Shutter Sisters

Yin and Yang

By

 Sometimes I feel like I have bipolar disorder when it comes to photography. I have two great loves, nature macros and people portraits. In many ways they seem so different, but when you really start to dissect it, maybe not so much.

Partially because, when I shoot people, I end up all up in their faces, in their eyes, trying to catch the intimacy of the moment. I don’t go telephoto like many photogs do when they are shooting people, because they don’t want to crowd their subject and make them feel uncomfortable. For better or worse, I use a shorter lens and crawl around, up, down, and on top of the people I am shooting. Luckily most of the time they are children, who seem to tolerate my antics better than adults. I make faces at them, or in desperate times, even pull out the silly noises from behind the camera.

All of which I don’t have to do when shooting nature. When I am rolling around in the dirt, I enjoy the silence. The calm. The fact that I have to control my breathing to be absolutely still since I don’t use a tripod when shooting very close macros. It almost becomes meditative. Zen like. Peaceful.

Such different experiences, but both essential to making photography such a rich part of my life. The laughter and the peace. The yin and the yang.

Thanks to Aimee aka Greeblemonkeyfor being our gracious guest blogger/honorary sister today and for sharing her perfect photograph and words with us. Aimee has also offered one of her stunning 2009 calendars from her etsy shop today for our giveaway. Leave your comment for a chance to get your hands on it! It’s one beautiful way to keep track of your New Year. And be sure to visit her blog for yet another super sweet greeblepix contest this month.

Comments

  13. LOVE photo calendars!! 🙂
    My bi-polar photography seems to swing between nature & the mundane (ie. beauty of the ordinary). Fun stuff!
    xox

  21. Lovely photo…I want to be more confident when shooting portraits. Sometimes its hard to let go and be myself, especially when it’s someone I don’t know well…Food for thought here today!

  25. What a delightful visual you created with your words…I am so smiling! Your photograph is spectacular!

  31. I admire someone that can do nature macros handheld – I don’t have the hands for them. That is someone truly at peace and at one with the world around them.

  33. that image is gorgeous. i love how you see the darkened veins as if their crackling through the ice, although the ice is mainly around the edges.

  35. great post aimee. i too try hard to control my breathing and movement with the macro, good to know i am not the only one in the dirt trying not to blink or shake. . xo kristin

  42. I love people’s faces too, but have become dissatisfied with my results. I’m going to have to try climbing all over them.

  44. I love the Greenlemonkey! That was a beautiful and fascinating post. I hope I am lucky enough to win the calendar so I can enjoy your visions of natural beauty all year long. 🙂

  52. Beautiful photo. I always enjoy your photos and especially your nature "subjects". They exude peace and calmness. But, I have laughed out loud and smiled so often at how you’ve caught your human subjects too! I hope you stay bi-polar for a very long time. 😉 Thank you for sharing your work so openly. It’s inspiring.

  54. Hi Aimee, great photo. One of the things I really like about macro (or in my case just plain old close-up as I have yet to acquire a macro) is how the eye of the beholder can make the ordinary or even ugly look so freakin’ cool!
    I like your thoughts on Yin and Yang. You know I don’t do much portraiture but your stuff is amazing.

  57. Beautiful photo. I’m just about to go out and try to capture the beauty of the pogonip on the trees, barbed-wire fences, and anything else that takes my fancy. Pogonip is an Shoshone Indian word meaning white death. It was their word for the freezing fog that comes in the mountain valleys during early morning winter hours leaving a sheet of frozen ice crystals over everything. I hope I can be successful!

  60. Macro nature, one of my favorite modes! I have yet to muster up the courage to get serious about potraits, but I like the idea of getting in the faces of peeps, and crawling up, down, around and on top of people!

  63. I love Greeblemonkey and this post is just one of the reasons why. Great stuff! Now just think about a Shutter Sisters gathering where we could all be rolling around photographing nature and photographing eachother as we were photographing nature.

    Run on thought I know but… how awesome would that be??

    <3 the Greeblemonkey

  64. This post reminded me that one of my goals is to not be shy about photographing people up close. My daughter is much more gifted in that area. My reserve bugs me and in 2009 I’m so getting over it! Thanks for the calender giveaway.

  66. I tend to shoot portraits rather close as well…for me it’s about the people not the location other than what it adds to them…how it can reflect happiness, joy, peace, energy…

  67. Great photo. Interesting parallels between macro photography and portrait photography. You’ve inspired me not to zoom but get up close and personal with my subjects . . . and the kiddos are a great place to start.

  72. I just found you and am so excited to learn and be inspired by you. My daughter is expecting twins in a month (3 precious ones under 3!) so I am eager to improve my limited photog skills. Love your site

  74. wonderful! i love new calendars. fresh starts, and clean, empty pages with which to place the memories as they happen … I’d love to win!

  91. Nice to meet you Aimee! We share similiar sentiments about photography. I am not sure what type of photography I love best…yet. I do love outdoor work. People are harder for me. Maybe because they move lol. But I love your work and would be honored to win your calendar!

    Merry Christmas!

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