Picture This, One Year & Collin

Lately, I have been reading a lot about how to photograph kids (and people in general). I've read article after article about how to find the perfect lighting, how to create a fun  photo shoot, and how to make everything seem natural. Yes, articles and photographing how-to stories are fine and dandy, but photographing kids is hard. They don't like to look at the camera. They don't smile even when you shake your booty and hold their favorite toy. They are squirmy. It's harder than it looks.

Luckily I have a great "subject" to practice on-- my sweet two-year-old nephew, Collin. Let me just say, I may be biased, but he is the funniest, cutest kid ever. And did I mention smartest? He knows every dinosaur by full name-- Velociraptor, Triceratops, Apatosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and when he didn't nap, he turned into a Crankasaurus Rex. He's precious. 

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Once upon a time in a world of cars...

 ...and dinosaurs...

...there lived a two-year-old little boy named Collin. Collin loved to play the piano. He was very musical and enjoyed dancing, especially when "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts came on because it reminded him of Cars.

Blurry, but he's cute.

Christmas tunes and chopsticks played on the piano made Collin happy.

From early mornings in the den playing with his grandmother's glasses...

...to outings with Aunt Carrie at the pond where the ducks live, there was always fun to be had in Kinston.

Boy versus Duck.

He'd run after these two until they flew away. Then find them again.

Swinging on the playground followed by a relaxing swing ride with Aunt Carrie overlooking the river made Collin ready for some ice cream!

We said, "Hoo! Hoo!" for the next 20 minutes.

Ice cream before dinner was a must this week. And thank goodness T-Rex liked ice cream because he was soon forced to eat some, too.

I think kids always look cute in yellow.

Scouting out the animals made by clouds. 

An hour and a skip over the Atlantic Beach bridge and we were soaking up the rays.

The beach was pretty empty and the ocean was as calm as a lake with only tiny waves that crashed at the shoreline. 

Love Piers.

The green truck did not really get much of a break all day. The truck was forced to carry sand around and around the beach chairs. Glad he did not run out of gas.

The truck did get a break, however, when...

.....Collin took  his ocean-side nap.

What I learned about photographing kids this weekend is to never tell them to smile or "say cheese", just play with them and make them laugh. And keep the camera out and ready. Don't interupt them playing, just play along beside them and get on their level.

Happy picture taking! So glad I got to spend a few days with my cutie pie! We were pretty inseparable.

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As of yesterday, it has been one year since I first began to blog. Coincidentally, I also blogged about Collin and his "Teeny, Sandy Feet" for my first blog post. What a cutie!

Always,
Carrie