Waiting for Santa {Project Two Times Twelve}

It would have been way more appropriate for me to have posted these images before Christmas got here, but seeing as how I barely made it to Christmas on time and with my sanity in check, it would have been irresponsible of me to be here posting pictures.

Not that that has stopped me before.

But now that we have made it through Christmas, and had an enjoyable time I might add, it is totally responsible of me to post these now.

It just will feel out of order.

Again, not something that has stopped me before.

I am a little bummed out about how these turned out. I was so hoping for real snow for Christmas pictures, but that was a no go this year.  As I waited and waited, time dwindled and dwindled.  So, even though these are exactly what I was hoping for, they did stretch me to think a little differently than I would have normally, which is totally the point.

So here are the kids waiting on Christmas:

You totally need hot cocoa when it is fake snowing outside:

Yes, that is our family Christmas tree that I had The Hubs drag outside.

The Little Man thinks he might see Santa off in the distance:

Hugs:

Some more love:

My favorite: 

Can you see how hard The Girl is hugging The Little Man?  There is LOTS of excitement!

Joy!

Yes.  The snow is fake, but the happiness and excitement of waiting on Christmas is real. A few things:  I wish that the images weren't quite as flat.  I mean the lighting could have been much more interesting if I hadn't waited so long that I had to take what I was given.   Also, I wish that I could have had them a bit further away from the fence, however, there isn't that kind of room in our backyard. 

Overall, I do like the pictures.  I like the color and the emotion.  I also like our tree being in the background, and I did have fun learning how to create snow.  I realized after the fact (like two days later) that I totally forgot to take pics of each child individually.  Oh well.  I have plenty of those.  Another thing that I have learned, is that I LOVE being outdoors.  Even in the winter.  It's just so much more fun than studio.  I hope to lean more in that direction, with my work, in the next year.

Get 'Er Done

I hate being a slave to my "to do" list.  Yet, week in and week out, you can find me checking stuff off.  Why?  Because it works.  I will run around in circles without my list.  I will procrastinate without my list.  I will forget things without my list.  However, it does feel so good to scratch things off that list, and at the end of the week, if everything is accomplished, I feel great.

It's ridiculous really.

Today, I am thankful that I was able to really get a lot of stuff accomplished...without a list.  There are just some days where you will find me focused, determined, and ready to get things done.  Today was one of those days, and I am so thankful for it!  I am thankful for the weight of getting some lingering stuff off of my plate, and I am thankful for the provision of time to do so.

One of those things that has been on my plate for a while:  Project Two Times Twelve!

There wasn't anything in particular that I was trying to learn or stretch myself in this month.  I was simply out enjoying what ended up being our last bit of warm weather this year.  Literally, the day after these pictures were taken, it was like the switch was switched from our Indian Summer to late fall.  It's been cold ever since.  Every time I have looked back on these pictures,  since I took them at the beginning of the month, I remember how warm it was that day, and how beautiful our Fall has been this year.  That is all I need.

The Cousins were there with us too.  They have really become such great friends in the last year or so.

I guess now might be a good time to mention that the kids posed themselves in all of the pictures, no help from me!

Except this one.  The Little Man needed help posing himself against the fence.  He preferred a much different look...I'm just glad my choice won out!

Today I am thankful for catching up!

Holy Pictures Batman! {Project Two Times Twelve (x2)} and then some...

Since it's the last day of the month, I guess I can no longer procrastinate uploading a boatload of pictures and dealing with blogger any longer.  In fact, if you didn't notice yet, I totally skipped P2X12 last month, but that was because I was too lazy/way too busy.  This month I don't want to deal with the craziness that is uploading a ton of pictures.  So, I waited until the last possible day hoping that, at some point, something would happen to make it easier.  

Well, it didn't.

And to add to the pain, I am not including our Halloween pictures from this year.  That still has to be done.  Somehow, Halloween this year went from a one night adventure to a FOUR DAY celebration.  I do not even know how we will face Monday.  I am sure, though, it will be ugly.

Very ugly.

Enough of that, here we go!

Here is Project Two Times Twelve for September.  Which may have been taken on October first.  Who is keeping track though, really?

In September, I went all out and did something crazy.  I let the kids jump on the our bed.  I know.  All kinds of wild.  For those that don't know, we don't let our children on our bed...ever.  I know, we are cruel and mean.   I have a weird thing about my sheets and pillows not containing cooties from anyone else except me.

And also The Hubs.

So! When I told the kids that they could jump on my bed IF they let me take pictures of them, well, they didn't know how to contain their joy.  Plus, I got to drag my studio lighting into another area other than my studio and play with using two different light sources.

It was not as easy as I thought it was going to be, friends.

Here they are:

First up The Girl:

Then both:

Love The Girl's face here:

The Little Man who I had to BEG to stop trying to flip backwards (see above photo):

I figured since the pure joy they were experiencing while jumping was giving me honest happy expressions, as opposed to forced smiles, I would try to borrow some of that joy and have some happy smiles in a more posed pic:

 No such luck.

These pictures were super fun to take, but were not easy.  There is so much that didn't even make it off of my camera, and to be honest, I don't know if these should have made it off the camera.  Off camera flash is something I would love to dabble in more, but I think I will have to do a lot more reading and practicing before I can say that I've done anything worthwhile...One day, one day!

This month, we went back outside for some fall color and costumes.  Every year I have a photo shoot with the kids in their costumes.  The last two years they have been indoors/studio style, so this year I wanted something outside.  Plus, we have had one of the most beautiful Fall season I can remember, and I didn't want to forget how wonderful it has been

Here are the kids as Ironman and a Queen:

I SO wanted this to be a silhouette, but the white collar, white pail, and street lamps all interfered with that.  So, this is the best I could do:

So tough and scary all at the same time!

 Nope! Never mind, he's still crazy and wild:

He's supposed to be guarding the queen here, but whatever:

The last two pics are not P2X12 at all.  They are from The Girl's last allergy appointment.  Each October she is seen by her allergist to test her peanut allergy as well as other allergies that she has (environmental mostly) to see if they have progressed/gotten any worse.  Sometimes a kid can grow out of a food allergy (10-15% do), and so for the first few years after a diagnosis they like to keep track of the allergy.  This was The Girl's fifth visit, and thankfully, it will be the last for a few years now.

Here's her back:

All of the writing are markers and numbers that tell the doctor what allergen has been applied and where.   As you can see she has some larger red welts in some areas and in others just a slight irritation or nothing at all except for a serum.   This year she still tested positive to the things that we already knew about peanuts, cats, weeds, and trees, however, this year we found out specifically that we are dealing with Cottonwoods, Ragweed, and Pig weed.  Guess what kinds of trees and weeds we are surrounded by.


Awesome.

So after they mark up her back, they use small poking type things (they aren't as sharp as needles, but do break the skin a little) that are dipped into the allergen.  Then they scratch the surface of the skin with the allergen going into the scratch.  After that, they wait twenty minutes to see the reaction.  There are also control scratches done for comparison.

If you have any allergies, this twenty minutes is excruciatingly long.  The welts raise up and itch and burn like mad, but you are not supposed to touch them, hence why they do it on your back.  During our last test, The Girl had a secondary reaction to the peanut protein that caused the doctors to need to treat her with some strong antihistamines (thankfully the epi pen was not needed) and monitor her for a while.  This year stared off similarly.  Shortly after the peanut protein was scratched onto her back, she became very uncomfortable.  Then the tears came.  Followed by some strong agitation that reminded me of what she used to do when she was little and was about to throw a major temper tantrum.

 Here's a pic of the peanut welt (keep in mind the amount of peanut protein that is placed on her back is very small,  about the size of the tip of a ball point pin):

So, I tried my best to comfort her and convince her that I still loved her even though I was allowing this to happen.  I also prayed over her out loud.  This proved (as it always does) to be the most effective in calming her little body down.  I prayed that The Lord would protect her while we waited, and that he would calm her and give her a peace that goes beyond all understanding.   That she would feel God's arms wrap around her and hold her close.  I also prayed that if there was any way at all that the pain and itching could stop, that He our powerful God who is in control of all things, would instantly make it stop.

Wouldn't you know, at that very moment our doctor came in.  She took one look at the size and severity of the welt and decided right then and there to stop the testing with the peanut protein.  She immediately wiped the area clean with a special cleanser that gives instant relief.

That's the kind of Father we have.  What troubles you, troubles Him.   He is one that knows our pain and answer prayers.  In an instant.  Nothing is too big or too small.

A Different Light {Project Two Times Twelve}

So, it was almost bedtime on the 31st of the month when I realized I hadn't done this month's Two Times Twelve project.

Oops!

In my defense, it's been a busy month!  We've traveled and started school, and with school we started new routines while we held onto old, wonderful routines with a death grip. 

So with no time, and no light for an outdoor shoot, I figured I had to come up with something.  It was the perfect storm for forcing me to find something different, something outside of the box.  Yes, I am going to regret not being outside while the weather permitted, but that's the way the cookie crumbled this month.  So, with much trepidation, I hauled out the ol' studio lights and did something different.

I know when you see these, there will be a few thoughts that run through your mind.  Just remember, this exercise is about stretching my brain creatively.  This month's pictures are more on the artsy side than I usually go.  They are about emotion, but they are not about perfect grins.  They are about lighting and drama.  They are about the subject (the kids in this case), not the clothing or environment (because I didn't plan out outfits or have light for environment). I also was working on using negative space (space that has nothing in it) instead of my usual "fill the frame with faces/people" technique.  I was quite surprised at what more space around the subject would do, how it changes the whole image.  How moving the subject around in the negative space, even though it's the same subject, same pose, same look, can create a whole different feel.  It was very interesting to me to play with space.  I feel like I have really learned something new through this month's unprepared, very simple, shoot.

The Little Man is up first:

 Above is an example of no negative space.  Below I added negative space to the image:

Can you see a difference space makes?  I think it's huge!  In the bottom image the kids look like...kids.  They are small compared to the space around them.

The Girl's turn:

Both images of The Girl have negative space, but even more negative space in the bottom image, again, let's the viewer understand how small she is compared to the space she is in.

The other thing I loved about this exercise is how the lighting really helped me to see little things that I usually miss on a daily basis.  Like The Girl's perfectly shaped lips and the best divot thing-y below her nose that I have ever seen (how's that for technical terms?).  How perfectly shaped each of their noses are.  Their cheek bones, and the squareness of The Little Man's jaw.  When photos are this simple, you see these things.  You are forced to look at every inch. 

Every perfect little inch. 

And drink it in.

I'm glad I almost forgot my project tonight.  I got to see my kids in a whole new light.

And It Was Right in My Own Backyard {Project Two Times Twelve}

I promised this time that I would avoid trying to master back lighting, sun flare, and sun haze the next time I went out for Project Two Times Twelve pics.  I can't say that I kept that promise, but I can say that I did try something new and out of my comfort zone.

(First, can I say, that we are only half way through this project and the kids already HATE it!  There was so much bribery going on to get this session that I still am not sure how exactly I am going to get them out next month.  So!  I will say that I probably won't get them out next month.  That doesn't mean I won't photograph them next month, it just means that I will have to be so creative that they don't even know that they are out for a session.)

To get out of my comfort zone, I decided I needed to first, go to a new location, and then second go out at a different time of day/different lighting conditions.  Initially, I went out during the earlier hours of the day because it was overcast, however, once I got to where I was going, the sun was out in all it's glory.  Still out of my comfort zone, though since I don't usually ever shoot in full sun.

First, location.  I see this place ALL THE TIME.  It wasn't until recently, though, that I thought about using it for a place to take pictures.   First, it's not very big.  Second, it's surrounded by homes. Third, it could have some questionable wildlife around it.  Namely that which have rattles on their tales and could bite if feeling they need to protect themselves. 

So, I brought The Hubs just in case.

He was thrilled.

So here we are at THE DRAINAGE DITCH behind my house.

Just goes to show, with a little effort, and creative angles, you can make almost anywhere look good.

First up, The Girl:

Still working the angles thing here as well as trying to figure out the full sun thing we have going on.  I didn't want the back lighting effect, but if I turned her facing the sun she couldn't open her eyes.  This picture is the result of figuring out what I should do.  You can still see some harsh lighting on the back of her arm there.  Shucks.  I still like her little look, and also the arm thing.  I know it will look weird to most everyone else looking at it, but it's so her.  She always puts up her shoulder in pics.

She's starting to grow out of it, though, so I am glad I still see a hint of it in that picture.

I am so happy with the pics of The Little Man, I can barely stand it.  I know I posted pictures that were supposed to be his Five Year Old photos, but I changed my mind shortly after taking them.  I decided I really didn't like the way his outfit looked in those pics, and since then, I have been trying hard to get something different.  I am happy to say, it didn't take until he was six to get some pictures I think are keepers. 

Here they are:

(I love the freckles so much in the picture above, I can barely stand it)

I know they are the most "smiley" pictures, but I have decided that that is precisely why I love them  I get to see "him".  Not him trying to work the camera.  I think sometimes I forget that not all good pictures are pictures that have huge cheesy grins in them.  Good pictures are pictures that show off the person that is in them.  I feel like these pictures give me a good representation of The Little Man.  When all three go up on my wall,  I'll see "All of him" if that makes sense?

Here's another of The Girl that I really like:

She looks like a Desert Cowgirl or something.  I can't decide which I like more, the color or B&W version.  There may be more work to be done with this one.

And, yes, it's back lit (they all are).  You know what though?  I learned that when you are in full sun, you HAVE to back light.  It's the only way to make the subject look right with shadows and what not.  So, there, I learned something despite doing something I said I wasn't going to do again.

And since this is Project TWO times twelve, here are the two of them together:

I love that picture so much, I can barely stand it.  It made dragging The Hubs (as grumpy as he was about it) along all worth it.  He's the reason they are looking at me AND smiling with normal natural smiles.

I'm bringing him along from now on.

He's thrilled.

Enjoying Summer {Project Two Times Twelve}

I took the kids out earlier this month for what was supposed to be a Birthday Re-shoot for The Little Man.  Since that session started off with a BANG, I mostly got photos of The Girl and then the two of them together...don't go thinking I went Girl crazy and forgot all about The Little Man.   Remember, he was a bit upset on the sidelines.

I do love the pics I got of The Girl, though.

Not because they are perfect, but because they are perfectly her.  Doing what she love the most in the summer time:

Yes, there she is scanning fields in order to catch bugs.  That's my girl.

After some time spent bug catching, her brother caught his breath long enough to join her for some pics.  He wasn't the happiest camper, but after awhile, we were able to coax some smiles out of him.

They aren't the best smiles, but smiles none-the-less:
(Love the natural interaction in this one, but too much flare on The Little Man and the balloon caused a mighty red cast around their faces.  Dern.  I am still totally drawn to it, though)

Still feeling pretty protective over that balloon...I think it would have been easier on us all if it would have popped like the rest:

Com'on Bro!  Let's just take a picture for mom so we can go home:

It doesn't look too forced does it?

Next month, as hard as it will be, I am going to try to break away from sun flare and back lighting...unless there is a really beautiful night with a gorgeous sunset, then all bets are off.

Seriously though, it's time to start experimenting more with different styles.  Being in a rut is what started this whole project in the first place.  I am trying hard not to put myself into a different rut.