So Much Easier To Take Them Myself

Some days I feel bad for TheKing..........he doesn't have as many "posed" studio photos as SuperStar and Spidey do. There are still Just As Many photo's of him - but they were not done in a studio. SuperStar and Spidey had 3 photos taken each year......Christmas family done in November......a photo done at their Birthday.....and then a photo done together at Easter looking goofy in Bunny Ears. Now part of this picture love was that I knew the girls at the photo studio and they let me do whatever I wanted. Plus since they developed a relationship with me they had more patience for my kids non-sense. TheKing had this the first year and then we moved. I never developed a relationship with any photographers here and I had extra time to take pictures myself - and I kinda got good at it - good enough to take pictures to share at least - and put in frames on my walls and be asked "who took those pictures". So I quit taking kids to studios.
Well I also quit taking kids to studios because even though I knew the women who were taking the pictures the entire process was painful. Getting there on time is a pain. Sitting there waiting for the people who are still having their portraits done is a pain. Shoot if I am honest simply getting all three of my kids clean at the same time is a pain. So it ended when we moved. My moving incentive was a nice camera. BigGuy also purchased me a few computer programs so that the pictures I take can be "touched up" here at home. He believes in my photography ability enough that he spent a good chunk of money on Adobe Photoshop. I had seen this on the Pioneer Woman blog. She does TONS of fabulously cool things - and does individual tutorials on the skills with pictures on her blog. The photos are gorgeous and her followers have started uploading theirs .....very impressive.
So BigGuy bought it for me and installed it for me and then I started uploading pictures.....and it came to my attention that apparently I am an idiot. I am not able to figure out how to do any of the things that Pioneer Woman does with Photoshop. A good friend also has the program - installed it just a bit before mine was. She was very excited I had it too. She called one day and wanted to know how it was going using it.....and I told her it wasn't going anywhere - that I totally sucked at the ease of Photoshop. She was surprised because usually I can catch onto this stuff pretty quickly - then she admitted that she was also disappointed because she couldn't figure it out either and hoped I would teach her. So she bought the book Photoshop for Dummies. Last I heard the book wasn't helping either and she was getting ready to enroll in a class at the community college. Wonder if Pioneer Woman started that way?
I should really learn to use that expensive program BigGuy was so sweet to buy for me. If only the children would go away for enough time that I could think uninterrupted for 30 minutes. In the mean time I am learning lighting and figuring out the various control features on my camera. This would be easier if I could find the manual (yes I know I could seek it out on the internet.....but then I have to sit in front of my computer....yes I know I sit in front of my computer, but not to read). But really taking pictures is fun. And instead of a manual I have made a good friend from someone who is a professional photographer. Of course she has no patience to teach me anything.....she just says, "let me take the picture". Instead I watch her and then copy. Watch how she sets the lighting and figure it out. Really that is the best way to learn....trial and error.

Now I can take a decent shot when I need to. These pics were for Spidey's First Communion invite. He didn't want one that was "stamped" - apparently those are too "eck not so cool" in his words - he wanted a picture of himself (hmmm.....should we worry about his ego?) on his invite. So when he came home I stuck him in the entry way against the wall - where the lighting was perfect at that time of day. Turned my flash off and took a few pics. As you can see he is a Cheese - but a very cute Cheese.

I am doing okay so far - and I am also saving money. And totally honestly....I love the more natural photos far far far better then any of the completely adorable ones of SuperStar and Spidey when they were little.