I love photography books. At the most basic level, photographs capture a moment in time. Photos can be staged, or entirely candid.
I admit sometimes I go weeks without using my SLR camera. I’ve come to rely on my phone’s camera much more than I used to. It’s just easier to reach for my phone than for my SLR. I’m always looking for inspiration that will help me get back into using my SLR.
Capturing the moment is a book by women, most of them moms, that is not only inspiring and beautiful to look it. It focuses on composition, techniques, and tips to improve your photography skills. In addition, it has creativity exercises at the end of each chapter.
Although it is not a book about food photography, I loved all the creative ways in which topics are presented.
I took out my camera, and spent an afternoon with a friend’s toddler. I picked a topic from the book:
Anticipate Emotion
Rather than asking subjects to smile for the camera, learn to anticipate genuine emotion, watching for laughter to bubble over during conversation, delight during gameplay, or surprise in an unexpected turn of events.
I followed little M around for about an hour. It’s amazing how children have this unbound sense of joy. The smallest thing makes them bubble up with laughter.
This is my favorite photo from that day:
Although it is not the best one, or the one with the best light, it conveys so much joy that it makes me smile every time I look it at. M was just stomping around, and enjoying every single second that he had at the park
If you are looking for some photography inspiration, I highly recommend this book. It made me find beauty in ordinary every day situations.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of Capture the Moment for review purposes. I was not compensated for writing this post. All views are my own.
One Vanilla Bean 