A friend recently asked me how I manage to take so many pictures of the girls ( actually, she probably thinks I'm crazy). I told her that had I have known back then how much I would have grown to love photography, editing photos, journaling & eventually scrapbooking, or that I was to have 4 daughters, that I would have invested in a photography class years ago.
I also told her this....I love the smiles my girls have when they see me spending time working on a photo I took of them. They love it when I spend hours getting things just right in a layout that is all about them. I want them to know how much I value our times together, how much I value their little moments, their simple days & their big events and accomplishments. I want them to feel beautiful & comfortable in front of the camera. Its very important to me that in these days of so much pressure on them , that they know they are a gift to me & I treasure them so. Especially the moments spent at the beach. I love those days & capturing hundreds of pictures allows me to go back and relive those memories day after day.
I probably shouldn't share what my complete view of scrapbooking was years ago....definately not a good one! I thought of large groups of women spending hours together cutting up photos into goofy shapes & writing dorky sayings of what the picture is obviously about.....stickers....tacky.....you get the picture. Then I stumbled upon Heidi Swapp--talk about blowing that image out of the water. She is cute & funky --that's all I need & off I went with that. Then along came Jenni Bowlin & Rita too. I love how they take a simple photo, embellish around that & make a little document of life. Now all the goodies out there to choose from & narry a tacky sticker in sight!!
There are so many amazing photographers whose blogs I am daily blown away by. They take these amazing photos in fun & funky settings with vivid colors. Gone are the days of olan mills photos, huh? Watching the way many weddings are now shot & those pregnancy photos too--oh my! Who knew how cute a pregnant belly with mommy's hands folded in the shape of a heart could be? A vintage settee out in a field of wildflowers....oh do I need a shot like that! Anyway, I keep saying I will learn how to use my photoshop elements, that i will take an online course from her, but I never seem to find, err...make the time. sigh




Looks like my shout out award today goes to all the fabulous ladies who inspire me to capture & keepsake the simple moments in my day.
xo
