Samantha's Harp Recital

I can't believe I'm getting this post up before the Stringhams do, but here goes. Mine will have a selfish photo-analysis twist, so be sure to read their blog for better journaling. I'm not sure I can do it the justice it deserves, since I haven't had to practice even one of the hundreds of hours they've put in to get Samantha through her Suzuki Book One. After listening to Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, I'm not sure I've got it in me to do that. Anyway, Samantha did a great job—she played 21 songs, picked in random order, all from memory. Very impressive. Shawn asked me to bring my camera, and I took around 60 photos. After reviewing them, I can tell that I still have a lot to learn.

I like this shot, but the harp growing out of her head is probably not the best composition.

This shot is one of my favorites, and I didn't take it. I passed the camera to Shawn, since I knew he had a good angle. You're a natural, Shawn.

I like the composition here, but didn't catch any emotion.

I'm still playing around with depth of field, and loving that, even though I probably overdo it.

How cute is this though?

I'm kicking myself for this shot, which would be great if I'd gone with a slightly higher aperature so that Janet was in focus too.

And one more—it's hard to go wrong with a subject this cute.