a peek inside the fishbowl

06 Oct, 2009

Fooling with light, again

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Photography

I have been experimenting with my flash so I can take portraits indoors without the photos looking flashy or overprocessed. I need practice, but for practice I need models.

I know you’re wondering … why would I need models when I have two beautiful children?

Well, I’ll tell you. It’s because my models start out happy and reflective:

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… which then turns into boredom:

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… which very quickly turns into annoyance and moody faces:

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… and finally, this:

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ALL WITHIN A SPAN OF FIVE MINUTES.

Should I start paying them? Or maybe pull a volunteer out from the crowd? Anyone want to be my guinea pig?


16 Responses to "Fooling with light, again"

1 | Jennifer

October 6th, 2009 at 8:57 am

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Are you serious????!!! You can experiment on us anytime!

2 | Sharon

October 6th, 2009 at 11:18 am

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You take my picture any time….
If you can catch me first!
LOL!
(seriously i’m not that fast)

3 | Sharon

October 6th, 2009 at 11:19 am

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By the way they look great even bored. I have to practice with I always make them look to over processed to.

4 | Jacquie Baillie

October 6th, 2009 at 11:43 am

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Hi Andrea

You can experiment with me anytime. We love your work! The pictures of the girls are fantastic, I love that you were able to capture on film exactly who they are.

5 | Miss Vicky

October 6th, 2009 at 12:11 pm

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you can experiment on AJ but I can’t guarantee she’d remain still!

6 | BeachMama

October 6th, 2009 at 12:14 pm

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I have the same problem with my models. Perhaps you and I should practice on each other?

7 | coffeewithjulie

October 6th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

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Haha!! That cracks me up. But you are MORE than welcome to use my kids as volunteers!

8 | DaniGirl

October 6th, 2009 at 2:16 pm

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*laughing* At least you get five minutes. I swear, my big boys have no idea what the word “smile” means!

9 | Judy

October 6th, 2009 at 2:40 pm

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You are welcome to practice on me and somewhat cute (ok I think totally adorable) 13 month old anytime! We even have daytime availability :)

10 | Chantal

October 6th, 2009 at 3:08 pm

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I would gladly let you practice on me or my kids. As long as I can get copies :)

11 | Lynn

October 6th, 2009 at 3:17 pm

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Absolutely hilarious :).

12 | Amy @ Muddy Boots

October 6th, 2009 at 5:29 pm

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That last picture is actually really great! By far my favorite of the bunch!

13 | andrea

October 6th, 2009 at 7:56 pm

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You guys crack me up! I’m swamped right now but am serious about getting more practice. I will definitely be dropping one of you a line about some daytime portrait-taking in the coming weeks!

14 | Jen_nifer

October 8th, 2009 at 8:36 am

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I mis-read BeachMama’s post at first, and it led me to the idea, about trading with your girls? My nearly 4 year old son loves to take pictures. I don’t worry much when I have our DSLR set up on a tripod.

Would your girls be interested in trading back and forth with you and them behind the camera?

15 | LO

October 8th, 2009 at 7:45 pm

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If you want practice on an ‘auburn head with pale skin and freckles,’ drop me a line:)

16 | Scatteredmom

October 11th, 2009 at 9:49 pm

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I’d lend you Jake, as he’s a total ham. He’d love to see Ontario, too.

Hmmm…

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My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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