“Money Shot”

Because I’m still so new to the world of photography, I had never heard the term “money shot” before.

If I had heard this saying, I would have figured it’s meaning had something to do with making money.

It doesn’t- well, relatively speaking.

Noelle, my producer and business partner is a fabulous photographer and and she uses this term when we’re filming. It basically means that you got the shot- either still or video- that you wanted.

Noelle’s father, however, was able to break this term down even further.  He is probably the best photographer I’ve ever known and he recently told Noelle that “a good photographer can tell the story with one shot, while a mediocre photographer will need to use many”.

This week is my family vacation week in Carlsbad, California- the perfect family-friendly beach community.  We were fortunate this year to find a vacation rental home on the beach- a two-story just renovated modern beach house just steps from the ocean.

We’ve played on the beach, swam in the ocean, rode the waves, spent a day at Sea World, watched the sunsets, grilled steaks and walked the boardwalk to get ice cream.

So, how do you sum up a vacation like this in one shot?

I chose one that I thought told the story best.