Hand Them the Camera, Let Them Amaze You

Yesterday, I toted Reed along to a Snap Happy Mom's meet up at the Japanese Friendship Garden. When he asked "Why Jap-you-knees Gardens?" I told him we were going to take some pictures. Fortunately, an old point & shoot camera that Reed has declared his own was in the car because he responded with "Me too takem pictures Mommy!".

And that he did! While we waited for the other moms to arrive he took pictures of the parking lot, pine needles on the ground, and a passing helicopter.

I thought for sure that once we got inside the gardens he would hand me the camera and take off. Don't get me wrong ... he TOOK OFF running alright ... but not until he took a few shots of the gardens.

I didn't look at what was on his camera until we got home. I was amazed that he was very intentional about what he wanted in his pictures. I had underestimated that he was just pushing the shutter, he actually aimed and captured what he was seeing he wanted to capture. When I showed him his uploaded pictures he said, "Ya, takem picture of flowers" ... like 'of course that's my picture, that's what we went there to do'.

He pleasantly surprises me over & over ... he also reminds me that God knows exactly what we need when we need it. Through Reed, I understand that there's no need to wait to start writing those "Workshops for Kids" that I've been planning for when he gets older ... they see beauty & wonder at ALL ages!

BOY, God sure did pack a lot into this kid!
I know every mom thinks their child is something special ... but mine sure IS!

... and one of my favorite parts of the whole story - I was able to capture him TAKING those pictures. Some day I may be HIS assistant and I'm completely okay with that!

(just in case you're wondering, the bigger pictures in the collage are his)

Look Mommy! Take'um Pictures

No one has ever seen me move as fast as I did when I heard Reed say "Look Mommy, take'um pictsher!" ... I just about knocked Randy down to get my camera! You see, I'm what Reed refers to as the 'Mommarazzi' - he avoids looking at the camera at ALL costs! To hear him ASK for me to take his picture was a 1st ... it was better then hearing "free cheeseburgers!".

It may never happen again, so I took advantage of it! I didn't even get my settings completely dialed in before he told me to stop - but hey, beggars cant be choosers!
This collage is my 1st attempt at using a storyboard template. I downloaded some templates after getting my hands on an older version of PS Elements. This one isn't perfect but I'll get the hang of it because boy, do these make life easier! Expect to see plenty more!

I haven't blogged as much as I'd like to lately. But don't worry! I have lots on my list of topics to get caught up on ... so stay tuned! I have 2 giveaways in the works, some CUTE shots of an Easter session to post, and some tips for Mom's with SLRs. There's also another workshop scheduled for 3/31, email me for details or check out the Klicken Photography Facebook page!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Storyteller in me....

Hello, my name is Barbie and I am a storyteller (then everyone says "hello, Barbie!). For those of you who know me, you know this about me already! There is always a story ... and then another one. My sisters & I can spend hours telling stories about life, about loved ones, and about the silly things we do! Even a simple trip to the grocery store is a story in my world!

This is where photography enables my creativity. I'm not a writer (as some of you may have noticed). I'm kinda shy so, not everyone gets to hear the stories that bubble around inside of my head. But with photography, I can capture & document the story that needs to be shared.

Here's where photography meets up with me as a mom. With Reed, every day holds 100's of stories. Every child is special, every child is unique, every child has a story. Everything from the way they play with their toys, to the faces they make while watching a favorite cartoon is so easily forgotten! Seems like forever all they do is play with trains, but overnight they are older and all the little details are lost.

Below is a story of a 2 year old that loves to play in his room on his own. I can sit in the corner of his room completely unnoticed because he is busy being himself. I'll share some of those photos that tell the story of how he spends time just being a toddler. He has a little plastic stool that he moves around to turn on his radio, or turn on the light, or block the door so he has enough time to get into trouble!

They may just look like pictures to you but to me they are moments that I want to remember of a little boy we prayed & waited for 9 years to arrive ... a little boy that will be a big boy in a blink of an eye!

I want to capture every little detail of Reed's childhood. How he plays with his toys, which toys are his favorite, the faces he makes while he's pretending, how he moves his mouth while he's jibber jabbering his 'Reedish'. I want to savor every ounce of his little ways. Some day he will be all grown up, married, and living apart from me ... and I will have these little glimpses of his childhood, little pieces of him captured in a photo, little moments that will always remind me to thank the Lord for Reed!

A Boy with stick, Mom with Camera, Family with Eachother

Welcome to my blog!

Since this is my first entry, let me introduce you to what we like to do as a family - photo walks. Sometimes we go to the park, the White tanks, but earlier in the week we went to one of our favorites places, B&M Preserve. There's lots to explore there and Reed (who turned 2 y/o in Sept) LOVES to run around there while we shoot.

We decided to go down just before sunset. Man, did it get cold quick! But we managed to get out without fishing Reed out of the water this time. While I'm taking shots of them, his daddy takes shots of the scenery, and Reed plays with rocks, bugs & sticks!

It was a nice time. I'm really excited that Randy got his own camera so we can both shoot. Reed is excited that daddy cares more about pictures of mountains then pictures of him. And Randy is excited to just get out into nature.

The Dept of Fish & Game has been doing a good job of cleaning the area up. It's much nicer down there then last year. You should go check it out, the parking lot is literally just below Phoenix Int'l Raceway. We're looking forward to spending more time there ... maybe start fishing for the new year!

...thanks for checking out my blog! I will be posting pictures from photo sessions soon! But feel free to check out my galleries or Facebook page (link top right). Thanks & God bless!