one more.

this is one of my favorite pictures. i am never in our photos. i usually tease brian by saying, "if i die, be sure and tell the kids that i really was around often and did love them very much" because they might not be able to tell that based on most of our photo sets.
so, the other day, i decided i was going to try to get some with me in them. i'm too controlling and picky to let brian take the pictures. so, i set up this background to try something new out and got abi to come over.
here is how it went down: i told abi that i set up a new house for her to play in. i got her baby doll (see below) and her baby's bottle and told her we could play. she came willingly at that invitation. usually she's quite resistant to more photos, not sure why... :) next, i tried to get her to sit there and allow me to put self timer on, but she wouldn't go for that either. so we both ran to the camera, i set it for a self timer shot and then we both ran back and tried to kiss. it actually turned into a fun game!

next oliver came out, thus, the pictures of him and abi.(below again) they actually look like they like each other, eh? then came nic, no shirt and all (in case anyone was wondering why he didn't have a shirt on). next brian and elliot. and there you have it. the whole family ended up with more portraits. so fun for me!

things i'm not doing anymore when i take pictures of the kids: making them change clothes, say "cheese", smile or even look at me. i might tell them, put your arm around him or something, but the more i can make it like a game, the happier we all stay. the less i can force them to do, the more willing they are. often their smiles come from being deviants, like the one below with abi at the table (red rock sidewalk, angie). she had her legs wide apart and thought it was funny to leave them that way after i tried to get her to sit "properly." i only asked her once, let her think she was getting away with it and then cropped her legs out. (i was being the photographer, not the parent at that moment!) one other tip i got from another photographer was to ask the kids if they could see my eye through my lens when i really want them to look my way. that's worked well too...
so that's my amateur tips... :)