Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Heads or Facial Features
I was in DC last week. I had a great time visiting my sister and my nephew’s families. I don’t know since when I had had this problem: should I take photos or not? I like taking candid photos, and that means I have to have my camera ready all the time, and I constantly look for those moments. After doing that for a while, one day I suddenly realized that I had missed a lot of conversations with friends and families. So I stopped taking photos while chatting with them. Then, of course, I missed many great photo opportunities. Do you have same problem? Any good solution?
By the way, I will be away for a while and will not be able to post or visit your blog ;-( Take care and have wonderful weeks.
Here are a couple of photos I took last week. Kids grow up so fast… ;-(
Thanks for visiting my blog.
HHC Blog 
Very cute kids! Enjoy your time away, Helen. BTW–I was at a book store today and thought of you. I am a cookbook addict and saw one on the shelf: “Helen Chen’s Chinese Cooking.” I picked it up to be sure it was not by you! 😀
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Thanks, Lois. I know! I googled my name one day many years ago and found the other Helen Chen too. I have never tried her recipe. Maybe I should 😉 Hmm… maybe her cookbook will be a good Christmas gift to give others since it has my name on it … 😉
Take care.
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Don’t forget to autograph it! 😀
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Oh, yes. Thanks for reminding me 🙂
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Lovely photos, Helen! Have fun for whatever you will be doing or going. Will be thinking of you. 🙂
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Thanks, Amy. I’ll be thinking of everyone too. Whenever we have WIFI (most of the time not), I will check your post for sure. That makes me happy 😉
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Thank you, Helen! Always happy to see you here. 🙂
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Very cute kids! Great photos! ❤
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Thank you, Rozie. I think all kids are cute when they aren’t crying 😉
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Hahaha! You’re right about that! 😆
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Your photos Helen are precious as always. I usually only have my camera with me when I’m with Chris or another photographer. They expect me to be on the lookout. 😀 😀
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Thanks for answering my question, Cee. Nowadays, I try to enjoy my time with families or friends without taking any photos, and only bring the camera out for a limited time during gathering. Not sure it works well or not… I am still trying to figure this out. 😉
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I do have the same problem while travelling. I spent too much time taking photos of those picturesque villages, towns, landscape but missed a lot of time to “feel, embrace and appreciate” the surroundings with my heart.
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Thanks, Edward. Most of the time, I miss 90% of what tour guide said 😦 It seems like we have to visit the same place twice: one with camera and the other not.
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have a nice break – and oh my gosh – we have yet another thing in common – I also contemplate this many times.
I once stoopped taking photos for weeks and then we hit up this new restaurant and we were on the patio and the sun was going down and so I grabbed some footage. NObody rolled their eyes – like my one teen occasionally does – but that is kind of where he is at with his maturity- lol – anyhow, I grabbed some cool footage and was feeling all artsy – well later that day I lost every picture (accidentally deleted them) – and you know Helen – it was such a cool thing to experience because it allowed me to let go of the tangible memories (via pics) and appreciate the night for what it was. I can never capture that sunset behind my boys and their friends – never the way it was that night – and that is ok – cos it was fun just for that night. I think that experience helped me to let go and be free – sounds cheesy – but it was very moving.
anyhow, another story that comes to mind that really ties in here – and relates to your comment about to photo or not to – well on a different night we went out for a b-day and as were walking in this historic part of town, I asked everyone for a few photos for my blog. Everyone gladly obliged and actually posed – cos they were in the mood. and later when I saw a couple photos I rerally loved, I realized that if I did not have a reason to grab a photo I never would have taken any 0 and would have missed out on not only preserving the memory – but having a few artsy photos. So it is moments like this that keep me blogging and keep me involved in doing a few photo challenges – because it enriches my life like velvet.
But I do find that there are those times to just “Be” and not have a photo on the mind. Even though sometimes I feel so in the mode and I do it so subtly at times to where it is not even noticed and I am not lost doing a photo shoot. ha!
anyhow – your two photos here are wonderful in B & W – I like the professional feel to these candid shots – truly showing your great skill with the camera.
and the
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and the little princess dress – with the puff arm – has this regal feel to her shot – with her pigtail – and then the phone adds this contemporary touch because without it she could be the princess of another century – and the bottom photo facing in and with the subject to the left – has this nice flow from the first photo facing right – nicely paired.
such a beauitful post H. 🙂
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Thank you, Yvette. For a while, this little princess loved singing “Let it Go”, a song from the movie Frozen. I like that “Let it Go” idea 😉 I am still thinking though… Like you said, being able to preserve the memory is good. Is it possible that letting it go is not too bad either? Ha.
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Hi H – well I only saw frozen this year and loved it so much – and the timing of your reply is cool! Because yesterday in yoga – the instructor read a poem called let it go at the end!
I will send u the link she just sent me – it was unexpetecd and so cool!
And i guess she went to this group that uses yoga for healing –
Anyhow –
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Anyhow – and I hope u do not mind me bringing this up – but when I think of letting go – I actually sometimes remember you letting Go of your journals – I keep some of mine under my bed – hoping to find my garden analogies – and sometimes when I see them i think of you watching yours go….
And as I mature I feel a healthier detachment with things and with stuff -!
I want to be so content with nada – I mean stuff matters – but at the end of the day how much stuff do I want to leave behind for others to sort through! It helps me to get picky about what I keep -‘
And there is freedom in the open hand (vs a tight fist)
And now I am rambling – sorry – cooped up with a chest cold and on a second box of tissues !
Peom coming next!
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Lovely photos.
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Thank you, Lignum.
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I don’t know about friends and family because I don’t usually have camera on me for that.
I do feel the same guilt when I travel though. Even then, photography taught me to search, delve deep, look closer and really find beauty all around me when I travel,
Absolutely great and lovely portraits!
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Thanks, Rommel. We spent two days in St. Petersburg (Russia) in the recent trip. It rained one day and I decided not to take my camera with me. I thought I would pay attention to the tour guide for a change, but I ended up using my iPhone taking a lot of photos. Oh well… 😉
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What can I say that Yvette hasn’t said so beautifully? I tend not to take people shots because I’m not good at it. Not relaxed and natural enough maybe, but I did take a posed one at a Ruby Wedding recently, and it came out rather well. But living in the moment… balancing act! I don’t know the answer. 🙂
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Thanks, Jo. Last year when we had a family gathering, my husband and I took many photos and later, I made a photobook out of those photos. That was pretty nice.
I haven’t decided if I am going to take a lot of photos this year. Maybe every other year? Will that be considered as a good balancing act? 😉
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I would say so 🙂 Now I’ve got into the habit of taking them I can’t seem to stop, Helen 🙂
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Your photos are gorgeous! I’m also familiar with feeling the need to capture the great shot and having a camera on hand at all times. I was lucky once to get to go on safari after my camera was stolen and it was a whole new experience for me. At the same time, I love my safari photos from previous trips 🙂 Good luck finding that balance!
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Helen it seems like we have both been doing some thinking lately about photos. I usually have a camera ready, if nothing else my phone. I hear what you are saying about it being a distraction however I have found that because of looking for photos I am seeing more detail than before. I notice the small things such as a tiny flower breaking free fro ma crack in the sidewalk. Perhaps here too there is a balance to be found.
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Lovely photos. I often forget about my camera altogether when I’m with friends and family. Later I regret not taking my camera out. It’s a compromise, but I think a few posed photos capture the gathering and allows time for conversation.
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