I had the pleasure this past weekend of taking portraits for one of my most favorite clients!! You can find her blog by clicking here. She has been a client since I first started my photography business. I met her at our first session and we have become such sweet bloggy friends!! She blogged about her "portrait day" and it was so insightful to see the other side of the story than the view I get looking through the lens.
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT http://www.theentiregaeng.blogspot.com/
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Picture Day
Boy was Saturday morning a blast in my household (and YES, I am being a bit sarcastic). We had our favorite photographer come out to take some recent pictures of us, and not everyone was as excited as I was to have that done. I guess if I had started the day off with a Bloody Mary my sense of humor would have been in place. I must say before I begin to rant- that despite the fact that their were tears and tantrums- the pictures, as always, are beautiful.
Let me take a step back to help you understand what goes into the actual "day of pictures". I have to organize outfits for not just 2 kids, but myself and husband which is much harder then you think. For weeks I have been perusing online stores and going to the mall to find the perfect outfit and color scheme for all of us. This time I was not just looking for us- but for my best friend as well since she came over to get her family photo's done (and if you think I'm picky you should meet her!) I had to make sure that the house was clean from top to bottom (you never know where the pictures could take place), as well as make sure that the outside was properly mowed/swept/weeded/etc). I had to watch what I ate for a few good weeks so I didn't look especially fat (I also had to watch what my husband ate- the same applies to him). And the hardest part was making sure that my kids did nothing to their faces (no falling, scrapes, cuts, bruises, etc.)
Now we can fast forward to Saturday again. That morning I was getting my hair trimmed (it actually worked out good for me- it takes me forever to straighten my hair and she can do it in half the time and it looks perfect) at 9. I was so excited about the day I was wide awake at 6. After laying there for a good while (running thru everything in my head) I figured why not get up and get ready. I took my shower and then put my make-up on (I will mention that I had to put my eyeshadow on 4 times, I just couldn't get it right and after taking it off the second time my eyes were swollen from rubbing them- it was really making me quite frustrated). I left to get my hair done and came back to the same clean house I left- which was great!
We went upstairs and got Christopher ready after I got home. Well- that is when it began to go downhill. "Me no like this shirt, Me no wear it, I want to play with Reed, take it off".... he cried, snotted and screamed this for a good 20 minutes. What made it even better was that when he was crying and screaming he was pulling on his sweater stretching it out (I had to ask Chris to take him out of the bathroom because I was afraid I was going to shake him - really).
His delightful mood continued thru the pictures. I won't go into to much detail because then this post would be a book but to give you a visual of one of the highlights of my day....he was running away from me across my side yard screaming "No Mommy No" ...when he got tired of running he threw himself down, face first on the grass. When I picked him up he kicked and continued to scream. It just made me want to have 3 more kids!
Picture Day
Boy was Saturday morning a blast in my household (and YES, I am being a bit sarcastic). We had our favorite photographer come out to take some recent pictures of us, and not everyone was as excited as I was to have that done. I guess if I had started the day off with a Bloody Mary my sense of humor would have been in place. I must say before I begin to rant- that despite the fact that their were tears and tantrums- the pictures, as always, are beautiful.
Let me take a step back to help you understand what goes into the actual "day of pictures". I have to organize outfits for not just 2 kids, but myself and husband which is much harder then you think. For weeks I have been perusing online stores and going to the mall to find the perfect outfit and color scheme for all of us. This time I was not just looking for us- but for my best friend as well since she came over to get her family photo's done (and if you think I'm picky you should meet her!) I had to make sure that the house was clean from top to bottom (you never know where the pictures could take place), as well as make sure that the outside was properly mowed/swept/weeded/etc). I had to watch what I ate for a few good weeks so I didn't look especially fat (I also had to watch what my husband ate- the same applies to him). And the hardest part was making sure that my kids did nothing to their faces (no falling, scrapes, cuts, bruises, etc.)
Now we can fast forward to Saturday again. That morning I was getting my hair trimmed (it actually worked out good for me- it takes me forever to straighten my hair and she can do it in half the time and it looks perfect) at 9. I was so excited about the day I was wide awake at 6. After laying there for a good while (running thru everything in my head) I figured why not get up and get ready. I took my shower and then put my make-up on (I will mention that I had to put my eyeshadow on 4 times, I just couldn't get it right and after taking it off the second time my eyes were swollen from rubbing them- it was really making me quite frustrated). I left to get my hair done and came back to the same clean house I left- which was great!
We went upstairs and got Christopher ready after I got home. Well- that is when it began to go downhill. "Me no like this shirt, Me no wear it, I want to play with Reed, take it off".... he cried, snotted and screamed this for a good 20 minutes. What made it even better was that when he was crying and screaming he was pulling on his sweater stretching it out (I had to ask Chris to take him out of the bathroom because I was afraid I was going to shake him - really).
His delightful mood continued thru the pictures. I won't go into to much detail because then this post would be a book but to give you a visual of one of the highlights of my day....he was running away from me across my side yard screaming "No Mommy No" ...when he got tired of running he threw himself down, face first on the grass. When I picked him up he kicked and continued to scream. It just made me want to have 3 more kids!
I must say- Heather the photographer wasn't even phased by this (or she was just thinking that we were the craziest family ever in her head). I find it funny to hear that this is what the picture shoots with little kids are normally like (I think she is fibbing to me to make me feel better). Below is one of my favorites from the day, Christopher with his best friend Baby Ben, it captured the mood perfectly - You can see more of our pictures on her portrait blog: www.timelessandtreasuredportraits.blogspot.com !
I think her day is pretty much exactly what it's like for a mom to get her entire family ready for custom portraits. You have a vision in your mind of what you want - and you will do all sorts of crazy things to make it happen. Our kids are so precious and little for such a short time, that documenting every part of their lives on film is VERY important!! I love it when other moms share that same passion I have (especially considering I have approximately three pictures from my own childhood). Something that I love about photography, is capturing all those moments that our own eyes miss. I mean seriously - the day can seem so completely hectic, chaotic, unraveled and like there is NOTHING that we can glean that was good about it. And then you look at the pictures that were taken in the midst of complete upheaval - and you see everything that we missed while our heads were busy spinning around and around. Most photography sessions go that way. It's rarely a pleasant occasion when there is more than one small child involved. We should look at our everyday lives in the same way. We get so busy just getting through the day, that we don't even "see" all the precious things that are zipping past us at the speed of light while we are so busy trying to keep all of our plates spinning. Now I just wish I could remember that when I am the one with the spinning head! I just love Erin's perspective.
