It’s only fair, since I told you of my humiliating story surrounding it yesterday, that I now get to show you a nearly reprehensible amount of photos of my children taken with my new camera
(But first – a thank you. People often ask me how I could stomach to put my life out on the internet for the world to see and critique – especially the embarrassing stuff when I totally fail at life. Besides the therapeutic benefits of literally translating my tragedies into humor, yesterday’s post is where I’m going to send them from now on to find understanding. Because when you put your crazy out there, people are compelled to chime in and admit that they, too, are crazy – and it just makes crazy so much less crazy when you’re crazy in the same ways as everyone else. So thank you, thank you, thank you.)
(Another great example of this phenomenon? Talking Breast Pumps. The responses on that post are still my absolute favorite comments EVER. So thank you for that, too.)
So now. The photos.
For clarification, I’m certainty no actual photographer – I just keep hoping that the nicer the camera, the more it will make up for my lackings.
And sometimes that proves true.
(About one out of every 200 photos.)
So I just keep snapping until I get a keeper.
One thing that could help my photography would be taking the time to clean my children’s faces before capturing them forever…
Or even perhaps just wiping their noses. You can barely tell that I photoshopped a huge wad of snot from his upper lip!
With the Older One, I get a range of faces, usually varying between impatient frustration,
and cheesy fake smiles.
But every now and then I catch something that actually resembles a genuine grin – it’s a shine-down-from-heaven moment for sure.
And when she asks me to photograph something, I jump at it. After all, maybe it will produce a real face.
This time, it was her “Cup of Nature.”
The Younger One refuses to lay eyes upon me if I have a camera anywhere on my body.
So I have to perform a complicated spell from The Invisible Book of Invisibility (Available at Flourish and Blotts) to make myself disappear, then voila – I get the “I’m looking straight through you” expression.
And then when the magic wears off, I receive the “You evil trickster!” look.
But one out of ten thousand, I get this:
And sometimes, even his refusing-to-look photos make me smile.
But the best photo so far was blessed with terrible lighting, angle, clarity, and A BROOMSTICK IN THE BACKGROUND.
But it was spontaneous, genuine, un-posed, and made my heart melt completely.
So maybe it’s not all about the camera after all.
I feel your frustration-my 14 year old son manages to utilize his teen cloaking device that enables only the side and back of his head to be photographed! His school pictures are torture for both him and me–him because he has to face the camera, me because of the tortured grimace on each and every one!
I wish I’d been more like your fourteen-year-old son when I was fourteen. It would save me from all of those horribly awkward photos. Then again, maybe he’s not nearly as awkward looking as I was at that age…
Is it a boy thing to never look at the camera?!?!?! Both of my kiddos were so photogenic as babies, but when they got big enough to have opinions, I have to coerce, bribe, beg, threaten, and otherwise ruin any happy moments or genuine smiles to get a “here’s looking at you” picture! Maybe I need to check into the Invisible Book of Invisibility. and a family photo? Forget it!
I’m jealous of the camera though! ( but not the printer).
No, it’s a kid thing. Ali’s gone through phases, too. Unfortunately, there’s not a verse in the bible saying, “Children, don’t goad your parents into insanity”, or I’d be quoting it all the time.
The odds are definitely not in my favor…bad camera, no skills, and whenever I pull any camera out Ollie will say “No hank you no hank you NO HANK YOU!” To trick him, I take a picture of myself and act like having my picture taken is the most exciting thing to ever happen to me. That usually buys me one chance to get a good shot, and I generally miss it… The only decent pictures on my blog were taken by someone else and my photoshop skill set consists of only Instagram. I’d say you are doing pretty great!
I feel your pain. I like the No Hank You, though – that’s a lot nicer than anything I get!
Her “impatient frustration” look gives a diva model expression. I see a career in her future…
She does have a very brooding look about her at times…but I’m not sure I want her to get paid for that skill.
*gives her
I didn’t get to post on your breast pump post because I hadn’t yet had the unmitigated joy (SUPER SARCASM ALERT) of pumping. But now that I have I feel the need to tell you that my pump said “Vedek Bareil” as soon as I unhooked it and let it run a bit to evaporate the condensation. Yes, Vedek Bareil, the random Bajoran character from Star Trek DS9. Apparently my pump is a geek too.
I am SO glad you got a like-minded pump. I mean, it would be no good at all if your pump went around saying “Paris Hilton, Paris Hilton”, or “Kim Kardashian, Kim Kardashian”, now would it?
Beautiful photos! In my excitement caused by that larger printer being at your house, not mine this time, I forgot to tell you how glad I am for the good news about your dad!
Thank you so much! I’m extremely relieved as well!
i know nothing about cameras, but those are some nice photos. i do know something about kids and those are cute ones :) and i love you transparent sharing. i’m all about it!
and you know i appreciated that HP reference
Thank you. I do what I can.
One of the things that I was told when I first got started as a photographer was the following:
“The difference between a professional photographer & an amateur one is they will both take 100 pictures, but amateur will show you all 100 while the professional only shows you the 5 great ones!” Not sure who originally said it, but it’s so true! I’m always leery of “professionals” who give 2000 pictures to a bride & groom. The great ones give between 200-800 & show more of the day!
I like that way of looking at it! It makes me feel much better.
That last one is my favorite! The love is so apparent and so sweet. I think the secret to getting great photos is just taking a lot of them. That’s why I love digital.
Two words for you…Shutter Release! A great investment especially when photographing kids who aren’t too keen on the camera. :) I photographed a 4 month old and every time I would get behind the camera to take her picture she would cry. So I pulled out the shutter release and she didn’t cry at all and I could get her to smile and laugh even. :) I get the same expressions from my daughter when I take her picture and the fake smile or the oh this is so horribly painful to smile at my Mom looks. I then have her do a laugh (fake or not) and it helps relax her face and I get a less painful looking smile. Even if it is for just a second. :)
The new Canons are amazing – touch screen, HDR, pinch zoom… oh it’s fun.
I’m so sorry about your Dad!! That’s great that you’re working on scrapbooks. Those will mean a lot to your kids for years!!
Thanks – great idea! How does that work with focusing, though? Does it still do a good job of autofocus?
Absolutely it does great with auto focusing. You press down on the button half way and allow your camera to focus, then press it the rest of the way and it takes the photo. When I bought mine off Amazon it was like $7 or $8. :)
You are making me, once again, consider giving up the convenience of my iphone camera and purchasing a real one. Even if it does entail making monthly payments on the Home Shopping Network for the next 36 months. Interest free though, of course. :} Loved the pics. Looks like you are lovin’ the new cam. :}
It’s something that took me a while to do, too – mainly because I was too afraid of hefting a giant camera around with me everywhere. I still use my iPhone for spur of the moment photography, but it’s nice to be able to take quality photos, as well.
A few of my favorite pictures are the ones that came out photographically crappy, but had such sweetness behind them anyways. I also take ridiculous amounts of pictures, and then will be going back through them a year later and keep asking “why on earth are there HUNDREDS from that one afternoon splashing in the kiddie pool?” while still taking hundreds more the next day.
I KNOW! I have SUCH trouble deleting anything. My hard drive hates me for this.
You forgot the most awesome thing your new camera does! Touch screen display.
Those are some fantastic pictures. Andrew is all about the camera. My point and shoot, Daddy’s iPhone, Nana’s iPad. It doesn’t matter. He loves the camera. He’s a ham. His favorite word is “Cheese!” But you saw that. :)
The thing he’s been wanting to do lately is take the pictures himself. I’ve let him do it a few times. He’s not so terribly bad actually, for a three year old.
Yes, I thought about mentioning all of the magical features of it, but didn’t want to make people angry and jealous. :)