A Different Light {Project Two Times Twelve}

So, it was almost bedtime on the 31st of the month when I realized I hadn't done this month's Two Times Twelve project.

Oops!

In my defense, it's been a busy month!  We've traveled and started school, and with school we started new routines while we held onto old, wonderful routines with a death grip. 

So with no time, and no light for an outdoor shoot, I figured I had to come up with something.  It was the perfect storm for forcing me to find something different, something outside of the box.  Yes, I am going to regret not being outside while the weather permitted, but that's the way the cookie crumbled this month.  So, with much trepidation, I hauled out the ol' studio lights and did something different.

I know when you see these, there will be a few thoughts that run through your mind.  Just remember, this exercise is about stretching my brain creatively.  This month's pictures are more on the artsy side than I usually go.  They are about emotion, but they are not about perfect grins.  They are about lighting and drama.  They are about the subject (the kids in this case), not the clothing or environment (because I didn't plan out outfits or have light for environment). I also was working on using negative space (space that has nothing in it) instead of my usual "fill the frame with faces/people" technique.  I was quite surprised at what more space around the subject would do, how it changes the whole image.  How moving the subject around in the negative space, even though it's the same subject, same pose, same look, can create a whole different feel.  It was very interesting to me to play with space.  I feel like I have really learned something new through this month's unprepared, very simple, shoot.

The Little Man is up first:

 Above is an example of no negative space.  Below I added negative space to the image:

Can you see a difference space makes?  I think it's huge!  In the bottom image the kids look like...kids.  They are small compared to the space around them.

The Girl's turn:

Both images of The Girl have negative space, but even more negative space in the bottom image, again, let's the viewer understand how small she is compared to the space she is in.

The other thing I loved about this exercise is how the lighting really helped me to see little things that I usually miss on a daily basis.  Like The Girl's perfectly shaped lips and the best divot thing-y below her nose that I have ever seen (how's that for technical terms?).  How perfectly shaped each of their noses are.  Their cheek bones, and the squareness of The Little Man's jaw.  When photos are this simple, you see these things.  You are forced to look at every inch. 

Every perfect little inch. 

And drink it in.

I'm glad I almost forgot my project tonight.  I got to see my kids in a whole new light.