Wk 9: Out of the Shadows

 This week I had the challenge of using shadows to increase the drama of my pictures. I had these grand images in my head- dramatic, powerful shots. I imagined capturing a shot of Owen standing in the darkness of a grove of trees at our favorite park down the street with a beam of sunlight piercing through the shadows to perfectly highlight his little person. Or, Josh walking with the boys down the street on a foggy morning, rays of hazy sun filtering through the clouds. 

But if you scroll through this blog you will see that none of my images are that dramatic. Nope, it just rained and rained some more. One solid shade of gray. There was one of my dreamy fog filled mornings but alas Josh was not around and I didn't feel like it was fair of me to ask Jesse to sit on the freezing cold ground just for the sake of a picture.

 But what I lacked in drama, I made up for in simplicity. Two little boys dreaming up all sorts of adventures together in their cardboard box. One 10 month old chewing on anything he can get his little mouth on to appease his swollen teething gums. I guess that's why the photo project is called: "This is our life." My life is not glamorous nor perfectly picturesque but it is full and wonderful in all it's simplicity.

Wk 8- Wild Card

 This week was a freebie for my photography project. So here are a few of my favorite moments from the week.

I have a new helper when it comes to the unloading the dishwasher. He's awfuly cute but hasn't quite figured out how to put things away.

Little boys and cardboard boxes are so much fun. They become fortresses to defend. Boats for sailing the ocean. When tipped onto their side they become the worlds best car ramp or, if its big and sturdy enough, a slide.

Sunday was a day of snuggles.
Daddy soaked it up.

This is How We Roll

I'm normally against oversized plastic play things. They take up way too much space, they are generally an eye sore and my kids seem to tire of them easily. However, this pink and purple Jeep we borrowed from our renter was Jesse's key to freedom in the great outdoors in the middle of winter. It's genius for a baby who can't walk but wants to with all his little 20lb might while simultaneously saving my lower back from all the "walking" he'd like to do while holding on to my fingers. He was in heaven coasting down the ever so slight incline of our driveway, hands held up aloft in the air and tiny feet pumping. I'm sure he was imaging how awesome it was to be keeping up with his older brother who was coasting down the same slight incline on his newly borrowed scooter from his cousins.

These moments of outdoor play make me excited for this summer and all it's fresh aired partially sunny glory it will offer.

 

Wk 7 - Negative Space

 

 This week was more about photo composition than about capturing a particular moment. The point was to try and have a neutral background that allows the subject of the photo to speak for itself. I think my eye is naturally geared towards photos that aren't "busy" but either way it was good practice.

Oh Jesse, you're such a hoot.

Wk 6 - Good Morning!

Jesse is our crazy sleeper.

Capturing the Light - Wk 5

Capturing the Light was the photo inspiration for the week. My first thought upon reading this was "Oh great, yummy light and winter do not co-exist together in Seattle." My creative spirit sank even further when I looked at the weather report and the only color I saw was gray furthering my suspicions that "capturing the light" was going to be hard to come by. This week also coincided with Josh going out of town for 4 days and to add insult to injury Jesse and I came down with colds. I was almost certain with this combination of events before me that the brilliant week of photos I hoped for would not occur.

However, sometimes desperation cultivates creativity. During a moment of sheer luck I remembered the glow stick I had been hiding in the bathroom. What's better than taking a bath in the dark? Taking a bath in the dark with a glow stick! Three problems were solved with one little magical rod of light. I had my moments of light to capture, the boys had a blast and both were clean by the end of our activity.

These last two pictures I took of Owen watching videos of himself on my phone. I just love the way the light bounces off his smooth skin.

 

Wk 4: From A Different Perspective

No words necessary.