Back to School Time!

The next few weeks something amazing is going to happen...our children will be heading to school! Some for the first time, others returning, and still others making a leap from middle school to junior high--junior high to high school--and even high school to college!  Milestones exist in every one of these situations...so don't miss the opportunity to capture them!

Capturing those moments that tell a story isn't difficult to do.  While posing your child/children in or out of the house for those "back to school" photos is great, consider some options that will do more than capture a smile...options that will help you remember what was happening on that particular day in your child/children's lives.

Posed photos capture growth!

The act of marking a line on the wall or door jam to indicate how tall a child has grown has gone out of style for many people--yet we are always amazed at how they have grown! Why not pick a particular area of your home (in or out) or a piece of furniture that you will pose your child at each year--and see the difference in height as the years go by! Whether it is standing next to the staircase--noticing how tall he/she appears next to any number of stairs or whether they can comfortably place their elbow on the banister.  We usually use our piano. It is a piece of furniture that we expect to be with us for years--and seeing the progression to where my sons' elbows hit the top of the piano each year definitely shows their growth! Another idea is to take a photo next to a paneled door--we have six-panel doors in our house and have also noticed how each year, they have changed the location of where their heads meet up with various panels.

Catching your child when he least
expects it tells a story of friendships
regardless of the pure quality of the
photo!

Another back to school tip is to catch the unscripted.  It is great to get the children to pose, but let's face it... they are as excited (and nervous) as we are on that day and the last thing many children want to do is pose for the camera. AND...once your child reaches junior high/high school...well, just try to get them to pose, period!  Consider catching them in action on that first day...standing on the bus stop talking with their friends when they don't even realize you are snapping photos; eating their morning breakfast (notice how the choice in breakfast items changes through the years); even the simple act of brushing their teeth or getting ready in the morning can capture a moment that tells a story!  

The fact remains...a picture is worth a thousand words.  Make sure your photos are worth more than one word..."posed."  Doing this will ensure that as you look back on your photos years from now, you will smile remembering the story behind each one of them!

See you at the rink & fields!

As they get older, it is much more difficult to get that "posed" shot
for your first day of school...I had to sneak this photo from my
living room window to catch the action! Thank goodness for zoom lenses!