ltross17, Author at Lindsay Ross Blog

Tell My Story Photography Classes

This is NOT your average photography class. It’s not just about the camera and what all those words mean: aperture, exposure, ISO, composition, shutter speed.

Though we’ll learn a lot about how the camera works and how to take better “technical” photos, the heart of this class is focused on the WHY behind the picture taking. Because as long as you have a why, you’ll figure out the how. That’s what makes this class different than any other photography class out there.

It’s about the people and relationships we’re taking pictures of. How we can grow closer to and more in tune with our children (and spouse) through the gift of photography.

How we can be more intentional mothers using photography.

How we can use photography and displaying photographs to tell a better family “story”.

And how we can help our children learn who they’ve always been and give them a sense of love and belonging in a world where we all desperately need to feel that.

And we’ll have fun! And laugh. A lot. I promise.

The first portion of the class will be completed online where you can work at your own pace and learn the elements of taking “technically” better photographs. Then we’ll use that foundation of knowledge in an interactive, hands on class where you will learn how to be in control of your camera and get consistently better photos. You will be able to practice what you learned in the online portion of the class with direct access to me for help.

Then we’ll tie it all together and discuss how to get emotionally better photographs. And how the gift of photography can help us be better parents and create an intentional family story.

Don’t just take my word for it. Hear it from people who have already attended the class:

“I’ve had my camera for almost 3 years now and still have never learned how to use any manual setting. I either had “no time” and/or it was too overwhelming to try and find a class that would help me without talking over my head. Lindsay takes beautiful pictures so I was so excited to hear what she has to say–about picture-taking in general. She told us not only about tips for taking better pictures, but WHY we should be taking pictures in the first place. She also taught us the basics of the manual settings–SO HELPFUL. The setting was relaxed and it was all in one day. I loved it. I truly believe that picture taking is THE BEST INVESTMENT…I really needed to learn more so that I can practice and end up taking better and better pictures so that my kids can remember their childhoods with better clarity. THANK YOU LINDSAY! I recommend this class to everyone!” Jacqui

“I learned so much from taking the “tell my story” class. Lindsay was very thorough in the way she explained parts of the camera and different concepts. It was also great to have her teach as we completed the “practical” portion of the class. The class changed the way that I take pictures and even the way that I view photography. I have such a greater appreciation now. I would highly recommend taking this class!” April

“This photography class taught me so much more than how to take my camera out of auto (so excited that I now know how to use manual mode.) Lindsay was awesome, she taught the importance of catching those everyday moments that tell the STORY of my life! I am awful at journaling. I am now committing myself to break out my camera and capturing the happy, the sad, and the everyday things that make up my STORY and my families STORY!!” Natalie

“This class gave me time to think about why I take the pictures I take and am I taking enough of the pictures that matter to me and my family. I learned some great tools to help me do that and I now feel more inspired than ever to take more and better photos of our lives–photos that tell a story about who we are and not what we want others to think we are. Thank you for letting me be a part of this.” Shara

“I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to participate and be a part of the class yesterday. It was such a day well spent. You are passionate about what you do and why you do it and I left inspired in ways I did not anticipate. “ Kim

“I’ve had my camera for a while now. It’s a nice camera and sometimes I get really awesome pictures. But sometimes I don’t. Now I understand how to control my camera so I consistently get the pictures I want. I loved the “live” shoot we did so I could practice what we had learned and have you there to answer all my questions. I also really liked the section of the class where we talked about why the pictures are so important and how we can use photographs to really tell the stories of our children’s lives. Finally I understand what all those photography terms mean and what all the dials on my camera do, and I am excited to practice so I can consistently tell the story I want to tell with my pictures.” Brittany

“I look at the way I take pictures and the day to day things in my life in a whole new way! I’m so excited for this new approach to my photography and life! Thank you” Sarah

“I wanted to tell you thank you for the photography class! I have been playing/practicing (ALL IN MANUAL) and I think I at least know which numbers mean what, and how to adjust! I think it will take me a lot more practice and maybe a new AUTO FOCUS lens for christmas:). I actually really loved the first half of the class about WHY to take pictures and how to tell my kids stories better. I am determined to start looking for the mundane things that I know I’ll miss. Thanks again…

you’re a good teacher!” Kamie

**Class sizes are small so each person gets individual attention and help with their camera settings as well as plenty of time and opportunity to ask questions.**

CLICK HERE FOR FUTURE CLASS DATES OR TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEXT CLASS

*Sign up with a friend and you each get $20 off. E-mail me directly to sign up with a friend.*

Any questions–Email me: [email protected]

{Design for the Tell My Story banner done by the ridiculously talented Meredith Carty. You can find her here.}

The “every day”

When I started doing photography it was 100% for the money. Not because I was passionate about photography or shutter speeds or f-stops. Not because I was artistic or creative and I needed an outlet. Not because I had a “good eye” or was naturally talented at taking pictures. I saw an opportunity to make money (which I like) photography sports (which I LOVE) so I went for it.

My perspective when I first started as a photographer and my perspective now are radically different.

The truth is, I still don’t take pictures because I’m passionate about photography. I take pictures because I’m passionate about the people IN the pictures. And the stories of their lives.

When I learned how to take pictures of people (not just sports), I knew my style wouldn’t be typical. I quickly started to learn how powerful a photograph can be. Sounds dramatic, but it’s true. A photograph can be more than just a photograph. A photograph can show a persons soul. It has the ability to tell the world who someone IS. And that’s not a small thing.

As my style developed as a photographer, my mission became to focus on personality and relationships. To have emotion in my photographs. To tell, without words, who someone is.

“Sometimes a perfect memory can be ruined if put to words“ Nova Ren Suma

I attended a seminar where another photographer said “The power we possess to bring out someone’s inner most soul is an art form. We allow people to see pas their insecurities and see who they really are.” I believe that.

This has completely changed the way I take pictures of my own children. And the importance I give to the photographs I take (and display) of them.

As a parent, one of my main goals is to allow my children to be who they already are. Images are one way I can help them discover who that is. Photography has become a tool in my life to help me be a more intentional, present, and aware mom. To appreciate my children more. To be aware of who they are and who they are becoming. To document their lives. The good AND the bad. And to document our families story.

Photography has given me more patience. More love. More compassion. More awareness. And most importantly, more intention to live a purposeful life. That’s why it’s SO important to me and why I want to share that gift with other people.

It’s the every day stuff. What they do from day to day that show who they are. So in my opinion, the pictures I take of my kids in my own home are by far the most important kind.

“Photography is a gift because it allows us to see the beauty in what can feel routine and mundane.” Ashley Campbell.

The EVERY DAY

“The mom stays in the picture”

To all moms.

If you read nothing else in your lifetime (besides God’s scriptures), please, please, puhlease, read this:

“The mom stays in the picture“

I can’t expound too much, because she says it so perfectly. But. I always have something to say.

We send messages to our kids all the time. Intentionally and not intentionally. They’re always watching. Always listening. And always paying attention whether we think they are or not. They say moms have eyes on the back of their heads. Well kids have ears on every inch of their body. And eyes that see and then mimic what they see.

What is the message we send to our kids, girls and boys, when we won’t get in pictures? How do they interpret that?

We tell them to love themselves. To be happy with who they are. To know they are a literal child of God and their soul is worth something. We say, say say. Tell, tell, tell. But what do we DO? What do our actions say to our kids? Because that’s where they’re getting the real message. From what I do. Not usually what I say.

I get it. It’s not always fun to be in a picture. Especially when we’re tired, bloated, feeling gross, and on and on and on. For me, I don’t love asking other people to take a picture of me. I just don’t. It feels weird and kind of embarrassing (even if it’s my own husband). “Hey, I’m awesome, take a picture of me.” But I’m getting SO much better at it. Because I think it is so so so important for our kids to see pictures of us. WITH them. Being a part of their lives. No matter how we look or feel. Because they don’t care. They just want us. Just the way we are.

And some of us allllll by ourselves. Doing nothing. Or doing things we love! So our kids can see we are people to. And we like to DO things.

(this was my very first time waterskiing, thus the “holy crap I’m going to die” face)

And now that nearly all of us have smart phones with built in cameras and self-timers, there’s NO excuse!! Stay in the picture moms!!!

Getting Healthy. Part 4. TIPS

To read Part 3 of “Getting Healthy. Exercise” click here.

Here are some things that helped me while working on getting healthy.

1. Use weight as a gauge, but NOT as an “end”. It truly isn’t about weight as much as it is how you feel. Muscle weighs more than fat. So if you’re gaining muscle, but losing fat, you’re doing great.

2. Drink more water than you think you can handle. It helps hunger, but also helps flush all the crap out of the body. And makes you pee a lot (only disadvantage).

3. Leave a water bottle out where you can see it. And drink everytime you pass it. Take water in the car with you. Have a bottle of water on your desk at work. Keep it in your sight throughout the day and drink, drink, drink

4. Eat smaller meals, more often. I ate 5 meals a day, about 300 calories each. To calculate how many calories you should be eating a day, click here.

5. Exercise smarter, not necessarily longer. I recommend some form of interval training. But you have to work hard.

6. Find a way to be accountable. I’m self-motivated when it comes to exercise. I wanted to lose weight and be healthy. That was enough accountability for me. But if you need more, tell a friend or family member what your goals are and have them ask you about it every so often. Or find a workout buddy. I like to exercise alone, but some people do better in groups. Just make sure you’re all there to work hard and not socialize. 🙂

7. Try to exercise at the same time every day. I realize this can be tricky especially if you have kids. I have 4 kids under the age of 9. And my youngest was only 8 months old when I first started my exercise/eating program. There’s a way to do it. You may have to be creative, but if you really want it, you can figure out a way to get it done.

8. Don’t feel guilty for the time it takes to exercise. This may sound silly, but if you’re a mom, you know what I’m talking about. The ever present mom guilt. I often felt guilty for exercising. Because it does take a big chunk of time. But. My kids get to see me do it. And know it’s important to me. And it’s sending a VERY important message to them that exercising and eating right are an important part of creating a great life.

9. Try not to get discouraged. If you don’t see pounds melting off like they do on the Biggest Loser competitors, don’t get down on yourself. I only lost about 1 pound a week. Sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more. Just stick with it.

10. Don’t weigh yourself obsessively. My rule of thumb was to only weigh myself once a week. Sometimes I even went two weeks. As long as I was consistently feeling healthier and stronger, that was good enough for me. If you have a lot of weight to lose, the scale can be a helpful indicator if you’re moving in the right direction. But. It can also be discouraging if pounds aren’t coming off as fast as you think they should. Don’t give up!!

11. Plan ahead for your meals. I don’t have a lot of spare time throughout my day. I rarely sit down and am usually running around from one thing to the next because someone allllllways needs me. Always. So if you don’t have your meals figured out ahead of time, you’ll eat crap, or even worse, you won’t eat. You HAVE to eat consistently to keep your metabolism going.

If I can do it, you can do it. I promise. Make it a priority. Be consistent. Celebrate even the smallest of success’s. Be positive. Work hard. And get healthy!!!!

If you have a WHY, you can figure out any HOW.

Good luck and STICK WITH IT!!!

Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of Getting Healthy. And my history with weight here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I’m happy to help wherever I can!

Getting Healthy. Part 3. EXERCISE.

To read Part 2 of “Getting Healthy” click here.

The next key for me to getting healthy was exercise.

I’ve been athletic my whole life. I grew up playing sports with all the neighborhood boys. Started playing competitive soccer when I was 12. And played soccer in highschool. I didn’t start running just for the sake of running until I was 22. I had never consistently run for exercise until I decided I was going to run a marathon. Go big or go home.

And then I had four babies. And only exercised intermittently during and between each pregnancy.

After my fourth baby, I finally felt motivated to lose all the baby weight and get in good shape.

A few factors played into my decision on what type of exercise to do. The only time I have to exercise right now is when my kids are awake. A few of my kids don’t sleep well, so getting up early is out of the question.

Running outside with kids in a stroller seems like a sin to me. Running is my sacred time. My alone time. My “I can do this really hard thing called being a mother” pump up time. Pushing kids in a stroller fetching thrown sippy cups and passing out goldfish just seems wrong.

Running on the treadmill wasn’t an option either for fear something would get thrown at me by a child while running resulting in treadmill burn on my face.

I also wanted something that required no equipment. Cause if momma’s lifting weights, the kids want to lift weights too.

So I decided to do Insanity. If you haven’t heard of Insanity, it’s basically interval training. But it’s 3 minutes of high, intense exercise, and then a 30 second “rest” (you never really get to rest), then another 3 minutes of high, intense exercise. When they say it’s insanity, they aren’t kiddin’. It’s hard. Harder than any form of exercise I’ve ever done in my life. More painful than even the last mile of the marathon I ran.

It hurts. It’s hard. It’s intense. It’s insane.

But.

It got me in the BEST shape of my entire life. It literally changed the shape of my body. Gave me muscle in places I’ve never had muscle before. Toned. Burned fat.

The pain was worth it. Because I have truly never felt better. Ever. I’m in better shape and stronger than ever.

That’s how I got healthy and lost weight. Not running. The comment I usually get is “you’ve been running a lot haven’t you.” Nope. Just did insanity.

It doesn’t have to be insanity. But I think interval training is amazing for the body.

Smart exercise. Not hours and hours of exercise.

Even after I got to the size I felt healthy at, I continued to do insanity. I did it for about a year.

Then I did Focus T-25 5 days a week for exercise. Because it’s only 25 minutes. And I’m just trying to maintain. Not lose weight.

And right now I’m doing P90X3 because I want to get toned. And it’s only 30 minutes. (And I don’t get paid by Beachbody. I promote their products because THEY WORK).

I run on Saturdays when my husband can watch kids. Because running is good for my soul. And I like to listen to music while I run. (Check out my running playlist here)

Sometimes I just run 4 to 7 miles (depending on how much energy/time I have). Other times, I do an interval treadmill workout. You can check that out here.

I never thought I was an exercise to a DVD kind of person. But I love these. And the kids have learned mom can’t talk while doing these. I literally can’t talk. I’ve nearly puked on several occasions.

The TYPE of exercise you do will be critical in losing weight. If you pick the wrong one, you have to exercise for MUCH longer. It is definitely possible to be efficient when exercising. You can burn MORE calories in LESS time if you pick the right kind of exercise.

{Updated to add. You can read my article about using a heart rate monitor so you know exactly how many calories you burn when you exercise}

To read Part 4 of “Getting Healthy. Additional Tips” click here.