Siblings

Three years ago on my imaginary Christmas list, I only had one wish; that my two sons would be nicer to each other.

Back then everyday was a struggle, constant fighting and very little goodness between my two and five year old. I just wished for a bit more tenderness, companionship and fun between the boys, to make the bickering bearable.

Since then, I’ve observed and photographed sibling relationships among adults and children; friends and family, a fascinating collection of positives and negatives all with a unique bond. So I now realize, I already had my wish; they may not show their love for each other all the time but it is there. I get real comfort and joy when I see such wonderful images of siblings, a precious connection shining through in a photo.

This Christmas I’ll watch my boy’s fuss, fight, and make each other laugh, like only they know how.

Please share with us how you photograph your own sibling relationships or those of your children?

Image and words courtesy of Honorary Sister / Guest Blogger / Flickr star Xanthe Berkeley.

friday's featured resource - live, laugh, celebrate

During yesterday's festivities of doing a whole lot of what I should be doing more of...eating, laughing, strolling, chatting and even swinging I took a few minutes to honor the day to give thanks through my lens of what matters most. It was a delightful prompt from Kristin yesterday that helped keep me in the right state of mind.

It's images like this that remind me to live, laugh, celebrate.

And Live, Laugh, Celebrate is exactly the title of the latest National Geographic book of photography. 

The new release is an extraordinary visual celebration of the human spirit, by legendary author Ferdinand Protzman that offers a radiant and compelling collection of celebrations from around the world that captures the miracle of human life and the bond between parents, families, and friends.  

Like love, the urge to celebrate is common to every culture around the globe. Live, Laugh, Celebrateoffers a fascinating array of shared moments of love and togetherness as it celebrates the lives of friends and families at play and at home.  Whether it's a new baby, a first birthday, losing a tooth, a bar mitzvah, a quinceanera...a debutante ball, an evening at a night club, a wedding.  This beautiful book will make for a wonderful gift this upcoming holiday season and should hopefully inspire all mothers and parents to take photographs and capture images of their children, their families, their friends.  It is also a beautiful book to share with children, as it captures children from around the world in tender moments with their parents, friends, and each other. 

What better way to further celebrate our lives and what we are grateful for than a giveaway of this extraordinary visual journey of life?  Show us how you Live, Laugh, Celebrate between now and Sunday at midnight PST by leaving a comment here (and of course a link to an image is a bonus). We've got 3 books to giveaway which is 3 good reasons to celebrate together.

holding on tight

Sam pleaded as we got started with the portrait session, "I don't want to be in the pictures."

It's bound to happen time and again; the kids, that for one reason or another don't want to perform for the camera. I know how it goes and I totally understand. I have a daughter who is by far, my most fickle of my photo subjects. Sam's duress didn't worry me one bit. I know in times like that you just have to wait it out, until he starts to have some real fun and forgets we're at the park to shoot pictures. His mother and I catch up and laugh together (we only see each other a few times a year at best, one of which is for our annual family portrait session) and are just enjoying being there marveling at how time flies and how fast our children grow.  We're on no time schedule.

What I love about working with Sam's family each year is that they are a pleasure to spend time with. And they so appreciate the things that make their boys special. So much so that they want me to capture these things in the photos I take. Last year Sam's companion was a BIG truck and this year it's his Dino. Needless to say Dino was in a great many of the pictures this year just as the truck was last year. And that's just how Sam's parents like it. Meanwhile, his brother Jack smiles with his attention turned toward all the small miracles of life (the intricacies of leaves, flowers and the sky) as his parents let him explore and allow me to capture him in his element. Each boy being loved and adored for who they are in this world and me there to witness it. I might add that they both share a passion for MnMs (their mom's secret weapon in holding their attention and keeping them still for me).

I soak up the love from this family like a sponge. I am grateful for the honor of capturing such authenticity year after year. When most of the world is too busy and life is flying by at warp speed, this family of four holds on tight to the moments they spend together, to each other and to love.

What are you holding onto today?

Water Play

 

Growing up, my family had a love affair with water. Summers found us engaged in the most persistent and ruckus water fights on the block. Perhaps the entire city! I have fond memories of long summer days at the outdoor pool, water parks, canoe trips, water skiing and the perennial favorite of kids everywhere – sprinklers and slip and sides. Now that I'm “all growed up” and have two tots, our family has been making water-fun memories of our own.

We live in the diverse and beautiful northwest and we've made Portland, OR our home. For six summers, our family has toured the area fountains, making it an adventure to find another gem tucked into a neighborhood park or the incongruous feature of a busy urban street. When the temperature soars, as it recently did with a week of 100-degree weather, the fountains bring together families seeking play and cool water. Our passion for the many and varied water features started when my son was just a year old and in a swim diapers. It was Father's Day, mild and warm. The fountain we chose was near an ice cream shop and so another summertime tradition was born. As I look back over my son's first years these are some of my favorite photographs. Golden sun on pink cheeks, water reflected in baby-blue eyes and chubby loveliness!

We now have a series of photographs documenting the changes in our family and each of our two children's growth – mama sitting in the shade breastfeeding the new member of the family, big brother protectively hovering over an unsteady toddler, and this summer, two silly and shrieking children chasing each other in cascades of water. Also documented in the photos is my emerging sense of myself as a photographer. The first years were a frenzy of picture taking to preserve the new and wonderful experience of being a parent. Pictures that were pleasing to the eye were a fortunate accident. One that I was grateful for but that I felt no personal responsibility in creating! The last several months have been another kind of adventure – one with camera in hand, seeking images seen in my mind's eye and delighting in the process of creating them.

 

Every child believes that they are an artist – they draw and create with the same reckless and confident abandon as they play. I'm grateful to be rediscovering my inner child in photography – and for a community of women and mamas doing the same!

Pictures and words courtesy of guest blogger / honorary sister Heather of Mama Mutterings.

Browsing the Archives

It's no big secret that I'm a real pack rat.  In fact, I currently have 20+ boxes cluttering my living room just waiting for me to sort through them.  When it comes to photos, I'm pretty much the same way; I delete far too few, and I'm always scrounging around for enough space on my hard drive(s) to store everything.  Every now and then, however, I do like to browse through my archives, and sometimes I'll stumble upon a photo that I had totally forgotten about.  When that happens, it's like finding a misplaced treasure.

Since today is Father's Day, this photo above taken on our family vacation last year was the perfect find.

Today, try looking for your own hidden treasures buried in your archives, and don't forget to share your findings with us.  And if you have a special photo of a dad you'd like to honor today, please share those with us as well!