I Heart Faces: Week 13- Dramatic B&W

Every week over at I Heart Faces they do a weekly photo challenge of some sort! These challenges encourage the individual as a photographer to seek out new techniques to broaden the individual's horizons so to speak! You may have gathered from the name of their blog Amy and Angie (the owners of iheartfaces) like to see...FACES...Baby faces, kid faces, grown up faces and I have even known them to look for animal faces LOL!! I love entering these challenges not because there is some wonderful prize in store but because I like to showcase what I have done! It isn't always the best (I am SOOOO far from it LOL) but I like to think that some of it is good! I know I said this in last week’s post but I am still so proud (even a year later!!) My very first entry ever took 6th place in the Week 8 Challenge-Messy Faces last year! My friend Matt had just gotten done doing Swamp Romp (it is a Race they hold for Active Duty over on the Marine Corp base) and boy was he a mess! You can kind of get the idea from the mess on his face but that was HEAD TO TOE!!! He got back to my house so energized (well until we started spraying him with the cold water from the water hose! It was great!

Ok so anyway back on subject now that I have done a little reminiscing!! This week’s challenge is Dramatic Black and White!! First let me just tell you that this challenge by far was the most difficult for me cause I 1) don't have a wonderful bells and whistles type photo-editing program and am simply using the Picasa that came on my computer (which isn't horrible might I add I have learned to do some fun stuff the last couple of days!!) and 2) dramatic to me means some type of moody! I just can't seem to bring myself to use a picture of a smiling person (mainly children in my world) convert it to B&W and call it a Dramatic B&W! For me the expression has to describe the emotion in the picture and then the conversion just highlighting that expression! (This honestly is why I think most “sad” pictures you find are in B&W Color just makes things happier!!!) So honestly it is nothing short of spectacular that I found this photo in my plethora of shots! As I was concerned that I wouldn't have anything ready on hand for me to toy with! Not that I am not willing to go out and set the shot for what I am looking for I just like to utilize the abundance of shots I already have (I typically take A LOT of pictures of my children and their friends.) before I go out and try to manipulate the general public into a shot that is worthy of the challenge!!

Again with my Ramblings (Please excuse them as I do have a picture to showcase for you!) This is my friend (and fellow Sub Wife) K's DD (dear daughter) L! She is a wonderful girl (growing just a little too quickly into a young lady) and such a good kid (when she wants to be as most are!!) So anyway this shot was taken (pure luck) at my daughter Cami's 4th birthday party it was a tad bit windy and I couldn't tell you why she doesn't look happy and excited (all of the children were playing on Slip n slides, and in the sprinklers!) But lucky for me she wasn't cause I think her expression makes this picture! Even without the B&W conversion it was a moody and interesting shot!! This is by far one of my favorite pictures I have ever taken on L!!!

So I think I have Rambled enough for one posting LOL! Please feel free to leave me some comments and Constructive Criticism! If anyone knows of an AWESOME Photography course on the Island of Oahu please feel free to let me know as I have decided to go back to school for Photography!!!

Check back for a TatT tomorrow!!! BBQ Pork Carolina Style!!! YUMMY!!!!