Home Inspiration, bright white + full of light...

I'm of the opinion that white (and nearly white) in the home is hit or miss.  

Depending upon the way it's used, the objects surrounding it, and the way it's lit... white can be austere, harsh, or just plain un-welcoming; however, it can also be clean, simplified, and help put your mind at rest.  When my mind is at rest, I feel more open to epiphanies and much more likely to stumble upon creativity.  But I never consciously realized how cozy white could be until tonight.  While randomly sorting through the "Home Inspiration" folder on my desktop, I couldn't help but notice my own predilection for white in the home.  

I've rounded up just a handful of the images for you here, and found several cohesive elements that help tip these room from severe to serene.  Notably: Furs, plants, soft textiles, whimsy, natural light, woodgrain, and warm neutrals.  You'll find nearly all of those elements in each of the images below.

Fur.  

From a shaggy dog, to a cowhide, wolf pelts, and lots of sheepskins...  cozy, natural elements, such as furs, instantly soften edges and warm the rooms they occupy.  

Ahhh, natural light...  

Nothing beats it.  Nothing else even comes close.   It's that gorgeous diffused glow that seems to illuminate inanimate objects from within.  It flatters, feeds, and helps us function.  Even better?  It's free!

Textiles. 

Look at all the textiles at work above and below... a Kilim rug, embroidered woolen wall tapestry, pelt on the floor, throw blanket on the mid-century chair, and fluffy duvet, act as an invitation to sit down, snuggle up, and ahhhhh... relax.  Note, the whimsical animals in the tapestry.

Woodgrain + Plants.

The natural greens of plants instantly sets a mind at ease.  The warmth of woodgrain and straw help soften the hard lines of this very contemporary room.  Note; the whimsy of the sheepskin pillow.

Whimsy.

I love the unexpected duo of bathroom and bedroom sharing a space.

Warm neutrals: Copper, linen, leather, straw, rust, taupe, and even worn-out ballet slippers are the perfect accompaniment to a shocking true white... creating a comfortable balance and toning down the austerity, without losing the wonderful sense of clarity that white creates.  Can you find the whimsical element in this photo?  It's got ears!

So there you have it...  my white moment.  What's inspiring you right now?  

Beautiful babies...

Years ago, when James was very little, I bought the cheesiest how-to book for photographing babies.  Up until then, I had never (not EVER) photographed a baby (or children, for that matter), and it was a whole new world.  And (not gonna lie) a big challenge.  The classic "portrait" formula does you no good here.  Babies are squishy, floppy, wiggly, uncooperative, and their edges are so soft and round, that shadows and light seem oblivious to the subtle little curves.  The book had a few helpful insights, like:  "Get close", and "take full advantage of the month or two when they're able to sit, but not yet crawl".  I took an absurd amount of baby pictures.  I learned a lot.  Now with Elliott (and digital, and apps, and editing), I've learned even more!  A lot of it is common sense, but I've had several inquiries about the baby photos I post, so I thought I'd share a few tips with you here:  

1. They're tiny - get DOWN.  I lay on the floor to photograph him all the time.  When he was even tinier, I would lay him on the bed, and crouch on the floor in front of him so that we were eye-to-eye.  

2. Think you're close enough?  GET CLOSER!  Babies don't have that same sense of personal space that adults do.  In fact, they have an utter disregard for personal space.  I like to take advantage of this.  Some of my very favorite photos of Elliott have been from just inches away.  

3. There is a purpose, a time and a place for flash photography, but if your goal is to capture a beautiful, bright, and natural portrait of your baby, the FLASH is your enemy.  This was one of the very first instructions my photography teacher gave us in my very first photography class, and (in my opinion) it is the single most significant difference between a snapshot and a photograph.  For this picture of Jeffrey and Elliott, I walked into our room, noticed the sunlight dappled all over our bed from a big tree just outside the window, and hurried to  lay the baby down in the glow.  Jeff kneeled in front of him- trying to coax a smile for me, and I loved how their faces profiled together. 

4. NATURAL LIGHT is a gift.  There is nothing more gorgeous than the light from a bright, open, window on luminous baby skin.  Use your curtains or shades to control how little or how much light you'd like.  Study the light in your bedroom, living room, or kitchen.  Do you prefer it in the morning, or as the sun is going down?  The photo above was lit with an open window to the right side.  Late morning.  Another of my first lessons in photography was to avoid backlighting, unless you were trying to capture your subject in silhouette.  But lately, I've been really intrigued by backlit photos, light flares, and light manipulation.  I feel more confident experimenting, and some of the results are so dramatic and fun.  

5. DON'T SKIMP ON THE PHOTOS!  Ok, if you take away anything from this...  it should be to shoot, shoot, shoot.  I can't emphasize it enough.  Babies move constantly, you have to SHOOT CONSTANTLY.  Unless they're sleeping (and sometimes even then) you're guaranteed to get blurred, wiggly, shots.  So whether it's with a camera or a phone, I'll do 10, 20, 30 shots at a time.  It takes a fraction of a second to delete unwanted photos, and if it helps me to capture exactly what I was hoping for...  perfect alignment, a sun ray, a smile, a twinkle, a laugh, a kiss, a hug...  well, then it's priceless.

So that's it.  That's my little mini photo-tutorial for photographing mini people.  I'm not an expert, but I hope you'll find something useful in it.  ♥

Morning in the studio...

I love Jeff's studio in the morning. The light, the colors, the big, ancient easel and the pile of "in progress" paintings... It's so pretty and behind-the-scenes. When it's empty and quiet like this, I always feel the need to tippy toe. :)