BE INSPIRED Session |feature by Amy Selleck

Tell us a bit about your approach to the work you do, your time in the business and a few personal facts about you.

With photography, it’s like breathing fresh air for my soul. I shoot when I am inspired by light, a moment, or an idea. Above all, I try my best to keep it fun and play. When I play, I have no expectations to meet and if I fail, that means I learned something to use for next time. I’ve been taking pictures since I was ten years old, made my way through high school photography and a few course in college. After college, I shot a handful of weddings for friends but really enjoyed photographing my outdoor traveling adventures with my husband. Then kids happened and that really ignited my passion to focus on my craft rather than taking snapshots. Now I focus a bit on our everyday moments, mostly outdoors, and am also dabbling in fine artwork.

Unlike 99% of women out there, I shave my head but rarely shave my legs or armpits. Korean food makes my tummy happy, especially japchae. I live for camping, hiking, and traveling and now that our kids are getting out of the baby and toddler years, we can start to venture out into the Olympic Peninsula this summer. In the course of the past ten years, my husband and I have moved probably a dozen times up and down the west coast, but have finally settled down in the Seattle area. And lastly, I want chickens mostly so I can photograph my kids with them.

What about this session was most memorable?

This particular session was completely unplanned. My daughter had her first day of lessons and at the last moment out the door, I decided to bring my camera along just in case. Boy, am I glad I did. Walking out the door to the car, we were greeted by frost on the ground and I had to scrape ice off the car. If you live in the PNW, you’ll know this doesn’t happen very often. The frigid temps plus the warm pool made for a building full of mist, and we were greeted with sauna-like conditions. The morning sun was streaming through the large windows and my inner photographer did a happy dance. I knew there was going to be magic made.

Were there any hurdles?

You know those big metal poles that you hold onto to get into the pool? Yeah, those were in the way and I had to remove a few of them in the post from some images. Talk about annoying. While my older daughter was swimming, my younger daughter was sad and crying because she didn’t get to swim. Three-year-olds, man, they can be a hurdle too. Also, dealing with the harsh light with a dimly lit foreground made some exposures tricky. I don’t like to blow highlights, but sometimes I’d rather have a slightly blown highlight and not underexpose my main image too much.

 Your best photographer/session advice?

Whenever someone asks what they can do to improve, I always answer “just play”. Don’t stress about it, relax, have fun, and play. Miss Frizzle says it best “take chances, make mistakes, and get messy”

What gear was used to achieve these?

Nikon D750 and Sigma 35mm f/1.4art

 

20180226-DSC_5568be inspired session | dear photographer blog be inspired session | dear photographer blog be inspired session | dear photographer blog

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Amy Selleck is a Michigan girl living in the Washington Pacific Northwest with her husband, two daughters, Labradoodle, and cat dreaming of their next outing in the Olympic Peninsula. She finds the beauty of the outdoors intoxicating and enjoys capturing her children falling in love with nature.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM 

 

 

One thought on “BE INSPIRED Session |feature by Amy Selleck

Leave a Reply to Steph Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.