Just call me Wonder Woman. Why, you ask? Because I took four kids (6, 3, 1, 8 months) to Biggest Brother’s well check appt. with our pediatrician…by myself. (You can’t really understand that statement unless you have had children and dealt with well check appts). That feat gives me Wonder Woman status.
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Once the appt. was over, I got all the kids loaded in car seats and buckled up. As I put the key in the ignition I heard Biggest Brother say, “Mommy, I need to go to the bathroom!” Are you kidding me? I just got all of you loaded. I weighed my options:
1. Go back into the doctor’s office: Everyone was already staring at me with all 4 kids…don’t want to go back in there
2. Go to the nearby Lowe’s or Target: Biggest Brother is starting to really not want to go into the women’s restroom with me…there are only large restrooms there and I am not ready to send him in alone
3. Go to Starbucks: he could go in the small restroom by himself while I treat my self to a drink for enduring all of the hassle (made me think of Meg’s post)…however, I was sure to have THE CONVERSATION if we went to Starbucks
4. Go to Chick-fil-a: The bathroom is small, I could treat the boys to ice cream, they could play on the indoor playground. However, it is beautiful outside…and I deserve the treat.
I chose Starbucks. We all climbed out of the car and walked in. Biggest Brother headed to the restroom, Big Brother hid behind a display, Littlest Brother held my hand and I carried Baby Sister to the counter….and THE CONVERSATION happened. It’s the conversation that ALWAYS happens when I am out with the kids without Chris.
Barista: “Wow, you have your hands full.”
Me: “Yep” If only you knew there was another one hiding and one in the restroom.
Big Brother pops out from behind the display
Barista: “Oh man, there’s three of them. They’re all little too.”
Me: “Yep.” Please don’t ask me if I am the babysitter. Please don’t do it.
Biggest Brother comes out of the restroom to join us
Barista: “Is that one with you too?”
Me: “Yep” Don’t ask. Don’t ask. Don’t ask.
Barista: “So are you their babysitter or mom?”
Me: “I am their mom.” You are not my friend Starbucks Barista.
Barista: “Dude, you really have a lot of kids. They are all like really small too.”
Me: “Yep.” There are FOUR of them. FOUR. THAT IS NOT A LOT. FOUR. NOT FOURTEEN. NOT FORTY. FOUR.
So for the record, if you see me out and about with my kids…please don’t ask if I am the babysitter….and feel free to tell me how cute my kids are not how full my hands are.
We then headed to the park and had a blast in the warm weather. Baby Sister got to try out the swing for the first time – she loved it. I am currently gearing up for SnapShops to begin in 2 weeks. SnapShops are geared for the everyday person – not photographers. Part of what we spend time talking about is capturing the everyday events in your life and ways to do that more effectively. I thought I’d share a bit on that today using Baby Sister’s swing experience as an example.
PHOTO TIP: Great Cameras Do Not Equal Great Photographs
Looking at a great photograph and telling the person who took it “Wow you have a nice camera.” Is like eating a fantastic meal and telling the cook, “Wow, you have a great kitchen.” A great camera will only get you so far…it is a key tool, but you have to understand how to use it.
For instance, here is the type of picture most people take at a park:
PHOTO TIP: Change your angles.
One of the easiest ways to enhance your pictures is simply by changing your angles. Every angle you take tells a different part of the story. Here is the story of Baby Sister’s first time in a swing:
For this shot I put my camera on the ground, tried to guess where to focus and set the self-timer. I missed the right focal point (if you look closely you can tell that the bottom left corner is in focus). This is an example of a failed attempt, but still a keeper in my mind. Despite it being out of focus I love the story it tells.
The next attempt…I got it in focus, but since you only see our feet the story is a bit different than the previous pic. This picture alone wouldn’t make sense…you can’t tell what is really happening. However, when combined with the rest it tells a part of the story. When I make our family albums I would use all these together on a page to tell the whole story of her first time in a swing.
A ‘group’ shot. I like this better than if I had them all sit on a park bench and smile….there is story here not a posed plain jane shot.
On a totally different note, does anyone else find these swings odd? They are made for kids, but would fit adults. I just don’t get it. I would fit in that swing better than my kids do…I’m just not picturing many teenagers or adults strapping themselves into one of these. Littlest Brother loves it.
Enjoy your weekend….I’ll be gardening!
Happy Monday!
I just have to keep learning…
I’ve been getting A LOT of emails lately asking about the next round of SnapShops. “Yes” I do plan on doing several next year. They won’t start up until the spring and I won’t be setting dates until probably February sometime. I plan on doing them in the spring, summer and fall. If you are interested and want a heads up on dates before I post them on the blog, send me an email at ashley at ashleyannphotography {dot} com
by AshleyAnn
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