Sunday, May 6, 2012

Sunday Snapshot - exquisite

{Grace - age 9 and 1/2}


MidS Night Dream 1


The inspiration for these images
was my daughter Grace's
beautiful ballet dress.



MidS Night Dream dptic 1


My mother is a talented sewer, and it's from her that
I've gained a true appreciation for fabric, and love of color and design.
The pattern of the tiny beads on the top of this dress is exquisite
and I loved capturing the detail.

MidS Night Dream 5


I originally thought I'd keep these images all in color 
but felt black/white suited them just as well.


MidS Night Dream Triptych



You can see so much
 of this gentle, sweet soul (who is Grace)
in them.



MidS Night Dream 3



These were taken early last week
when we had some time one late afternoon.
I used the beautiful north window light from different perspectives,
using light facing Grace, from the side and behind her.


MidS Night Dream 2


Taken with my Nikon D700,
the portraits were taken with my 85mm 1.4 lens
with settings of:

 f/1.4
ISO - 320
 1/200 sec.

For the other images I used my 35mm 1.4 at:

 f/2
ISO - 1000
1/250-1/500 sec.


MidS Night Dream 4


Edited with Florabella's bl/white 'Vanilla' action (one of my favorites for bl/whites).
I opened up the action and tweaked it a bit with the contrast and light, leaving the tones the same.
In the very first image I also added a little bit of 'White Haze' from her 'Hazy Skies Collection.'
I liked the effect.

For the color versions, I used Florabella's 'Classic Color' action with a touch of  'Soft Warmth'
on a couple of them.

For the last one of her profile,
 I did very little other than crop the image (it didn't need much)
and increase the contrast a bit. I love the simplicity of it.



As for personal favorites, I have two... they're the first one and second to last images.

Grace and her brother Will performed this weekend in their dance school's recital.
I'll blog about it later this week.






Ni Hao Yall

19 kind words:

S said...

The last one is my fav.

Number 6 and no more counting! said...

oh my gosh Gail. These are magnificent! Truly! Something out of a story book.

lea
xo

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

EXQUISITE INDEED.....every last one!!!

your recital pictures are always my favorite....and these did not disappoint!! GORGOEOUS!! Love them all...it would be too difficult to pick a favorite.

Enjoy your Sunday~

xo,

Lisa

Stefanie said...

I completely agree with Lisa... these are exquisite! All of them!
Happy Sunday to you, my friend :)

Diane said...

Just arrived home from Mass and when I clicked your link and saw your first photo of Grace with "Cinderella" playing in the background...tears filled my eyes and I felt "goose bumps" all over my body. Gail, these photo's are absolutely "stunning"!
She is sooooo beautiful!
God Bless,
Diane

the meaklims said...

I hardly know which photo to talk about, because they are all simply incredible. I love the dreamy feel of the first one. What a gorgeous dress and what an exquisite girl... she is pure beauty in every sense of the word.

Well done.
Jill

PS - RE Your comment on my blog recently, both you and Lisa are my photography heros and have pushed me to try harder. I really appreciate that, and your comment. Thank you.

Michelle said...

Amazing photography and Grace is absolutely stunning!!

Gina Kleinworth said...

I love her costume & all these shots. SO BEAUTIFUL!!! I can't believe she is less than a year older than my munchkin. I just feel so connected with Grace- the way you describe her makes me know that I would sooooo enjoy having her around.

Anonymous said...

Wow that is one pretty dress for one very gorgeous girl x x

Virginia said...

Exquisite is absolutely the first word that came to my mind! She is so pretty and the images you create are amazing.

Gin =)

Love Letters To China said...

What can I say that hasn't already been said. These are stunning. I feel a bit sad that Natalie is no longer dancing because I adored photographing her and her friends during their recitals.

You really are an inspiration.

xoxo

Anonymous said...

Okay, Grace is the most beautiful girl there is!! She REALLY is! I'm always showing my hubby your pictures of her. I love al of these and my fave is the first one too! I love the dress on the bed too!

Anonymous said...

Wow these images are amazing! Beautiful dancer and dress!

Debbie said...

They are all wonderful!

Amy said...

Wow. Just absolutely beautiful. Grace seems to just exude..well... grace!! Gorgeous pictures of a gorgeous girl!!

Tammi said...

WOW!!! These are absolutely stunning. Every single one of them. Great job!

Everything Beautiful Shay said...

Your photography always takes my breath away!!! Grace is gorgeous inside and out~ beautiful a million times!!! XOXO

Truly Blessed said...

Holy cow. All of your photos of Grace are wonderful, but what a difference a touch of make up makes -- she looks so much older and more confident!

And, I know it wasn't a recital, but I'm so glad that you didn't glob on the makeup as is done in most recitals -- with Grace, less is definitely more. She's stunning.

Kim said...

BREATHTAKING....
Love your photos..
have a great week..

 
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