School was out last week. Summer break is here. We have no big plans. A lot of nothing everyday. Just the way I like it. Lots of hanging out at the kitchen table. Lots of pretend picnics in the playhouse. Lots of water fights and sneaking sips of my sweet tea. Lots of sneaking sips…
Category Archives: everything else
So yesterday I shared that I took the boys yearly birthday pictures. My middle son was not very thrilled with taking 5 minutes out of playing in the yard to have his picture taken. I’m guessing most parents understand how difficult it is to get pictures of kids that just don’t want to be photographed….
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Thank YOU for these tips. My 3 year old throws HUGE fits and hides his face when I want a picture. I think your advice will help! 
Yay! Thanks for the tips! Keep calm and keep snapping. I think I’ll make a t-shirt with that on it 
Have a lovely day!
When Emma was about 4, I took her to have her picture made at one of those cheapy photo places like MotoPhoto or something like that (this was the 90′s. I was not yet enlightened:) She was so determined to not coorporate. Every picture was a scowl……until….at some point, she felt an unintentioned smile coming on despite herself, and stubbornly poofed out her cheeks like a chipmunk to try to contain it. At that time in her life, she was blessed with an amazing pair of cheeks. Anyway, it turned out to be one of my very favorite photos of Emma despite the fact that it was a “bad” photo. And now that she’s 18, I absolutely love it! Twinkly eyes, kissy lips, and enormous poofed cheeks
But I sure was mad at that little tiger at the time!
That’s exactly why I take lots of pictures. It’s a pain to go through so many afterwards, but it’s worth it to get the keepers. I would love to know how you work with downloading, saving, etc. Do you keep your RAW images or do you keep Digital Negatives? Just curious. I am new to the DSLR world and have been struggling with this a bit.
I had a session with a 5 year old little girl just this past friday. Her mom assured me she LOVED to have her picture taken but when it came time to start the session I was getting the same reaction. I took hundreds of pictures in just a short hour so i could capture a little smile in between the scowels. Between me asking her lots of questions about school, what she likes to do, and boys (yes BOYS at 5!) and taking LOTS of pictures I was able to get some amazing shots during that session. I just stayed relaxed and easy going and just kept snapping away. It takes a little more time during the editing but it’s totally worth it to have the “it” shots!! Great advice Ashley!
I applaud your patience! Great shots
LOVE THIS!!
I have to admit, I’m kind of bummed he’s not in his black UA shirt with it tucked in. Now that would be a true picture of him right now! Ha. Love his goofy ways.
love this! and you’re right, he is crazy photogenic…even in the silly face photos.
I love the walk through of your photo shoot! My son (almost 
is the same way. He hates having the camera on him and does the exact same thing. Only worse, he’s a squinter. He’ll be playing in the yard, all fine and as soon as I start taking pictures, he starts squinting and rubbing his eyes. I’m always able to get a few good pictures out of him here and there and it’s worth all the effort or “stalking” as I call it. You got some amazing shots!
okie grown. love that.
I love that, even though all you wanted was a nice smile, these photos capture the goofy, silly, 6 year old I’m sure he must really be right now! And capturing that is just as important as capturing that fantastic little smile
Thank you for thinking to share all of your outtakes with us!
Oh my word, your snapshots class totally changed my world. I take pictures all the time and am capturing some really special moments that matter to our family. The effects of your snapshop class will ripple into our forever! Now with all of your blog tips, I can use all of your secret tricks too:)
And, I can’t help but mention how adorable your boy(s) are. In addition to their cuteness, they are styled to perfection:)
Gosh, he is adorable! Thank you for these tips!
This look so much like MY own 5 years old!! even the faces are the same !!!
Love the t-shirt! Being from OK too, I would love to know where it’s from…
My 11 year son is this thrilled when I take his pictures! He is a handsome young man. But I can tell he is ornery!! LOL!
wish i would’ve seen this yesterday! we had our pictures taken last night and my 3 year was not cooperating, and my own behavior quickly went down hill. i should have had more fun with it and been less of a “crazy mom”. oh well! i’ve learned my lesson and even if we have a redo session i will definitely be displaying some of our “not perfect” photos so i remember what not to do – and that our life is never “perfect”. thanks for the positive tips!
LOVE his shirt! We have the black onesie that my MIL picked up in a little shop in downtown Tulsa (we live in Stillwater). I have it tucked away in a box now that he’s too big 
Now if only you had some advice for uncooperative husbands. My husband hates pictures (or rather forced smiles) so much that I was only able to salvage a couple pictures from our wedding day. The photographer took about 3 or 4 pictures per shot to make sure to get one good one, and my husband decided he was only going to smile for the 1st one (the rest were unnecessary to him). Now we’re living with a family picture with my father-in-law’s eyes closed!
For every ten pictures I get one good one of my 6 year old. Even as a baby ir was like that. So glad we gave digital cameras now. I hate to think of how much film we would go through.
Gosh he is ADORABLE!!! Thanks for the reminder to stay calm with the end goal in mind. This post also makes me want to try out the 85mm 1.8.
Made me smile. I talk and talk and talk to my boys until I think they are so tired of me they have to smile
These shots are adorable!! Thanks so much for sharing them and the information behind your 6-year-old. It’s very helpful to hear how you dealt with a “difficult” model– though you made it not difficult! 
Great advice! I don’t so much have grumpy or unwilling subjects as much as just distracted. My girls are 5 years apart in age, too – so I’m certain taking as much pictures as you do, you know what I mean when I say that.
Have you seen this? I’m certain a pro like yourself doesn’t need a thing like this, but I came across it a while back and thought it was a unique idea. http://pinterest.com/pin/214413632229668530/
Beautiful pictures as always. Loved your advise! I have three girls that have their moods too. Sometimes its good and sometimes grumpy mood gets passed to the others.
I like to say random things that make my kids laugh like “booger” or “fart.” It usually does the trick. Oh to be young and think those things are funny!
I really enjoy this post.
That is just the encouragement I needed to hear! I am the try-to-hard mom that turns into the grumpy mom. Thank you for sharing your sweet little family with us!
Love these tips. My new favorite trick for my almost-4-year-old is to have him ask me for a piece of candy. He always smiles when he asks me for things… works every time!
This post made me smile! My 5 year old boy is, to quote him at age 3, “not a fan of pictures”! I often get the silly faces when I take his picture. And sometimes I lose my patience. So this post is a nice reminder to embrace the crazy silly faces and hope for a genuine smile in the process. H is super handsome by the way!
AshleyAnn-
Would you share your f-stop for these, especially that ones that you pulled back on? Pretty please? I can’t seem to get the right aperture for the distance shots, and as usual these are so so so yummy! Not to mention an amazingly delicious 6-year-old!
nancy-of the crazy 9
Thanks for sharing the reality of what it’s like to get great shots of your boys . My son is 20 months old ,he already says ‘mom is shooting’ (in Hebrew cause were from israel), and I can’t get him to look straight at the camera . I find that he is not very interested in having eye contact with the camera , only when I move my own face from behind the camera he will look at me . I’m curious whether you sometimes have that issue with your children ?
Ha ha ha but he looks cute even he doesn’t smile. The other ones are gorgeous. He is so handsome.
For me is each day more difficult with my daughter
Hilarious. And so helpful. My oldest will be five next week, & still loves to be the center of attention. Her little brother…not so much. And now there’s another brother to one day have to consider;). Thankfully he could care less about that camera in his face as long as his milk comes when he wants it. haha Thanks!
ha! this post made me laugh-so true! I run into the same challenges with my kiddos. I have also found that simply watching them with my camera is the best way to photograph children. You get their real smiles and expressions that way. And some of those “not smiling” faces are still faces that I want to capture and remember too.
Great advice. I’ll have to remember to try it.
For me, there’s another reason I keep shooting- I like the other faces my kiddo makes too. Honestly, it’s a little bit like I just want to capture every aspect of him and I think it’ll be hilarious for us to look back on all the many expressions he could make in the space of 2 seconds! They’re such magical creatures that everything they do is worth a capture. Your son’s funny faces touched me just as much as his smiles did. And his authentic smiles are way more engaging than a ‘cheese’ smile would be, I’d venture! Thanks for sharing this experience!
Gracious day there are NO words for the natural beauty you capture. None.
Thanks for sharing this. I get mad very often when my son is naughty and ended up both of us are grumpy. I need to stay calm.
Ella is really into making faces in EVERY picture I take right now and I think I have captured it adequately. I’m hoping that some day I will remember it fondly. Not there yet.
thanks for the encouragement to just keep snapping! my boys are SO hard to photograph…argh! your boys are so handsome!
Gosh, you sure do take amazing photos! Thanks for sharing these. I just wish you could come and visit me in Australia so you could take some photos of my family! I love reading your blog and all about your ‘normal’ family. You are an inspiration to me and I always find your blog very encouraging. Thanks!!!
I try to take some posed shots of the kids each year around the times of their birthdays. Well, I’m a couple months behind with the boys. Time kept slipping away, so I finally just shot a few around the house. I think I spent a max of 5 minutes with each boy. They were…
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ADORABLE – your boys are so awesome! Great pictures!
so precious….
Congratulations! You are behind in emails which means you spent more time in REAL life. Awesome feat!
“Still too young for the awkward self aware phase” -Yes, both my boys went through this phase at exactly the same age- five years old. From age five until age six, I couldn’t get a natural smile for anything! Thankfully, my six-year-old has outgrown it, but I’m struggling with my still five-year-old!
These shots are beautiful of your boys though. Even if the rest of the shots of number #2 are terrible, the one you posted should make up for all the rest!
Wow…those boys are going to be heartbreakers! Sooooo handsome!!
New follower here….these are lovely. You really captured the personality of your boys.
so cute! where did you get that sweater-vest on the youngest boy?
i see so much of you in each of them.
and that makes me so happy.
boys rock.
These boys are so precious and I love these photos. So so great!
Keegan said “Look Mama, it is my friends with the goats!”
I have the most handsome grandsons in the world. They all are perfect. How I love them.
What handsome little guys! And what lovely memories you have of them – smiles and funny faces and all!
Ah boys! Getting my boys to look at the camera and smile at the same time is impossible! I would love to hear what you talk about with them while your shooting. Any tips on getting a “normal” expression?
Y’all are a gorgeous family! My goodness!
Try taking pictures of my 11 year old son!! So much work!! These pictures are so cute and you can see their personality in the photos. Your boys are very handsome.
Your boys are all such charmers. You are so lucky! Your six year old just melts my heart though. Everytime I see pictures of him I melt.
Love that you do this every year! You should do a blog with the photos complied from each year of each child.
Your kids are all crazy-gorgeous and handsome, but you are right, your middle son is photogenic as heck…he’s beautiful, good luck fighting the girls off!! Oh man you’re going to have that teenager house where eeeeveryone congregates, too! Cute cute cute pictures, thanks for sharing!
oh my goodness…there is too much handsomeness going on! what sweet boys. that last pic kills me! adorable.
I understand your pefectly, ha ha ha my daughter doesn’t want photos and te little one some day yes and some day not.
My daughter is 4y 8m I would like to be the mother in law of one of our children ha ha ha
All of your children are adorable! I have been wanting to get the 85mm lens… I think these pics. may have me shopping this weekend!
Your children are beautiful, but #2 is angelic. He looks like an old soul. Good luck Mom, you are going to need some crazy skills to keep the girls away!
Dreamy….just plain dreamy!!!! The first pic of your 4 yr old made me melt! You and Chris create some extremely gorgeous creatures!
oh they are lovely!!! Their wives will be so happy to have them someday, as they hold them up to their own sons and compare the features.
Keep ‘em coming!
nancy
ps-My mark II will be here on Friday! I knew you’d appreciate my excitement!
Fantastic! I work at a portrait studio … 10 yr old boys are tough. An 8 yr old still chuckles when you say “toilet”.
These photos are wonderful. Your boys are adorable. I just got my first DSLR camera for my first Mother’s Day! My husband surprised me. I got a Canon Rebel t2i. I’m loving it so far, but still need a lot of practice.
*laughs* My parents and friends are always trying to get me in front of the camera, but I’d rather be behind it, taking the pictures. That being said, I love how you captured your boys– even if they have their awkward faces on, these will bring back such good memories.
On a side note, did you know that YoungHouseLove mentioned you TWICE in today’s morning post?!? Yay, Ashley!
~Ellie
I have three girls the same ages as your three boys. We stopped after three, but I would have loved to have one more.
Precious boys! Makes me want a few boys of my own!
As a mom to three little boys and a girl as well, I can totally relate!
Your boys are so handsome! great pics as usual.
They are gorgeous!! Love the locations you chose, especially the one sitting in the grass. With my 6 and 3 year old boys, I have to resort to telling them I will play tickle chase to get them to take pictures, and if that doesn’t work, usually a lollipop will
Is it just me or does your 6 yr old look just like his daddy? Such handsome boys!!
Not sure what you mean by a “boy mom.” If your mother said that, what would you think she meant?
Ashley, the pics of your boys are adorable. It makes me long for the days when my two were that age. Gosh, they grow up so fast! I don’t know how you could possibly have time for questions, but if you do I have one. You are so wonderful to always share what lenses you have and your camera settings, but my question is even more basic. How do you decide which lens for what??
Oh man, the color of their eyes is amazing! Are they blue or green or hazel–or a mixture of all three? They look gold at the center, then green, then blue at the edges.
As always, gorgeous photos. Which Canon do you have? I am saving up to upgrade models, and am still on the fence between the 5d and 7d. Thanks!
by AshleyAnn
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Kathryn - I need to do this, I have a couple more weeks to prepare. We usually try for one “field trip” a week as well.
lindsey - oooh! you will have to share any that you really liked! I’m trying to plan some crafts for mine this summer as well. I only have one and she’s firecracker’s age! and magazines at a picnic table is much more my style as well! I refuse to by a kindle, nook, etc. because I still like to shop for and hold a new book!
N - I can’t believe summer has already started for you! Enjoy!
Suzanne - You are so right – when my family gets left to its own devices, it usually ends in bickering kids and upset mom. We are trying to figure out a schedule that is more of a framework for our day – just to give it some structure/routine. We are make a summer list a la Meg, and I am going to try a “craft thursday” type of thing on one day of the week. I don’t think I will make it everyday – I would use up all my ideas in two weeks tops! I like Kathryn’s one field trip a week idea too!
Seriously Sassy Mama - We do a summer list and a separate craft list. It is a ton of fun seeing my three girls get excited about adding something to the list. I really only plan dinners, but when it comes to summer, I just have in minds what they like to eat. We are pickers and grazers in my house, so little meals all day long. I am so excited for summer. My kids are out Friday!
Kristy - I would love for you to share your crafts as I need some ideas!
BeckyH in MA - I sent you a huge summer “I’m Bored” list awhile back. TONS of stuff to do.
Our school doesn’t get out until JUNE 25th! UGH! I’m counting down the days. We are planning lots of hikes and geocaching!
Have fun!
Jessica R - I have implemented a weekly rhythm to give us some structure without adhering to a strict schedule. Inspiration from here: http://crunchycatholicmomma.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-weekly-rhythm.html (not my blog). It has really helped me to give each day a purpose without the stress of having something to accomplish every hour!
Kelly - My boys finished up school yesterday (we homeschool and they worked so hard to get school done way ahead of schedule! yay!). I promised them one week of doing absolutely nothing and then we’ll go back to a little structure. My middle boy said he’s going to watch TV all day today. Our TV is hardly ever on so it’ll be interesting to see if he really does it
Happy Summer to you!
tracy - What is the Kids! Magazine that is on the table? It looks like it has some good stuff in it. Pinterest is great but nothing beats a stack of magazines.
Ruth@GraceLaced - One of my favorite things about your summer posts over the years, has been watching your kids play with water and “just be kids.”
Are you doing any gardening this year?
Emily - I know the feeling… with my newest little one born, we have run into this even before summer… ( my oldest is 4).
)
We are going to try to get a head start on kindergarten things and going to try some “homeschool” K things and crafts. I also have planned to do something on our to do list once a week!
Don’t know if you like them like I do, but I just found out that McAllisters can make Arnold Palmers (half lemonade half tea). I was pretty excited, so I had to pass it on! I recognized that cup and straw!
Ari - I would love to know your crafts for the week….I need inspiration!
Julie - We made a list similar to that one last summer (but did our own things). I try to plan one thing to “do” every day too or we get bored – even if it’s just the grocery shopping or gymnastics. If you find good crafts please post! I know I’ll be hitting up the dollar bins at Joanns too.
Alice H - Do you send your kids to VBS? That is a week worth of structured time! LOL! I love Firecracker’s bathing suit!
Jenni - I think a simple plan is the way to go in the summer. Can you tell me where you got ‘firecracker’s’ swimsuit? My almost 3 yr old is pretty particular about swimsuits not being too tight. This looks perfect. Praying that the anxiety of waiting for your sweet song won’t consume you. Come on Chinese officials get some papers moving!
tracy a - School’s out already? Wow, we don’t let out until the last week of June!
Hannah - I found your blog on Pinterest. I was looking for summer props to use in some of our photo sessions. As I was looking at your summer pictures I saw the word China, so I had to read the whole thing. To my surprise it said that y’all were adopting. China and adopting is something so close to my heart. My sister went the past 2 summers to work in an orphanage and I was lucky enough to go the 2nd time around. While Katie was there the first time she sent a picture back of the cutest little albino boy! He won our families hearts over. He is now at home with us. I know all about the whole adoption thing and the patience you have to have. I would love to talk to you more about it if that is ok with you! I am so excited for you and your family! Congratulations!!!!
Megan - Sounds wonderful to me! Our school is out next week. I’m looking forward to not having to push them out the door. These past few weeks have been hard for them to go to sleep and get up. I agree that too much free time = problems. I love how your kids play together so well. My kids are too far apart and have their own friends leaving my littlest alone most of the day. I’m sure that they would all like a little structure.
Emily - I’m with you: pinterest is awesome and has its place, but flipping through a magazine with some sweet tea is far superior. Especially when the weather is nice and the days are lazy.
meg duerksen - YAY!!!
great call on the MS kids.
i am going to go dig mine out today!
i miss little ones.
a LOT.
lets switch houses.
Louise Fortune - WOW summer break already – the kids in the UK don’t finish until JULY 20th.
I am so totally ready for our summer xx
Katie - Last year on our weeks without trips or VBS we started: Make something Monday (crafts, etc), Time to read Tuesday (weekly trip to the library), What’s cooking Wednesday (bake or make something fun), Thoughtful Thursday (making something for someone else, or other service project), Fun Friday (zoo, beach, museum, movie). Sometimes it works other times you do fun Friday on Tuesday, but it was nice to have a little schedule.
Happy Summer!
Abigail - That scheduling is a really great idea! I bet your summer days will feel longer, more fun, and more refreshing as a result!
Mara - Sounds wonderful! I would love to hear about your craft projects – particularly any you really liked! I love simple crafts with kids.
Sarah Whitworth - I love reading your blog and do so regularly, but rarely comment. My kids are a good bit older than yours so our summer plans look a different. I wanted to suggest another summer activity: the public library. I am a children’s librarian and we offer a great summer reading program. I’m sure that the library in your locale would do the same. Our program includes an independent reading program, classes for every age group and special events for the whole family. Just a thought for another purposeful way to spend the summer.
Hannah - So I was looking for some props on pinterest and stumbled upon your blog. As I was looking the word China caught my eye, so I had to read your blog. I found out that you are adopting and it just melted my heart! My family and I have a huge heart for China. My sister went the past 2 summers to work in an orphanage and I was lucky enough to join this past summer. It was a trip of a lifetime! She is now living there working to get an orphanage that is not open to adoption up to code to start getting those kids adopted. Also when my sister was there the first summer she sent us some pictures of this super adorable little boy. Needless to say we all feel in love and he is part of our family now! I would love to hear some more about your adoption if you are willing to email.
Thanks!
Stephanie - I so wish that Martha Stewart Kid’s magazine was still around–I saved my copies too!
Shannon Phillips - I love it! I have been soaking up the summer fun with my littles too.
I see hair cuts have been a part of your days as well.
AshleyAnn - Sarah – we are big fans of the summer reading program at our local library! Thank you for all you do for kids as children’s librarian!!
Melissa - Sounds like you guys are going to have a great summer!! And I totally agree about wanting to flip thru a magazine outside rather than internet surfing ;o)
julianna - Oh how I miss Martha Stewart Kids, the best of all her magazines in my opinion. Bring it Back!!!
Jeannette - I want to come to Campbell Camp!
Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Ok, I’ll be there Monday
What is our craft? (I wish!)
Jen Daily - So far my attempts at a summer “schedule” are coming up short. My five-year-old wanted to take an art class, but by the time I got around to signing him up for it, it was full. So I’d like to set up some art projects for him at home, and will be excited to see what your family is up to.
As for scheduling, we will try to do one get-in-the-car outing in the morning, followed by an easy trip to the park or activity at home in the afternoon. I’m currently making up a list of what those outings/activities might be, and will let the kids choose from there.
Bon @ A Golden Afternoon - Those Martha mags are solid gold around our house. I like to hide them away and surprise myself with them from time to time. Weird? Maybe. I could pretend they’re for my kids, but really…moi. That picture of Firecracker drinking is perfection!