A new year and a new focal point

Anything that doesn't grow inevitably will disintegrate. Nothing remains the same for very long. This is after all essentially the nature of everything. My blog has been collecting dust during the past year, and I almost stopped taking photographs, too. Now it's time to puff some life into it again, or else it will die. I really don't know why I became so uninspired, but I obviously needed a new focal point. Now it's January again, and it's time for a fresh start. After doing some thinking, I've realized that I dream of a simpler life. I want less clutter, fewer possessions, more time for creative activities, my family and friends. I want the freedom to travel more. I want to live simpler. I want to pick up photography again, maybe other crafts, too. Is this at all possible? I'm not sure, but I'm willing to try. 

Last Summer, we had an unforgettable lunch in an utterly beautiful village in Southern France. We had fresh bread, wine, juice, cheese, paté de canard, fresh strawberries and honey cake. It was so simple, and yet so perfect. I want my life to be more like this: Simple is the ultimate goal, always. 

These are my goals for 2013:

1. Declutter our house, room by room, to create more space (and less time needed for cleaning)
2. Buy only what I actually need, not what I think I need or want, and save more money for travels
3. Make simple food, and finish all of the leftovers
4. Travel as much as possible
5. Make better photographs

There. Now I've said it out loud, so lets get on with it.

When in Paris

Photo: Eirin

I'm not the only photograper in my family. My daughter captured me walking the streets of Montmartre, and I think she nailed it. I really like this photo!

My girl was in Paris

A few days in Paris with my daughter, 15. She's bought a fabulous new dress, and we've both brought back invaluable memories from the city of light. Speaking of which, the light in Montmartre in the afternoon was perfect for portraits, and the dove gray wall provided beautiful contrast. 

Look at her!

f/2.8, 50mm, ISO 800, 1/200

My girl, 13

My girl is growing up. Now she's thirteen already. I focused on her eyes, the green, bright beautiful eyes she has. 

Natural light, 50mm lens, ISO 100, f/2.8

Workshop | Rebekah, a Portrait

A very long hiatus har finally come to an end. Somehow I lost track of photography during the hectic Spring and Summer. Photos have been taken, for sure, but none are published here as of yet. I will look into that later. 

This weekend I attended a workshop by the Norwegian photographer Anne Helene Gjelstad. It was truly inspiring, and I finally learned how to get a more precise focus in my portraits. I also learned a few new ways to arrange the foreground when taking pictures. Both skills will be used frequently. We worked a lot with light, both artificial and natural, with flashes and reflectors. Anne Helene is an enthusiastic photographer and a very good teacher with passion for her art. She brought with her a beautiful young girl, Rebekah, who patiently modeled for us. Isn't she something special? I took several good pictures of her, and here is my first try on processing it. I'm not sure if this is the final result, but I like it. 

Endelig en oppdatering på bloggen etter en lang, lang pause. På en eller annen måte forsvant fokuset på foto for meg i løpet av en hektisk vår og sommer. Bilder har selvfølgelig blitt tatt, men de har ikke havnet her - ennå. Det kan endre seg. 

I helgen har jeg deltatt på et kurs med fotografen Anne Helene Gjelstad. Det var utrolig morsomt og inspirerende, og jeg har nå endelig lært hva som skal til for å få god og riktig fokus i portretter. Jeg har lært mye om å utnytte forgrunnen i bilder bedre, og jeg har lært om lyssetting. Anne Helene er en entusiastisk og kunnskapsrik fotograf med sterk lidenskap for foto, og hun tar fantastisk fine bilder. Hun hadde med seg Rebekah, sin vakre niese, som tålmodig stod modell for oss. Er hun ikke noe helt for seg selv? Jeg tok flere spennende bilder av henne, og her er det første forsøket på en etterbehandling. Det kommer nok flere.

Lens: 50mm, f/2.8, 1/250, ISO 200