Category Archives: Photography

And then she Frenched me

Last November we got together with our friend Zane, an amazing photographer, and asked him to take some pictures of our family. Alice had just turned 1, and the time seemed right. At some point, I asked for some pictures of just Alice and me. The light was fading fast, so we went out to our little balcony.

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I tried to think of things to do, because (news flash) babies don’t exactly know how to pose and smile for the camera yet.

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I pointed at stuff, etc.

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I asked her where Mommy’s nose was.

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I asked her where Mommy’s teeth were.

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Okay, in retrospect maybe not the best idea–Mama look a little horsey.

Anyway, then I thought it would be cute to get Alice to give her Mama a kiss. She had just learned how to do this and I died inside a little every time she planted a wet one on my face. It was just sooooo cute.

“Can you give Mama a kiss?” I asked.

And this, my friends, is what happened.

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The End.

The power of the squinch

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Once upon a time, I used to do a lot more photo shoots. Then . . . well, things got a little more complicated (wonderfully so) with the advent of a baby now turned toddler. But this past weekend, I had the opportunity to photograph the lovely Amie, who wanted some updated head shots for her portfolio. Her friend Christina did her hair and also wanted some shots showcasing the awesome hair color she had done.

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If you’ve been around my blog for a long time, you may remember I took some pics of Amie a long time ago–like in 2011–you can click here to see those.

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Right before going over to her place on Saturday afternoon, I perused the internet for some inspiration. I’m so glad I did, because I came across this little video about the squinch.

Peter Hurley, portrait photographer extraordinaire, thank you.

Basically, the squinch saves the person in front of the camera from having a “deer in the headlights” look. It takes you from wide-eyed and awkward to confident and sexy-lookin’. It involves something headed towards a squint, but from the bottom up. You use the muscle right under your eye (instead of lowering your upper lid) to slightly narrow your eyes. And it works! I explained the squinch to Amie, and that is exactly what is going on in this picture . . .

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. . . and this one . . .

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. . . and this one.

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Plus, being a photogenically challenged person myself, I plan on squinching from here til the grave.

Anyway, the photo shoot was so much fun. I love the shot below–maybe not for a professional looking head shot because the composition is a little weird for that  (sorry Amie)–but just because the focus is so crisp and her expression is so calmly happy.

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And it was fun to showcase her hair!

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Also, I need to learn how to do a braid like that.

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It’s just so adorable.

Amie was such a pleasure to photograph. She’s beautiful, fun, lively–the whole package.

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I love my life, and I love my routine of going to work and taking care of Alice . . . but the creative side of me has been a little less central during the past year or so. So this felt like a breath of fresh air. I felt so alive after the whole thing, and I can’t wait for the next opportunity to come up.