In this household, there hasn’t been a ton of smiling little happy faces for the last two weeks.?? In fact, Tori is pretty darn sick today with the flu.?? Like Ty, she is getting progressively worse.?? Thankfully Ty seems to be over it.?? No hives break out today.?? She has been borderline lethargic a few times and sleeping on my lap a lot.?? She is finally playing a bit right now and enjoying her Daddy and brothers.?? But as you can see from the above, I was really pushing it to even ATTEMPT pictures of the three of them yesterday.?? I knew when I did it that the outcome was likely to be comical.?? She told me NO about as loudly as she knew how.?? The boys were not particularly helpful either.?? But you know what….smiles really are over rated.?? The more I do this photography thing, the more I realize as a photographer and as a mother, smiles aren’t really what I am after.?? I want to capture THEM.?? Ty…well it’s hard not to get good smiling pictures of him because he is about the happiest little guy I know.?? Tanner and Tori though…they are just more serious little people.?? It’s who they are.?? So often I get serious little expressions on their faces and my mama heart flutters because I “see” them.?? That’s what I really want out of this.?? I also like to capture??some mad faces, and angry ones, and sad ones, and pouting ones as well.?? Same reason.?? All their many expressions are precious and aiming for just the smiles makes me miss too much.?? I guess I am appreciating photojournalism more and more because I like to see them in their element.?? It’s real.???? The picture above probably won’t make it above the mantel hee hee, however, it’s a pretty darn good summary of the day.?? Tanner’s smile is totally false and he isn’t looking at me. Tori is madder than a hornet.?? She wants mama and she wants her NOW.?? Ty is trying to remember what a smile looks like.?? He actually asked me that and then told me “I just don’t remember how. Is this a smile?”?? Let’s look at a few more shall we?
Tanner is being very real.???? Tori wants to know why Ty isn’t paying attention and smiling and Ty is concentrating on remembering what a smile looks like.?? He is also thinking about all the things he wishes he were doing as opposed to taking pictures.
Sometimes it takes mom to differentiate between a real and fake smile.?? This one is real.?? I really “see” my son in this picture.
Ultra genuine.?? I see this smile every day of my life.?? Even on sick days.?? I actually had to clone hives out of Ty’s forehead for these pictures.
Those big kid teeth sure make him look older.
Ty’s bored expression.?? Can’t help it – I really love this picture.?? Just makes me giggle.
Now Tanner’s bored.?? 🙂
LOL.?? I’d call this border line exasperated.
Well…I didn’t get one single decent one of all 3 of them together but there wasn’t much chance of that this week anyhow.?? But…I must admit to enjoying the end result.??
I am getting into the habit of saving more “out takes”.?? I have got some funny ones.?? Sometime I will post the petti skirt out takes with the boys.?? Funny.?? I also have one from July of Tori actually spitting up during a photo shoot.?? Not sure you want to see that but my timing was perfect.?? It was funny.?? 🙂
Note to Shayla who can’t receive email at the moment:?? I’ll talk to Susie and we’ll work that out then I’ll text you.?? Not sure we’ll get “AMAZING” pictures in a 30?? minute mini shoot – frankly I have no idea how feasible this idea is to begin with.?? Thought I’d at least give it a try though just for fun.?? We must have a threesome pictures of the NICU buddies for sure.
9 responses to “Smiles Are Over Rated”
I like the “real” pictures too.
I’m sorry your kiddos have been so sick lately. Devins been sick for a couple of weeks, but I’ll take a cold and ear infection over the flu any day. I pray all your sweet little ones get better fast!
That first picture of Tori is hilarious! It’s good to see those boys too. They just get more handsome by the minute! Miss you all!!!
I love the real pictures too Doni! I haven’t commented in forever, but I am still a faithful reader keeping up on your family. I have to say I was struck to comment today when I looked at the “border line exasperated” picture of Ty…it just hit me like a ton of bricks what a miracle he is (yes I know all kids are) the size of his hands just stood out, like wow look at how much this miracle has grown! Thank you for allowing me to peek into your world. Your post no matter the subject always cause me to be thankful and to desire to enjoy each day to it’s fullest. Thank you! Hope Tori is on the mend today!
Doni, I just can’t stop loving these pictures! I like all of them, smiles or frowns – they all make me smile!!!! What a precious way to capture their true personalities and the memories they will treasure as they look back on how Mama LOVED them through her pictures! You are building some of the most powerful proclamations of that love…they will never doubt that they are your and Jim’s greatest treasures!
I’m lovin’ you and feeling quite content with how much we all love each other in this family, what a blessing and coming into the Fall Season where we take a whole day just to be T H A N K F U L – Wow!!!! Live loved 🙂
Aunt Beck
Too cute, I love crying pictures! They don’t have toothless little mouths for long and its so funny:) Tanner looks ages older just since I last saw him! What is happening around here?? Noah is beginning to tell me how to do things and usually they are great ideas!
i love ty’s exhasperated picture, tanner’s 2 on the pumpkin (one where he’s ‘bored’ and one where he’s looking down) … also hands on the pumpkin.
i’m totally with you on capturing the child, the moment… not just a smile. it seems i’ve held to that even in my snapshots of seth over the years. it just makes me happy to catch the moment.
there was a show on called celebrity hobbies – had jenny jones and a guy who is a musician whose name i’m forgetting. he made several statements i thought you’d LOVE and i should have written them down. basically at one point he said being ultra professional is over-rated. the pictures he loves the most are the ones that capture the newness of the hobby – like something he would have photographed when he was 14. i totally get that. and i think that is what capturing the person and moment kind of photography is really about – keeping it very REAL and in the moment – not superficial or so ‘set up’ feeling. it’s genuine and full of life. gosh – wish i would have quoted him for you!!!
OH! SOMETHING ELSE HE SAID was along the lines of how he loves the kind of photography that he captures in a moment because he knows when he looks at that image that no one has ever caught it before and it will never happen again. THAT is true IN THE MOMENT photography. i really appreciated his thoughts.
BRENDA – to brenda via doni. 🙂 i don’t have all of my email address plugged in to my online mail… and i don’t have outlook set up yet – had to reload ALL of windows on my computer… wanted to write you… don’t know my Grace password either – have to find it in my backup files. 🙂 nice eh? just saw your name and was thinking of you. 🙂
smiles frons who cares they have to be the funniest thing on earth wet myself lol roll on the ground pass out thing i think i’v seen of tori so cute pro live you much jenna pro