I thought of a number of possible titles for this post, and this one sounded the most tactful.  It was certainly better than “Shooting Babies,” which was my working title.

I had the privilege of visiting my cousin and his wife to take photos of their newborn.  The little guy was only six days old, and was a real trooper.  I can’t say enough nice things about this family, and their son already seems to have their patient and gracious temperament.  He kept in good spirits the whole time, only pausing for snuggles and a couple of meals.

I also learned a few things through the shoot:

• Baby knows best- Keep the star of the show happy if you want the photos to turn out.
• Sandbag the lights- You don’t want your lighting rig to tip over on the baby (or anyone else).  No this didn’t happen, because I received this valuable advice beforehand.
• We are creatures of habit- Pay attention to your subjects, and pretty soon you’ll know just when to release the shutter.
• Your gear doesn’t make you a better photographer, but the right gear makes everything easier.

I guess I’m on a string (no pun intended, honestly) of black and white photos at the moment.  I shoot everything in color and only convert to black and white when I think it adds to the photo.  I captured this at a small club in Grayslake, IL.  The stage lighting of the venue cast some strange shadows on the guitar player.  In color, they looked monotonous and washed-out, but in black and white they yield bold definition over the frets and the rest of his rig.  I allowed the photo to retain some of the noise from the low light because, after all, what’s rock and roll without a little grit?