Featured Friday with Lynne Raspet of Two Poppies

Today we are going to get to know a little about Lynne Raspet of Two Poppies...the winner of our "different" theme!!! So sit back, put your feet up...maybe grab a cup of tea...and enjoy!!

1.  Please tell us about yourself!

I'm a mama to 4, Ellie, ZZ, Razzie and Gus; wife to Steve, a pilot in the US Air Force. We met when were 13!  I've lived all over because of my husband's job, but will always consider Southern California home. In my previous life I was a kindergarten teacher and now besides photography, I own a small business with my sister called Multicultural Kids.  We just recently launched a second site, Two Poppies to share our art (my sister is a painter and mixed media artist), photography and creative projects.  Our big news is that we just successfully completed a Kickstarter project for our first children's book, A Beautiful Rainbow World, which will be published this spring! I still only do photography as a business super part time, mostly to my military friends, hence the ton of images of families in front of airplanes on my page.  I have lots of blog posts formulating in my head and plan to be more present at Two Poppies this year.   I completed my second 365 project in 2013 and still need to post those!

2. Can you describe your style in 3 words? Why those words?  

Authentic…imperfect…emotional

Authentic: Although there are certainly times where I have a vision in mind and I ask my children to help out, for the most part my goal is that the personalities of my children are reflected in my images. I think it is easy to lose that so I constantly ask myself, “What pictures do I enjoy looking at from my childhood? Which images will my children cherish?”  If I can focus on that, whether it’s for myself or for clients, I think I will continue to be happy with what I produce and hopefully they will too!  I am trying to include my kids more in what we photograph too. This year our Christmas card consisted of four images; they each came up with their own idea for our card from wardrobe to location to props.  We were all really happy with it and it was so fun to see each of them in charge!

Imperfect:  My words are all sort of tied together I guess, but again it goes back to thinking about what would have been important to me.  The family photos I love from my childhood and those that my kids love from theirs are candid photos that perfectly capture the subject at a certain moment in time or the posed photos where someone is doing exactly the opposite of what they should be doing.  Life is imperfect and I hope to be capturing life as it is.  

Emotional:  I’m an intense and emotional gal. I feel it all, and my photography is an extension of that.   I really like looking at images that make me feel something so that is what I try to convey with mine.  Our oldest two children are exactly alike and  completely opposite of each other all at the same time, which causes conflict.  They were bickering one day and I sat them down to talk to them while I had my camera. They are used to my camera and it provided a distraction from the bickering. At some point my son cried because his big sister said her life would be ruined if he were not it.  After 15 minutes they got up laughing.  We ended up with a very productive talk and some of my favorite images of the two of them. Ever.  Authentic, imperfect and emotional all in one!

3.  What sparked your passion for photography?

I’m probably not that original here.  I was always the girl with the camera growing up. I even brought out to clubs when I’d go dancing with my friends!  I never really thought I could be a photographer though, until after I had my youngest. My husband deployed for a year and I decided I needed something to do just for myself that year. My in-laws had bought us a Nikon D80 and I started by reading the camera’s manual cover to cover.  The rest is history.  I only wish I’d done it much sooner!

4. What's in your camera bag right now??

Nikon D600,  Nikkor 50mm 1.4, Tamron 24-70, Lensbaby Composer with Double Optic and Edge 80 Optic.

5.  What is your dream shoot or project? 

I have so many projects in mind! I’m fascinated with the idea of defying stereotypes and/or causing people to reconsider long held beliefs.  We are all so much more than first impressions.   Our oldest two have dark skin and curly hair and our youngest two are a blond and a redhead. My degree is in sociology and I know just with the first look, whether it is one of them individually, us as a family, or some combination of us, assumptions are already being made.  It’s just natural that that happens, but if I can in some way bring awareness that we do that, then maybe we can all understand each other a bit better. We all have so much to offer each other!  Hey, I said I was intense and emotional, so there you go!  On a lighter note, I’ve photographed exactly one birth, but I’m hooked.  I’ve never felt so completely at ease as a photographer. I’m an introvert so I do much better when the attention is not on me. And there isn’t anything much better than a newborn babe!

6. What are some of the hurdles you have had to overcome this far in your photography journey?   

While maybe some folks get everything figured out in a snap, that’s not me. I’ve found that the more I shoot, the better I get. When I first started out it always felt like there was a secret club that I wasn’t invited to and those greats all secretly helped each other or something.  “Real” photographers felt unapproachable to me, but most of them are incredibly kind and genuine. I’ve learned it’s just like anything else you only get better by doing.  The more you read and practice the better you will be.  I guess I saw photography in more black and white terms.  Either you are a good or you aren’t. It’s much more of a continuum.  While I have learned a ton, there is so much more. I also assumed that the pros all had a ton of self-confidence and always knew what they were doing.  I certainly doubt myself all of the time and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.  It’s also okay to fail sometimes.  And it’s my journey, if at some point I stop and feel I’m as good as I want to be, that’s okay too.  

7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning? 

Read your camera’s manual! I know it’s incredibly boring, but I think it’s super important to have a starting point.  A basic, “Learn How to Shoot in Manual” workshop is incredibly helpful too.  I took one a little late, but it was great and helped me fill in the gaps.  After that, it’s the ability to see the light and be present in your life.  Knowing when to take advantage of the light and where to place your subjects is vital, but also knowing what moments are important to capture, really seeing the people you are photographing is important too.  Authenticity shows.  Consider starting a 365 project and/or participating in a  52 project or two Since I’m primarily a hobbyist, this really helped me to focus. Also, don’t be limited by your camera.  I started my photography journey in 2009 with a D80 and didn’t upgrade until this last summer.  When I got my new camera I realized how hard I was working to capture the same images as someone with a better camera. I am a better photographer today because I had to really push my D80 to its limits.  I don’t regret waiting to buy a new camera in the least.  

To see some more of Lynne's gorgeous work and to learn even more about her, please follow her on Facebook and check out her website!!