Inspired, A Very Special Project | Melissa Gibson Photography

Another Inspired Post so soon huh?! I am totally going to be bombarding you all!! I have SO many amazing photographers I need to get up here!

I absolutely love that Melissa has such a real quality to her work. She has such an amazing eye for the real life moments, the one we hold most dear to us all. Her processing and her composition tells such a story. I am always in awe when her beautiful images pop up in my news feed. I feel completely spoiled being able to feature her for this project!

You can find Melissa’s Website HERE! Be prepared to take in all her gorgeousness and spend some time there!!

Hi Gorgeous Melissa!!

Lets get to know you! How would you describe yourself in three sentences?

I am a good friend and secret keeper. I love spending time with my babies and family. I’d rather online shop for everything rather than set foot in a store…and you’ll NEVER catch me at a Black Friday sale…not even for photography equipment.

What sparked your passion for Photography?

I’ve always loved photography and the arts and I’ve always been the creative type. When my second child was born in 2005, I really dug my heels into learning everything about photography. I wanted to make sure I had mounds of images for all of my children to look back on. Like most moms, I think.

 

Whats in your camera bag?

Nikon d700, 35mm 2.0, 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8 a handful of CF cards and an extra battery.

 

What Camera/Equipment did you start out with?

I started out with a Canon film camera back in the late 90’s, moved to a Nikon d40 in 2005 and upgraded from a d90 last April.

 

If you could only use one lens an entire session which one would you choose and why?

Definitely the 50mm. I hardly ever take that one off of my camera. It is so sharp and gives me great bokeh. I shoot wide open ninety percent of the time and that lens is perfectly perfect for me. I like to shoot down on my kids quite a bit and the 50 gives me enough space for that, too. Even more when I’m on a step stool…’cause I’m pretty short.

 

What advice would go give to someone just beginning in photography and hoping to have a business of their own?

Well, I’m not in business. I’m an incredibly happy hobbyist. You could call me a MWAC and I’d be perfectly fine with that. The advice I would give to someone just beginning their photography journey? Learn one thing at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself with trying to get it all at once. Photography is so much more than just having a “good camera” and pressing the shutter. Understanding how shutter speed, ISO and aperture work together is extremely important. If you understand that? You will be able to produce amazing images with an entry level dslr. Please don’t assume that a “good camera” is all it takes to get the results you are looking for.

 

What was your first official Photographer crush if you had one?

Um. Sarah Cornish, of course.  (AWWW YOU MADE MY DAY lol!! Ps. this is me adding my 2cents lol! Thanks Melissa!!)

Also, I’d have to say Kristin Rachelle. I drooled over her images when I first found her through Clickin Moms. I loved everything about them. Even her logo is adorable. About a year ago I ran across Meg Bitton and I simply love her work. She’s my BFF, she just isn’t aware of that.

 

If you could photograph absolutely anyone who would it be dead or alive?

Can I travel back in time? If so, I’d love to go back to when my grandparents were young and photograph their everyday lives with their kids. They rented a house from a cotton farmer and worked in the fields everyday. I’d like to see that life through my lens. Or, maybe Prince William and Kate Middleton. I could follow them around for a day and be perfectly happy. (Boy, that’s two ends of the spectrum, huh?)

Describe your style in 3 words.

childlike, natural, joyous

 

Most embarrassing moment on a session would be?

ripping my pants? I don’t know.

Favorite time of day to shoot is?

The golden hour, of course. Or, really whenever my girls are the happiest. I sometimes have to just go with the flow around here.

 

If you had to stop taking photos right now, what would you do instead?

Hopefully, that means I can still work with photography? If so, I’d love to teach other moms how to use their “good cameras” in order to get great image of their little ones. Or, teach elementary school. I taught 2nd grade for six years before all of these kids came along so I’d be very comfortable doing that again.

Have you attended college or had any formal education in Photography?
I haven’t. I have taken an in-person class several years back and also a couple of courses from Clickin Moms, which I highly recommend.

What do you do to get your clients to relax with you?

I can answer this about my girls, I think. I try not to force them to do anything. I usually just have them sit with me while we chit-chat about things. Or, I’ll tell a funny story and just wait for the faces to come. Sometimes I pile them all together somewhere and watch them interact with each other. Whatever I do, I don’t want them to feel pressured to perform for me. I’m mostly there to just document their little lives. They won’t remember a lot of it when their grown, so it’s my job to remember for them.

 

What are your photography related goals for 2012?

I would like to experiment with on camera flash and get back to my old film camera this year.

 

How do you push yourself to keep growing and learning? Any Big Aha! Moments?

With photography, I feel like I am learning something new at least once a week. A new way to light my subjects or a different perspective that I haven’t considered before. I love taking courses from Clickin Moms (currently in Shooting 301 which I LOVE) in order to grow and learn a bit more. Being involved with a group of moms online does wonders for me. I am able to learn so much with them and make great friends along the way. Any big ah-ha moments? Why yes…and I giggle each time I think of this. A long while back I ran across the term “open shade”. That shooting in open shade would give you great catchlights and softer lighting outdoors. Well, for probably 6 months I thought open shade was just a big open space in my yard. I would even drive around my town looking for huge open spaces…because I thought that’s what “open shade” meant. I would just plop my girls down right in the middle of a patch of grass because, after all, it was “OPEN”.

 

How long would you say it took you to find your “style”?

I would say probably 2 years? I like to get down on my girls’ level while they are playing or interacting with each other. I shoot low and chop heads A LOT. I also like blown out backgrounds such as windows and a sunny sky when I am shooting in a backlit situation. I’d say my style is childlike, natural and joyous…with just a touch of vignette and haze.

Fun stuff:

Favorite Color: lavender
Favorite Season: fall (football anyone?!)
Biggest Guilty Pleasure: Dr. Pepper from a fountain and a good ol’ Mexican restaurant
Pet Peeve: when people hit their fork on their teeth….eeeek!!
Favorite Pandora Station: Kool and the Gang or Dave Matthews
Studio or On location: location
What did you want to be when you grew up? a teacher and a mommy (I did both!)
Pc or Mac: Mac
Lightroom Or Photoshop: Elements
Film or Digital: all digital for now
Props or No Props: only whatever my girls have in their hands at the time
If you could travel anywhere it would be: Australia
Glass Half Empty or Half Full: Most days? It’s half full
Favorite photo ever taken: Oh geez, Sarah! That’s not fair! I have such an emotional tie to pretty much all of my images since they are of my girls. But, right now my favorite is the one of my smallest girl holding her beloved “Baby” at sunset. I love that one because that’s the day I decided to shoot for myself and not worry about others. The day I chose to just be me.

Raw or Jpeg: Jpeg
Favorite Music to Edit to: Chris Botti
Favorite Quote: It’s not from any famous person or Noble Peace Prize winner. Just my (then) three year old: “When you blow a kiss out of your mouth? Your heart comes up out of yourself and gets on the other person.”
Most valued material possession: my camera, of course. Oh wait, should I say my wedding rings?!
Processing Style: a teeny bit of haze and some vignette…kind of clean, but not really.
Coffee or Tea: sweet tea from Chick-fil-A
What kind of Camera bag do you rock? Oh gosh…it’s a backpack-style Tamrac. Is it possible to rock one of those?!