Daisy was never fond of riding in the car when she was a baby. She'd scream and scream and scream, even if we were just zipping over to pick the boys up from school or taking a quick trip to the store. It just about brought me to my wits' end. I dreaded going anywhere with her. And then one day, when she was 14 or 15 months old, we turned her car seat around to face forwards. I buckled her in. There was silence. And then, as I started to drive, the sound of Daisy's little baby voice going: "Wheeeee! Wheeeee! Wheeee! Wheeee!"
She "wheeee"d all the way to school and back, and she never cried in the car again.
And that's Daisy. Wants to see what's going on and be a part of things—and then, whatever it is, she LOVES it. She loves helping me cook, loves riding her bike with the big boys, loves dancing and singing with the little girls, loves tending Teddy, loves reading, loves learning. If someone else in the family has an obsession, she wants to join in: "Sebby, was that a 767? That's my favorite plane!" "Look Abe; I think I saw a Tesla Model S!" She's smart and talkative and always ready with an opinion. She's a great little companion who, when just she and I get in the car to go somewhere together, sighs happily: "O-KAY! Now! What shall we TALK about?!" She's also likely to declare, of an evening, that "Mommy, what I really feel like doing, is SNUGGLING." She talks a lot about what she'll do when she's grown and has babies of her own—always including lots of visits to me. I can only hope! Because I hate to think of living for any amount of time without my little Daisy girl.
(See also: Daisy at four)
What a pleasant little child your Daisy seems! And I'm loving these portraits with your new lens, and if you haven't been figuring how to control your aperture and your camera has been figuring how to get such great "bokeh" (as fancy people describe blurry backgrounds) then your camera is a genius! Also, yes, what you were saying about taking Abe portraits is what I've been saying about capturing my older kids. I DO want just as many pictures of them, but it is just so much more difficult to get pictures of ANYONE once they become self conscious and aware. It's why I have fewer of Mike than I'd like as well. Besides not loving to pose anyone, I think that is the heart of the reason I haven't been interested in taking pics for a profession. It's funny and interesting that we clearly learn that type of self awareness that makes us uncomfortable knowing we are watched or in a lenses view because even Penny at eight still mostly doesn't care. I was most aware of it yesterday when I took pics of Summer eating her (whole) apple :) -- she just didn't care even slightly about the fact that I was practically in her face with my camera. She just went about her business -- which is exactly what I'd like my older kids and adults in general to do. But I can't do it myself, so perhaps it isn't possible. So, I must simply make a much more valiant effort to get pics of these older kids despite their awareness. But. That was all a rambling side to "I'm loving your pictures!" The end.
ReplyDeleteYou're always so nice. Thank you! And yes, I don't know why it is so hard to ignore a camera, after a certain age! What changes??! I can't do it either. Even if someone says "pretend I'm not here!" :) And I've wondered a lot about the professional photographers that claim to capture your "real moments." It seems like you'd have to know them really, really well for that to actually be true. Hmm. More to say, but I'm writing you an email about it.
DeleteWell other than the few times when people really might be engrossed in like . . . sledding down a huge hill or bouncing about behind a boat on an inner tube (when things would be too wild to notice a camer -- and maybe in late labor and pushing???? maybe?? If the photographer didn't intrude and stress your environment), I think photographers capturing "real" moments can only mean . . . capturing something that creates the emotion of real moments you've had. Haha. Does that make sense? It's like I've said before about posing or positioning my kids or creating something -- I feel like I'm still capturing something I want to say or feel or remember about childhood or life. So I suppose it could be that when they say "real moments". But unless they followed you around all day on the sly, they couldn't be authentic.
ReplyDeleteShe's you. Holy cats, she's you. Love the work. What are you shooting?
ReplyDeleteI really don't know what I'm doing. I'm trying to learn. We only have a nice camera and lenses because of Sam, really. :) It's a Nikon D800, and the lens is a Nikkor 85mm.
DeleteI really don't know what I'm doing. I'm trying to learn. We only have a nice camera and lenses because of Sam, really. :) It's a Nikon D800, and the lens is a Nikkor 85mm.
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