So I’m going to try answering some of the questions from this post (and if you missed it and want to ask me something, please feel free to do it here!)
Megan asked …
My questions are about newborns since that is clearly on my mind (and bladder, ribs, pelvis). What was the most challenging part of having a newborn in your life for the first time and what was the most wonderful thing?
Well, since Megan is already holding her hunka hunka burnin’ love, I’m sure she’s already figuring it all out and becoming a total expert. And if I remembered everything about the newborn stage, I probably wouldn’t be pregnant right now. I kid, I kid!! (Sort of)
The most challenging part for me was definitely our breastfeeding issue. I’ve never really talked about it here, but Emma never nursed. It’s a long story filled with many lactation consultant visits, a consultation with an oral motor therapist, minor surgery to correct tongue tie, and lots of pumping and crying (both of us) and beating myself up. In the end, we made the decision to go to formula, but it was still very hard to let that go without feeling terrible guilt.
Of course, the most wonderful thing was her. Staring at her. Snuggling her. Dressing her. Bathing her. Feeding her. Even changing diapers was an absolute dream. I loved every little thing about her, and once she was here, I wondered how I made it so long without her. (Doesn’t hurt that she was truly one of the easiest babies ever.)
Sara asked …
If you could pick one spot in your house that is your favorite spot to photograph your little one… where is it? & Why?
This is so funny, because I just noticed a couple of weeks ago how much I love the light in our master bathtub. It’s natural light that comes in from a large window right above the tub, and then the tub is white surrounded by white walls. So it makes the most beautiful reflective light.
But I obviously can’t put her in the bathtub every time I want to take a picture of her, so I just try to take pictures pretty much anywhere that I get a lot of light. We are very fortunate to have large windows in all of our rooms, so I can get a decent picture almost anywhere.
Having said that, I rarely “pose” Emma to take pictures … so if she’s playing in her playroom or helping me in the kitchen or jumping on her bed, I just try to use whatever light I have to get the shot. If I actually try to set her up for a picture, then we go outside.
Diana / Meme asked …
Do you delete photos after you upload and only keep the best/good ones? I take so many shots of something. upload and end up keeping all in my photos. I wondered if you know exactly which ones to delete or if you are like me and think you can crop, enhance, do whatever to any picture so you keep them all??
SUCH a good question! This is something I really struggled with until I started shooting in RAW format and purchased Lightroom. I used to save every picture I ever took, but then I started running out of room on my computer. And our server. And our backup server. So I had to start cutting WAY back on the number of photos I kept.
Once I got Lightroom and started using it as my catalog, that’s when I really decided to keep only pictures that I would either post (on my blog or on Flickr) or print.
At first, it was really hard. But then I remembered the folders and folders and folders of photos that have never been touched, and I realized that even though I may say I’m going to go back one day and edit all of those images, I barely have time to edit the current ones. So … I became the deleting queen. And it’s VERY easy to do in Lightroom, so that made it a lot easier. (Oooh, a tutorial idea – thanks!)
As far as deciding which ones to keep, I am an impulse deleter … if I can edit them in a few clicks, then they are keepers. If they are going to require a lot of work (too under/over-exposed, blurry, etc.) then I trash them. If I end up with a lot of duplicate images, then I keep my favorite one and delete the rest.
I had to learn to let go of that “connection” with every single image that I upload. Once I learned how to do that, the rest was fairly painless.
Jess asked …
How many photographs do you think you’ll take of the new baby each day? Just an average guesstimate is fine :P
Ha!!!! I have a sneaky feeling I won’t be able to take as many photographs as I would like … I hear having a newborn with a toddler in the house keeps a momma pretty stinkin’ busy. ;) But I’ll do my best to get at least one every day.
Joanna asked …
1. What is your dream lens?
2. What happened to the good ol’ Olympus?
3. How are you liking your 50d?
4. What are your favourite actions/textures?
Oooh, good questions, Jo!
1. My dream lens? I don’t know! I know that sounds terrible, but I really love the two that I have right now (Canon 85mm 1.8 & 50mm 1.8) but at the same time, I would like to have a zoom lens of some sort, because I miss being able to take pictures of certain things (like the condo rooms where we stayed in Florida or rooms in my house), and I’d like to one day have a wide-angle lens for landscape/urban shots. A fisheye would be fun. I’d also like a Lensbaby. So I don’t think I currently own my “dream” lens, but I’m not sure what it would be. Any recommendations?
2. The good ol’ Olympuses (I have 2!) are still with me. I have the E-300, which was my first DSLR ever, and I also have the E-520. I’m planning on donating the E-300 with the kit lens to someone or an organization in need. But for now, I’m keeping the E-520 as a backup, and I still use the Zuiko 50mm macro that I have for it since my Canon 50mm isn’t a macro.
3. I love my Canon 50D! Seriously all caps L.O.V.E. it. I rented a 5D Mark II when I was looking, but in the end, the 50D was what we could afford without going into debt – I thought I’d miss the Mark II, but I really love what my camera does, especially in low light situations, which was the one serious issue I always had with my Olympus. So far, the 50D has not disappointed me at all.
4. I don’t use actions but I love both sets of Florabella textures. I also use and love Patti Brown’s Kaleidoscope textures – they create an entirely different mood than Florabella, so it’s nice to have the variety. One of these days, I would love to try Beth Armsheimer’s textures – I’ve heard and seen amazing things from those, as well.
Mimi asked …
Yes Keli, I would like to know how you lick your elbow! Seems an impossible feat to me :)
Okay, I don’t really know HOW I do it … but I can. I think it has something to do with my shoulders being double-jointed?
Angie (who has a gorgeous picture in the new I Heart Faces website banner, btw!!) asked …
i am with joanna! what are your favorites?! lenses, actions, textures, photography website!
lenses/actions/textures – see above
Photography website – why, I Heart Faces, of course! ;) Actually, I do love I Heart Faces (I wouldn’t be a contributor there if I didn’t) but other than that, I adore Flickr. I’ve met so many amazing photographers on there, some of who I call my dearest friends. And then I have a seriously HUGE list of photographer blogs that I love, and there is no way I could list them all here, but among my favorites are Beth Armsheimer (I want to be her one day), Jasmine Star, Sheye Rosemeyer, and Simply Rosie. I also know like a gajillion photographers who are personal friends that I truly adore and constantly gather inspiration from, but if I tried listing them, I’d end up missing someone and hurting feelings.
I also enjoy constant inspiration from Shutter Sisters and The Maternal Lens.
Mrs. Soup asked …
1) How did you get to be so awesome?
2) How much do you love me?
3) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
4) You are given a $50 gift card to anywhere and you HAD to purchase something for yourself and only for yourself. Where would it be for and what would you buy?
I was born that way.
A whole whole whole lot.
Where I live. No, seriously! I really do love living in South Carolina, and I think I’d miss it if I moved somewhere else. But places I’ve enjoyed visiting that could maybe beckon me away one day … Maui, Hawaii or Santa Fe, NM.
Oh this is so tough. Probably a pair of white Converse. I have a black pair that I love, but I really really want a white pair for spring & summer. Or two pedicures. Or maybe if I finagle on eBay, I could get a pair of Converse AND a pedicure. Awwww man, now I want $50.
I am going to have to come back and answer the rest of the questions later. I wanted to get them all in one post, but I have a ton of things to do today, and I know I won’t get around to it. Plus, the last few are photography-related and I want to be thorough.
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