Friday, September 9, 2011

capturing faces


I have this theory. I believe that, in general, people are either people-shooters or thing-shooters. Are you good at shooting moving objects? Are people your thing? If so, I envy you and your talent. See, I'm a thing-shooter. I prefer inanimate objects. I like being able to take my time to consider and compose my shot. I like to check out the light, figure out my objective, and then shoot the same frame with different settings. Shift the objects around a little, shift my perspective a little, and shoot again. All of this is easy to do when the thing itself is not moving. You see, I am a thing-shooter.

But faces... faces are always changing, always shifting. What you see in one instant may be gone in the next. And, in most cases, it's not even the look a person gives you that tells you the most about her. It's the one in the split-second right before or right after that shows her true nature. You people-shooter types probably already knew this in one way or another, subconsciously or not. But for this thing-shooter, it's when I've caught one of these moments that I feel I've got a real gem.

So, my daughter has taken to posing for me lately. You know, with a hand on her hip or a silly expression on her face. On the day of this shot, she was posing with one of those noodle floaters. And as she was transitioning from one self-satisfied expression to another, I managed to catch this gem. I love it because it's one of her classic looks but one we don't see on film very much: a little mischievous, a little amused with herself, and a whole lot like her mother.

Similarly, I was drawn to this image by mamadunk for that sense of a fleeting moment, captured in time. You can't help but wonder what she is thinking about. What, I wonder, must have happened just before to make her pull this face? There's a sly look about this little girl that I recognize and I see a real promise of spunk.  I'd love to see these two young ladies get a chance one day to meet and play. Don't you think they'd have a grand old time?

Thank you, muses, for having me over for a visit!
Mae at Here in This House

Devlin

Devlin by mama dunk
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Thank you Mae for guest musing with us today. If you'd like to know more about Mae, be sure to visit her at Here in This House. Also, if you are interested in a future guest muse role, please email us at mortalmuses9 [at] gmail.com.

13 comments:

Kirstin said...

What a fabulous post! I love their expressions. So sweet! Thank you for musing with us Mae. x

christina said...

what an amazing post! and look at that face! adorable!
xo

mosey (kim) said...

These two look like peas in a pod - what a great pairing, Mae! And so awesome to see you here!

urban muser said...

mae, i absolutely love your post. i am primarily a thing-shooter. when i do go for people, they are usually strangers in the street.

Holly ~ Soupatraveler said...

Wonderful job Mae!!! You know I loved this pairing and your words are fabulous! I think I'm a hybrid between the two. I love to shoot faces, although don't often get the opportunity, but I shine a lot of love on things as well : )

Michelle (mamadunk) said...

My fourth attempt at leaving a comment! Thanks so much for musing on my picture of Devlin. This little beauty is a friend of a friend that we vacation with every year. I've taken some candids of her the last couple of years and she is beautifully photogenic! What's imazing though, is that you are spot ON. She is the youngest of four.....potty trained at 1 1/2! She is spunky for sure!!

Gilly said...

Lovely post, Mae, and I'm definitely a thing shooter too, although I'm trying to get into people shooting a bit more. Great expressions on both of these little girls' faces!

Gayle L. said...

Excellent food for thought. I lean toward being a thing/self-portrait shooter because it's easier to dawdle and I don't have to worry about holding a person's attention, but I'm going to spend some time with people shots and see what happens. The magic is indeed when the person is not posing isn't it?!

Debra said...

Love this Mae. I'm SO a thing girl!

Kat Sloma said...

Two perfectly paired photos! I'm a thing-shooter too, so I identify. Thank you so much for musing with us!

GailO said...

I am a people-shooter wannabe...It is so difficult to do well! My grandchildren have taken to giving me a hard time about having me take their pictures so right now I have a lot of photos of their backs:) I am thrilled when a get a real expression like this! Nice photos!

tara on the wander said...

i can't decide if i'm a thing or people shooter, ha, but i love both of these shots!

Cindy said...

i love your post and those cute faces - it's like they're wondering what type of photographers they are :). i'm mostly a thing-shooter because i'm too shy to take many people photos, but i'm working on it.

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