the wee one

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

 

What we have here is the newest and possibly the most smiling McMurdo family baby. He is the first of his generation and the son of my niece, Katie.

This is the first trip to Atlanta during which I had the chance to spend quite a bit of time with him. Did I say that he smiles? Maybe smile is not the right word. His entire face lights up. When the edges of his mouth begin to move upwards, his eyes grow wide, his head tilts back, and suddenly you are presented with a full facial, whole body, grin.

But, not in this picture. All of the grinning wore him out and he decided that his MiMi’s chest was the perfect place to lay his head and look at what his Uncle Tim is up to.

working your subject

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

A common mistake made by inexperienced photographers is to not work their subject. How many times have you (or someone you are with) just taken the shot as soon as you stumbled upon the scene and then simply moved on? Instead, you should explore your subject. Try to envision what it would look like from a different angle. Walk around it. Get down low or up high.

Each of the following images was taken of the same ramp system in Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. Notice how I did take the straight on shot. However, I then started moving around and exploring the ramps from different directions and heights.

 

 

I climbed to the top floor and discovered these wonderful converging lines.

 

 

I then shifted over a few feet and discovered that I could get the line of the top rail to cross over the other lines.

 

 

I even walked into the ramps and started to see something completely different.

 

 

My point is that you need to work your subject and engage your imagination. If I hadn’t taken the time to explore this ramp system, I would have never discovered the wonderful lines and tones that it contained.

The next time you approach a scene, take the time to go the extra step. You just might be surprised by what you discover.

 

three of the man

Posted on by Tim McMurdo
 
 

 

If you are lucky and didn’t turn out to be a terrible parent, you are rewarded by having a kid that will grow up into a fantastic adult. My son, Josh, is a perfect example. I am very proud of him and the person he has become. He is kind, generous, thoughtful, adventurous, fearless (except for that heights thing), and for all of you young ladies out there, he is single as well.

For me, the best part is that he is wonderful to be around. We might be just hanging out, eating lunch at Willy’s, or out for a day of shooting. He is a good conversationalist and is comfortable talking to people.

Yeah, I am really proud of him.

home

Posted on by Tim McMurdo
Car heading down the highway.

 

Yesterday, I made the trip back from Atlanta. It’s been a wonderfully relaxing week. Plenty of time with my family and son. We told stories and made some new ones that will be used in future tellings. My niece, Katie, graduated from college, my sister-in-law got a new truck, and my son and his fiancée bought a new home. It was a nice week. I say that in the way my mother would say “that’s a nice old dog”.

We had two really interesting photo outings. I’ll share those with you later this week, once I’ve had the time to sort them all out. Meanwhile, I hope all of you have a great weekend. Thank you for sticking with me during my down time.

Tim.