Still in Love with Polaroid

The last three months of the year yielded some amazing photo submissions to National Geographic's Photo of the Day. Take a look at some of my favorites: OCTOBER 6, 2014 Whale of a Tail Photograph by  Shane Gross , National Geographic Your Shot A sperm whale “waves goodbye” to Your Shot member Shane Gross, who had traveled to Sri Lanka’s east coast hoping to photograph blue whales. “While we did have some success with the blues, it was the sperm whales that stole the show,” he writes. He captured this picture toward the end of the six-day expedition. “It was late in the day and the sun was low as this small pod swam toward me, and I did my best to keep quiet so as to not frighten them. This one started to dive and I free dove right after her, trying to get as close to that massive tail as possible. I knew she might be the last whale I'd encounter on the trip, and indeed, she was.” OCTOBER 9, 2014 The Dreaming Tree Photograph by  Christian Spencer In the Str...

My friend shared this video with me and I found it thought-provoking. Video cameras followed National Geographic freelance photographer Steve McCurry  as he shot the very last roll of Kodachrome 64 color slide film  ever produced. On his 6-week personal journey, he revisited New York and India to take iconic images with the one of the most remarkably brilliant color film ever made. After watching this video, I thought about what taking an iconic photo means to people in general and how valuable a captured image is to a photographer. Iconic images, as demonstrated by the National Geographic journal and society, evoke a feeling in the person or group viewing the image. Some of the most famous images, like the one below, shot by McCurry in 1984,  the image is captured with such precise color and detail, it feels like the young woman is right in front of you. Afghan girl read the full article about this photograph here McCurry sought the perfect 36 images thro...

Happy Fall!  I photographed a friend's baby recently, right before it started getting too cold to shoot outside. We walked around a local park to find a pile of leaves (per the mother's request) and we also set the young man on the playground. Hope these photos bring you warm fuzzies on this cold day! www.amyhefterphotography.com

After a little haitus from creative inspiration, I've resumed seeking out new design and products and beautiful photographs. Looking through the NatGeo's photo of the day from the past few months, I found these gems: JULY 3, 2014 A Watery Underworld Photograph by Halszka Tutaj-Gasinska A wooden boat floats down a canal in Venice. The Italian city is one of the most visited destinations in the world—its old section receives up to 80,000 tourists a day. JULY 5, 2014 50 Shades of Ray Photograph by Eduardo Lopez Negrete A large school of mobula rays fades into the waters of Baja, Mexico. “The rays were moving quite fast and it was hard enough keeping up with them from the surface, let alone diving down to take a closer look,” writes photographer Eduardo Lopez Negrete. Mobula rays are often referred to as flying rays due to their fondness for breaching. JULY 6, 2014 Leaps and Bounds Photograph by  Mark Bridger , National Geographic Your Shot A young ...