Every Easter I love giving small gifts to family and friends. In the past, I’ve given away little Easter baskets, DIY beanbag chicks and bunny tails (marshmallows), and this year I was inspired by all the cute bunny treat bags and gifts that I’ve come across. Who knew you could make an apple look like a bunny?
I’ve slowly been accumulating hats ever since we moved to Colorado. It tends to get super windy out of nowhere and I HATE the wind; for several reasons, really – like it gives me a headache, but also because it messes up my hair (duh).
Most of the moms in our generation feel the pressure and perhaps the natural pull to want to capture the life of our kids in ways that our parents never did. You know what I mean; for instance, I have a baby book, but there’s nothing written in it except my name, and pictures of me as a baby are scarce (the second child always gets forgotten – and yes, that’s second child angst speaking). But our generation of moms is one of fancy photobooks, Facebook photo sharing, and camera and video smartphones that not only capture moments, but GPS coordinates if you so choose.
All month long, I’ve been posting photos on Instagram and Facebook that follow the prompts for the “Capture the Little Moments” series we’ve been working through. Being forced to take a photo-a-day has really allowed me to capture some things that I am sure I would have forgotten about one day – like, say, Mia’s first time having pinkeye, or the TV-induced quiet that comes with friday pizza/movie night with the kids.
Seeing as to how I will have a newborn in about 4 months, my hormones are kicking in and I’m in full-blown search-for-nursery-bedding-and-decor-all-day-online, make-a-registry-so-you’re-prepared, dream-about-his-squishy-little-face, look-at-newborn-photos-and-sob mode. Yes, things are really exciting around here.
I recently met Jared Wilson when we moved to Colorado and was immediately blown away by his photography skills. The moments he is able to capture on camera are often highlighted by beautiful Colorado scenery and his inspiring creative eye! He ever-so-kindly agreed to write a post for our “Capture the Little Moments” series explaining exactly how to shoot in AV mode, which will get you those beautiful blurry backgrounds. So take your DSLR cameras off auto and follow along to learn a new trick!
If you’re on Instagram, you’ve most likely heard of Fat Mum Slim (aka Chantelle). Every month she posts photo prompts (much like my own for “Capture the Little Moments”) called Photo-a-Day (#fmsphotoaday) and it’s gained quite the following. Not only does she encourage me to bust out my camera (or my phone), but I love reading her blog, which covers everything from life as a mom to recipes to photography.
So, it’s official. We will have one little princess and two tough boys running around our house. I couldn’t be more thrilled! I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for a boy. He and Lincoln will be almost exactly two years apart; which means they can share a room, have the same friends – maybe. At the very least they will attend school together, and hopefully, just hopefully, they will be buddies.
Will Parris is a professional photographer in Southern California (www.parris-studios.com) and a good friend of mine. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing him well enough to know what makes him tick – and those things are also what make him an amazing photographer. HIs playful spirit and creative mind come through in his photos, and he is one who knows how to perfectly capture the moment – just check out the awesome family photos he shot for us last year. He was kind enough to agree to be a part of this series and I love the encouraging and inspirational words he came up with when it comes to picking up your camera – whether you’re a beginner or a pro. So, take his advice, get up off your chair this month and shoot, shoot, shoot. The only way to learn is to practice!
One of my goals in doing this “Capture the Little Moments” series was to emphasize that you can still get great pictures with a camera phone or a point-and-shoot digital camera. It’s not necessary to have a fancy DSLR camera (though for some of us, they are certainly fun to play with), but it does help to have some knowledge on what makes a great picture.
