Smile for the Birdie!

While most of our outings or events with the PSP are all about learning, yesterday’s event was just pure fun! Besides our normal park day, we had picture day.

You would think the kids would the greatest challenge when taking pictures. Wouldn’t you know it? The parents were the hardest part! (laughing) We had no problem organizing the kiddos and getting them through the ordeal, but, when it came to us, we were all over the place. We didn’t file into the room, we couldn’t decide which order to go in, we didn’t fit on the background, we rearranged several times, and then, once we were finally in place, we couldn’t stop laughing. Oh… good times!

Thus far, we have always had the kids sit on a stool and have a formal picture taken of them. On the way home from the shoot, I was mentioning to my husband, the awesome photographer, that perhaps we ought to try something a little different next year. Instead of us posing them, we ought to ditch the stool and let them choose whichever pose they like.

Sometimes I think we get so caught up in recreating a ‘school’ setting, we forget the freedoms afforded to us. We need to be willing to explore these options and make the most of this opportunity.

Imagine being able to capture the personality of each individual child, forever holding that moment of their lives in a special place. One year they may look more shy, another more open, another dramatic, and, yet another, confident. It would be an excellent way to watch them develop and grow.

For this year, our photography is pretty much complete; at least in terms of formal pictures. There are a few more events which need to be cataloged and family pages which need to be put together. Our part, however, is finished.

Now to convince the other coordinators that next year it might be time to expand our horizons….

Today we used a small, rubber ducky to get the littles to smile. What do you use when your kids just won’t smile for the camera?