Today’s Film Friday shout-out goes out to my son, Asa, who will be turning 7 next week. As usual, I’m filled with a mix of pride and nostalgia at birthday time. I long, so deeply, to keep him young. He’s so sweet right now. I can still hold his hand in public; He still wants to be tucked in at night followed with a goodnight kiss; He still hugs me hard and tells me he loves me; I can still tickle him out of a bad mood. I hate that this will be replaced one day with sullen glares and “whateeever” attitudes. That period in every child’s life where hormones are king and parents, in a sense, lose them. Never to return to the way things once were. Ok, how depressing is that? Please tell me I’m not the only Mom that has these thoughts?

On the complete flip side though, we are our children’s #1 fan. We push and champion progress and independence. We proudly boast about this or that accomplishment. We truly want to see them succeed at every milestone. So, what is with the mixed-bag-o-nuts emotions when it comes to growing up?

Anyway, enough of my neurosis. Another year means another birthday photo shoot! Actually, these are two separate photo shoots. One of the (many) lessons I have learned photographing my children is I HAVE to keep it short. I just can’t push them beyond 30-45 minutes or anarchy ensues.

And on that note, could a face get any sweeter than this?

Even though I have to keep our sessions short, I dare say he enjoyed himself. Looks like I have finally broken this wildling.

Asa said on the bottom left photo  ”oh, man. A skateboard would have made it SO much better.” I agreed. Which is why I got him a skateboard for his birthday. shhh…

I am especially fond of the next set of photos as these were all shot in and around my neighborhood in Highland Village. Highland Village started out as a vacation spot for Parkies (Highland Park) in the 50s and 60s around Lake Lewisville and no two homes were built alike. So each street has a lot of character.

I spied the little red sports car in a driveway and knocked on the door to ask if it was ok to take pictures around it. The owner, a very kind woman, said of course we could! She seemed tickled that we were interested and hung around watching us. Not in an I-don’t-trust-you kind of way she genuinely seemed friendly and curious. She noticed I was shooting with a film camera and we talked about that. She told us a little about the car and how she had lived in Highland Village since the 70′s and raised her family in this very house. She was especially enamored with Asa. I could see the twinkle in her eye as she talked to him. He was eating it up. Older people and children just seem to have a secret understanding of each other, don’t you think? She told him “if you like this car, wait till you see what I have in the garage.”

I heard the classic rumble of an old car starting and out came this beautiful, candy-apple-red (actually the same red as the other car) Corvair. She told us that her late husband had restored both cars and let us take pictures in and around it too. She even got Asa phone books to sit on in the drivers seat. After we were done she asked if we wanted to go for a ride in the Corvair. Heck yes! We hopped in and she took us for a spin. Asa pointed out a house where one of his friends lived and she let him honk the horn as we passed by it. They both got a kick out of that.

This is just one of the many reasons why I love photography. What other reason would I have had to go knock on her door and have her trust us enough to give us a ride? Photography gets you out there exploring and meeting people. And the best part is, I shared this adventure with my son. One of my favorite quotes from Annie Leibovitz’s book is, “The camera gives you a license to go out alone into the world with a purpose.” So true. No matter if you are shooting film or digital, get out there and go have an adventure!

All taken with Mamiya ProTL Fuji 400H and TriX 400

In the spirit of Mother’s Day this Sunday, I’d like to share a blog that someone was kind enough to share on Facebook. Hands Free Mama It has forever changed how I view my time spent in my children’s presence. I know as parents we can’t do EVERYTHING right. We are inevitably going to do something that our children will be talking to a therapist about later in life. To err is human, right? But this is one simple act we can do. And deep down we have known all along that it was wrong but temptation is strong. Distraction feels good. And it seems so.. harmless. But it’s not. Read it. We need this wake up call! And maybe then you won’t miss the one-and-only goal your son makes during soccer season because you were too busy looking at your phone. True story.

Now go honor and thank the women who have helped shape your life and have a great Mother’s Day. Happy Film Friday!

Geek info
Top photo: Kodak TriX400 on Mamiya
Bottom photos: 35mm Kodak TriX400 on Pentax

We wrap up the Louisiana trip with a special treat. For these rolls of film I decided to try RPL’s infamous Frontier scanner, over the Noritsu scanner. Just google this topic and you will see there is a lot of talk/discussion/debate on which scanner is superior. yadayada. I’m not going to pretend to have an expert opinion on the matter.  I’ll just show you a few examples and my 2cents. So take it with a grain of salt.

There’s definitely a difference between the two that I’m trying to put my finger on. The color is different. The greens are deep, while the skin tone is a little more…red? Why does the word “juicy” come to mind? Is it just more saturation? It also seems to have more contrast. More blacks, maybe?  I’m still trying to figure it out but whatever it is, I like it! There is a drawback, though. One huge, giant, deal-breaker drawback. I waited 3 WEEKS for these scans to come back. That’s right. I thought one week was a long time to wait but 3 weeks is unbearable! It felt as if time were standing still. 3 weeks? With the potential to be even longer during busy season? *groooooooaaaan* So since patience is not my strong suit, these may be the last we will ever see from the Frontier.

Here is where a reflector or bounced light would have been helpful. I metered for Chloe on the swing who was in deep shadow. But that ended up overexposing the background of my mom’s beautifully lush backyard. What a cool shot this would have been.

Let the record show that Chloe wanted me to take a picture of her with her eyes closed. She’s in the act of asking me in the left photo. lol. Sometimes you just have to oblige them.

another digital vs film. Can you tell which one is which?

I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw this next one. It is SO RARE to get them both together, looking natural and happy. I kept expecting to see bunny ears snuck in there or one with a sullen expression. Nope. A lucky shot, indeed!

This is the end of the fim photos from Louisiana. I do have some digital but, eh, who wants to deal with that.

Anyway,  back to the present.  A couple of weeks ago Julia and I came together to work on her modeling portfolio. I really tried to bring more of a “fashion” edge than what I normally do. I thought she did a great job picking out the clothing, too! Unbelievably, these photos were all taken within a 3 mile radius of my home in Lewisville. I am always eager to try new areas but sometimes even your own backyard can have unexpected surprises.

And, oh! what is this? Julia at just 10 years old holding Asa in the hospital. hehe! Happy birthday Juju! We love you!

FYI, the beach photos (aka Cajun Riviera) were taken with kodak tri-x 400 with Mamiya. The rest were kokak tri-x 35mm with Pentax.

I first photographed The Steeles almost 2 years ago, which is hard to believe. I was once again touched by this family and their grace at dealing with illness while maintaining normalcy for their children. A person could learn a lot about the proper way to deal with life’s ups and downs just by hanging out with this family. No matter what life deals out you can be certain they will have a smile on their face.

Thank you Steeles for a fantastic afternoon. May the Wind Gods show mercy on us next time!  ;)

Last month, we went on a spring break trip to Louisiana to see my family. This was actually Chloe’s first time to ever step foot in Cajun Land. I had to break it to the children that they were half Coonass. lol. That’s right. Wear that badge of honor with pride, kids.

I schlepped ALL my photo gear, digital and film, all the way to Louisiana. I know my husband thinks I’m absolutely INSANE. This is a family trip. Not an expedition. I just wasn’t sure if I should rely solely on film. Seven days and 10 rolls of film later I realized I shot very little digital. And you know what I did with all those roles of film? I popped them into an envelope and waved goodbye to them. Then danced a little jig knowing that I would not have to lift a finger once I received them back. They would be perfect just the way they were. The digital images I did take are still sitting in their RAW format waiting patiently for me to cull, edit and then convert to jpg. In fact, I still have all the digital images from our anniversary trip (6 months ago) just sitting there. Raw and unedited. What a shame! It’s amazing what a weight has been lifted off my busy shoulders by film.

There IS a draw back to film, though. THE COST. The cost alone is a huge deterrence and I can see now why digital eventually choked out film. First you have to buy the film, typically online because there are so few camera shops around anymore, so add shipping. Then shipping to send the film to the lab, then the lab processing fee, then they charge shipping to send it back to you. All together, I have figured out it costs me about $2.50 for every click of the shutter. So you can see why digital is so appealing. Digital has it’s own set of cons, though. For example, you must buy and repeatedly upgrade expensive software just to be able to manipulate the files. Not to mention expensive memory cards, censor cleanings and additional hard drive space to store all that data.

So, you might notice I’ve lately been going back and forth between digital vs film. Film, in my opinion, is far superior at capturing detail and nuance. And the colors I find almost…edible. Does that sound weird? However, my digital camera is fast and sharp. I certainly could not imagine trying to photograph a busy toddler with my slow-as-molasses Mamiya and a manual focus lens. Yet, digital lacks the warmth film naturally has. I also feel like sometimes I “miss” moments with my film camera. I know that with every “click” I spend money, so I’m less decisive.

The internal debate continues and I think it’s too soon for me to rule out integrating film into my work but one thing is for sure, I will be using film for most of my personal photos. There is a special feeling I get knowing that I am using the same practices that hark back to the birth of photography: Recording light on light sensitive material. And no amount of “film look” photoshop actions can replace that.

So far, I have been using RPL to process/scan my film. This is the lab that all the rock stars of film use and you will not be disappointed if you use them. However, you will also pay dearly. Several hundred dollars into it, my film hobby soon felt like I had a gambling problem. I thought it might be time to look for an alternative and my research brought me to NCPS A significantly cheaper (and faster) lab than RPL.

In an effort to compare the two labs, I split 10 rolls of film between RPL and NCPS. This first post consists of scans from NCPS only. First up, Medium Format. Fuji 400H.

Not bad!  The following were taken with my 35mm Pentax k1000 using kodak portra 400

So, not overly impressed with the 35mm scans. They all seemed really dark. (I had to bump curves in several) And this is confusing to me since I used a light meter and applied the same technique as I used with the medium format. Meter for shadow and overexpose by one stop. Also, several had dark streaks and little specks all over. I think they took great care with the 120 rolls but half-assed the 35mm. It’s hard to say though, as I’m still learning and these were two different films.

Details:

•  photos will be captured on medium format, black & white film
•  location will be a “studio set-up” in my home in Lewisville, Tx
•  a CD of images will be gifted at no cost.

Photographing with black & white film and a simple backdrop will keep the emphasis on Mother/child connection, while emitting fine art quality. This is very special and personal subject matter for me and I will take great care in honoring it.

If you are a single Mom or know a deserving single Mom, please email me at <jenny@jennymccann.com> or share this information with them. Availability is limited.

Details on dates will follow.

Looking forward to hearing from all you fabulous single Moms out there!

My good friends at the Garden Ridge Farmers Market asked me to take some photos for them a few weeks ago. This is an amazing little market that I am lucky enough to live next to. Garden Ridge Farmers Market brings the farm to Lewisville with farm fresh fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef, locally canned vegetables, plant and garden nursery, lawn decor and German-inspired deli meats. I highly recommend their homemade ice cream. mmmmm…. the peach is divine! Support local businesses and go check them out! 

for anyone interested the above two were taken with Kodak Ektar 100, the bottom b+w with kodak bw400cn and the rest on Fuji 400H. All shot with Mamiya 645 Pro-TL

The above indoor photos were taken with digital. And the below flamingo photos are a digital vs film comparison.  The right is film taken with an 80mm lens, the left digital with 85mm lens. Same settings. Look at the loss of detail in the concrete pot bottom right and highlights on the flamingos. Look at how the building keeps it’s rich deep red color while the digital gets washed out. Look how the bushes keep their true green hue in film. Perhaps this is nit-picking but I am appreciating film more and more these days.

…without sounding like a Drill Sargent.

Last week, whilst doing a photo shoot with my son, we ran into another family getting their portraits taken. There were 3 kids and WOW, were they having a hard time with them! The mom continually screamed as they ran around behaving like…well, kids. The photographer just stood there silent missing the opportunity to defuse the situation. It was so bad I had to resist the urge to offer my assistance. Asa even noticed it and said “that Mom is MEAN!”. The more she yelled the worse they got.

So, as both a parent of small children AND a photographer I thought I would offer my suggestions. I’m no expert but I believe the best defense is good offense. A successful photo session with children often rests on destroying the enemy’s…er, I mean children’s, ability to attack. : ) This starts before you even leave the house. Here are my suggestions for parents:

1. Home front.  If you have small children (under the age of 7) choose a location that is close to your home. No more than a 10-12 minute drive away. The shorter the better. This means that you as the parent might have to do a little scouting of your own to find a location that fits your needs, if your photographer can’t do it.  Trust me on this one. A long drive will only serve to recharge those little monster batteries or *gasp* cause them to fall asleep. And how happy are you if someone wakes you from a perfectly good nap!

2. Don’t underestimate the power of a nap. Schedule picture day on a day when you have minimal activities and the kids can nap. Don’t think that your child can play a soccer game in the morning, swim in the afternoon, then be ready and willing for pictures in the evening. (oh yes, this has happened to me) Set the scene at home the day before. “ok, tomorrow is picture day. Everyone is going to take a nap so that we are in our best moods!” I also, use guilt trips. “this is very important to me. I really want to have good pictures of you guys so that when I’m an old lady I can say ‘Look how beautiful my babies were!’ It would really hurt my feelings if you don’t behave.”..etc. This one usually works on my son AND my husband. Double score!

3. Make them an offer they can’t refuse. Yeah, that’s right. Bribery. Probably the most unsavory trick I have up my sleeve but if you put yourself in your child’s mind you will see that they couldn’t give two flips about portraits. BUT if cooperating means they get a treat after, well then you’ve just spoken their “what’s in it for me” language. For the littlies it can be something as simple as ice cream after. As they get older, the stakes get higher, though. I have promised new Nike shoes in return for cooperation. Take advantage of whatever their weakness is but there HAS to be an incentive to behave. The drive to the photo shoot is an excellent time to discuss their “pay off”.

4. Chill. And last but not least, Mom,  Dad… CALM.DOWN. It’s a photo shoot, not a kidney transplant. This is the perfect time to practice your go-with-the-flow skills. Like it or not, the shortest people in the family run the show. If you have hired an experienced photographer, I guarantee they have run into difficult children before, so don’t get embarrassed by your kids behavior.  Kids can sense you getting upset/uptight and it only makes the situation worse. If you followed my advice above you have done all you can do. Plus, it doesn’t have to be perfectly posed everyone-look-at-camera-and-say-cheese for good photos to turn out. Some of my favorite photos of my kids are of them being silly and not even looking at the camera. Also, keep an eye out for mini session specials. These are PERFECT for young children. Outfit changes, location changes and posing for 2 hours is a lot to ask even for adults, let alone children with the attention span of a gnat.

Mamiya 645 Fuji400H

For photographer’s:

1. Bring out your inner Nerd. This is the time to let your guard down. I’ve done some pretty ridiculous things to get a genuine smile. From fart noises to having a race with camera in hand (not the wisest idea, fyi). Sometimes I cringe after a shoot thinking about the things I’ve said or done. Surely, they think I’m nuts. But I’m a slave for the genuine smile. I’ll do anything for it. And kids just can’t fake it. So get comfortable with actin’ a fool cause they make you work for it.

2. Keep moving. This helps with the whole “attention span of a gnat” problem. Shoot in one spot/pose for no more than a few minutes. Then move again and again and again. The goal is to keep them from losing interest and camping out in one spot is guaranteed to get boring for kids.

3. Give them something to do. Making them repeat something silly back to me is my go-to and STILL works on my own kids to this day. (As long as it’s ok with the parents) “My dad wears pink panties” always gets a giggle or we’ll play the “what’s grosser than gross” game (boys love this one!) Or make them scream at the top of their lungs “Happy New Year!”, etc…whatever pops into my head. And then I love giving them something to do. Like “run to that tree and then run back as fast as you can!”, “I want to see your best spin”, “Jump off this chair as high as you can!” Then I make a huge deal about it “That was the highest jump I have ever seen in my life! Can you do it again?” Making a game out of it really helps to get the sillies out.

4. Preemptive Action. If a child is not cooperating and you sense Mom/Dad are getting frustrated, don’t be afraid of an impromptu change of course. I’ll say, “hey, I was wondering if you would walk over here with me. I saw a really cool spot earlier”. I’ll hold their hand as we walk or I’ve even given piggie back rides, all the while talking and asking questions about school or their friends, etc. It only takes a few minutes but walking away from the group can really help to defuse a potentially tense situation.

I hope these tips help you, whether you are parent or photographer! Happy Film Friday.

Mamiya 645 Fuji400H