See How They Grow
It was one of those perfect fall days when I took the kids to the zoo on Friday, and if I’ve learned anything as an amateur photographer, it is to take my camera with me everywhere I go this time of year.
Those of you who love taking pictures know that in late afternoon when the sun dips low in the sky, it’s the best time for photo-taking. The light makes every shot look magical, and I’ve been known to stop talking mid-conversation at this time of day and run off to snap a few more pictures of the kids.
The time will come sooner than I’d like when these children will refuse all my requests for photos. What will I take pictures of then? Flowers? Buildings? Strangers’ kids? I’m sure that will go over well…
We talk sometimes about having the kids’ portraits taken by a professional, but I don’t really want to do that. I’ve made it my job over the years to create for my children a magical history in photos, and I take it very seriously. Besides, how could a professional get this shot of Bruiser, wearing his patented “I’m about to get up to something” expression?
How could a professional coax a real smile from Punky instead of the tortured grimace she reserves for her school portraits? Nope. Not going to happen unless her mother is behind the camera.
Someone said once that when you look at great photos, they’re either the work of a good photographer or a good editor. I would fall into the latter category. I’m a very average photographer, but a very meticulous editor. I take dozens- sometimes hundreds- of photos when I’m out with my camera, and of those, I’m lucky to find a dozen that make the cut. I crop them, sharpen them, brighten them, and enhance or fade their color until they look perfect. I bought Photoshop Elements software, but never learned how to use it. My standard Macbook photo editing software seems to do the job just fine. And I can always go back with Elements later if I want to.
Learning to take photos of my children has been one of the great joys of my life. If you’re on the fence about buying a nice camera, I’d say go for it- We have a standard Canon Rebel and it’s one of the best investments we’ve ever made. Also, it’s about five years old, I’ve dropped it at least a hundred times and as you can see, it’s still going strong!
