A Little in All of Us

Nikon D200, 85mm, 1/80 @ f/2.8, ISO 100 ambient light

There's something inherently photographic about a curious, energetic little boy. They bring so many questions to the table for an aging, curious, energetic photographer. When did I grow up? How is it that these precious times fade so quickly into adulthood? Can I still be curious?

What do I remember about my own energetic childhood? Was I every bit as curious, contemplative and free? All I can do now is be thankful for that time long gone. It was rich and inspiring, fleeting and yet most impressive. Thanks for letting me take these photographs.

Nikon D200, 85mm, 1/250 @ f/2.0, ISO 100 SB800 through 60" umbrella, camera left; CLS

Nikon D200, 230mm, 1/160 @ f/5.3, ISO 320 ambient light

Nikon D200, 85mm, 1/160 @ f/3.2, ISO 200 SB800 through 60" umbrella, camera left; CLS

For those of you interested ... one of the things I've learned over the past few shoots I've done is that I've dramatically improved the sharpness of my images. There are two things that I lend credibility to: Not always relying on auto-focus and stop trying to hold the camera still by choking it to death. If there is little motion in the frame composition I manually focus. If the subject is all over the place I'll opt for auto-focus.

When I hold the camera, I still cradle the lens in my left hand and hold the camera by its grip in my right hand (finger on the trigger) but ... as with a golf swing, I use soft hands. I don't press the viewfinder to my forehead for stability like I'm branding a calf anymore. I found that the body transfers much more movement to the camera the more rigidly you hold your muscles. Just relax.