Marching Forward: A Project Reflection
- Amanda Grillo
- Mar 29
- 2 min read
Look at that! I told you you’d get a March post too, not just the late February post! This post will reflect some projects I’ve been involved in this month.
One year around the sun-
At the beginning of the month, I had the privilege of photographing my niece’s 1st Birthday. For privacy reasons, the pictures will remain only to be distributed by friends and family at the discretion of my brother and sister-in-law.
When photographing for family, it can be hard to distinguish myself from photographer mode to guest mode. It was important for me to find the balance between hitting planned shots, catching candids, and still enjoying myself as Auntie Amanda. To manage this I discussed expectations with my brother such as cake shots, the photobooth, and key people to capture. Beyond the list, I just kept my camera on me when I wasn’t eating. As cute moments happened, such as the baby walking, interacting with relatives, or being mesmerized by the triceratops scrunchie I had on my camera to get her to look my way, I was ready to capture.
That is another great tip when photographing kids' parties. If you think the birthday boy or girl would be afraid to look at the camera, get a scrunchie of their favorite animal to put around your lens. My niece loves dinosaurs so when I found a triceratops scrunchie, it was a no-brainer. She loved it so much it turned into one of her gifts by the end of the party. It allowed for great eye contact in photos and many happy smiles.
Exhibiting a new frontier-
This month I also prepped for a new first in my photography journey, submitting to exhibits and open calls for local galleries. I found out that I was accepted for my first gallery this month. Suddenly, it was more than getting the right shot. I had a list of framing qualifications to figure out. What clips are allowed? How do I wire the frame? Until now, I only tossed my photos into Amazon frames or gave clients prints to frame themselves based on their own decor preferences. Thankfully upon submission, I was given many helpful tips and tricks for framing my piece, “A Ducky Conversation”. The opening reception is at the beginning of April and I am so excited to attend and network with my fellow shutterbugs. This will be the first of what I hope will be many submissions to a range of projects.
That’s all for now!
Stay Creative and Stay Focused! See you next time!
