*Because I even love the out of focus ones...*

We headed to the mountains as a late birthday gift for me last month. It was pretty much the best present ever. I grew up near the Great Smoky Mountains, and here, in Coastal Virginia, the topography doesn't bump or ridge much above 9 feet above sea level. We're flat landers now. I'll do a post on that trip soon since I have lots of photos to share.

These One Kid posts have grown to become as much about my photographic journey as they have about Cal, and as I look at them and love these shots, I see so much truth in myself as a photographer. When you first start to take photography seriously, and I see this in my students all the time, there's a push to consider going "pro." And if not going pro necessarily, then specializing. Finding your niche. Weddings. Boudoir. Newborns. Family. Street. Food. Still Life. Landscape. There's a tendency to want to do it all. So many things to try.

I could write a million posts about my journey, my continuing journey to find my voice, and someday I will, but when I look these shots I think specifically about the difference between lifestyle photography and portraiture. I love lifestyle photography. Capturing a family or a people in real, seeming unscripted moments. Do I love shooting it? Not as much.

I knew over the course of this yearlong project I wanted a more unscripted month where I caught Cal being Cal, but the truth is, I feel like I enjoy the process more and really capture him best when I'm shooting true portraits. Go figure! Am I glad I have these? Heck yes! Will I do it again? Probably. The year is long, after all. But boy, I learned something big this month.

I've been intrigued by portraiture for awhile, and I think about dipping in a toe, but how? I'm awkward and shy! I know I'll rely on my army of film shooters to guide me and my favorite subject to keep practicing on.

The deets: Kodak Portra 160, shot on a 35 mm Canon Elan7. Developed and scanned by the FIND Lab.

Our circle grows more amazing each month, and after me you can find the lovely Tricia Boutelle, Lifestyle and Photography. She has a daughter the same age as Cal, and I just love that!