His daughter, about age 4, bounced up and down on her side of the booth, pointing at the TV. Her energy was radiant — and perhaps a little tiring.

“We should do that. We should go do that, Daddy!” And on and on. The screen showed extreme sports snowboarding. She chattered on, eyes wide. 

Propping his head up with his hands, you could tell Dad was exhausted. But he smiled at her, never telling her to be quiet, and never telling her that it was not likely that she would be doing extreme snowboarding anytime soon (or ever). She felt safe to chatter, safe to dream. 

In just that moment of time, a glimpse into a life, you could see the bonds that tied them together — safety, patience, adoration, love.

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The last time we were together, we laughed so much, I could barely take a proper photo. We struggled through trying to be serious for some headshots she needed, and we managed to get them, but every other photo was of her cracking up.

She never took life too seriously. But in the seriousness of everyday life and all its pushes and pulls, we couldn’t connect the dots on our schedules to be in the same place at the same time again. We stayed connected through social media, volleying life events back and forth, liking this photo or that update.

When she was fighting for her life the first time, she was farther away, out of reach (physically). And then she made it. She won that round. But the cancer was not done with her, and it came back with a vengeance. It would not go quietly, and neither would she. She continued to be light, to share truth, to share her reality with a huge dose of optimism. All the way until the end.

At the front of her memorial service, there sat some of the images I took of her on that windy, hilarious day. She looks serious in the images, those few that we got. I just smile because I know what happened in between. I know that the outtakes were her favorites, as well as mine. I know that we laughed, that we really, truly connected that day.

Years before, I sat in a hospital room with her before her sweet third daughter arrived. We got to know each other then, a visit that came because she told the social media world she was bored and needed visitors, and I happened to be free…and drawn to her. I happened to want to know her better. I happened to feel a connection.

I brought her fall in a jar on one of our visits. She loved the autumn season and was missing all the colors while confined to her sterile hospital room. The accommodations were necessary and worth the effort for a healthy daughter to be born, but she was still honest enough to say she was missing the world that was happening outside that room. So, a jar of fall — orange and yellow aspen leaves — a small taste of a season.

In the end, that’s what it felt like between us: a small taste of a season of friendship. Life doesn’t afford us all the time we desire for every person we meet. Life doesn’t allow for hours of laughter and bonding with everyone. Relationships sit idle, waiting. The ones truly worth pursuing don’t always get what they deserve. Life just isn’t accommodating. And sometimes we reach the end with those regrets, even though we get it. Even though we know time will run out — someone else’s clock will end before yours, and then yours will stop ticking too.

This fiery redhead left before we could forge into a new season. She left in the fall, one of her favorite seasons (because she gave equal love to them all), and she left while we were both busy trying to live. I think about those pictures I took of her, the ones that sat at the front of her memorial service, and I smile again. What an honor to photograph a life, to capture a beautiful person, a season.

What a joy to connect with beautiful people, even if the season is short. What a blessing to have one more moment to remember.

We all die. The question is, what season will you be in when that happens? I choose to laugh, to dance, to love, to live with all I have, even when the season is hard.

The post To Photograph a Season appeared first on Love Your Everyday Life.

Love Your Everyday Life by AGK Photography seeks two Colorado Springs area mamas* to work with one-on-one to coach through our “Love Your Everyday Life” documenting life offer and to get behind-the-scenes and in-action videos and photos for promotional needs.

*Seeking mamas of small children only for this offer. Should reside in or around Colorado Springs (Monument, Woodland Park, Black Forest, Fountain). Mamas should be available for coaching to take place in late February or March 2024. Additionally, this offer is for anyone who has not previously received a gift or practice service from AGK Photography.

FREE!

What You Get

• 2-4 hours of one-on-one hands-on photography AND storytelling coaching and education in your home (note: we will not be going over all the technicals in photography — basics only)
• 2 follow-up Zoom meetings to discuss the work you’ve done on your own
• Any photos and videos taken by me (Angela) of you and your family during the time I spend with you

What I Get

• Hands-on practice for this new area of my business
• Behind-the-scenes videos and photos for promotion
• Your feedback to help me help clients better (what you liked, what wasn’t helpful, etc.)
• Time with you and your family!

Who Am I?

I am Angela, a lifelong storyteller. I have been writing and taking photos and communicating through stories almost all my life. I fell in love with photography long ago, taking lots of random photos with Polaroid and 110 cameras. I wrote my first stories when I was very young. And I have always looked at everyday moments with wonder. I see the world through rose-colored glasses, sure, but also through all the colors, and the way children say things a certain way, and how the sun rises and crosses the room, just barely touching the tippy-toes of the fur baby who always sleeps in these days, her head resting just so. I see poetry in what others miss. And I have worked all my life to chase the light, because life already has enough darkness.

Why You Want This!

You’ve been wanting to take better pictures, to learn how to capture the shadows as they cross your baby’s tiny features, to get the shot without losing your mind trying to get your tiny human to “cooperate,” to fill your albums and cover your walls with images you take yourself because who can hire a professional photographer multiple times a year, much less every day?! You want this because you too see the world in poetry but you haven’t quite found the time to figure out for yourself how to capture the magic for your own story. Finally, you want this because doggone it, you just want it!

Interested? Sign Up Below!

The post Special Offer: Seeking TWO Colorado Springs Mamas appeared first on Love Your Everyday Life.

All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow.

I noticed recently when my youngest granddaughter was at my house how she was dancing around in this block of bright light in the otherwise mostly dark room. These are the moments I look for often, but even more when I want to capture a new memory differently.

Let me tell you, though — it’s not easy to grab the perfect shot you might have in your head when the subject is not quite two, moves like lightning, and does not care one iota about your creative ideas. You get what you get! But that’s also the appeal of seeing and documenting and watching for the right moment. And being fast, because she’s not going to take direction or hold her face toward the light for that special profile outline of magical light for too long. You better click!

Remember, light and shadow never stand still.

-Benjamin West

And neither do children. Let me help you learn how to capture those memories in your everyday life! See our current offer where we are seeking two Colorado Springs mamas to coach/teach for FREE! (Offer open until final participants are chosen.)

The post Shadow Play: Capturing a brief moment in time appeared first on Love Your Everyday Life.

1 – Try to face a window to use natural light. Not direct sunlight, so if that’s what’s coming in, let that light either move some or pull some sheer curtains over the window to filter it. Natural light will fill in shadows so that Baby’s softness is more enhanced instead of creating deep, dark shadowy creases. Also, if Baby is awake, natural light will enhance Baby’s beautiful eyes.

Turn off overhead lights, if possible. They can give uneven lighting and create harsh shadows.

If natural lighting is a problem, you can try to use lamps to create some fill lighting. This might be a combination of actually using overhead lighting coupled with a few strategically placed lamps on the floor. Play around and watch the shadows. You don’t need complete lighting to create a beautiful image. 

2 – Close-up shots are beautiful, but in many cases, lens distortion can occur with phones or point-and-shoot cameras.  Lens distortion means your baby’s face can look wider or a nose bigger than it actually is. That can be frustrating when you’re trying so hard to capture all those tiny details. It’s OK to back up some. If you’re on an iPhone, for example, you might choose the Portrait option instead for a softer look.

3 – Use your timer so you can be in the picture without it being the usual in-your-face selfie. (See lens distortion – same applies.) Moms and dads NEED to be in the photos! It does not matter if your hair is fixed or your face perfect. Just get in and document the moments. You won’t care when you look back. And your child will only care about the love (and sure, sometimes they make fun of your hair or clothes, but that’s part of the fun, too). 

Bonus Tips

4 – Download a free photo editing app like Snapseed. Such a program can help you process the pictures you take on your phone and create a beautiful final image. I have many photos I’ve taken with my phone and processed on my phone, and then the prints are beautiful. People often can’t even tell the difference. 

5 – Make sure you’re taking photos with your settings on the largest size available. For one, you want to be able to print large when you capture the perfect shot. And two, since you can’t get those extreme closeups without lens distortion, having larger sizes will give you more ability to crop in closer while still leaving plenty of picture to print.

6 – PRINT YOUR IMAGES! Don’t leave them on your phone or computer. Get them onto paper and onto your walls!

The post DIY: Taking Your Own Baby Photos appeared first on Love Your Everyday Life.

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