capturing them.

as a photographer, i have a lot of tricks in my bag in order to get kids to do what i want.  most of the time, acting like a total idiot works.  if that doesn't work, i might resort to a white lie (hey! look at this HUGE butterfly coming out of my camera!).  i will basically do or say anything to get the shot i'm looking for.

however, tucker is totally onto me.  NOTHING WORKS.  EVER.  he is so jaded by my camera that taking a nice shot of him (smiling and looking at the camera, you know, for grandma's wall) ... is impossible.  he will either hide his face, make a stupid face with his eyes closed, or take off in the OTHER direction of my camera. 

levi on the other hand is just starting to get the whole 'cheese' thing.  i don't tell him to say it, but i think he might have a few others out there that do (like his brother).  he is usually to busy or fast for me to grab the shot i want. 

it is kind of crazy that i have to work so hard to get a good picture of either of my boys.  put them both together and it adds another level of difficulty.  9 times out of 10, tucker is grabbing levi's head and trying to make him 'look' at the camera.  it is pretty funny actually.  that just ticks levi off and he wants to bolt.  to get a nice normal shot of them looking at the camera ... happens once in a blue moon. 

all that aside ... i'm pretty sure all of my favorite shots of the boys are not of them smiling at the camera with big smiles on their faces.  it's of them just being ... them.  and this shot i grabbed on a morning during the weekend is just so THEM.

levi and his cheesy-zoned-out-on-bubble-guppies face ... and tucker with his mom-can-you-put-the-camera-away-already face.  this picture just captured a moment during that morning when they were snuggling with each other in the chair, watching cartoons, fighting playing, laughing ... and just being THEM.

Comments

[denise]

Oh I know...my girls run in the other direction when they see the camera come out. Darn kids

[JuliP]

two words.....fart machine!
my kids laugh hysterically with that thing....it's done wonders for our photo sessions!