Top 10 of 2009

Welcome 2010. I don't know how to say you. Two thousand ten, is what I am inclined to say since we just left two thousand nine, but I am told that is totally un-cool. I guess I am supposed to call you twenty ten. When I think about it, I guess that makes sense since we never called 1990 one thousand nine hundred and ninety. Who am I though? I will try to get used to calling you twenty ten, and desperately cling any way I can to any shred of coolness I have left.

I will admit, when I thought about doing this post, I got sick to my stomach. I have been blessed this past year to photograph many other families. I loved meeting each of them, and learning their stories, but that left very small amounts of time to photograph my own family, and when I had a chance to photograph them, I was tired of taking pictures. I knew this going into this top ten post. I thought I would be lucky to get even ten photos period of my kids, let alone them being "favorites". Sure enough, when I went back to find ten posed, perfect pictures, I couldn't find ten. However, as I went through all of my 2009 photos, I found so many other photos that I loved so much more. Photos that weren't posed, that weren't technically perfect, photos that weren't planned, but lived.

So I learned two things putting this post together: 1) I need to take more photos of my own kids, even if I am feeling a little burned out because these are my kids, and these are our family's stories. 2) I love photographs of our life. Sure I love the posed and traditional shots too, but the photos where my girl's hair isn't perfect, but her smile is a mile wide because she is having the time of her life are precious. They have life. They tell a story. They breath. I won't stop posing my kids for more formal pictures, but in Twenty Ten I am going to work on capturing them beautifully, living their childhoods out.

Here's to Two Thousand Nine (in no particular order):

Snow play in an October blizzard:


Running from the waves in Newport Beach:


My favorite family portrait of '09


Finding pine cones at cousin's cabin:


Running through sprinklers this summer:


Blasting off rockets this past spring:


Chasing the wind, also this spring:


More posed for fall color with summer tans look:


More posed pictures from a session when The Little Man turned four:




We did get to play a bit at this session:


The Girl's six year old session:


Yummy lashes:




So if you were counting, there were more than ten, but I honestly could not edit this down any more. In fact my heart hurts about leaving out some other photos. When all was said and done, I had found over thirty "favorites".

That's a great year.