5 Tips For Photographing Your Kids This Summer

May 13, 2019 by Monica Brown in photography, motherhood

Hey Moms,

This morning it took me 5 minutes to find a parking spot at the YMCA and I was late to yoga. And because I was late I had to do my practice at the front of the room facing sideways and on display for the whole class. It wasn't a formal punishment or anything, it was just literally the last spot in the room. I kind of just assumed everyone would be on vacation with this being the first Monday since school let out. Nope. I was wrong and I had really had to be on my yoga game this morning because I was just sure everyone was watching me the whole time (likely that wasn't the case, but whatever).

Anyway, moral of the story is summer is here and summer adventures start hopefully this afternoon once everyone leaves the YMCA and takes their kids to do cool stuff.

But what's a summer if you don't have proof it happened? And if you're going to have photo evidence of this awesome summer, wouldn't it be cool if the photos matched the awesomeness? I was sitting here brainstorming summer photography tips to capture your kids' epic summer. For today, this is what comes to mind.

5 Photography Tips For Capturing Your Children This Summer

1. Let them get wet

Mainly this is because getting wet is fun for kids and they're destined to give you some real authentic (and probably happy) moments. Also water mixed with some sweet light can make an image so interesting and fun. Just look at the way the light shines through the water droplets here. The photo wouldn't be the same without it. So get out the hose, the sprinkler, slip and slide, pool, etc. and let your kids have a good time. Swimsuit not required. 9 times out of 10 my kids are still fully clothed and soaking wet.

2. Look for the light (or even wait for it)

So this is kind of an obsession for most photographers. It doesn't matter where I am or if I have my camera with me, I'm looking at light constantly. Summer can be hard because a lot of what we do is in the middle of the day and that sun is bright, bright, bright. That harsh light is fun to play with, but morning and evening light is where it's at for me 90% of the time. Maybe we'll address the harsh light on another day.

This set of images is from an evening in the backyard. Saida got on the trampoline and I could see the light streaming in there on her leg (picture on the left) and that light under the trampoline. Because the sun was almost behind the fence I really want to use backlight (place the sun behind my subject) so I could get that beautiful golden summer glow. I actually turned the trampoline around so I could shoot through the opening towards the sun and voila, beautiful golden summer evening images. The light was so gorgeous that Saida didn't even have to do anything.

This is what I first saw when I grabbed my camera. Light coming into the area of the trampoline. This okay I guess, but not the awesome summer evening vibe I was going for.

Then I moved the trampoline so I could shoot through the open part with the sun behind Saida and this is what I saw.

3. Don't forget the details

I could photograph just the details for the rest of my life and be a happy woman. Lately my detail obsession as been hand and feet, but it could be anything really. Hair blowing in the wind will also get me everytime. Maybe it's also the sweet rock or shell your kid found or their missing two front teeth. Don't leave these things out. I promise they'll be a great addition to an end of summer photo album or just something so fun to look at and remember later on.

4. Capture the everyday stuff too

Summer can be epic and normal, right? I think so. These everyday moments are ones we forget about, but are generally just as awesome as those orchestrated summer moments. Also this is just a reminder that you don't have to spend money or go anywhere to make beautiful summertime photos. You just have to get outside and allow you kids to be kids.

5. Don't ask them to smile (make them smile)

This actually sounds like I'm holding a gun to their heads and demanding a smile. I swear that's not what I mean. What I mean is play with your kids. In this image I'm shooting and jumping over Saida on the trampoline. This was actually her request and a great reminder to me. Look for real smiles and interact with your kids in a way that gets you real smiles. Get rid of the word "cheese", you don't need it.

Hopefully this helps with summer plans and with those everyday moments. Photography helps me be more present with my kids, which is a challenge for a lot of us moms with all the things on our plates. Put those other things on the back burner (laundry, dishes, etc.) and just be there with your kids (look, I'm just as guilty as you are). I promise you'll never remember a specific time the dishes didn't get washed immediately after a meal, but you just might remember that moment with your kids.

Have an AWESOME SUMMER!!!!

-Monica

Galveston Island Camping Trip: More of My Happy

February 22, 2019 by Monica Brown in camping, Family, Fun with kids, motherhood, personal, photography, travel

If you’ve known me for more than 5 minutes, you probably know that the beach/bay is the place my soul craves. Our latest camping trip to Galveston Island State Park was gloomy, windy, and cold. I didn’t care. It rained all weekend at home so gloomy, windy, and cold with a bay view seemed just fine to me. The sun came out on our last morning just as it was about time to start packing up. We decided to spend just 30 more minutes exploring before we had to leave and the dunes on the beach side of the island is where we ended up. They called it their mountain. They were in thier own kind of heaven and I can’t even explain to you how overwhelmingly happy and at peace I was in this moment. It’s the kind of happy and peaceful you forget exists until it sneaks up on you. There isn’t a worry or a care in the world because in that moment nothing else matters except being present and completely soaking it in and storing it in a place to keep you content until that feeling sneaks up on you again.

Beachside at Galveston Island State Park

Leaving was the hardest thing. Nobody wanted to go.

More of my favorites from our trip below.

Galveston Island State Park Hiking Trail

Saki Monkeys inside the Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens

Outside Moody Gardens Rainforest Pryramid

Walkways over the intercoastal at Galveston Island State Park

We stayed with our RV at Galveston Island State Park on the bayside in site 55. I feel like sites 58-64 would be ideal in terms of a killer view of the bay. That’s my goal for next time. I think I acutally prefer the bayside to the beachside. The bay has a sense of calm that is totally my jam so I think I’d do that again.

We try to keep things simple. This was a quick trip so Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid is the only attraction we spent money on. We did things like drive by port on Saturday while two ships were in and the kids thought that was cool. We didn’t take the ferry this time, but kids also love that and it’s free. Just do it when it’s not crowded. In the past we’ve done the offshore oil rig museum which is pretty cool and affordable and just right there by the cruise ships, just with the wind we skipped it this time. I think Corbin would love it though so I want to take him to do that someday. What I really wanted to do was the oil rig museum at 4pm when the ships left so we could wave to the cruisers on deck as it passed by. That would have been cool, but our go with the flow attitude meant we weren’t around for that. Exploring the park and connecting with nature was priority for me even though we made time for fun in town too.

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Galveston 2018

August 23, 2018 by Monica Brown in Family, Fun with kids, motherhood, personal, photography

Just sitting here pushing refresh from time to time of the parent portal for your school district. In just under 20 minutes we find out who Saida's Kindergarten teacher is. Back to school night is tonight and I'm just hoping I'm not a hot mess of tears for the whole thing. So to distract me from constantly checking the damn thing for the next 20 minutes or so, I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos from our Galveston beach trip because I still haven't done that.

Mom Brain: It's a Legit Thing

June 18, 2018 by Monica Brown in motherhood, parenting, personal

I feel like there are endless ways I could start this blog post. For example:

Does anyone spend most of their day doing all the little things they'd never remember?

The term "pregnancy brain" is bullshit. It insinuates that maybe you'll get your brain back after the baby is born and obviously that couldn't be any farther from the truth.

Or my personal favorite...

So this one time my husband was late to work after he spent an hour looking for his keys. Hell, I even helped and it just so happens I was the one who misplaced them. Any guesses on where we found them?

That last one was this morning.

But for real though, please tell me I'm not the only one. We moms go through our entire day automatically doing so many things without even realizing it. Just last week I was getting ready to go somewhere (I can't even remember where) and was in my bathroom working on hair and makeup. Saida was talking to me and periodically Corbin would come into the bathroom needing something. I looked down and at him on one of these quick visits and he had an applesauce squeezie in his hands. I remembered giving him a yogurt squeezie at some point, but not an applesauce squeezie. How did he get this thing open on his own? I looked in front of me and lo and behold, there is the damn cap to the applesauce squeezie on my bathroom counter. I opened that thing at some point and handed it over and had absolutely no memory of it. I was in the middle of something and just did it without thinking. No big deal really, but he was totally taking advantage of me and on his third squeezie in like 10 minutes. I wonder what else he could have gotten away with. "Yeah sure honey, let me open this bag of flour. Go ahead now, move along."

Or sometimes people will ask me where a small bruise came from that I don't remember getting. I walk into furniture, walls, doorways on the regular, but could never even begin to tell you which incident a bruise came from. Likely I don't even remember the incident ever happening, but I have some sort of vague recollection of saying ow at some point... I think. Sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day to really take note of these things and my head is already filled with too much other stuff.

So anyway, when Tyler came to me this morning and asked if I'd seen his keys, obviously I said no. I asked him twenty questions about what was happening the last time he had his keys and blamed the children for maybe moving them (honestly I still blame the children). We even looked in their playroom and I texted the neighbor to see if we had lost them there a couple nights before. In a last ditch effort I checked my purse. There they were. For about two seconds I tried to come up with places I could hide them that we hadn't looked yet, but I hadn't had coffee yet and Tyler was 5 feet away so I just handed them over.

Someone please tell me how they got in there. All I can figure is one of the kids handed them to me yesterday when we were on our way out the door and I just opened my purse and slid them in without thinking and I never really figured it out because we were taking my car with push button start and not Tyler's truck. I don't really know, but this is at least how I imagine it all going down in my head.

This is my life. I really don't know what to say. Sorry Tyler. For the record, I still think it's the kids' fault. Good thing they're cute.

Why We Gave Up On Potty Training After Half a Day

June 13, 2018 by Monica Brown in motherhood, personal, parenting

I started wondering if I should be potty training Corbin more than 6 months ago when he started removing his diaper on his own. This ended up not lasting long and I never did anything. He wasn’t even two at the time.

He turned two in January. This is June and next month he’ll be two and half. Seems like as good a time as any to try to knock this potty training thing out. I was hoping to get it done before we go to the beach in August anyway. It was super easy with my daughter and she was basically trained in 2 days when she was barely two.

Honestly I tried to do all the things other people suggest doing beforehand with Corbin. We got all excited over a potty seat he now refuses to use (it sits on the big potty), we read a super hero potty book that he has zero interest in, and I keep talking about all the yummy treats he’ll get for peeing in the potty because treats would definitely motivate him on a regular day.

The only problem is we are full on in that stage where you fight about ever last thing or it’s a game. And I'm not talking about the stuff that doesn't matter. I'm talking about things like diaper changes. Yes, if you have poop, you do not have a choice, I'm changing you. Of course he'll kick uncontrollably through the entire thing. Getting into the car seat is a fight and a game. He wants to do it himself, but if you give him an inch to do it, he's everywhere except the place he's supposed to be and I literally have to climb through the car after him. Getting out of the car is also a game. He wants to go out sister's door which is fine by me except when I get over to sister's door we're all over the car again and now we want to go out this other door. I've gotten to the point where if he told me he wants to go out a door, that's the one he's coming out one way or another. Otherwise I'd chase him from door to door for a good 10 minutes before he'd actually get out of the car. All of it is a fight. I literally have to man handle the kid to get him to do anything.

So I’m actually not feeling very confident about this potty training thing, but we’re going to give it a go anyway for the next two days. If day 2 shows zero progress, I’ll scrap it and try again later. If we make even the slightest progress, I’ll keep going.

Here we go….

Potty Training Day 1

7:00am: Wrangled Corbin on to the potty after he decided potty training wasn’t part of his plan for today. Doesn’t care if he gets to wear big boy pants and couldn’t care less about the marshmallows I promised. If he’s going to wear the big boy pants, he insists on also wearing shorts. This wasn’t part of my plan, but beggars can’t be choosers so oh well. I’m planning a load of laundry for the end of the day anyway.

7:50am: Seems okay with sitting on the potty for .75 seconds assuming I also give him the marshmallow while he’s on the potty. Still no pee so followed this up with a cup of water. Probably should have done that first thing this morning.

8:30am: Sat on the potty again. Sat longer, but still no pee. Stepped up my bribe with chocolate chips for actual pee in the potty.

8:39am: Accident #1 happens, not even 10 minutes after sitting on the potty. Go figure. He’s content to just sit in it.

9:05am: Sat on the potty again because he wanted a yogurt squeezie and I was like sure, as long as you go pee in the potty. He didn’t. No second squeezie was given. He’s drinking more water so we shall see. In the meantime I’m looking at little potties on Amazon, because I’m not sure we’re going to make any progress today on the big potty, but honestly I’m not sure a little potty would make a difference either.

9:35am: Sat on the potty again. He seems to be more excited about chocolate chips than marshmallows. Unfortunately no pee this time either.

10:02am: Accident #2. Lord help me. So if they don’t go in the potty a single time on day one, do you just scrap it completely?

10:33am: Sat on the potty again because he really wanted that yogurt squeezie. He wasn’t able to squeezie anything out though, lol.

11:00am: It’s been over an hour since the last accident so I thought now was a good time to go sit on the potty again. I had to chase Corbin around the house and onto his bed where I was just sure he’d pee. In my efforts to get him off the bed so we could go potty (or at least not pee on the bed) he fought so hard that I ended up bumping him in the mouth and hurting him.

This is a child who is clearly not ready to potty train. I don’t think it’s healthy to put either one of us through anymore of this at this time. Who are we kidding? We didn’t even make it half a day. After potty training one kid, this is definitely not moving in a promising direction at all. I think if either of us are going to do this and stay sane, it’s got to come after the fighting and game playing stage is over or at least not as much of a thing.

Send all your boy potty training tips my way, pretty please. We’ll try this again another day.

Actually, send all your getting over this fighting stage tips my way. We give him choices when appropriate and I pick my battles with things that don't matter, but how do you get over it with things that matter? I've taken on a no tolerance policy with the things that matter so I'm confused about why we're still trying it. He knows he's not getting his way and 9 times out of 10 it ends in tears. It can't possibly seem fun for him anymore.

P.S. This is not at all where I thought this would end up. I actually thought we'd make it through the day before we made a decision to continue or give up and I was totally ready to see it though. Bummer.

Things My Kids Pretended This Weekend

June 11, 2018 by Monica Brown in personal, photography, motherhood

I always find it funny the things kids pretend to be doing. Sometimes it's something they've seen on TV and sometimes they're totally imitating me, which is generally pretty hilarious and sometimes embarrassing. This weekend it made me laugh so that's not too bad.

Our tiny trampoline was an American Ninja Warrior course.

Saida took the task very seriously as she maneuvered around the outside. Fortunately she let me take a few other photos too and we snuck one in of Corbin.

Like they were helping... (because we all know they weren't really "helping".)

But it's cute and they think they are so you just let them do it anyway and then document it. Unfortunately I missed focus on my favorite photo, but I'll include it anyway.

And my personal favorite which I have no pictures of...

That it was Amazon Delivery Day

Saida kept putting things in boxes and opening them and saying, "Oh Corbin, look at the boots I ordered for you!" I asked her where she ordered them from and was incredibly proud when she said Amazon. That's my girl. Plus isn't Amazon where everything comes from? She asked me where babies come from the other day. I'm wondering if Amazon.com would have been a believable answer.

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