The Young and the Restless

Behind the scenes

Do you know what's fun? Making your kids (and husband) take family pictures not once, not twice, but three times. It's even funner to stack your camera on shoes stacked on towels stacked on a picnic basket and use a self timer. Or it's loads of fun when strangers walk by and feel sorry for you and offer to take your picture but end up cropping off feet and heads. He was even Asian, and I thought all Asians knew how to use a camera (it's okay, I'm practically Asian so I can say that). That's what I like to do for fun. But at least we ended up with a winner. Even though it looks like I barely ran into place in the last second. Because I did just barely run into place in the last second. And even though Ryder had to sit on Jason's shoulders because he was petrified that the waves would sneak up behind him. And even though I had to photoshop some serious wind blown hair. And even though Kylie and Jayden both thought his shirt looked like a girl's shirt (and now that they mention it, I may just have to borrow it). And even though Kylie had already un-accessorized because this was a last ditch effort for a decent shot.  But we got it, so a very merry Christmas to you and yours from me and mine. 

This was the first attempt. Ryder was a dreamboat, I mean seriously, I could die a thousand deaths just looking at that face. But the scenery just didn't ooze New Zealand and the exposure and lighting were weird. It was sort of a last minute throw together photo shoot based loosely on a dream I had (I wasn't kidding when I said I lay in bed at night thinking about photography).  The kids (and Jason) were thrilled when I announced we were doing retakes.

Have you ever seen a cuter face? Or a bigger head?

This is the spot I really wanted to do it at, it's my favorite place in Christchurch, but even at 7:30 at night the sun was still too bright.

Loved the golden light from this angle, but the uphill was just too much for my little makeshift tripod to handle. There was a bench that I wanted to use as a tripod but this couple occupied it the entire time. I got so close to asking them to snap a picture for us, but then I thought maybe they were sitting there celebrating their engagement, or discussing the death of a loved one. Or maybe it's their first date. And we all know nothing ruins a first day more than strangers asking you to take their picture because they're too cheap to hire a photographer. Or at least buy a tripod.

But at the last minute I convinced them to let me take one more photo and I'm so glad it turned out. And they were rewarded with a nice dip in the ocean.  All's well that ends well.