diverse ;)
Linda is the best sport I've ever met. Her good humour, squeals, and willingness to take things in stride, from freaky magicians to baby challenges, won her some serious brownie points in my books. While she missed out on participating in this challenge, our other newbie guest didn't. Since Kaylee hasn't yet gotten her blog set up, I'm happy to be sharing a couple of her pics. She and our sporty good Linda will be
So ladies, if you thought THIS challenge was "u"ncomfortable, I'm sure you'll all be relieved when I tell you the original challenge was going to be a dudeoir session, during which you would have all been sent unknowlingly into the bedroom to shoot a naked man and forbidden to warn anyone outside the room what they were walking into... but I couldn't find someone willing to strip. For real. Perhaps next year instead of a magician we'll get a stripper in a black religious-looking suit and kill two birds with one stone ;)
Awkward hugs to everyone (((((((dls buddies))))))))
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