pop!

Maddie turned one and gave me a gift: exactly the photograph I wanted.

Has this happened to you lately? You've got a vision, simple or elaborate. You can see the shot in your head. The subject is malleable, the light is good, and click. And click click click click, all the while fearing to breathe in case you jinx the moment. You end up with several of the same composition, from which you choose between subtle tweaks of expression, angle, framing.

And there it is. Exactly what you wanted.

Today, share a recent victory with us. Not the spontaneous or the happenstance, as much as we love those. Show us the shots that you designed and created, and that came off just as you hoped they would -- the photographs that make you feel like a storyteller.

Comments

[lucy]

o my goodness -- what a luscious photo. it is perfect!

i took this photo of my mom at a recent outing together. like you, i took several other shots but this one captured her essential "mom-ness" in just the way i had envisioned it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucyloomis/4412482854/

[vivienne]

gorgeous!

yes, i had one the other day that came out exactly as i had envisioned it...it tells a story exactly the way i wanted it to...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/missvivienne/4487468505/

[Brandi]

I took these of my son...I love the way they capture his spirit, at least how I see it. I took about 20 shots to get 3 that I loved.

http://bbbphotography.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-son-natural-light-bristow-va.html

[Darlene]

What a spectacular photo! Oh my goodness - I love everything about it!
My daughter just turned 15 on Saturday. One of her dear friends is moving in less than 2 weeks so they wanted some photos of them together. My mission was to capture their genuine playfulness, and I have to say "mission accomplished!"
http://www.whimsicalyearsphotography.com/blog/1674/annabelle-and-mary/

[ari]

What a gorgeous picture, it definitely came out perfectly!

I have a victory story! I'm in Texas and the bluebonnets are out, and I really wanted to take a pic of one, from the top view. I went out Saturday, took some shots, got home... some came out alright but most were blurry. Sunday I went back out and tried again and even though it was windy, I got my shot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiousillusion/4491494136/
Yay. :)

[Holly]

yesterday....here

http://themares.blogspot.com/2010/04/macro-monday-4510.html

[JoLyn]

It took a lot of shots to get this right. By the time we finally got what we wanted, my son was exhausted! But he's so happy with it, it's his new Facebook profile photo!

http://www.ayearofhappyphotos.com/2010/03/34-.html

And I love your balloon baby photo--what a capture!

[beth]

fabulous photo with the hands and the balloon.....

and yes, this weekend, my whole photo shoot gave me exactly what I wanted....even when I was only hoping for one good shot.....


http://rubylunaphotography.blogspot.com/2010/04/completely-over-moon-with-cuteness.html

[Elizabeth Harper]

Although my shot happened twenty years ago, I managed to capture one of those once in a lifetime moments that still makes me smile.

Love yours too ... it's beautiful.

[Wayfaring Wanderer]

That is such a fantastic image!

I tend to take a TON of photos when I go on vacation, and I find myself trying to find THAT angle that I have yet to see - not always a quick process. I wish that out of the hundreds of photos I come home with I would be happier with a greater majority of them, but they can't ALL be winners....that's reserved for those 'special' shots as you've expressed here.

I've recently shared some photos from a trip to Puerto Rico you can find here: http://www.wayfaringwanderer.com/2010/04/preview-of-puerto-rico.html

[Sarah]

Oh what a stunning shot...I just love it when that happens..that perfect shot!! She is darling..Happy Birthday to her!!
I generally take candid shots of kids rather than posed..I will go with them to someplace familiar to them and just start shooting (parents included of course). I just love it when they forget you are there and then the magic happens!!
Sarah

[BlessedMess]

I so relate to this. And what a great photo.

I've been stalking my 3 yo since we broke out the bubbles. I have yet to capture the photo I have in my head...but I'm getting closer.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12418609@N00/4482750356/

[Katy]

This was taken on Friday, just before sitting down to a dinner with friends from far away. I was standing to the side, not interacting, just taking pictures as things happened. The expressions are perfect.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29536663@N04/4488834202/

[Ava]

This is so beautiful!!

Here's one from the Armenian genocide protest past year on Wilshire blvd. In Los Angeles.
http://m.flickr.com/photos/aghavni/3473004888/

[Peggy]

Nice to know that others take lots of shots to get that one "mind's eye" shot. Love this one with the toddler reaching for the balloon.

I was lucky enough to have some beautiful weather to work with this weekend. This little visitor stopped by for a drink and I snapped away. Wish I knew his name...I'd like to thank him for this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36501804@N08/4493432795/

[andie]

Love everything about your shot Kate..the color, the comp, the subject...perfect.

Here is the photograph I wanted that came out just as I had imagined: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andie_edwards/4484420157/

[Cara]

Perfect shot!
Here is one I took of my son, it came out exactly as I saw it in my head.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11704811@N02/4394780906/

[Maria Starzyk]

This is a mix of planning and happenstance, I took this photo of these old red shoes, I wanted to fill one with daisies and when I set it up I just wasn't happy, I picked up the bouquet to try again and one daisy fell out onto the shoe, when I turned I knew I got what I wanted.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luciaandmapp/4481107564/

[erika]

This might sound insane, but I've been trying to get a picture of my baby with his hand in his pocket. It seems like such an adult action for a two year-old. Thursday, I got it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/onemoreplease/4493318497/

[Deirdre]

That is a beautiful photo! Congratulations!

I am taking part in the Picture Spring workshop, and on Saturday morning, we were supposed to take 30 steps from where our camera was placed and take a photo there. I had a feeling that, if I was patient, in the spot I ended up I might catch a bird. I waited quietly in that spot for nearly 1/2 an hour and got a lot of half birds, blurry birds, birds obscured by branches, birds with their backs to me, etc. I finally got this one photo of a little female blue jay singing for the pure joy of it. She's dwarfed by the rest of the photo, but I think in this case it highlights the sweetness of the momentl: http://www.flickr.com/photos/superdewa/4492337526/

[Tara R.]

Wonderful shot, so sweet.

I must have taken half a dozen shots of this window, different angles, different distances... I was pleased with this final composition, it was the image I had hoped to capture.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifmomsaysok/4448294557/

[Lauren]

I had a wonderful time yesterday with my 8 month old son Grayson! He loves being outside in this wonderful weather we are having! He had so much fun playing in the grass with his Easter basket and natural brown eggs!
http://gracethroughourworld.com/2010/04/gallery/grayson-joseph-donofrio-easter-2010-2/?gallery_popup=1

[xanthe]

this is a gorgeous shot! just perfect.

posed family shots are rare for me. this is just how i planned it and i love it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xantheberkeley/4471413534/

x.

[Samantha Dutcher]

I LOVE the picture! Great colors!

This was 1 of maybe 50, and it turned out exactly as I was envisioning!

http://robandsamphoto.com/artwork/213120.html

[gkgirl]

welllll...it's a story...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/geekink/4493889858/

[cynthia]

Love this post and your photograph ... and yes, "victory" came my way recently for me. I staged a photoshoot with the boys to capture their reaction after plopping a stuffed animal on their head. Got a bunch of awesome shots of my 4yo. My 2yo ... not so much but funny enough, I liked the blurred shot of my 2yo the best.

http://apictureintime.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/blur/
http://apictureintime.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/blur/dsc_7843/

[Alicia]

http://aliandsethinthecity.blogspot.com/2010/04/williamsburg-parks-on-river.html

i snapped a few photos of a day exploring parks along the river in one of our favorite neighborhoods.

[Michelle C]

It's been so hard lately to photograph my 2 kids together. Having a very busy 8 year old and an even busier 14 month old means I'm constantly trying to "catch" them. On Easter Sunday, I finally got one that lined up just perfectly. It shows my little one following her big brother - a continuing story every single day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99443404@N00/4489946017/

[Laura]

That is a really gorgeous photograph. Perfect!

[Loretta]

I love this shot!

[BernadineGreene]

freelance writer