Monthly Interview | Rhonda McMaster

by Stacey Wiseman | Apr 23, 2012 | Family Photographs, Interview, Photograph, Photography Tip

Hey everyone, time for our next interview!  You will love  Rhonda McMaster.  She is a photographer located in Ottawa and mother to three absolutely beautiful children.  I mean, seriously beautiful children.  Rhonda’s photographs have amazing color, clarity and light but perhaps what I love the most about her photos is the way she frames an image.  She finds a way to make the surroundings tie into and perfectly frame the subject.  A perfect example was when she stayed a couple of steps behind her kids going down an empty escalator.  The rail of the escalator led perfectly to her children and she got their reflection in the glass sides.

We did not coordinate this in advance…but my favorite photograph of hers is exactly the photograph she selected for #9!  I was so happy she included this photograph in the interview.  This photograph not only captures light in an amazing way…but the interaction between brother and sister is real and genuine. I feel cold but warmth at the same time. It seems casual but perfectly executed.  I long to one day capture an emotion similar to this in my photographs.  Right now we are still in the “be gentle, brother” phase; but one day!

To see more of her photography, check out her website and make sure you like her facebook page.

On her website, she has this really cool feature highlighting photographic collages (click the tab “collages” to view).  My favorite collage is “girly girl.”  What mother of daughters would not love something like this!

[divider]1 | me and my camera:

Hi! My name is Rhonda. I’m a photographer, mother, teacher and life-lover. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II and the 50 mm 1.2L and 24-105 mm 4.0L.

[divider]2 | my family:

This is my busy, young family. 🙂

[divider]3 |   my current photography challenge:

My challenge is to let go of expectations. The images I get are not always the ones I *think* I want to get, but like this one, when I saw it, I knew it was the one I was *meant* to get….

[divider]4 | what I have time for now:

Chasing children.

[divider]5 | what I don’t have time for now:

Afternoon naps. Long ago (it’s hard to remember when) afternoon naps turned into afternoon plays.

[divider]6 | my favorite photography subject:

My children (any of them!). I have never met a mother who doesn’t love a photo of her babies.

[divider]7 | my favorite place to photograph inside my home:

I love taking advantage of the beautiful, natural light that pours in through the largest window in my living room.

[divider]8 | my favorite time to photograph:

It’s not the easiest time to photograph and I shoot more frames, but learning how to embrace the midday sun has made me a better photographer. The way the sun lights up my daughter’s already-vibrant hair makes me smile.

[divider]9 | my favorite blog post (or photograph) right now:

My favourite photograph is usually my newest one, but I keep going back to this image from this past winter, which is perfectly imperfect to me, and shows true sibling love.

[divider]10 | what tip, trick or info helped your family photographs the most:

Contrast in an image makes a beautiful black and white. Also, there are many beautiful locations to take a photograph, but wherever you are, when you see something beautiful or inspiring, take a picture. (This image was taken from the front seat of my van on our way to skiing lessons.)

[divider]All photographs are copyright to Rhonda McMaster, Rhonda McMaster Photography.  Do not copy, print, or distribute.