My kids are in this horrible stage where it’s impossible to get a good picture of all three of them at one time. I’ll admit it wasn’t easy when they were little either, but at least they were not intentionally and deviously trying to subvert my every effort to capture their adorable likenesses for posterity. Now they are eight, (almost) ten, and twelve. One is self-conscious and makes a fake, awkward smile whenever a camera is pointed in her direction. Another intentionally refuses to maintain a normal expression and instead makes a goofy, sad, angry, or cheesy face while simultaneously putting two thumbs up or throwing a double peace sign. The third is blurry in nearly every photo because just when I think I might possibly (Maybe? Hopefully? Fingers and toes crossed?) have the other two in a decent shot, he decides he is no longer capable of sitting still one second longer.
So when Cincinnati Moms Blog offered me a photo shoot with Kandid.ly, I was all in. With older kids, our mornings are a little different than they used to be. While I’m not retrieving a tiny one from a crib, changing diapers, or wrestling a toddler out of pajamas in the early morning hours, this is still one of my favorite times of day. We like to ease into it and start our days gently.
My kids are usually up before I am. From bed, I enjoy the sounds of them getting ready for the day. I often hear them filling the dog bowl, emptying the dishwasher, making a pot of coffee for their dad and me, or gathering a pan and the ingredients to scramble eggs for breakfast. Many days, one or another will come into bed to snuggle with me and talk about our plans for the day.
I suspected that it would be difficult for our photographer, Kati Best**, to capture these special moments of our typical morning—not through any fault on her part, but simply with my kids being in that self-conscious, difficult to photograph stage. And while I am sure we were a little more challenging than families with younger kids kids who might be able forget a camera is there, she was still able to capture many of those things that I love about our mornings. She even caught a few authentic smiles from my twelve year old. I was starting to think those didn’t even exist anymore.
I could not be more impressed with Kati’s talent and skill, and I could not be more thrilled at the pictures she took for us. I can’t wait to have a reason for her to join us again. Really though, just waking up was a good enough reason to have her join us. It’s not just the days when we get dressed up or go to a once in a lifetime event that are worth recording. For me, the moments that we repeat over and over, the moments that create our lives each and every day, are even more worthy of capturing.
Kandid.ly is an amazing service that looks to pair local photographers with families in the area in an effort to help them capture life’s moments while enjoying them too. Their website is easy to navigate and a great way to connect with affordable photography services designed to give you memories of your life, both big and small. Birthday parties, a trip to a local farmer’s market, a picnic in the park or as this series highlights… even documenting life at it’s most basic. Kandid.ly gives you quality prints and a professional experience at a price that will keep you coming back for more.
