Fun with friends.

Posted on | June 11, 2012 | 24 Comments

Last week we met up with some of our buddies for a day of hangouts. When you get this number of children under 4 together, chaos is bound to ensue. Blood pressures were up, tantrums were thrown – you know, typical. Somehow I was able to capture some really cute moments that look calm and serene but are lies. Someday far in the future I will look back at these photos and think fondly of what a perfect child I had and how all of her friends were also perfect angels. Because I will forget the tantrums and raised blood pressure. Which is totally fine by me.

For a while there, I wasn’t taking any photos with my DSLR. After getting it and jumping right in and loving it, I got to a point where I wasn’t as happy with my results. I have the tendency to want to learn ALL THE THINGS right away and get frustrated easily if I can’t. This is ridiculous when it comes to photography, and I do know that. Instead of getting frustrated with myself, I simply put the camera down for a few weeks. Last weekend I took it with me to Portland and fell in love with it again. I’ve heard from many of my friends that are into photography that is is totally normal and I’ll go through many love/hate phases.

I just wanted to say this for those of you who have recently started shooting on manual or trying to learn more – don’t get discouraged when you are having trouble, just step back. My biggest frustration right now is that I still haven’t fully grasped light (THE most important part of photography) and I’m not completely sure what I want my “style” to be. If you’re in the same boat, it’s ok. If you don’t want to take photographs, don’t take them. That is how I was feeling for a while. When I felt like I wanted to hold my camera again, I picked it up. Like the kitten poster that I had hanging on my wall at the age of 9, hang in there!

(that photo of all the kids? I have about 46 tries, this was the only one where they were all looking, and Fiona was running around behind me barking like a dog.)

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Category: friends, just plain cute, nugget, OMGTODDLERS, other peoples babies, sillyness, taking peekchores, the haps, Uncategorized

Comments

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Amanda-Maggio/100000193509251 Amanda Maggio

    oh my gosh! the first picture with the huge bubble is hysterical I love it!! & these pictures are perfect you are awesome at shooting, but I understand what ur saying. I’m actually afraid of getting a DSLR just yet because i feel like I would suck at actually using it correctly lol!

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  • jamie smith

    that baby with the purple elephant thing on!? yeah, you shouldve of issued a warning. my left ovary just exploded. so much cute on top of the usual amount of cute.

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  • http://www.onceamissnowaqueen.blogspot.com/ melanie @ now a queen

    great pictures! I just turned my camera over the the “M” setting, trying to grasp the whole lighting thing too! Love that first picture, talk about stopping life for a split second!

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  • graceandstella

    so cute! i don’t know that i’ve fully grasped the whole light thing wither, especially indoors. practice, practice, practice!

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  • Jocelyn

    The photos are wonderful… you’re doing great work and taking beautiful pictures. And if you’re like me, you’ll fall in love with photography over and over again.

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  • http://twitter.com/DiscoveryStreet Ruthy T.

    ok…these pics made me really excited to have a baby…these kiddos are so cute!

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  • Briseidy Tijerina

    amazing pictures! those are really beautiful kids :)

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  • Ashley Rodriguez

    can you please give all your bloggers a gift this year and have scoT impregnate you? you make cute kids, just sayin.

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  • http://tidbitsparenting.blogspot.com/ OTandET

    really good job of faking a calm and serene scene of magic-levels cuteness!

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  • Kayla

    That photo of Harper and the bubble is pretty amazing! She’s so cute!

    xo Kayla

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  • BIFFL

    So much awesome.

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  • http://www.mamamarchand.com/ tricia

    I love that you put a disclaimer in about what these photos appear to be and how it wasn’t really like that. :) That’s why I love your writing – you are real, mama!

    And they are beautiful photos!

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  • AnnGMorrone
  • http://www.pecklife.com/ Emily @ PeckLife.com

    Seriously….the cutest kids EVER. All of you make such beautiful babies! I’ve been shooting in manual for almost a full month and after taking a zillion photos, only a handful ever come out right…I’m using the default lens it came with {which isn’t super great} so i’m thinking of getting a 50 MM F/1.8 as my next purchase, hoping that will give me more blur in the background and ability to shoot closer up. BLAH!

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  • Katie Niddrie

    Cute pics!! And totally had that same kitten poster :)

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  • http://www.misstweedle.com/ Katie @ Miss Tweedle

    Cute pics! and totally had that same kitten poster! :)

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  • http://www.acutedesigns.org/ Gina

    ha, sometimes you have to bark to get them to smile/look at the camera :)

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  • Abby Adams

    These shots are really great. Manual mode is so intimidating to me. I’m terrified of it. You’re doing a great job here, though. I love the coloring/lighting in all of these. 

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  • http://www.goodgirlgonewife.com/ Alex @ Good Girl Gone Wife

    That is by far the biggest bubble I have ever seen.

    Oh, and the kids are pretty freaking adorable too.

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  • http://www.misselaineouslife.com Elaine A.

    On our vacation with 5 kids last week I took about a million pics of the 5 kids together and I’m not sure I got ONE where they were all looking.  Got bless digital picture-taking!! :)  

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  • dulove

    Aren’t you so thankful you have an animated girl?! 

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  • carly

    How much cute can you cram into one post?! Wowza…what beautiful little girls!

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  • http://www.thecurlycues.com/ Chelsea @The Curly Cues

    Lies, I’ve met these kids and they are all perfect all the time. Great shots btw.

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  • http://profiles.google.com/amyschleicher Amy Schleicher

    I was looking at your photos and thinking to myself how great they were and how I need to figure out how to blur the background in my photos…and then I read your post…and feel like there is hope for me yet.  I just started shooting in manual last week and it’s so frustrating…but gratifying when something finally clicks in my brain. Long comment, bottom line your photos=awesome.

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