My Thoughts on Photos

I've been trying to get a good picture of Charlotte that will work for my Christmas cards. Shutterfly is having a 50% off sale on cards that ends today (of course) and I was really hoping to get a shot of her that was card worthy. So far, I don't think I've been successful. Either the lighting has been bad, something got blurred, she was wearing something that was stained/not a great outfit for a Christmas photo, her hair was a mess, or some other such thing. I was starting to get frustrated, but then I thought that maybe I'm taking this whole "perfect picture" thing too far, and maybe the best route would be to use a snapshot of her that's just simple, sweet and happy, doing something in her own environment that makes her smile.

I don't think I'm particularly hard to please when it comes to photos (unless they are of me, in which case I am incredibly critical and is why you rarely see photos of me on this blog. Also, I usually do the picture taking, so unless I hire someone to follow me around and take pictures I'll remain absent from most of them). But in general I really don't like posed, formal photos. I can't think of anything that looks less natural than sitting in a perfect arrangement according to height and wearing coordinating outfits and faking a smile. Baby pictures are an exception, particularly newborn portraits of babies sleeping. Those are adorable, always. Other than that, if you want a bad picture of someone just make them pose. I prefer capturing things they way they are naturally, and trying to be discreet about picture taking. I don't mean creeping around and photographing unsuspecting strangers, but rather staying on the sidelines and photographing an event as it's really happening. When I look at one of my many, many favorite blogs and see how they take great pictures, I'm always drawn to the ones who capture real moments--like children wildly opening their Christmas presents (not ones where someone hovers over and says "hold it up! Smile!" and it turns out totally fake looking), or a group of people laughing at a party, totally genuine and unposed, or a child blowing out a birthday candle or playing outside. When I see wedding photography, I love the shots of the couple having a sweet moment together that was unplanned, or even the outtakes that usually end up being the best, most memorable moments. You'll never remember which pose you liked best, but you will always remember the moments that made laugh, cry, or feel truly happy. You can't fake that, and that's what differentiates good photos from great ones.

I am not a photographer, but I enjoy taking pictures, improving my skills, learning about it, and researching my future "big girl" camera. I love looking at photography books and blogs with beautiful pictures. Pictures tell a story that words cannot. Where words can fail to give enough weight to a moment, a photograph can do it justice. In my personal photo collection, my favorites always end up being the ones that were taken on a whim, or one I thought would be a throw away, or ones where I caught someone (usually Charlotte) doing something adorable the moment it happened.

To illustrate my point, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving and all that I am thankful for, here are just a few of the photos that are my "forever" shots: the ones that I hold in my heart as a memory and on paper as a constant reminder of everything that makes my life one that I am so, so happy and lucky to be living:

 This photo was taken in November of 2008, when Chad and I went to London. It was a somewhat unexpected trip and we jumped at the opportunity to go but didn't have a whole lot of planning time. As a result, I hadn't really done any mapping out or planning of really any kind so when we arrived in London one dark, chilly, rainy evening, we weren't sure where to start. We got off the bus at a park in what looked like central London and started walking. We ended up here, which turned out to Buckingham Palace. The whole thing was surreal--there was hardly anyone else in the area and (though you can't tell from this photo), we were so close to the building. I guess I expected it to be quarantined off somehow, or protected by a huge wall or some sort of privacy shield and was shocked to find that it's just set right in the middle of everything, no sign, just Buckingham Palace hanging out in London like it's no big deal. To us: big deal.

 This photo is also from our London trip, when we took a day trip to Windsor Castle. I was having camera issues and was testing it out to see if I had fixed whatever the problem was and took this picture. There's something about it I just really like, like it's a screen shot from a Harry Potter movie or something.

 This is Henry and Howard, when Howard was just a few months old. They used to sleep in heaps like this, and I love how Howard is so relaxed he practically looks dead.

 This is Howard and Frances (my parents' old dog, whom he loved loved loved dearly). Frances would sit on the picnic table to get some relief from him, and he finally figured out how to get up there. Here they are, watching the world go by together, and I took the photo through the kitchen window.

 This one was taken on June 4th, 2011, right before we left the hospital to take Charlotte home for the first time. We dressed her this little outfit that said "Daddy's Little Monkey", complete with a tiny monkey hat. Sigh.

 Chad took this in October of 2011 when we went on a hike. I didn't know he took it at the time, and it's one of my favorite photos.

 I LOVE this picture. This was Charlotte's very first time on a playground swing, and the look on her face of pure joy and fun is amazing. I can't look at this photo and not smile.

 I've shown this one on here before, but I just love it. I took this shortly after we bought this house and it showcases my two boys perfectly :)

 Charlotte slept in her swing for quite awhile, and one day during her nap I snuck in and took pictures of her sleeping. There is no picture sweeter than a sleeping baby.

 I love watching Howard play Frisbee almost as much he loves playing it.

This picture was taken on our honeymoon in June of 2005. We took a cruise and one of our stops was Antigua, which is where this was taken. We took a tour and ended up at one of the highest points in Antigua. As we were walking back to the bus, Chad was trying to clean off the lens of the camera. To see if he'd gotten it clean, he just stuck his arm out and took this as he was walking. There's something about it that I've always loved, and to this day it sits in an 8'X10' frame in our dining room.

 Though not the best self portrait, this picture just makes me happy. We took it this past July, when we were in Maine. This was at the park area surrounding Portland Head Light. We'd just had a wonderful lunch with family we hadn't seen in years and then had a great time outside looking at the water and the lighthouse. We sat down for a second and took this and every time I look at it I remember how great that day was.

This is the first photo I took of Charlotte on my camera (we have earlier ones that Chad took and a couple from cell phones). She'd just been rolled back into my room in her little cart, the morning after she was born. She'd slept in the nursery that night and the evening before I was so incredibly exhausted that I didn't even really get a great look at her until this morning.

This was taken yesterday. You can't see him, but Howard was playing around with a ball and she was cracking up at him. I can practically hear her little giggle in this picture.

And last, but not least:

They are the reason for my thankfulness.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families. Have a wonderful day, and safe travels to those of you who are visiting friends and family!

~Stacy