Last night I packed a picnic for me and the boys and took them to our local park a mile from our house. This park leads to the greenways where I do the majority of my running. My homework assignment was to work on photos demonstrating a particular aspect of composition and I chose scale. While I do not love this photo, it demonstrates how big the trees are here. Alex looks teeny tiny!
I also had some grand ideas on letting the kids walk in front of me while I took pictures from behind them. And this, my friends, is where I will keep it real. They cried and screamed! They were afraid I was going to leave them. I got one screaming picture before I had to put the camera down and walk with them.
After our picnic, I had flash of brilliance and asked the boys what pictures they wanted me to take to better have them cooperate. Nate said he want to lay with Alex under the blanket and peek out their heads. Here's how that idea worked:
Alex was acting completely crazy, so Nate started yelling at him, "Lay down Alex!" Alex did not comply.
Finally I said I would give them jelly beans if I could take the blanket away. And if they let me take four more pictures, I would take them out for ice cream. I forgot to include the condition of smiling. But I still consider this a keeper because it truly reflects their interest in being photographed right now.
As I've been posting my pictures, I get a lot of comments that my camera takes great photos. I hope this post shows a little bit about how much work goes into things behind the scenes on getting just one shot! And when photographing kids, I have TONS of throwaway photos. I am a deleting fool.
I kept my promise and we went out for ice cream afterward. Picnic + photos + ice cream + Jon coming home later that night = Laura's sanity has returned!
8 comments:
Love all of them Laura!
p.s. it doesn't matter what type of camera you have, it is the artist behind the lens that makes wonderful photos.
Just like a pen. And writer. You know?
That's what I love about pictures. They remove the sound of whining!
I agree with Cathy. I think you're the reason these photographs are so great. Your pictures are always so clear with brilliant color.
You *must* have a really great camera and a good lens because your pictures are so good.
Hello???
I was having a conversation with a friend recently who wants to buy a Nikon D90 so she can get better photos. She currently has a D40.
I think I finally convinced her to take a class and *maybe* invest in a new lens before she spends $1k on a new camera.
Thanks for keeping it real!
love the expressions on their faces :) so cute! so four!
These are so cute...I wish I had these tips when my kids were young!
Don't I know it. It is pretty much impossible for me to get my kids to pose for pictures. So I just go "au natural" most of the time. At least I have something to remember the occasion by!
You know I'm not a photographer, but even I know it's the eye, and not the camera, that makes for a good photo. (And that's why we're breaking the bank to get Brandi to take our family photos.)
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