Time for Some Pictures

We discovered a really great playground in walking distance from our house. Aria is never super-eager to go there, but then never wants to leave. (Actually, she has a similar thing going on that I had when I was a kid: she doesn't like to change states. She doesn't like to have a bath, but once in it, doesn't want to get out. I was exactly the same way. I don't understand it, but I get it. Naming it that way helped her Mom get what's going on, too.)

This is a really great time in our lives together. Really, really great. Some of her perceptions are so much deeper than her 3 years, and then the next thing she says is the epitome of being a kid. When she's saying something, she strives so hard to be understood, and she won't rest until she is, even if that means she needs to bend our own meanings to get there.

We did some pictures with a friend for Kiss of Light, but Aria couldn't resist being a part of the action. These are shot in our basement garage at our condo. It's the second time I've done that -- it's a great spot for this kind of thing, something that I've just gotta use more. The only drawback is that it's a little chilly (hence our little girl's parka), but it really wasn't that bad (that parka is overkill on pretty much any day here).

We got a few raised eyebrows with the whole get-up in a dusty garage, but that's part of the fun, right?

And specifically for Dad who just stated that you can't trust any picture these days, there is no post processing at all on these images. Zero.

It Snowed Today...

Aria's been in the snow today three times. I think she's getting a kick out of it -- it seems like it's the first snow she remembers. She loves this snow suit, and surprised me by being able to put it on all by herself -- well 95%. Her ability matches her determination.

Anyway, she even worked with me on these pictures, walking over to play at this entrance gate. It's been a while since she's wanted to do pictures, so I'll take what I can get. She loves that we have pictures of her on the computer, but isn't always in the mood to have the camera pointed at her.

It's Been Too Long. Like Always...

It seems like it's always too long between picture sessions. She's really starting to exhibit her personality. Meaning that among other things, she refuses to settle down for pictures. I had one idea that she absolutely refused to cooperate with. But she has lots of moments of her own accord.

Catch-Up Part 2

Here are some more. Blogger was fighting me -- maybe it didn't want so many pictures in one post? Or my pictures were just too good? Or my daughter is simply too cute? Yeah, that's probably it.At a Christmas photoshoot -- Aria was clowning around, and especially loved hiding behind her sippy cup. What an expressive face!
This is her first recorded 'put on' smile. It didn't take long for it to change to a real smile as her Mom and I lost it.
With these, I set up the lights in front of a Christmas tree. But with the way I shot these, you can hardly tell that that's what it is. And now that I'm posting these at the end of March, that's a good thing! :-)

Finally, Some Catch-Up!

Aria during family portraits

We had a friend do family portraits for us a few months ago, and during a break I took my camera out. I particularly like this one.

We'll be doing picture catch-up soon

We've got a huge backlog of pics to post to this blog (autumn, Christmas, etc.). We're working on getting a faster computer and more hard-drive space to process all of these. In the meantime, here's some from today.

Pick a Mood, Any Mood

When Aria gets tired she gets very "moody". These were all taken in the span of probably less than 2 minutes.

Note To Aria

Hi baby girl! I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. Tomorrow I hop back to Santa Cruz to wrap up my time in Bolivia, and then in two days, I'm jumping on a plane to get back to you. I'm looking forward to it. I miss you and your Mom. Lots.

I was reminded how much when I held a three month old yesterday, who gave me wonderful smiles, and baby sounds. But yours are the world's best! See you again soon.

Her and Her Father

It's not too common for me to be in front of the camera. But Aria's pretty used to it. I'll just follow her lead...

Another 'Keeper'

The Lovin' Crateful

A co-worker of mine went out of her way to lend me some sturdy wooden crates for a weekend shoot. (Thanks, Lisa!) Before returning them tomorrow, I needed to get a pic (or two) of Aria in one. And she jumped at the chance. Or at least co-operated. :-)

I Did It! I Did It!

Today we enjoyed the 'last day of summer' by zipping out to the lake. What I'm excited about is that I've finally created usable portraits with my ultra-wide lens! (If you use it wrong, it makes people look really, really strange.) Look at the range of scenery and sky that are pulled in to each shot! I'm still working on balancing sunlight and flash. And I'm lucky to have these two willing, great(!) women in my life to work with. :-)