confessions of a photo junkie

madison grace~~ seaside '09

i thought i might need to explain the whole excessive photo taking issue that i confessed a few entries ago. despite taking over 2,500 images, surprisingly i really didn't feel that i had the camera in front of my face during my entire vacation.

i think for those of us that enjoy taking photos its really all about balance. the balance between wondering if i'm going to miss a moment that i want to tangibly capture forever vs the should i just put my camera down & be in the moment.

for me, many fun activity moments i usually do not even have my camera out---the recent family trip to the Atlanta Braves for example..nope , no camera. its funny how many times my girls will say...."what, you didn't even bring your camera?!" but rather, i enjoy capturing them in their world....cheering, dressed up for a dance, a good hair day, whatever. for years emi hated having her picture taken. honestly, as soon as i pulled it out of the bag she would morph into a completely different child. often times looking quite forlorn. this summer she was just beside her self excited about all the potential "photoshoots" as she called them. she talked about how she might do her hair, the outfits she'd wear, the jewelry. she frequently would ask me " can you take my picture here". i loved it!

i think there's something that makes the object of a photo feel special , feel cherished, when we take the time or make the "sacrifice" in making the effort or taking the time to capture those moments. i love taking my girls out individually & just doing a little impromptu picture taking , whether on a snowy day or an evening out in the field. my reward is seeing how happy they are when they view the finished product....when they are able to see through a photograph just how beautiful they are

how beautiful i see them

there's something just magical about the shore to me. i feel so at peace. like nothing bad is going to happen while i'm there. the sound of the crashing waves. the amazing miracle that those waves know just where to stop on the sand. the beautiful vastness of the ocean. the color of everyone's cheeks after a day playing outside. the fact that i don't have to cook dinner-just seeing if you're still paying attention. most years, i'll only see a handful of seaside sunsets. i want to hold those moments. i want to look over them year after year.

i love the images of little one's toes in the sand
little girls building sandcastles
white dresses on a sunkissed girl

so yes, i did enjoy the moments. many of them. meanwhile capturing a "few" for my forever too