Before and After.... at the beach.

Before and After...

I thought I'd lost this shot. It was dusk and the kids were running along the rocks at the beach and I was concentrating on working on some silhouette shots with the fast moving pastel clouds... Miles stopped right in front of me (I assure you - him being still doesn't happen often!) and my shutter was still fairly quick - quicker than it needed for a stationary little lad with such little light.

He calmly stood, just for a few moments and breathed the salty evening air deeply into his lungs. His face was a picture (pardon the pun) and I hoped that I could salvage what I'd got in my camera.

I checked the files a few days later when I moved them over to my workspace and was a bit deflated. It was underexposed, dark and grainy and I thought that it would just stay as a cutting room floor file. But I persevered this afternoon and AM I PLEASED THAT I DID?! By no means technically perfect - not at all... The colours are enhanced, I've played about as my artistic license will allow ;) But it's my boy - being himself - loving life and taking in the moment. And I'll take that. And I'll print it now too. <3

Thanks for looking ~ Fleur x

www.fleurlouisephotography.co.uk

A day at the zoo..... Without the kids.

The kids were spending the day with Grandparents and me and the Hubs had a morning to ourselves.  So we decided on a date at the Zoo.   I was a cold day, so we endeavoured to stay within the indoor enclosures for warmth.  However - this isn't usually where I like to spend my time with my camera; the glass is hard to work with.  It's reflective, usually muckily splattered from the animals and most definitely scratched.  Hence usually why any animal images I've taken at the zoo have been of the animals outdoors.

But today the animals who are only watchable from behind the glass were animated, close by, interacting with me and a lot of fun.  I couldn't resist to snap them.  So I embraced the reflections (yes, that's me you can see - or my foot.....),  I threw caution to the low light wind and I didn't care about the marks all over the glass - mine at home aren't far from on par! ;)

So here we go a mini collection  - the penguins, the butterflies, a monkey and a turtle....

Thanks for looking ~ Fleur x

www.fleurlouisephotography.co.uk

Treetops and skies - The part of Winter that I love...

Why don't I do this more often?

I walked one dusky winter afternoon with my family around our local park.  The kids had their scooters and my hubs was in charge of our dogs.  I was coming to the end of my 365 photo project, so obviously had my camera with me - eager to capture as much of our walk as I could...  As we meandered (term used loosely when navigating scootering children and inquisitive dogs around a duck filled lake...) along the paths, I noticed how beautiful the sky was looking.

I had to begin with been occupied with documenting the movements of my children.  But as they scootered further and more swiftly and the dogs keenly 'walked my husband' briskly on, I stopped. 

The sun was coming down quickly and the trees sparse branches looked black against the burnt orange and dusky blue.  On one side of me and my camera the clouds were whipped up and to the other the sky was a pale grey.  I marvelled at how amazing and varied the atmosphere above looked depending on where I chose to place my camera's framing.

Throughout the summer months these trees would be filled with leaves and the view would be quite different.   Where the sun was glowing, creating silhouettes of the pitch-like branches, would not be visible - only now in the midmost of winter could the sky look like this.

So I stayed.  And I shot.  And I am in love with the result.  I really should do this more often.

Thanks for looking ~ Fleur x

www.fleurlouisephotography.co.uk