Jessica Kelley + The Story Behind
As far back as we can go in art history books, we would be hard pressed to find a more celebrated subject matter than the bond of a mother and her child. It is not hard to understand why- it is pure, unselfish and full of grace and full of compassion. The connection is never forced and so it calls our name and draws us in. This self portrait by Jessica Kelley exemplifies exactly what we mean. This may have been a “fly by the seat” kind of image but we couldn’t be more in awe of the result. Read on for Jessica’s “The Story Behind” of this very image…
IG Handle:.
@thekelleyfam
Where was this photo taken?
This photo was taken in my kids’ playroom in our house. We now live in the Ozarks after moving from out of state about six months ago. We are currently renting this house on some land while we are on the hunt for our own land to build a home on and lay down some roots.
How did the location add or hinder to your image?
Our house is built on a cliff making this particular window, which is located on the back of our house facing the cliff, have beautiful light. Its been pretty cloudy lately which can make for gorgeous soft light, but in this instance it didn’t quite work in my favor. It was getting ready to rain on this particular day so it was quite a bit darker outside making the room dimmer than I usually prefer to photograph in.
DSLR, iphone, instant or film?
DSLR
What were your camera settings for this image?
I used to be afraid of a higher ISO and honestly refused to photograph anything unless it called for a lower ISO. I’ve learned to appreciate lower light situations and really embrace using my ISO at a higher setting. For this image my camera settings were aperture – 1.6, shutter – 1/200 (I had a wider angle lens, and we were sitting pretty still which allowed for a lower than usual shutter) ISO 3200.
Can you tell us “The Story Behind” this shot?
This particular shot was taken on my son, Silas’ ,(photographed with me) third birthday. Every time one of my kids turns a year older, I make sure to document it as close to their birthday as possible. I usually don’t prefer to do it on their birthday so we can all really be in the moment, but this year we celebrated his birthday a day before since it fell on a Sunday. I made a decision this year to get in front of the camera more often so I thought this would be a special time to do so. When taking a self-portrait I will either get all my settings correct and use my tripod, or I will have my husband take it. If my husband is taking it, I will make sure all my settings are correct and explain to him where to stand, at what angle, and where to place his focus.
What speaks to you about this image? What specifically made you press the shutter?
I don’t think there is anything more beautiful than an image of a mother and her child. No words can express the conflicting emotions a mother feels while watching her child grow. On one hand she is so unbelievably proud of the little person her child is growing to become, and on the other there is a sadness she feels knowing that the baby that once was is no longer anymore. That feeling hits me the strongest three times every year. Once for each child, and on this particular day, those were all the emotions that were flooding my mind. I knew Silas wouldn’t fit in my lap so easily much longer, and I wanted to capture it while he still could.
What was your composition technique with this shot?
For this shot I was for the most part wanting a center composed shot. I wanted it to feel up close and personal so I opted for a tighter frame.
Was this photo happenstance or did you visualize it prior? If so, how did you envision the image and set up for it?
This image was initially a silhouette shot, but I wanted it to be a family image. So I pulled mom into the scene. The only prompt I gave the family was to hold hands and look at each other and smile. I love the added movement of Moms hair from the breeze, and the youngest girl brushing the hair from her forehead.
Did you have any lighting challenges/How did you light the image?
This image was naturally lit by a window to our right. The one challenge I had was that the room was a bit dimmer than I would prefer due to a stormy sky outside. To combat the lower lit room, I cranked my ISO to a higher setting.
Did you use any special techniques – freelensing, prism, etc?
I did not use any special techniques. For me personally, I prefer a more classical approach, but I really admire other techniques.
Did you use a preset to edit this image, your own selective edits or a combination of both?
For editing, I always use photoshop. At the beginning of my photography journey, I would use presets, but I soon found that it was difficult to achieve the look I was going for. It took time to really understand how to fully utilize photoshop and maneuver it in a way that would help me achieve the vision I had in my head for a particular image. Although I am still learning and growing, my images are now done using my own editing techniques.
Do you have any addition information you would like to share with our readers?
I always want to make sure any expression and image I capture is genuine. If I’m not doing a lifestyle shot where I am hiding in the background, I try to have a conversation with my subject to try to draw out genuine emotions and/or reactions.
Jessica Kelley can be found at the following spots:
INSTAGRAM