Bill Jennings's Photoblog
Prima in Springtime
Posted by Bill Jennings ((Bay Area Northern Calif), United States) on 25 May 2009 in People & Portrait and Portfolio.
I miss being two, don't you?
Out this weekend honoring my father being a WWII veteran - back active early next week on AM3.
Just made it home after a month of travel - posted a few photos from my journey to within 48 miles of the antartica circle: at nearly the longest day of the year: hence, there was 21 hours a day of sunlight...
Thank you for your patience while I was out of touch.
I do hope you followed Bob Kelly's blog (my roommate) while he is still traveling - he is now on Easter Island - and will be updating his blog for some time to come - please check it out!
@Sugata: thanks Sugata. Plenty of light, and a fast shutter does this - if I had a less bright background - the shot would have been stronger...
Judy from Brooksville, Florida, United States
Yes, being two is a very special time in our lives; this is a precious shot!
PS: Thanks for your note.
25 May 2009 6:35am
@Judy: it captures the spirit of the day well. thank you for sending me your note... not everyone would.
@mats: thanks, yes, playfulness was natural and spontaneous.
Dulcie from Danville, United States
Lovely delicate face and lovely delicate spray of water. Good shot
25 May 2009 6:50am
@Dulcie: thank you - it's a candid, still learning on children : so hard to capture spontaneous moments with appropriate lighting and background - here, the background for me is mighty bright, offset only by prima's joy.
@LESLIE: Thanks Leslie. Glad you loved it.
Mithun Varma from Bangalore, India
Wow!! Sooo cute a shot!! The kid seems to be having a very nice time playing with water :)
25 May 2009 7:00am
@Mithun Varma: Don't all kids love water? At least when it's warm outside... Prima surely did, and I loved capturing this photo for the family album.
@jamesy: Thanks Jamesy: actually - she was there for about five minutes: if I had been thinking more clearly, could have probably rotated the photo and had a less bright background: live and learn !
@Irene: thank you Irene - glad you liked the fun of this photo.
Marie-Hélène Ammor from Casablanca/Paris, Morocco
Composition is superb ! The expression is so well captured and water in the sun is fantastic !
25 May 2009 10:39am
@Marie-Hélène Ammor: thank you Marie-Helene : glad you liked the composition and water droplets...
Roman from Thunder Bay, Canada
This is a lovely shot, Bill. Kids are such natural subjects...
cheers
Roman
25 May 2009 11:13am
@Roman: yes, kids can be great - as long as we don't "pose" them. Candids always work best for me for youngsters.
@Ravi: thank you. Just my niece. She's a cutie!
Mariana from waterloo, Canada
Oh, this is such a lovely picture. Beautiful moment you captured here. Beautiful colors .
25 May 2009 1:29pm
@Mariana: thank you Mariana. Feels like spring/summer in youth.
@Onlymehdi: thank you Mehdi, glad you liked it very very much
Terry from Regina, Canada
I love the image Bill. Such a nature candid, and the way the water drops were captured make the picture.
25 May 2009 2:54pm
@Terry: Thank you Terry - that's what appealed to me as well in the photo - wish the backdrop wasn't as bright.
Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
Too bad you're not around today......This image is just PERFECTION!!!!! what a moment you caught...the lines of water droplets really let you know exactly what was happening here.....I really love this......and yes, I'd LOVE to be 2 again!!!!
25 May 2009 3:36pm
@Susan: I'd love to have my age start with two again :). 2, 2x, or 2xx all sound good to me. I am really happy this is a great photo for you : I can tell I should experiment more in these candids.
@john4jack: Thanks Jack. Appreciate the visit and comment.
@Steve Rice: thank you
Per from Central Florida, United States
CF: Would be great to apply more light to the little one (and entire left side of the image actually) since the brighter side of the image keeps wanting to draw my attention. This shouldn't be too hard in Photoshop, but then again, depends on how much of a "purist" you are with your photography and what the reality of "shouldn't be..." truly is. The DOF is wonderful though and I like the image composition. Just my $0.02
Overall this makes a wonderful image for the family photo album.
ps: Even if you aren't 2 anymore, at least you get to experience the world through their eyes. Just hit play and listen :-)
25 May 2009 10:25pm
@Per: Appreciate the critical feedback - I've learned a bit more in PS since I processed this image: I'm not too much of a purist, if the original spirit of the photo was kept, and I don't mis-represent when I touched up the photo more than one may have been able to with a darkroom in the past.
And you're right about hitting play and listen: they do tend to have their own soundtrack !
Karthik from Chennai, India
nice capture of the droplets. love the expression on the kids face.
26 May 2009 6:13am
@Karthik: thank you Karthik - glad you loved the expression.
StarCosmosBleu from Bedford.Qc, Canada
Marvelous capture..excellent timing...a special shot for sure...beautiful
26 May 2009 6:13am
@StarCosmosBleu: thank you - glad you liked the shot.
Magda from Vancouver, Canada
Fantastic shot! I find it so challenging to shoot against a bright background! You did very well - superb exposure! Bravo!
26 May 2009 8:36am
@Magda: Thank you Magda for the encouraging words: sometimes light isn't working with you -and you still want the shot: so much to learn.
dj.tigersprout from New York City, United States
not only is color, light and composition simply supreme -- you have captured an emotion that rarely gets portrayed in stills -- whether film or digital. PURE BLISS!!! this is heartbreakingly beautiful Bill -- bravo x2!!! :)
27 May 2009 2:07am
@dj.tigersprout: Thank you DJ - you're the best : you should go far !!! Prima really did enjoy the water play: you can tell she was totally captivated. Thanks for the comments on the color, lght and composition.
Kris from Superior, United States
So sweet! Love the action in this! The colors are terrific, too! Great capture of a spring/summer day!
27 May 2009 11:33am
@Kris: Thanks Kris - it was indeed a fantastic day for water play in late spring.
Hidalgo from Herunen, Finland
Very cute. Those water drops are like stars in the sky. Great shot.
28 May 2009 6:33am
@Hidalgo: Thank you Hidalgo - it's what made me keep the image - the droplets frozen in space.
Picture Box from Fishers, United States
Wonderful shot Bill. I love this action shot. I think there is more light on the water bubbles. Wish there was light on the child (or to the left) and a bit less light on the water bubbles. That would have highlighted the bubbles a bit more. Especially on the white flower part of the bush, it's a bit hard to see the bubbles.
However, a great shot indeed. I have always liked your family action shots. Wonderful job.
28 May 2009 4:18pm
@Picture Box: yes, you're right about the light and the white flowers - would you believe I've asked my gardener to take out those flowers as a result, and add in some color for contrast?
Helen from Melbourne, Australia
You captured a magic moment here. I don't have any more constructive feedback than what has been said above. Nice work.
30 May 2009 10:55pm
@Helen: Thanks Helen - yes, it was a special moment for Prima, and the lighting was pretty challenging overall.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
1/4000 second
F/4.0
ISO 500
90 mm