Kickin' it Old School {Sunday Snapshot}

Once upon a time, Jim was the photographer around these parts. I was so excited the Christmas before we traveled to China for Lia when I gave him a S**y point and shoot digital camera. That trusty little workhorse saw us through that trip to China and our first year home with Lia.

Until I started carrying it around in my diaper bag.

With leaky sippy cups of apple juice.

Quick PSA...leaky sippy cups and cameras don't play well together.

I blame it on the sleep deprivation. :-)

Because it makes me seem slightly less...well...ditzy.

I started Livin' la vida Lia in January 2008 (you can see my first post here. It's actually two posts because I couldn't figure out how to add more than one photo on a post. :-)).

As I started to read more blogs and see such fabulous photography...I wanted to do a little more myself. Photographically speaking that is.

I convinced Jim I needed a better camera.

One not slowed up with apple juice and all.

So...he bought me a Canon Rebel. On the condition I learn how to use it. I promised I would.

So I did. :-)

...and boy did I have fun along the way.

I can't tell you how many afternoons I spent dressing Lia up so I could photograph her. I would like to say that my children look like they stepped out of a Matil*a J*ne look book on a daily basis...but really they do not. I love 'em just the way they are to be sure {all bed headed and usually wearing mismatched dress up clothes...if I'm lucky. Jillian is going through her "undies only" phase...a topic for another post}...just letting you know that becoming...ahem...fancy photo ready...takes a little bit of doing.(Although I want to be clear here...I LOVE shooting the everyday goodness too :-))

Luckily, Lia loves the "getting fancy photo ready" part...and was a very willing participant in those early days. You can see what I was up to back in the day here. Or here. Good times. :-) Filling my days up with fun photo shoots and my evenings blogging about it. And getting LOTS of camera practice in the process!

Now that I have branched out a bit, a lot of my photography time is spent planning and editing photos for other people. And while I truly love every second of that...I sometimes miss those early days of my journey.

So I decided to head out with Lia one night this week to kick it old school. Me, my camera and my best big girl. (this photo totally inspired by the genius of her.)



Total bliss.

...and the fact that the park maintenance workers had apparently decided to mow everysinglefield I wanted to use? Didn't slow us down a bit.

We made it work.



Tim Gunn is somewhere smiling. I just know it.

My Lia is an artist. Compelled to create. She literally wakes up each morning and heads right to her craft table. And I love every blessed, messy second of it. It is a sight to behold...watching her work...so lost in what she is doing...usually humming or whistling a happy tune. Joyful.



Completely unaware of her surroundings...lost in her happy place. I dropped her in the middle of the woods...and she sat right down and went to work...drawing, blowing away the loose bits of chalky pastels...creating. I could not even bring myself to interupt her to give directions...I just let her be.

And it was beautiful to me. The girl. The location. The passion.

Magical.



After a recent visit to our local art store, she told me she wanted to stay there all day looking at the art supplies.:-)

She told me "photography people" were my people and "art people" were her people.

I told her my people would give her people a call.

Maybe we could do dinner.

She was not amused.



I just hope someday she appreciates the effort. :-)

(Because even though I didn't mention it...I proudly claim the Goofy in the world as my people too.) :-)

So...she's growing up...despite my efforts to stop the hands of time.



But these photos...treasures to me...helped capture THIS moment...and in the process re-live some others.

Old School rocks.

And so does my little artist.



{Canon 50d, 50mm, f/2.5, 1/60, ISO 400}
{Edited with Florabella Actions ("Splendor" and "Add Some Drama") and Textures (Cream Canvas)and Nicole Van Sunflare Action}

{Shirt is from The Gap}
{Petticoat from The Measure}

I have been loving the Sunday Snapshot! Be inspired, make a friend, have some fun and join in. :-)