warning: the twins pick out their own clothes now.  my apologies to your eyeballs.

impromptu dance parties. that is what keeps us sane during the day with 2 year old twins at home. usually (like i said in the last post) it is a request for “the nienies” which is what they call the chipmunks (and i have no idea why.)  now, it was funny for the first few times to me, the next couple (hundred) for gemma still, but the twins have YET to tire of it. we listen to a lot of my favorite music, but sometimes it is nice to pop in something just for the kids. since the gleam has worn off the actual chipmunks cd from over-play, we were THRILLED to find some new music that the twins would dig and i could not only stand, but actually like!

released yesterday and already charting on itunes, you can check out some snipits of the songs and click on the link to buy the album right on dofunstuff.net with 100% of the profits going to a great cause. if you have ears and kids, you will love this album.

sesame ellis’ kids approve.

I met an amazing photographer, Ryan Marshall, at BlogHer and as I have had a chance now to get to know him better through his blog, I can see that he and his wife, Cole, are incredible parents and all around good people.  I kinda (ok, really) wish they lived next door.  I have a feeling that they don’t do anything halfway (I mean, have you SEEN the maternity photo series that got him all famous and stuff!)

Their 6 year old, LB, has been diagnosed with a rare disorder called Smith-Magenis Syndrome and from what I can tell in the year since the diagnosis they have become outstanding advocates for that little boy.  Proof to the point that nothing with them is limited, Ryan has put together a benefit album with 100% of the proceeds going to a grant fund that he established (I know, impressive enough right there) so that grad students can have money to study and research SMS.

Some people put on a bake sale, Ryan does this:

I have already bought my copy. It is hip music for your kids and has now THANK YOU RYAN MARSHALL replaced the soundtrack from the chipmunks movie as our dance party house music. Please buy your copy and tell your friends to tell their friends and so on…like a game of telephone, but better.

With work on our book in full swing, I have been thinking about documenting family life through photography a lot lately.  I have always been one to carry my camera with me almost all the time and my D3 has never seen the inside of a closet…it is always out and ready to go.  With the book work taking over, I find that my camera is clicking a lot, but not with my own family.  Every single memory card is currently filled with client work that is in process. Shooting with only one pro digital camera body has meant that I don’t have one at the ready to photograph the little life moments that I collect.I have been sad that I handed down the family point and shoot to Gemma since I find myself wanting to take shots and for once having no camera on me to take them… I think I was going into photo blogging withdrawls and then I got an email.

Samsung contacted me about reviewing one of their newest point and shoot cameras.  To be honest, I had not considered Samsung before (even though we have one of their giant TVs on both floors of our house) as a camera maker.  When I read about the special features that this little camera had to offer, I knew it was something I had to try.
Let me introduce you to the newest member of my camera collection, and one that is now on me at all times, the Samsung PL150!

First of all, this camera has a 1.5″ front LCD in addition to the 3″ one on the back. Your subjects can see themselves while you take the shot, but even better, YOU can see YOURSELF for self portraits! You can now get in the shot with your kids and not have to guess where everyone is in the frame while you hold the camera out at arm’s length.

(nobody panic…we were not actually driving at the time) how cool is the in camera editing into black and white!  The camera saves a new file for you with your edits and in addition to the black and white, you can do things like miniature (think tilt shift), vignette, portrait retouching, color effects and more!

Now talking about kids and being in photos, let me just mention again how OVER photos Clover is?  Well, this camera has a solution for photographing jaded babies of photographers (and any other kid who just WILL. NOT. LOOK. at the camera). Children’s mode is a unique feature of this clever little camera. Remember that front LCD I mentioned? In children’s mode it turns into your assistant and plays a cartoon with this little clown and a ball and silly noises.

I was skeptical at first, but I turned that thing on and all 3 of my children were suddenly in front of the camera and smiling.  Ok, so not all at once, but this feature even gets Gemma’s attention each time.

When the kids are no longer interested in the clown, there are a bunch of other free animations you can download and install to keep them looking at your camera! No more making goofy noises and waving like a crazy person to get your kids to look your way, the camera will discreetly do that for you.  Brilliant!  WHY hasn’t anyone thought of this before? No matter, the camera designers at Samsung have now and that is what counts.

The front LCD screen also serves an important role in another of this camera’s unique program settings, Jump Mode.  The camera can be set to count down for your subjects before the shutter is released 3 different times.  Not only does the jumper know when to jump, but then the whole thing is caught in 3 different shots so that you are sure to catch on mid air.

With the slight tilt that is built into the actual camera body, you can do self portraits without a tripod as the camera leans back just the perfect amount to get a better angle.  Use those two features together and you can easily catch yourslef looking like this:

Come on, you know you want to.

Above all else, the images from this point and shoot are great.  Just have a look at some of the photographs from last week as they really do speak for themselves.

Thank you Samsung for sending me the PL150 to review.  There will be more reviews of the other features in the future in upcoming posts and I am setting up a Samsung PL150 album on the sesame ellis facebook page.  This tiny little 12 megapixel gem of a camera is on me all the time now.  And because it is, I did not miss any of those moments above and we can always remember the day that Clover fell in love with a purple balloon.

Australian residents listen up!  Samsung is offering my readers $50 CASH BACK when you buy one of these great little Samsung PL150 cameras.
Here is the fine print made really BOLD:

Australian resident, bought from an AU retailer* with a valid receipt , offer expires June 15th, and receipt must be posted before July 1st.

*Participating retailers:

Big W
Bing Lee
Dick Smiths
Good Guys, Muris
Harvey Norman
JB HiFi
Retravision
Target
Teds Camera House
WOW

The buyer then sends a copy of their receipt with their name and address and Rachel Devine Promotion to:
Samsung PL150 Cashback Promotion
PO Box 1257
Darlinghurst NSW 1300

Want more detaily details about the PL150 from the Samsung people themselves? Click Here.

Join Samsung Capture on Facebook to keep in touch with PL150 specials and promotions! http://facebook.com/samsungcapture

clover has decided that she will just go on and go downstairs by herself now, but see, she can’t.  so she falls.  i love how the lensbaby accentuates her descending ”technique”.

the twins are still addicted to their pacifiers, but i am trying (stop laughing) trying to keep them to bedtime only.  it is just so easy to plug ‘em…cause the twins are dramatic and require a lot of appeasing.  i am all for comfort at bedtime though so don’t even try to give me the giving up the pacifier/thumb sucking/security object advice.

i decided to try the lensbaby on my old d200 this weekend and while of course it fit, i prefer this lens on my d3.  i just found the viewfinder on the d200 too dark and hard to use when i was focusing with the lensbaby and the crop factor was too tight.  i am thinking that by the end of the year, i may need to get a d700 so that i can always be shooting with 2 cameras (since i prefer prime lenses it makes sense) and my d200 will get passed down to my protégé.

may has begun and with it unfolds a very busy time.  it also means that our first book deadline is fast approaching so my words here will be sparse, i will just have to fall back on my visual storytelling skills.

the lensbaby tag line is “see in a new way”

and i am finding it easy to do just that.

this lens really does transform the mundane into simple beauty.

it is nice to be free from a self imposed sense of precision in my images.

and to see the hidden perfection in the imperfect.

i am enjoying this lensbaby more than i could have imagined in ways that continue to surprise me.

tech details:
lensbaby composer with double glass optic (sponsored by lensbaby.com)
nikon d3
very very last light of the day

lensbaby has generously given me a lensbaby composer lens to review and work with.  i am so excited to add this unique dimension to my work and i am taking the blog along with me as i learn something new.

i have long admired the work that deb schwedhelm and jefra linn have done with lensbabies and have wondered if i could incorporate the distinct look into my work as deb, jefra and i  all have such different styles.

yesterday i took the lens out of the box and had a very short play with it.  i think gemma gave me about 5 shots to figure it out (my kids are a tough crowd.)  these were taken without bending the lens to adjust the “sweet spot” of focus as i was just trying to make sure that i could figure out how to focus (where the heck did i put my glasses?…this is like manual focus through a peep hole) and the metering.  it proved very easy (found my glasses and the d3 diopter!) to do both, so in less than a half dozen shots, i was able to get these.  i quite like them and i know that i can do some fun work with this lens.

this is just the beginning of many “learning lensbaby” posts to come.  i decided not just to do one review, but a series of them as i grow with my new equipment.

it has only been two days, but what i have found out so far is that it is not so much if the lensbaby will fit with my style, but how i can expand my style to work with the new tool.  i think it is very important to go out of my comfort zone to find new ways of seeing the world around me…look, an entire life lesson in one tiny lens.

coming soon, using the new lens with my studio lights and in some kid fashion shoots.

the sigma 24mm f/1.8 macro lens (for my nikon d3) arrived this afternoon while the twins were napping and my camera battery was charging.  i loved having a wide angle lens when i shot with film, but i sold it many years ago.  this was a range that i was missing from my equipment and really interested in working with again.  while the new nikon 24mm f/1.4G is without a doubt kickass, i will never be able to justify the cost.  if i shot weddings or was a photojournalist, it would make sense, but not for what i do.  after a lot of research online, i decided to give sigma a try.  i have never owned a sigma lens.  i did not really have a good reason for that, just never thought about them as an option.  when i started looking, i was really impressed with the photographers i found using sigma gear.

so by the time everyone was home, fed and the battery was ready, i was left with cruddy light and dirty and tired models.  i was too excited to wait another day though, so on the lens went and i gave it a whirl.

gemma noticed i had a new lens.  (i was very proud.)  her interest faded after 2 shots.  kind of fun though…the bobblehead distortion makes her look younger!

left: one shot that kieran “took” while i held the camera and clover.  kieran likes to push buttons…he is also and excellent garage door shutter, washing machine starter and crosswalk signal alerter.    right: kiki hunting baby in the backyard.  i do not understand how i get the ONLY crazy ragdoll cat in the world.  every other ragdoll cat i meet is docile and mine is the one with the attitude problem.  sigh.

being a macro, this lens can really get in close and focus.   kiki actually bit my camera today (see?  crazy!)  it gets that close.

verdict (on the lens, not the cat).
great lens for the price!
pros:
feels solid and well built
focuses fairly quickly.  no hunting around even in the dim light.
beautiful balance of sharpness and shallow depth of field at f/2.2, but still pretty sharp wide open.   i just found the focus was falling ever so slightly in front at f/1.8….that could be user error though.  ;)
colors rendered well

cons:
you have to clean up because it shows everything in your messy living room that you could hide from the 50mm.

so hello there, Sigma.  i am sorry that i have never given you a chance before.  welcome to my camera bag.  i had better go and see what else you have…i have heard there is a sweet 70-200mm f/2.8 in your catalog.

sometimes i am a little too enthusiastic about photography…that is why peta and i started beyond snapshots.  if you join us for any of our classes (only one seat left for the next class so hurry if you are interested) or workshop talks, be prepared for over sharing.  i have a lot of information and frankly, alec is no longer interested.  i start talking about my search for the best wide angle lens for the money and i can see his eyes glaze over and i can almost read the thought bubble hovering above his head “please make her stop talking.”  i recognize the look…it is the same one i have when he speaks cycling.

i can’t help it.  i just get really excited about things i love.

these guys pretend to be enthusiastic, but really they just want a cookie.  in fact gemma would like 3 cookies.  never too early to bribe.  there is your free tip for the day.

but one thing that is amazing to have when you are learning a craft and excited about the work you are producing is a community of like minded friends.  it is a lifesaver (for husbands like alec.)

that is exactly what you get with clickin moms!  these women have created a friendly and beautiful community where you can virtually hang out with people who are actually interested in your in camera settings.

clickin moms is the newest sponsor here on the blog and to celebrate having them join the sidebar we have a contest for 2 people to win a year subscription each to their information packed forum!

How great is that?  Here is what you need to do to have a chance to win, leave a comment here on my blog (facebook comments do not count, so if you are reading this on facebook, click on over to the site to leave your note) and tell me something photo related…something that would bore the pants off your kid or trigger eye rolls from your partner.  i am listening.

what are you excited about today?

have you found a great photoblog?

want a new lens?

are trying new processing?

going to your first photo/blogging conference?

ANYTHING.

I will be picking 2 random comments as the winners so get clickin.

the contest is now closed, but i love hearing your stories, so if you landed here and have something to share, tell me! like i said, i am listening!

Random Picks:
Congratulations to Julia Avina and Natalie Barnes!

American Baby Magazine is having a cover photo contest and they are looking for the cutest baby/toddler. Since you have the cutest baby/toddler right in your own home, I am encouraging you all to enter!  The winner gets to be the cover child on the August issue of American Baby.  The deadline is March 31st and your child has to be between the ages of 3 and 24 months on the date of submission.

Whether it is photography or kid related, it is always fun to enter contests.  Take this opportunity to take some wonderful shots of your kids and then enter them…you really have nothing to lose.
Make sure you capture the best of your child…make their personality shine.  Get the smiles, giggles and the more pensive moments as well.

You don’t have to do anything fancy for this and it can’t be professional, but that does not mean that it has to be bad.  Some random tips to think about when you take the shot.  Simple clothing and background is best, but they don’t have to be boring.  Indirect light is so flattering and placing your child in a doorway, under the shade of your front porch or by a window makes for wonderful big catch lights in the eyes.  You can get indirect light while out and about as well, the stroller is my favorite mobile studio!  Another idea is to make your own light with an external flash.  Attach it to your camera, turn the flash head around to point behind you and bounce the light off a white wall or the ceiling (like in the last shot).

Here are a few shots of my babies to get you inspired:

Have any questions about entering the contest, click here for the official FAQ.

Whatever you do, have fun and celebrate the most beautiful baby in the world, yours!

i have heard it all.  from various people.  however differently they said it, they all meant the same thing… the twins are too old for bottles.

thank you to the many strangers who have preached to offered me advice, i think it is wonderful that your child was drinking from a regular cup in utero.

i went out and bought various drink containers.  we have the straw, the sippy, the sigg.  all hold and dispense water just fine, but put milk in them and it is another story to these guys.

you just try to take those bottles away from them.

in my opinion, there are plenty of other things to obsess over as a parent, but i am taking the “i’ll parent mine, you parent yours” stance.

i highly doubt that they will be 22 and still starting the morning with a nice cold evenflo.  in a blink of an eye, they will be having coffee with me.

so go on…call them babies. they are babies.