Anatomy of a Snapshot
Last Halloween, Muffin dressed as a peapod, and we took her into the park to get some snaps. She was just sitting up on her own then, but still wasn’t rock solid with it. In fact, she face-planted into the grass several times, so we took periodic breaks for soothing.
Because it was a warm day, we took off her costume and then headed to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, where they were having a Halloween festival. There, we captured this shot. It remains, to date, one of my favorite photos of her.
Her eyes, which I think she gets from her father, remind me of the pristine Bora Bora lagoon the Canuck and I swam in during our honeymoon. It was so effortless to get her to smile then, and so easy to take her photo because this was before she knew there was such a thing as running away. I love her pre-crawling baby pudge; I had recently stopped breast-feeding, and if you’d seen my boobs, you’d know why she’s such a chunk here.
Fast forward a year, which seems far more than that, given how much Muffin’s changed. I bought her lamb costume to Woodstock , bound and determined to get a good shot of her in it. Although she loves the outfit, and wanted to try it on as soon as my mother-in-law finished sewing it, she has a crusade against things on her head. I fear a long winter of earaches and bad hair, as whatever you put on her head – hat, pigtails, barrettes – she views as a personal challenge. I needed her to keep the lamb hat on. Without it, she looked like the Stay-Puft Marshmellow man.
In the end, we got the money shot. But these photos more accurately represent the experience of capturing it.
To get a smile for our favorite shot, the Canuck and I pretended to sneeze over and over. Muffin seems to revel in others’ nasal misfortune, hence, the big open-mouthed grin. I plan to obtain a sinus infection in order to get the perfect Christmas card shot, if that's what it takes.
Because it was a warm day, we took off her costume and then headed to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, where they were having a Halloween festival. There, we captured this shot. It remains, to date, one of my favorite photos of her.
Her eyes, which I think she gets from her father, remind me of the pristine Bora Bora lagoon the Canuck and I swam in during our honeymoon. It was so effortless to get her to smile then, and so easy to take her photo because this was before she knew there was such a thing as running away. I love her pre-crawling baby pudge; I had recently stopped breast-feeding, and if you’d seen my boobs, you’d know why she’s such a chunk here.
Fast forward a year, which seems far more than that, given how much Muffin’s changed. I bought her lamb costume to Woodstock , bound and determined to get a good shot of her in it. Although she loves the outfit, and wanted to try it on as soon as my mother-in-law finished sewing it, she has a crusade against things on her head. I fear a long winter of earaches and bad hair, as whatever you put on her head – hat, pigtails, barrettes – she views as a personal challenge. I needed her to keep the lamb hat on. Without it, she looked like the Stay-Puft Marshmellow man.
In the end, we got the money shot. But these photos more accurately represent the experience of capturing it.
To get a smile for our favorite shot, the Canuck and I pretended to sneeze over and over. Muffin seems to revel in others’ nasal misfortune, hence, the big open-mouthed grin. I plan to obtain a sinus infection in order to get the perfect Christmas card shot, if that's what it takes.
posted by Muffin's Mom at 2:53 PM
2 Comments:
AWWWWWW I love the pea pod costume and also this year's! They are all lovely!
Camilla (takes after her dad's trait) hates hats too. Unless it is freezing cold, I should simply forget putting anything on her head. Now she is capable of pulling the hat off, I find the hat on the floor...dirty street. In the end I give up.
Oh my. I am not looking forward to her running away ... Nowadays, putting on a fresh pampers is already a challenge!
I am so glad you are doing this ahead of us, I'll appreciate all the tips...
She may not like hats now but I am sure she will fall in love with them in the future when she realizes her love for accessories - like mother, like daughter!
My friend Kristen just went through the same photo "experience" to get pictures of her daughter's first birthday. Apparently, the tantrum was on par with a nuclear meltdown - so they just decided to forego their attempts to get the money shot. Like you, they are bracing themselves for their Christmas picture. Love, AJ
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