A Girl and Her Bike

Here I am, easing into my commitment to blog more this year with a few images shot one warm afternoon last week with my youngest daughter outside riding her bike. We moved last fall and it has been an ongoing process to explore and learn the light and location of our new home in search of what works best for my images. I am also working very hard to force myself to commit to one composition and micro-compose, which is such a challenge for my restless mind and body. That's why these images are all so similar. This approach involves selecting a scene and composition and staying still, waiting for my subject, in this case my little biker, to come to me rather than chase her around. There's no doubt in my mind this is a superior approach, and one that will require deliberate practice on my part.

This little set includes backlight and front light. The first few are backlit, which is often not my preference. Nevertheless, the light was lovely and I wanted to see how I could work with the lines and texture of the wall, sidewalk and house. Switching directions, I next turned around and front lit her, which is my innate preference. From this angle, it was easier to focus on capturing her expression as she looped around and spend down the driveway, through the streams of light.

Let me know what you think and what possibilities your see for next time, as we'll surely be back out here soon enough!