Samples

This is a necklace Elle S. made and wanted me to photograph for her Etsy shop.  I tried using the rule of thirds and a shallow depth of field to make it stand out.  I like the green background with the white focal point but the lights through the leaves are a little distracting.  

Here's another necklace with the same techniques.  It was hard to get the detail of the necklace in focus, plus it was blowing in the wind a little.  The green looks better in this shot.

Kenzie's feet when painting on the sidewalk.  I am learning that it's okay to focus on one part of the body and not just get the whole subject in the photograph.  That was a hard thing to swallow at first--I wanted each picture of my kids to show their faces.  The foot doesn't exactly follow the rule of thirds but I think it turned out cute.

I love this shot of Sydney painting a happy face.  I'm proud of my artistic eye in this one, especially considering its quick composition.

Another one that shows the beginnings of my artistic eye.  Kenzie's little hands resting on her pudgy tummy are just so adorable.  I like how she is against the right side and the focal point--her hands--are elevated to the top of the frame.

A cute girl I saw playing outside our apartments.  I thought the leading lines of the walkway were great for the composition of the shot.  Her self-dressed outfit is classic and her face clearly shows apprehension at me, a stranger, taking her photograph.  I showed her mother the picture and she wasn't very impressed--she thought the girl's expression was horrible and her outfit was embarrassing--but I think it's worth admiring.

I think this shot may have been taken on auto mode.  It was just a pretty sunset after taking some photos with Elle one night.  It wasn't purposefully composed or anything but it's a pretty view.