As pretty much every prior Dear Photographer Facebook guest judge has experienced, I have to say that it is HARD to pick images for sharing and then for the weekly top honors spot and runners up. There were some really, really beautiful entries this week.  As someone who periodically submits images for features, I know how vulnerable it feels to put your art out there.  Every time I do it, I hold my breath as I hit the enter key.  I think it’s important to acknowledge those feelings because it’s so easy for us artists to attach so much meaning to how well our images are received. To those who submitted, but weren’t selected this time, I say to you: thank you for sharing a little piece of your heart this week.  Keep creating your art and finding your voice.  Keep submitting and use the themes to stretch yourself.

 

Stormy Solis Photography

The first time I saw this image by Stormy Solis Photography, it took my breath away. The connection between the couple with the almost-kiss and that sweet little thumbsucker oblivious to all except that she was snuggled into her favorite place to be, just spoke to me.  And then there’s big sis contentedly watching mama and daddy in the sunset.  The tones and processing are just so lovely too – I read it as filmy, with a touch of matte.  Just right.  As the images kept rolling in, I kept coming back to this one. Each time I looked at it, I noticed a new detail I hadn’t seen before.  After you read this, bounce back to the image one more time. You’ll see what I mean.

I look at this one and I’m just in love with the softness of it all.  I get the feeling that the photographer really loves her subject. The highlights in her hair, deep brown eyes and sweetly flushed cheeks make the tones so soft and lovely.

I’m such a sucker for photos where baby is grabbing mama’s face and smiling.  Even though most of her face is out of the frame, I envision her smooching the heck out of his other cheek and whispering sweet words in his little ears. The yummy, yummy golden light is always a favorite and really adds to this sweet moment.

More mama smooches.  Did I mention I’m a sucker for these??  I love the cooler tones in this image – the post processing is really beautiful and highlights the eye contact this darling little miss made with the camera. Beautiful image of love and contentment.

This is another image that stopped me in my tracks as I was scrolling through my feed.  If I’m not mistaken, I believe this image was created using the “ring of fire” technique.  (Note to Lindsey Bramlett – please chime in and let me know if I’m not correct.)  The DOF, whimsical bubbles, light, composition and overall feel of this image really work for me.  This sweet girl was just doing her thing, letting her love light shine.

The spotlight in this image was such a creative  twist on the theme this week.  I love that there’s enough detail in the shadow to see the partygoers watching this pair out on the floor.  Letting their love shine for all to see.

Thanks so much to Dear Photographer for the opportunity to guest judge this week. I’m an encourager by nature and have really enjoyed this week hopefully building up others and inspiring people to shine a little light on love.  I have found several new talented and up and coming artists to be inspired by – including many of them here in this post.  Thank you, everyone, for sharing your beautiful works and for your love over on my page this week too!