Stay tuned!

We're going unplugged for about a week. See you on the other side!

Swimmingly

My oldest son had his final summer swim lesson today (he took two sessions) and did very well. He has been taking lessons at various places for years, but our limited access to a good pool hasn't helped him keep his skillset above water. Because of that, he went from a kid too scared to put his head below the water to being relaxed in the water to the point of simply liking to float. He can swim, but has a ways to go before he can really "swim."

We're going to the beach soon (not the best for swimming, but we'll have one night in a motel with a pool) and might also head back to Grandma and Grandpa's lake house in a few weeks. Hopefully he'll keep his fishy mojo alive with more dips in the water.

I'd recommend for any parent to start putting their kids in swim lessons NOW. Lessons for kids teach about swimming to the wall and climbing out if they fall in the pool. The important thing is that kids are comfortable enough to be calm when it comes to saving themselves. Do it NOW!

My camera loves me

An enduring family portait

This family photo has survived untold decades, although it is starting to show some wear (and has a rip on the right). I'd like to tell you that it is my great-great grandpappy Jebidiah Overman, his wife Hannah Patience Sampson-Overman, and their son Willy James Overman. But the fact is, I have no idea who these people were!

The image was in a beautifully appointed frame when I first saw it, and that's what caught my eye as I drove past. Someone was throwing the framed photo away. Me, being an unashamed Curb Shopper, swooped in to rescue the frame. The photo was a pleasant bonus. I forgot I had the photo – since removed from its safe haven in the frame – until I rediscovered it recently. The image is inked over in several places (note the man's strange hands and the gloves drawn over the woman's hands), surely an early Photoshop user in the making. There were no telltale incriptions to firmly date or place the image or name its subjects. I plan to do some research into at least the type of image and when the aforementioned embellishments were common.

With today's modern printing processes and inks, the hope is that family portraits will be enjoyed for generations. That was probably the case with the antique portrait, although I'm guessing the lack of sentimentality from its previous owners was more because it was an antique-store find rather than a treasured family heirloom. The point being, all those digital photos of your family you're taking now? Print some of them! Stick them in an album. Make them into a photo book! Have your favorites printed large and frame them, enjoying them on your wall. Out of sight out of mind ... we forget about photos we've taken, but also hard drives crash. CDs scratch. Photos can so easily be lost forever. All we have to do is take a cue from the past and see that printing is a lasting way to preserve photos that also lets us enjoy them.

Better yet, why not take the time to have a professional family portrait made this summer? Whether you want a traditional photograph more akin to the one pictured above (without those whack lace gloves) or something that shows your family's unique personalities in a favorite setting, give me a call! There will be no time exactly like now. Preserve the moment now, pass down that portrait through generations and, maybe someday, it will show up on the curb for someone else to enjoy.

An updated vehicle for adventurous nerds

Stopped by my local Subaru dealer a few weeks back to see if they had a 2010 Outback in stock. There was one (pictured at top), but as it was Sunday I didn't have to fight off salespeople. It's definitely a change from the previous generation (my 2005 version pictured here also). The thing is beefier on the outside and more refined on the inside. I walked away from it perfectly satisfied and happy with the one I already own. The more truck-like cues might convince owners of gas-guzzling SUVs to convert to a car that still looks tougher than the average family sedan.

For the record, it's a wagon (and even Subaru calls it this). The Outback isn't a crossover, SUV or some other made-up designation. It has more ground clearance than regular sedans, full-time all-wheel drive and a more heavily constructed suspension. I bought one for the flexibility of the space (wagon shape vs. car with trunk), lower roofline so that I could more easily toss up my bicycle or kayak and just the fact because I thought it was cool. My Outback replaced a 1995 Isuzu Rodeo 4x4 ... a solid truck but one I don't miss much. Yeah, I'm a nerd. But I'm an adventurous nerd!

What makes a city special

We live not too far from one of the most affluent suburbs in the country. Big-name retailers are represented there, the homes are fantastically (and a little obnoxiously) large and fancy. Many of the vehicles coursing the streets are gilded and showy and cost nearly twice what the average home in my city is valued. There's nothing wrong with high-dollar living, although I wonder how much soul there can be behind the monotony of gleaming sameness. Nothing is allowed to become time-worn or show a little character. Fitting in is something celebrated rather than being lamented.

On the flipside, the town I live in has gone a little too far in the opposite direction and is beginning to show signs of decay. Surrounded by the behemoth that is Fort Worth, and smaller suburbs that had keener eyes on the future when it came to development and attracting business, my city was left behind. But like anyplace, it has things that make it unique and special. Generally, the people are humble and hard-working. They don't always have much to show for it, and that's OK. We don't plan to live here forever, or even that much longer. There are things we detest about the place, sure. But it's still home. We'll take the good along with us when we move on.

In the meantime, I'm going to capture images of as much soul as I can find – when I'm not on a paid assignment, of course. Not sure that the collection will become anything more than a diversion, but I'm kind of excited about it. I'll probably share a few photos here and there. I've already got ideas of things I need to shoot before it's too late. Time is marching on!

Celebrating parenthood

Being a parent can be one of the most difficult – and yet most rewarding – jobs we are ever given. Difficult because kids will be kids. Rewarding because it lets us help shape the next generation, can at the same time it's something that is so much fun if we stop and smell the roses once in a while!

This past Sunday, I had the chance to photograph a mother-son swimming party at a local recreation center. What a blast! Was a great chance for moms and their sons to just be themselves and have fun. What I enjoyed the most was seeing how so many of them interacted with each other. Obviously, there can be a special bond between mother and boy-child. A former neighbor of ours, a mother to two boys and a girl, told my wife once, "Little boys just love their mommas." And it's so true.

A bonus with being a daddy is that they'll want to hang out with me more after they are potty-trained. Me and my boys will go fishing, camping, stomping around the woods and otherwise declaring our manhood. I have to set the example of loving and respecting the most important woman in their life (and mine): their mother. Then they'll get to a point where I'm no longer cool. But they'll still love their momma!

The above photos are just a few from the swim party. For those with pools or access to a similar facility (or a lake), let me say such locations make a fantastic portrait site. The lighting is a little tricky (and I wish I had a circular polarizer to cut some of the in-water reflections), but when the shots were good they rocked. Give me a call if you want to hang with your family poolside and have a pro document the waterbound fun!

Don't sweat the small stuff!

A friendly little reminder from Todd Overman Photography. If the little things are getting you down, focus on The Big Picture.

Keep your chin up!

The perfect time for family portraits!

Now is a great time to have professional family portraits created (not that there's a bad time). While many of us are busy with summer activities, there's often a good time to slow down long enough to come together for a fun morning or afternoon.

Just think:
• The kids are out of school/home from college/visiting your house with their kids.
• Summer means the chance to wear relaxed, casual clothing. Portraits with sweaters is so un-Texan!
• Morning or evening sessions take some of the bite out of the mid-day heat, and it's the times of day when there is beautiful sunlight for portraits outdoors.
• Without holiday-specific decor in your home, it's a great time for portraits indoors (any time of day).
• Why not make Summer 2009 a summer to remember? Kids grow up so fast!
• Hello! Family reunions! It's a great time to get a group shot of everybody there, but it's also a great time to document individual groups as well.
• There are a lot of creative ways to have a portrait made depicting something the family enjoys doing ... time out in the family boat? Playing soccer/softball/baseball/volleyball? Having a picnic at a favorite park? Chilling in the family room? Water-balloon fight anyone?

Then there are awesome ways to enjoy and show off your photos, from artistic wall groupings to a portable "smile book" to show your friends and co-workers.

So what are you waiting for? Schedule a creative family portrait session today. Call me at 817-675-1143 or e-mail todd@toddovermanphoto.com.

The anatomy of a self-portrait

With blogs and Web sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter continuing to grow in numbers and popularity, it's obvious that taking a decent photograph of ourselves is hard! Too often we're turning to Web cams built-in or hooked up to our computers. Or, worse yet, we're using the dreaded stretched-arm cell-phone camera method. Just say no to blurry, underexposed images! Put your best face forward, particularly if business clients or potential employers will see it (the subject matter you post is another issue for someone else to discuss).

Here are a few tips to consider:

• Light: make sure there is enough light on your face, but not so much that you squint.
• Background: pay attention to weird things growing out of your head. Keep the background uncluttered and simple. Dark is even better so that your face is the emphasis.
• Dress in something simple and that doesn't wrinkle or bunch up in the wrong places.
• Do something fun or that shows an interest or aspect of your personality.
• If this is a self-portrait, place your camera on a sturdy surface and use the "self-timer" function, which will give you some time to get into place after you press the shutter release.
• Take several photos. With a digital camera, you can review the results. Check the focus, lighting, wardrobe, your expression, etc.
• Take the photo in high resolution (sometimes called "fine") so that when you reduce it for posting to the Web it won't get grainy and pixelated upon shrinking.
• Get the camera close. When uploaded to the Web, the image is going to be small. It gets even smaller for sites that turn your mug shot into a thumbnail.
• Sometimes "posing" doesn't work. In that case, have a photo taken or take one of yourself not looking directly into the camera. That can be more natural.
• If the self-portrait thing doesn't work, have a friend take a picture for you using these guidelines.

The above photo is one I took of myself for my personal Facebook page. The pic I use on my business page is also a self-portrait. For this one, I mounted my camera on a tripod with an accessory flash mounted to the camera. A second flash with a diffuser was placed on the laptop's keyboard and triggered by the first flash, illumniating my face and exaggerating the glow of the computer's screen. I used the self-timer, which gave me 10 seconds after pressing the shutter button to get into place. After about a dozen images, I got one that I thought was good enough to use. One issue was tilting my head down far enough so that the flash didn't reflect into my glasses. Using Photoshop, I brightened the Apple logo just a bit; even though I turned the laptop on, the glow was slightly underexposed.

Besides high-quality prints and Smile Books, my clients have the option to purchase a disc of Web-ready images for use on their personal Web pages. That's another way to end up with a professional-looking photo ... hire a professional photographer!

The Master's Touch

Why not? Because at its essence, much of photography aims to capture the uniqueness and glory of God's creations. That includes the people He created in His own image, the natural wonders that grace terra firma or the painted skies that neither film nor digital sensors can capture with realistic justice. God doesn't need Photoshop. And fortunately for us, His love is enduring and He speaks to us through the God-inspired instruction manual of life that is so readily available. The Bible is tons more understandable than a how-to guide for Photoshop, too!

For my work, I use Photoshop to attempt to enhance images I capture with my camera (the above photo was simply cropped). The photos of old cars I took recently have adjustments to color saturation and contrast, mainly to give them a grittier feel. I also "burned" in areas of a few of them to render parts of the images darker and (to me) make them more interesting.

In my life, I strive to apply God's Word to the way I live. Not always easy, but always worth it. His saving grace, though his son Jesus Christ, is available to all who accept Him as their savior. John 3:16: "For God so loved the world what He gave his only begotten son, so that all who believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life." I don't have all the answers, but if you have questions, let me know!

The car lot time forgot

Here are shots I took of a lot full of old and junked cars for sale near where I live. It wasn't just the dilapidated jalopies that lured me, but wanting to see if this place was a viable place to photograph clients. The verdict? Score! There are some sharp pieces and some broken glass (sorry, kids!), but otherwise it is an incredible place for those wanting edgy, urban-decay-type photos. Some of the cars (including the Mustang in the last shot here) have been sold, so there's no telling when it will be hauled out.