Family Photos and "Slices of Life"

Beansprout and his gumboots, Slice of Life Project Winter 2011

Family photos in the house I grew up in consisted mainly of point and shoot shots with little attention to composition or detail.  I recently found a picture of me and my dad at my first birthday party and I have to laugh at the fact that the wall behind us at the kitchen table is completely blank except for a cord hanging down plugged into the wall outlet.  The only other photos you'll find are  traditional school pics and photo studio pictures that must qualify for http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/! So it's no surprise that once my child was born, I followed suit and signed us up for a Christmas photo session with a studio photographer. These pictures are adorable.  The photographer, who is now a mommy friend, did a wonderful job capturing the sweet side of my shy guy and our favorite one is still displayed in the living room!  However, though I love these photos, I kept feeling like it wasn't exactly what I wanted out of a family photo session.  Especially with Beansprout being so shy, I wished for something a little more everyday . . . but polished.  Enter Darrah Parker!  Just a short time after this photo session, I was introduced to Darrah through a link a friend posted on Facebook.  Mind you, I've never met her in person, but as I began looking through her blog, I was instantly enamored by her style of photography and captivated by her open and insightful posts about life, love, change, and following your passion.  You can imagine my excitement when Darrah announced that she would be offering an e-course called The Slice of Life Project!  Not only had I found someone who perfectly coined a term for what I love in photography, but she was willing to give away her secrets!!!  I think I must have been the first person to enroll :)  This course was far more than I ever expected it would be - I loved it.  I started with a 3.5 megapixel CyberShot point-and-shoot camera and still giggle at some of the first photos I shared with the group, but I learned a ton from Darrah and the other participants.  I have since continued to try and improve my skills by gaining inspiration from a slew of blogs I've added to my GoogleReader and I've started this blog to share with family and friends afar and to try and give back, if just a little, to the community of bloggers out there.  I'm still learning.  Things are pretty basic around here, but I'm thrilled that I'm able to document this beautiful adventure of parenthood and teaching and life in an authentic way.

Monday I start my second session of The Slice of Life Project.  I'm eager to learn even more the second time  around and look forward to sharing and working with a group of people from all over the world with many different backgrounds and interests.  Look for some posts with my latest pics and leave a comment to let me know what you think :)  Better yet, join me!