I fall more in love with my husband each time I witness his loving interactions with our children. Seeing his obvious interest in and affection for them deepens my trust in his love and devotion towards me. It's truly a miraculous and beautiful thing to behold. While it may appear tragically rare in today's world, fatherly love is an inspiring source of strength, comfort and wisdom. My husband's selfless motives, his energetic patience with, and tender consideration for his children, really blow me away. I can't get over it. And I thank my Heavenly Father for it, as it serves as a heartening example of what Divine fatherly love looks like.
Every year for Father's day, the kids and I find a creative way to express our appreciation for this fabulous guy, through our traditional father's day photo-shoot. Remember my first attempt? Then there was the Superhero collage and the Sports-Star themed session. As I pondered what theme to use this year, I tried to determine something that would be practical and inexpensive, but still allowed for each child's personality to be featured. The theme needed to be broad enough to incorporate seven individuals, each in a unique way; I didn't want seven shots of the same pose. But how could I do it without only 5 days before Father's day and potentially whiny subjects?
We've all become slightly obsessed with the musical The Greatest Showman (my oldest especially -- Earlier this year she presented a biography report on P. T. Barnum, wearing an incredibly accurate cosplay costume she'd put together from thrift-store finds. I was so proud!) Considering our shared enjoyment, I wondered if we could incorporate this colorful musical into our photo shoot. But I didn't want the kids all in costume. Plus, where would we find all the props for such an endeavor?
Who needs props when you've got chalk and a concrete driveway? We'd just draw whatever circus paraphernalia we required on the cement and then lay our subject down into the chalk scene. Simple (and cheap) enough in theory, but a bit more complicated in practice.
The first trouble we encountered was the position of the sun during picture taking. While most the kids were good sports about it, the sunlight irritated their eyes, making it difficult to look up into the camera. I ended up with plenty of shots where their eyes were closed. (Thank goodness for digital photography.) Even trickier though, was when one of my toddlers reached up to rub their eyes with a chalk-stained fist! Luckily, older siblings were on hand to help wipe smudges from cute faces, and rearrange squirmy, impatient bodies when that was needed!
Other difficulties arose from needing to utilize the same space for multiple scenes, and trying to keep the whole thing a surprise from a husband who now works from home! We developed a system of spraying and scrubbing down and drying off each scene to make room for the next. Glad I had help with this part, too! Keeping it a surprise for Richard was a matter of compromise; When he noticed us shuffling back and forth from outside, he asked what was going on. Initially, I told him it was none of his business! But I finally had to remind him that if he wanted his father's day present ready in time, he needed to stop asking questions. He was a good sport about it!
Erasing the evidence! We used a spray bottle to wash the image off, brushes to scrub and an old towel to help dry. The weather helped with that bit, so we didn't have to wait too long to begin the next drawing. You can see I had to stand on a chair to get the right angle for the photos. I used my daughter's chalk pastels to make the designs. She's used them for competing in chalk art festivals (which I probably ought to post about sometime. . .). They gave me the quality and variety of colors I wanted for the right affect. (They're Sargent Artist Pastels, if you're wondering. We ordered them online, but I'm pretty sure they are available in many stores.)
I had to laugh at this last one! She did a fabulous job posing, but the sun was making her eyes water. In this last shot, she was worried about her watery eyes, but it looks as though this aerial artist is deathly afraid of heights!
For the grand finale, I had a marvelous idea, but I was nervous about how it would translate from my head to the pavement. Even if the design turned out according to plan, there was no way to tell how the baby would respond to being laid on the ground for a photo. She's old enough now that laying immobile for any length of time is no longer a possibility! I decided to sketch out the design and practice with my oldest, but not place the baby into the scene until the last possible moment. Then we'd just have to cross our fingers and hope it turned out.
Every year for Father's day, the kids and I find a creative way to express our appreciation for this fabulous guy, through our traditional father's day photo-shoot. Remember my first attempt? Then there was the Superhero collage and the Sports-Star themed session. As I pondered what theme to use this year, I tried to determine something that would be practical and inexpensive, but still allowed for each child's personality to be featured. The theme needed to be broad enough to incorporate seven individuals, each in a unique way; I didn't want seven shots of the same pose. But how could I do it without only 5 days before Father's day and potentially whiny subjects?
*cue flash of brilliance*
We've all become slightly obsessed with the musical The Greatest Showman (my oldest especially -- Earlier this year she presented a biography report on P. T. Barnum, wearing an incredibly accurate cosplay costume she'd put together from thrift-store finds. I was so proud!) Considering our shared enjoyment, I wondered if we could incorporate this colorful musical into our photo shoot. But I didn't want the kids all in costume. Plus, where would we find all the props for such an endeavor?
*enter stroke of genius*
Who needs props when you've got chalk and a concrete driveway? We'd just draw whatever circus paraphernalia we required on the cement and then lay our subject down into the chalk scene. Simple (and cheap) enough in theory, but a bit more complicated in practice.
The first trouble we encountered was the position of the sun during picture taking. While most the kids were good sports about it, the sunlight irritated their eyes, making it difficult to look up into the camera. I ended up with plenty of shots where their eyes were closed. (Thank goodness for digital photography.) Even trickier though, was when one of my toddlers reached up to rub their eyes with a chalk-stained fist! Luckily, older siblings were on hand to help wipe smudges from cute faces, and rearrange squirmy, impatient bodies when that was needed!
Other difficulties arose from needing to utilize the same space for multiple scenes, and trying to keep the whole thing a surprise from a husband who now works from home! We developed a system of spraying and scrubbing down and drying off each scene to make room for the next. Glad I had help with this part, too! Keeping it a surprise for Richard was a matter of compromise; When he noticed us shuffling back and forth from outside, he asked what was going on. Initially, I told him it was none of his business! But I finally had to remind him that if he wanted his father's day present ready in time, he needed to stop asking questions. He was a good sport about it!
The Juggler
The Strongman
The Acrobat
Originally, I'd thought we'd have the five-year-old be a lion tamer! But I soon realized that neither time, nor my drawing skills would allow for such a lofty objective. While the chalk design for this one was the simplest, I think the shot turned out to be one of the best! I was especially proud of how well he kept his left hand in position to look like he was actually pushing off from the ground.
Trapeze Artist
Say hello to my most difficult subject -- the aforementioned toddler, requiring patient rearranging and smudge removal. Poor thing had a hard time holding the right position, especially with the sun bothering her eyes. Each time I told her to open her eyes, her mouth came open, too. Such a sweet little trapeze artist, in spite of the challenges she presented.
Tightrope Walker
For the grand finale, I had a marvelous idea, but I was nervous about how it would translate from my head to the pavement. Even if the design turned out according to plan, there was no way to tell how the baby would respond to being laid on the ground for a photo. She's old enough now that laying immobile for any length of time is no longer a possibility! I decided to sketch out the design and practice with my oldest, but not place the baby into the scene until the last possible moment. Then we'd just have to cross our fingers and hope it turned out.
Ringmaster and the Human Cannonball
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| Mr. Barnum, all dolled up and ready to go! I should add a disclaimer -- her top hat was not found at a thrift store, but ordered online. Her cane is a dowel used to lock a sliding glass door. She wrapped it in black and gold tape. |
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| The moment of truth. Big brother prepares baby for her performance. |
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| Almost there. . . |
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| Look over here! |
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| Darn sun shining in their eyes! |
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| PERFECT! |
I couldn't believe how chill that human cannonball was! Not only did she sit still, she even gave me a little smirk at just the right time.
The end result was everything I hoped it'd be.
It's everything you ever want,
it's everything you ever need,
and it's here right in front of you.
This is where you wanna be.
Happy Father's Day!
This is fantastic! And brilliant!!!! Good job!!!! Thanks for sharing; I loved seeing all of these!
ReplyDeleteDon't know how I missed your comment, Birrd. Thanks for stopping by! Always a pleasure to hear from you.
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