A Dresden photographer is planning a workshop to help parents capture the perfect, and the not-so-perfect moments, with their families.
Brittany Vanruymbeke, owner of Brittany Elizabeth Photography and the daughter of Tom and Carmen McGregor, said one of the biggest reasons why she got involved in photography was to document her kids lives and her family life.
“That doesn’t always mean posed pictures in the park,” she said.
“Those are really beautiful, but those don’t really accurately depict our family life and the things that we love to do.
Vanruymbeke said she is passionate about taking pictures at home, even when there is a mess.
“Even when the kids are crying and dirty and there are dishes in the sink,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter because our life at home is so beautiful that I just love documenting it and I think that people kind of take that for granted. I am hoping that taking an introduction to photography course for moms or parents in general that maybe they will see a little more beauty in their home and be able to document it in a nicer way than what they would normally take on their phone or even to encourage them to take a picture that they wouldn’t normally see as a beautiful moment, because it is all muddled in their everyday routine.”
Vanruymbeke added: “I am hoping to teach moms to use their cameras a little better or even to teach them to see things a little bit differently.”
She said she started her business about two years ago, mostly doing family photos, photos of little kids, newborns and weddings.
Vanruymbeke said you don’t necessarily need a big expensive camera to capture great photos.
“If you ask any photographer, having an expensive camera doesn’t make your photographs art,” she said.
“What makes them art is the love that you put into it and the story that you are trying to tell. I don’t think that you need really expensive gear or a fancy lens. Using your phone is enough to create a piece of art. If that is all you have to capture that moment or that is all you can afford right now, that’s all that matters.”
She added: “What matters is using what you have to capture that moment and if you can do it a little more creatively, or maybe use the light a little bit differently, that could make a little bit of a difference for them.”
Vanruymbeke said she hopes to teach some of the basics of photography and what to look for.
“Very basically how cameras work to take an image and than using that to teach them how to see things differently,” she said.
“As a photographer I see light, that’s all I see, but people wouldn’t normally maybe see the light coming in the window and say ‘oh wow that creates really pretty shadows’ or ‘that really accentuates certain features on their child or in their living room’. So, teaching them how to see light in their home a little bit differently.”
She added: “Using basic principles of photography and composition to make their photographs a little more artistic, a little more creative. Maybe show a little more of what they see in the beauty of their everyday.”
Vanruymbeke said she is still developing the course and is gathering feedback to see if there is interest from people to take it.
People can contact her through her Facebook page, by email at brittanyelizabethphoto@gmail.com and through her website at http://www.brittanyelizabethphotography.com/.
“I just hope that if people sign up for the course, then maybe they will take that extra step to document their everyday,” she said.
“I think in the hustle and bustle of everyone’s lives these days they don’t take a moment to slow down and see the beauty in it all. That is my aim. I hope that people can pick up their cameras, don’t worry about being a professional and just document their everyday because that is what’s important.”
Here are some more examples of Vanruymbeke’s work:
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– Photo credit: Brittany Elizabeth Photography
