Photoblog 2.0

Katie Rose with Bubbles 5, photo by Harold Davis.

Photographing a toddler playing with soap bubbles is like trying to catch two moving targets at once: the child and the bubbles. My best advice is to crank the ISO so you can use a reasonably fast shutter speed, watch your focus point, and be quick on the trigger. If you pause or even hesitate briefly it’s gone.

It’s great to see Katie so joyful, and playing as the normal kid she is, considering that not so long ago when Katie Rose was born she weighed as much as six sticks of butter.

Second Christmas of Katie Rose, photo by Harold Davis.

Katie Rose enjoyed her second Christmas with full comprehension of the important role that presents play in the festivities. Those of you that have followed her story since her birth will understand what a miracle this represents. There’s some delay in gross motor skills, but Katie has perfected the “commando” crawl. On a wooden floor this looks a great deal like swimming. Katie’s vocabulary increases day-to-day, with “ight” [light] and “oor” [door] frequent favorites.

We don’t normally dress Katie Rose in girly outfits like the one shown (a Christmas gift from her Grandma Barbara). For one thing, it isn’t easy to crawl in a dress. Our policy is to treat Katie just like we did her three brothers. Perhaps it is something innate—she seems to enjoy being dressed up. And also the freedom to crawl when we took the dress off and put her back in “normal” clothes.

Nicky is Eight, photo by Harold Davis.

We recently had a great time celebrating Nicky’s eighth birthday with family and a few of his friends. Nicky is such a great guy.

It is not an original observation, but the years sure do pass swiftly. It seems only yesterday that he was quite little—but still smiling, because that is Nicky.

Katie Rose enjoyed the birthday party. She’s at the stage where the wrapping paper and box are just as exciting as the present inside.

Great reasons to be thankful!

Snoozing, photo by Harold Davis.

It’s virtually impossible to keep awake with a sleeping baby on one’s chest—as you can see in this shot Phyllis took of me snoozing with Katie Rose.

I am glad to have this photo, because who photographs the photographer? I don’t often appear in family photos.

Creative Night Advance Copy, photo by Harold Davis.

As usual, Katie Rose gets the first crack at the advance copy of our new book. She’s shown here looking at the back cover of Creative Night: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques. Phyllis, my partner in life and book-creating crime, looks on in amusement.

Other advance copy shots: Katie tries to eat Creative Composition; Katie considers the case studies in The Photoshop Darkroom.

Advance Copy Creative Composition, photo by Harold Davis.

In keeping with family tradition, the first look at the advance copy of our new book Creative Composition: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques went to Katie Rose.

She thinks the book looks good enough to eat. Literally. And I’m delighted with how the book came out. This is very exciting for me.

Creative Composition is not a traditional composition primer. As I note in the introduction, this “is not a book about Art School rules. This is a book about becoming a better photographer.”

Tasty, photo by Harold Davis.

What do Katie Rose and Harry Potter have in common? They both survived.

Advance Copy, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger.

When the advance copy of The Photoshop Darkroom was delivered just now to our front door, Katie Rose couldn’t wait to get started with creative digital post-processing.

I didn’t see her computer anywhere, but she seemed to be having a good time trying to digest our new book, um, literally. Mom and Dad are also very pleased, the book looks great!

You’ll find more information about The Photoshop Darkroom, and links to sample content below the cover image.

Front and back cover (PDF)
Table of Contents (PDF)
Introduction (PDF)
Sample content (Expanding tonal range by using layers, a layer mask and gradient to multi-RAW process a landscape, PDF)

Katie Rose in Color, photo by Harold Davis.

Katie Rose is always cute (in my biased opinion). Here she has a strange hairdo in the bath!

Katie Rose Today, photo by Harold Davis.

On this date one year ago Katie Rose came home from the hospital. You can see her in today’s photo smiling and happy, and eating a graham cracker. Actually, she gums the cracker because she doesn’t have any teeth yet—and does a pretty good job of it. She is full of life, and a great member of our family.

One year ago she looked a bit like a stuffed piglet in her car seat (no offense Katie Rose, see the photo below, shown in the same car seat as above, you can use as a growth comparison). Here’s the story about Katie Rose coming home from the NICU. At that point, we were still in shock, a little less so now.

What a difference a year makes!

Katie Rose loves to play, and gets great joy from simple things. She’s shown here playing with her double in a mirror.

What a difference a year makes! Back then, she was the tiny thing shown below who had just found her thumb for the first time.

And we spent our Independence Day last year paying a family visit to the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit). In contrast, today I’ll be out photographing.

A year ago, things were beginning to look up but we had no idea how well Katie Rose would do. Katie Rose sends a message of hope, joy, and the possibility of miracles. And, yes, she does still like to play Peek-a-Boo.

Background on Katie Rose:

• The Day My Daughter Was Born
• The Birth of Katie Rose
• The Story of Katie Rose (PDF book)

Peek-a-boo. Where’s Katie? There’s Katie Rose!

Katie Rose Swinging, photo by Harold Davis.

Katie Rose’s core muscle strength has improved to the point that she can enjoy swinging. Today was the first time she was able to hold herself upright in the swing at the playground—you can see she did so with great joy!

Katie’s PDA Has Gone Away, photo by Harold Davis.

Katie Rose turned one last week, and yesterday we brought her into the pediatric cardiology clinic at Children’s Hospital, following up on her PDA.

Now, when you hear the acronym PDA you may be tempted to think “Personal Digital Assitant” or “Public Display of Affection”. For us this past year, PDA has meant Patent Ductus Arteriosus, a congenital heart defect common in preemies.

We had a great sonographer, who imaged Katie’s heart extensively and carefully. For once, Katie Rose actually cooperated with the process.

Our great good news: Hey, hey, Katie Rose’s PDA has gone away. As in, vanished, disappeared, taken care of itself without intervention. As in, no further follow up care. As in, no further visits to the somewhat grim cardiology clinic at Children’s Hospital. Yeah!

First Birthday, photo by Harold Davis.

Katie Rose was one year old today. Chronologically, that is. Meaning that she was literally born one year ago. Her “corrected” age, which is an indication of where she is developmentally, is between eight and nine months. This corresponds to the age she would be if she had made it to full term. (Parse that sentence for verb tense!)

We had a small first birthday party with a single candle with the boys and Grandma Barbara. The guest of honor presided on the table. She didn’t know what to make of the candle, but enjoyed all the attention. The boys enjoyed the cake, and Julian enjoyed holding his sister. Katie Rose has come a long way in a year.